Inferring the subduction rate and period over the North Atlantic

Abstract

The annual rate at which mixed-layer fluid is transferred into the permanent thermocline - that is, the annual subduction rate Sann and the effective subduction period Teff - is inferred from climatological data in the North Atlantic. Finally, the heat budget of a column of fluid, extending from the surface down to the base of the seasonal thermocline is discussed, following it over an annual cycle. -from Authors