PDO-related heat and temperature budget changes in a model of the North Pacific

Abstract

Heat and temperature budget changes in a 1/3° model of the North Pacific driven by an idealized Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) atmospheric forcing are diagnosed to determine the roles of atmospheric heat flux and ocean dynamics in upper-ocean heat content and mixed layer temperature (MLT) changes. Changes in MLT and heat content during the transition between negative and positive PDOs are driven primarily by atmospheric heat fluxes, with contributions from ageostrophic advection and entrainment. Once the new PDO state is established, atmospheric heat flux in the central North Pacific works to mitigate the MLT change while vertical entrainment and ageostrophic advection act to enhance it. Upper-ocean heat content is affected in a similar matter, except that vertical processes are not important in the heat budget balance. At the same time, changes in wind stress curl cause the subtropical gyre to spin up and the subpolar gyre boundary to migrate southward. These circulation changes cause a large increase in the geostrophic advective heat flux in the Kuroshio region. This increase results in more heat flux to the atmosphere, demonstrating an active role for ocean dynamics in the upper-ocean heat budget. Eddy heat flux divergence along the Kuroshio Extension doubles after the transition, due to stronger eddy activity related to increased Kuroshio transport. © 2007 American Meteorological Society.