Role of gyration in the oceanic general circulation: Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Wind-driven gyres transport volume and heat in the meridional direction, which is an important component of the climate system. The contribution of wind-driven gyres to both poleward volume and heat fluxes can be clearly identified from numerical models by a simple diagnostic tool; thus the central location, strength, and dynamical roles of wind-driven circulation in the climatological mean state and decadal variability of the oceanic circulation can be examined in detail. This diagnostic tool was applied to the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation data generated from a numerical model, with data assimilation. Our analysis indicates the important contribution due to wind-driven gyres and the strong decadal variability in the volume flux, heat flux, and central location of the wind-driven gyres in the Atlantic Ocean. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.