Importance of the assimilation of Argo float measurements on the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the South Atlantic

Abstract

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) and meridional heat transport (MHT) obtained from two GFDL coupled models, with and without data assimilation, are examined and compared with observations collected at nominally 34S in the South Atlantic. The results demonstrate that the performance of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory (GFDL) coupled data assimilation (CDA) model is quite different between the two periods, 1979-2002 and 2003-2007, due to the assimilation of Argo data in later period. The MOC components from the GFDL CDA during 1979-2002 are similar to those from GFDL CM2.1 IPCC simulation, both give weak boundary currents and strong interior overturning transport compared to observations. However, after assimilating temperature and salinity profiles from the Argo floats, the performance of the GFDL CDA is greatly improved in terms of representing the observed MOC and MHT structure: the transports of boundary currents are twice as strong as those during pre-Argo period, and the overturning flow in the interior region is reduced. Possible causes for the changes in model performance are discussed. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.