Unravelling how winds and surface heat fluxes control the Atlantic Ocean's meridional heat transport

Abstract

The North Atlantic Ocean circulation, fuelled by winds and surface buoyancy fluxes, carries 1.25 PettaWatts of heat poleward in the subtropics, and helps in regulating global weather and climate patterns. Here, we assess the relative impacts of changes in winds and surface heat fluxes on the Atlantic Ocean circulation and heat transport on short timescales (<10 years) and long timescales (>50 years) using ocean simulations. We decompose the circulation and heat transport into warm and cold cells (resembling a subtropical gyre and the dense overturning circulation respectively), and a mixed cell capturing waters transitioning between warm and cold regions. Warm and mixed cells transport more heat poleward as wind stress increases; however, these anomalies are compensated by reductions in the cold cell's heat transport. Warm and cold cells transport more heat poleward when we increase meridional heat flux gradients. Our findings underscore the distinct roles of winds and surface heat fluxes in controlling the Atlantic Ocean's meridional heat transport.