Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorLegatt, Rebecca Anne
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-17T17:15:06Z
dc.date.available2022-03-17T17:15:06Z
dc.date.issued2010-12
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11122/12778
dc.descriptionThesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2010en_US
dc.description.abstract"North Atlantic (NA) variability has wide-spread implications locally and globally. This study investigates mechanisms driving NA variability using a simple box model incorporating time evolution of interacting upper ocean temperature anomalies, horizontal (Gyre) and vertical (meridional overturning circulation, or MOC) circulation, driven by surface air temperature, wind, and Labrador Sea temperature forcings. Simulated upper ocean responses to external atmospheric forcing result in solutions with redder spectra than solutions by white noise atmospheric forcing, implying that the ocean acts as a low-pass filter to this external forcing. Simulated ocean dynamic response may be viewed as a response to a cumulative atmospheric forcing over an interval defined by system damping properties. A strong anti-correlation links simulated MOC and Gyre circulation intensity suggesting a mechanism, in which system heat balance is maintained via communication between the dynamic components, (e.g. excess of heat supply from a stronger Gyre circulation would be balanced by lack of heat from a weaker MOC circulation and vise versa). Wind was the dominant forcing for NA upper ocean temperature anomalies and the intensity of MOC and Gyre circulations. Further investigations of NA variability mechanisms are important as they have serious implications on global heat transport"--Leaf iii.en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents1. Introduction -- 1.1. General overview of the North Atlantic Ocean -- 1.2. North Atlantic water masses -- 2. North Atlantic variability -- 2.1. North Atlantic atmospheric variability -- 2.2. North Atlantic oceanic variability -- 2.3. Mechanisms governing North Atlantic atmospheric variability -- 2.4. Mechanisms governing North Atlantic oceanic variability -- 2.5. Global and local impacts of North Atlantic variability -- 3. Model description -- 3.1. Governing equations -- 3.2. External stochastic forcings -- 3.2.1. Original observational time series -- 3.2.2. Stochastic forcing development -- 3.3. Numerical solutions of the governing equations -- 3.4. Model experimental design -- 4. Results of model experiments -- 4.1. Results of wind experiments -- 4.2. Results of SAT experiments -- 4.3. Results of labrador experiment -- 4.4. Results of general experiments -- 5. Conclusions -- 5.1. Summary -- 5.2. Main results and future work -- References -- Appendix A. Box model stability tests -- A.1. Numerical and analytical solutions for "MOC" experiment -- A.2. Numerical and analytical solutions for "Gyre" experiment -- A.3. Numerical and analytical solutions for "Ekman" experiment -- A.4. Numerical and analytical solutions for combined forcings -- Appendix B. Wind experiment -- Appendix C. SAT experiment -- Appendix D. Labrador experiment.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectOcean-atmosphere interactionen_US
dc.subjectNorth Atlantic Oceanen_US
dc.subjectMathematical modelsen_US
dc.titleNorth Atlantic air-sea interactions driven by atmospheric and oceanic stochastic forcing in a simple box modelen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.degreemsen_US
dc.identifier.departmentDepartment of Atmospheric Sciencesen_US
refterms.dateFOA2022-03-17T17:15:07Z


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Name:
Legatt_R_2010.pdf
Size:
26.07Mb
Format:
PDF

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record