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Abstract
We estimate ocean heat content (OHC) change in the upper 2000 m in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from 1950 to 2020 to improve understanding of regional warming. Our estimates are based on 192 890 temperature profiles from the World Ocean Database. Warming occurs at all depths and in most regions except for a small region at northeastern GOM between 200 and 600 m. GOM OHC in the upper 2000 m increases at a rate of 0.38 ± 0.13 ZJ decade−1 between 1970 and 2020, which is equivalent to 1.21 ± 0.41 terawatts (TW). The GOM sea surface temperature (SST) increased ∼1.0° ± 0.25°C between 1970 and 2020, equivalent to a warming rate of 0.19° ± 0.05°C decade−1. Although SST in the GOM increases at a rate approximately twice that for the global ocean, the full-depth ocean heat storage rate in the GOM (0.86 ± 0.26 W m−2) applied to the entire GOM surface is comparable to that for the global ocean (0.82–1.11 W m−2). The upper-1000-m layer accounts for approximately 80%–90% of the total warming and variations in the upper 2000 m in the GOM. The Loop Current advective net heat flux is estimated to be 40.7 ± 6.3 TW through the GOM. A heat budget analysis shows the difference between the advective heat flux and the ocean heat storage rate (1.76 ± 1.36 TW, 1992–2017) can be roughly balanced with the annual net surface heat flux from ECCO (−37.9 TW).
Abstract
We estimate ocean heat content (OHC) change in the upper 2000 m in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from 1950 to 2020 to improve understanding of regional warming. Our estimates are based on 192 890 temperature profiles from the World Ocean Database. Warming occurs at all depths and in most regions except for a small region at northeastern GOM between 200 and 600 m. GOM OHC in the upper 2000 m increases at a rate of 0.38 ± 0.13 ZJ decade−1 between 1970 and 2020, which is equivalent to 1.21 ± 0.41 terawatts (TW). The GOM sea surface temperature (SST) increased ∼1.0° ± 0.25°C between 1970 and 2020, equivalent to a warming rate of 0.19° ± 0.05°C decade−1. Although SST in the GOM increases at a rate approximately twice that for the global ocean, the full-depth ocean heat storage rate in the GOM (0.86 ± 0.26 W m−2) applied to the entire GOM surface is comparable to that for the global ocean (0.82–1.11 W m−2). The upper-1000-m layer accounts for approximately 80%–90% of the total warming and variations in the upper 2000 m in the GOM. The Loop Current advective net heat flux is estimated to be 40.7 ± 6.3 TW through the GOM. A heat budget analysis shows the difference between the advective heat flux and the ocean heat storage rate (1.76 ± 1.36 TW, 1992–2017) can be roughly balanced with the annual net surface heat flux from ECCO (−37.9 TW).
Abstract
The vision of ocean circulation as highly variable and unstable flows generating and reintegrating mesoscale ocean eddies within their surroundings has come into focus over the past several decades based on satellite images and results from eddy-resolving ocean circulation models. Until recently, global ocean climatologies, built as in situ observations mapped onto regular spatial grids, did not reflect this image of ocean circulation because of relatively sparse data coverage. However, in a few key regions of the World Ocean, which are exceptionally data-rich, high-resolution data mapping, as high as 1/10°, has become feasible as a result of the increased volume of available ocean profile data. These new high-resolution ocean data mappings are now matching the details of thermohaline fields generated in eddy-resolving ocean models and, at the near-surface depths, satellite imagery of the ocean surface. The Northwest Atlantic Regional Ocean Climatology—the most advanced example of these new high-resolution regional ocean data mappings—and some of its applications are discussed in this review to provide insights on the advantages of high-resolution regional ocean climatologies for climate studies.
Abstract
The vision of ocean circulation as highly variable and unstable flows generating and reintegrating mesoscale ocean eddies within their surroundings has come into focus over the past several decades based on satellite images and results from eddy-resolving ocean circulation models. Until recently, global ocean climatologies, built as in situ observations mapped onto regular spatial grids, did not reflect this image of ocean circulation because of relatively sparse data coverage. However, in a few key regions of the World Ocean, which are exceptionally data-rich, high-resolution data mapping, as high as 1/10°, has become feasible as a result of the increased volume of available ocean profile data. These new high-resolution ocean data mappings are now matching the details of thermohaline fields generated in eddy-resolving ocean models and, at the near-surface depths, satellite imagery of the ocean surface. The Northwest Atlantic Regional Ocean Climatology—the most advanced example of these new high-resolution regional ocean data mappings—and some of its applications are discussed in this review to provide insights on the advantages of high-resolution regional ocean climatologies for climate studies.
