@article{fdi:010057353,
  title = {{W}ater mass transformation and the {N}orth {A}tlantic {C}urrent in three multicentury climate model simulations},
  author = {{L}angehaug, {H}. {R}. and {R}hines, {P}. {B}. and {E}ldevik, {T}. and {M}ignot, {J}uliette and {L}ohmann, {K}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he warm and saline {S}ubtropical {W}ater carried by the {N}orth {A}tlantic {C}urrent undergoes substantial transformation on its way to higher latitudes, predominantly from oceanic heat loss to the atmosphere. {T}he geographical distribution of the surface forced water mass transformation is assessed in multicentury climate simulations from three different climate models ({BCM}, {IPSLCM}4, and {MPI}-{M} {ESM}), with a particular focus on the eastern subpolar {N}orth {A}tlantic {O}cean. {A} diagnosis, originally introduced by {W}alin (1982), estimates the surface water mass transformation from buoyancy forcing. {W}hile the depth structure of the {A}tlantic {M}eridional {O}verturning {C}irculation ({AMOC}) is similar in all models, their climatological heat and freshwater fluxes are very different. {C}onsistently, the models differ in their mean pathways of the {N}orth {A}tlantic {C}urrent, location of upper ocean low salinity waters, as well as in sea ice cover. {I}n the two models with an excessive sea ice extent in the {L}abrador {S}ea, most of the water mass transformation in the subpolar region occurs in the eastern part (east of 35 degrees {W}). {T}he variability of the eastern water mass transformation on decadal time scales is related to the variable warm northward flow into the subpolar region, the upper branch of {AMOC}, where a strengthened flow leads an intensified transformation. {T}his relationship seems to disappear with a weak connection between the {S}ubtropical and {S}ubpolar gyres.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {G}eophysical {R}esearch. {O}ceans},
  volume = {117},
  numero = {},
  pages = {{C}11001},
  ISSN = {0148-0227},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.1029/2012jc008021},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010057353},
}