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Article: The Global Conveyor Belt from a Southern Ocean Perspective
- Article from:
- Journal of Physical Oceanography
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Meteorological Society Jul 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
Recent studies have proposed the Southern Ocean as the site of large water-mass transformations; other studies propose that this basin is among the main drivers for North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) circulation. A modeling contribution toward understanding the role of this basin in
the global thermohaline circulation can thus be of interest. In particular, key pathways and transformations associated with the thermohaline circulation in the Southern Ocean of an ice-ocean coupled model have been identified here through the extensive use of quantitative Lagrangian diagnostics. The model Southern Ocean is characterized by a shallow overturning circulation transforming 20 Sv (1 Sv ...