Abstract's details
Monitoring the regional Ocean Heat Content change over the Atlantic Ocean with the space geodetic approach
CoAuthors
Event: 2023 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting
Session: Synergies between Argo, GRACE and Altimetry
Presentation type: Type Poster
Contribution: PDF file
Abstract:
Given the major role of the Atlantic Ocean in the climate system, it is essential to characterize the temporal and spatial variations in its heat content. Here we present the method developed and the results obtained as part of the ESA-supported 4DAtlantic-OHC project (2021-2023). The method developed is based on space geodetic data from satellite altimetry and GRACE. In addition, Argo's in situ measurements are used to estimate and correct the estimated salinity variations. The uncertainties were estimated rigorously by propagating uncertainties from space geodetic data to the OHC change.
The results obtained show a total OHC change over the Atlantic basin of 0.17 W/m² which represents 21% of the global OHC trend, with significant trends observed in 52% of the Atlantic basin. Uncertainties in OHC trends are mainly attributed to manometric sea level change uncertainties. We validated our space geodetic OHC estimates at two test sites, representing the subtropical and subpolar regions of the North Atlantic, highlighting their importance in understanding climate dynamics. Our results show good agreement between space geodetic estimates and in situ measurements in the North Atlantic region. The space geodetic OHC trends reveal a warming pattern in the southern and western parts of the North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf Stream region, while the northeastern part exhibits cooling trends. Overall, our study provides valuable insights and a new framework to estimate regional OHC change and its uncertainties, contributing to a better understanding of the Earth’s climate system and its future projections.
The space geodetic OHC change product (version 1.0) is freely available at https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/a01-2022.012 (Magellium/LEGOS, 2022).
The results obtained show a total OHC change over the Atlantic basin of 0.17 W/m² which represents 21% of the global OHC trend, with significant trends observed in 52% of the Atlantic basin. Uncertainties in OHC trends are mainly attributed to manometric sea level change uncertainties. We validated our space geodetic OHC estimates at two test sites, representing the subtropical and subpolar regions of the North Atlantic, highlighting their importance in understanding climate dynamics. Our results show good agreement between space geodetic estimates and in situ measurements in the North Atlantic region. The space geodetic OHC trends reveal a warming pattern in the southern and western parts of the North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf Stream region, while the northeastern part exhibits cooling trends. Overall, our study provides valuable insights and a new framework to estimate regional OHC change and its uncertainties, contributing to a better understanding of the Earth’s climate system and its future projections.
The space geodetic OHC change product (version 1.0) is freely available at https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/a01-2022.012 (Magellium/LEGOS, 2022).