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Southern Ocean Origin of Multidecadal Variability in the North Brazil Current
  • René van Westen,
  • Henk Dijkstra
René van Westen

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Henk Dijkstra
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Abstract

The North Brazil Current transport displays a pronounced multidecadal variability with about a 7 Sv peak-to-peak amplitude. Although it has been suggested that this variability is related to that of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, its origin is still unknown. Here we present results of an analysis of model data from a long (200 years) simulation of a high-resolution (0.1 horizontally) version of the Parallel Ocean Program that indicates a connection between multidecadal variability in the Southern Ocean, due to the so-called Southern Ocean Mode, and multidecadal variability in the North Brazil Current. The interaction of the large-scale ocean circulation and eddies is crucial for the existence of the Southern Ocean Mode. We present the mechanisms of this teleconnection in detail, which involves the vertical displacement of isopycnals, generation of Rossby waves and meridional propagation of sea surface height and ocean heat content anomalies. In addition, we show that the same mechanism connecting Southern Ocean and North Brazil Current multidecadal variability is also found in a (200 years) simulation of a high-resolution global version of the Community Earth System Model, with the same horizontal ocean resolution of 0.1. The results provide a new mechanism for the multidecadal variability of the North Brazil Current.