Course 12.951

The Meridional Overturning Circulation of the Atlantic Ocean:
A Reading Course

Meeting Time: Friday 3:00-4:30 PM   *NOTE NEW TIME*
Syllabus

Instructors:    Raf Ferrari
                      Jeff Scott

Class Feb 8: Overview Lecture by Raf and Jeff

Wunsch, C. (2002) What is the thermohaline circulation? Science, 298, 1179-1181.
Eady, E.T. (1957) The general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. In: The Earth and Its Atmosphere, ed. D.R. Bates. New York, Basic Books, 130-151.

Class Feb 15: Scaling and AMOC Dynamics in an Idealized Hemisphere 

Bryan, F. (1987) Parameter sensitivity of primitive ocean general circulation models. JPO 17, 970-985.  
Marotzke, J. (1997) Boundary mixing and the dynamics of three-dimensional thermohaline circulations. JPO 27, 1713-1728.

Class Feb 22: Diapyncal Mixing, Convection, and Energetics of the AMOC I

Marotzke J., and J.R. Scott (1999) Convective mixing and the thermohaline circulation. JPO 29, 2962-2970.
Wunsch, C., and R. Ferrari (2004) Vertical Mixing, Energy, and the general circulation of the oceans. Annual Rev. Fluid Mech. 36, 281-314.

Class Feb 29: Diapyncal Mixing, Convection, and Energetics of the AMOC II

Nilsson J., G. Broström, and G. Walin (2003) The thermohaline circulation and vertical mixing: does weaker density stratification give stronger overturning? JPO 33,2781-2795.
(second paper to be determined)

No Class Mar 7 (Ocean Sciences Week)

Class Mar 14: AMOC Dynamics - moving our understanding beyond a single hemisphere
Klinger B.A., and J. Marotzke (1999) Behavior of double hemisphere flows in a single basin. JPO 29, 382-399.
Vallis, G.K., (2000) Large-scale circulation and production of stratification: Effects of wind geometry, and diffusion. JPO 30, 933-954.
(see also Gill, A.E., and K. Bryan (1971) Effects of geometry on the circulation of a three-dimensional southern-hemisphere ocean model, DSR 18, 685-721.)

Class Mar 21: AMOC Dynamics  - focus on Southern Ocean winds and the role of the ACC
Toggweiler, J.R. and B. Samuels (1995) Effect of Drake Passage on the global thermohaline circulation. DSR 42, 477-500.
Gnanadesikan, A. (1999) A simple predictive model for the structure of the ocean pycnocline. Science 283, 2077-2079.

No Class Mar 28 (MIT Spring Break)

Class Apr 4: Multiple Equilibria I
Stommel, H. (1961) Thermohaline convection with two stable regimes of flow. Tellus 13, 224-230.
Rooth, C. (1982) Hydrology and ocean circulation. Progress in Oceanography, 11, 131-149.
Broecker, W.S. et al. (1985) Does the ocean-atmosphere system have more than one stable mode of operation? Nature 315, 21-26.

Class Apr 11: Multiple Equilibria II
Bryan, F. (1986) High-latitude salinity effects and interhemispheric thermohaline circulations. Nature 323, 301-304.
Manabe, S., and R.J. Stouffer (1988) Two stable equilibria of a coupled ocean-atmosphere model. J. Climate 1, 841-866.
Marotzke, J., and J. Willebrand (1991) Multiple equilibria of the global thermohaline circulation. JPO 21, 1372-1385.