393
Period
Mechanism
Gyre-Thermohaline Circulation
9
advection of SSS anomaly by subtrop. and subpolar
gyres
24
advection of SST anomalies by subtropical gyre,
overturning influences exposure time of SST
anomalies
20--350
advection of SSS anomalies influencing overturning
(transition to chaos)
20--100
advection of SSS or SST anomalies
250--500
succession of haloclines and flushes triggered by gyre
salt transport
> 500
advection of SSS anomalies by gyres and vertical
diffusion
SST Anomalies in the Northwest Atlantic
40-60
baraclinic vortex in West Atlantic, meridional heat
flux and local heat storiage
50-70
meridional heat transport and local heat storage
Marginal Seas
20
Labrador Sea, zonal and meridional overturning
10--40
Labrador Sea operates as stochastic integrator
sending SSS anomalies into N Atlantic
Basin-Scale Thermohaline Circulation
200--300
large-scale SSS advection
320
large-scale SSS advection in tbe Atlantic around
entire deep circulation loop
The Southern Ocean-North Atlantic Connection
320
halocline in ACC influences NADW, its outflow
causes deep heating in ACe and triggers convection
Other Mechanisms
13.5
brine release-deep water formation-meridional heat
flux feedback
17
ice cover-thermal insulation feedback
10--20
advection of T anomalies in the Pacific
5-40
chaotic nature, subtropical and mid-latitude
atmospheric jets
Reference
(Weaver and Sarachik
1991a)
(Cai and Godfrey
1995)
(Huang and Chou
1994)
(Cai 1995)
(Winton 1993)
(Winton 1993)
(Delworth et al. 1993)
(Greatbatch and
Zhang 1995)
(Weaver et al. 1994)
(Weisse et al. 1993)
(Mysak et al. 1993)
(Mikolajewicz and
Maier-Reimer 1990)
(Pierce et al. 1995)
(Yang and Neelin
1993)
(Zhang et al. 1995)
(Von Storch 1994)
(J ames and James
1992)
... according to time scale and mechanisms discussed in the text.