Academic literature on the topic 'Circulation subpolaire'

Abstract The variability of the circulation in the North Atlantic and its link with atmospheric variability are investigated in a realistic hindcast simulation from 1953 to 2003. The interannual-to-decadal variability of the subpolar gyre circulation and the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) is mostly influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Both circulations intensified from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s and then decreased. The monthly variability of both circulations reflects the fast barotropic adjustment to NAO-related Ekman pumping anomalies, while the interannual-to-decadal variability is due to the baroclinic adjustment to Ekman pumping, buoyancy forcing, and dense water formation, consistent with previous studies. An original characteristic of the oceanic response to NAO is presented that relates to the spatial patterns of buoyancy and wind forcing over the North Atlantic. Anomalous Ekman pumping associated with a positive NAO phase first induces a decrease of the southern subpolar gyre strength and an intensification of the northern subpolar gyre. The latter is reinforced by buoyancy loss and dense water formation in the Irminger Sea, where the cyclonic circulation increases 1–2 yr after the positive NAO phase. Increased buoyancy loss also occurs in the Labrador Sea, but because of the early decrease of the southern subpolar gyre strength, the intensification of the cyclonic circulation is delayed. Hence the subpolar gyre and the MOC start increasing in the Irminger Sea, while in the Labrador Sea the circulation at depth leads its surface counterpart. In this simulation where the transport of dense water through the North Atlantic sills is underestimated, the MOC variability is well represented by a simple integrator of convection in the Irminger Sea, which fits better than a direct integration of NAO forcing.

Abstract The subpolar North Atlantic is a center of variability of ocean properties, wind stress curl, and air–sea exchanges. Observations and hindcast simulations suggest that from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s the subpolar gyre became fresher while the gyre and meridional circulations intensified. This is opposite to the relationship of freshening causing a weakened circulation, most often reproduced by climate models. The authors hypothesize that both these configurations exist but dominate on different time scales: a fresher subpolar gyre when the circulation is more intense, at interannual frequencies (configuration A), and a saltier subpolar gyre when the circulation is more intense, at longer periods (configuration B). Rather than going into the detail of the mechanisms sustaining each configuration, the authors’ objective is to identify which configuration dominates and to test whether this depends on frequency, in preindustrial control runs of five climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). To this end, the authors have developed a novel intercomparison method that enables analysis of freshwater budget and circulation changes in a physical perspective that overcomes model specificities. Lag correlations and a cross-spectral analysis between freshwater content changes and circulation indices validate the authors’ hypothesis, as configuration A is only visible at interannual frequencies while configuration B is mostly visible at decadal and longer periods, suggesting that the driving role of salinity on the circulation depends on frequency. Overall, this analysis underscores the large differences among state-of-the-art climate models in their representations of the North Atlantic freshwater budget.

Abstract A new framework is proposed for investigating the atmospheric forcing of North Atlantic Ocean circulation. Instead of using classical modes of variability, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the east Atlantic pattern, the weather regimes paradigm was used. Using this framework helped avoid problems associated with the assumptions of orthogonality and symmetry that are particular to modal analysis and known to be unsuitable for the NAO. Using ocean-only historical and sensitivity experiments, the impacts of the four winter weather regimes on horizontal and overturning circulations were investigated. The results suggest that the Atlantic Ridge (AR), negative NAO (NAO−), and positive NAO (NAO+) regimes induce a fast (monthly-to-interannual time scales) adjustment of the gyres via topographic Sverdrup dynamics and of the meridional overturning circulation via anomalous Ekman transport. The wind anomalies associated with the Scandinavian blocking regime (SBL) are ineffective in driving a fast wind-driven oceanic adjustment. The response of both gyre and overturning circulations to persistent regime conditions was also estimated. AR causes a strong, wind-driven reduction in the strengths of the subtropical and subpolar gyres, while NAO+ causes a strengthening of the subtropical gyre via wind stress curl anomalies and of the subpolar gyre via heat flux anomalies. NAO− induces a southward shift of the gyres through the southward displacement of the wind stress curl. The SBL is found to impact the subpolar gyre only via anomalous heat fluxes. The overturning circulation is shown to spin up following persistent SBL and NAO+ and to spin down following persistent AR and NAO− conditions. These responses are driven by changes in deep water formation in the Labrador Sea.

Abstract The North Atlantic has shown large multidecadal temperature shifts during the twentieth century. There is ongoing debate about whether this variability arises primarily through the influence of atmospheric internal variability, through changes in ocean circulation, or as a response to anthropogenic forcing. This study isolates the mechanisms driving Atlantic sea surface temperature variability on multidecadal time scales by using low-frequency component analysis (LFCA) to separate the influences of high-frequency variability, multidecadal variability, and long-term global warming. This analysis objectively identifies the North Atlantic subpolar gyre as the dominant region of Atlantic multidecadal variability. In unforced control runs of coupled climate models, warm subpolar temperatures are associated with a strengthened Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and anomalous local heat fluxes from the ocean into the atmosphere. Atmospheric variability plays a role in the intensification and subsequent weakening of ocean overturning and helps to communicate warming into the tropical Atlantic. These findings suggest that dynamical coupling between atmospheric and oceanic circulations is fundamental to the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and motivate approaching decadal prediction with a focus on ocean circulation.

AbstractFresh Arctic waters flowing into the Atlantic are thought to have two primary fates. They may be mixed into the deep ocean as part of the overturning circulation, or flow alongside regions of deep water formation without impacting overturning. Climate models suggest that as increasing amounts of freshwater enter the Atlantic, the overturning circulation will be disrupted, yet we lack an understanding of how much freshwater is mixed into the overturning circulation’s deep limb in the present day. To constrain these freshwater pathways, we build steady-state volume, salt, and heat budgets east of Greenland that are initialized with observations and closed using inverse methods. Freshwater sources are split into oceanic Polar Waters from the Arctic and surface freshwater fluxes, which include net precipitation, runoff, and ice melt, to examine how they imprint the circulation differently. We find that 65 mSv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of the total 110 mSv of surface freshwater fluxes that enter our domain participate in the overturning circulation, as do 0.6 Sv of the total 1.2 Sv of Polar Waters that flow through Fram Strait. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the overturning circulation is more sensitive to future changes in Arctic freshwater outflow and precipitation, while Greenland runoff and iceberg melt are more likely to stay along the coast of Greenland.

AbstractThe vorticity dynamics associated with the mean and time-varying gyre and overturning circulations of the Atlantic Ocean are examined in a realistic ocean model hindcast simulation of the late twentieth century. Abyssal flow interaction with sloping bottom bathymetry gives rise to the bottom pressure torque (BPT) term of the vertically integrated vorticity equation. The dominance of this term in the closure of the barotropic gyre circulation noted in previous studies is corroborated here for both non-eddy-resolving and eddy-resolving versions of the Parallel Ocean Program (POP) model. This study shows that BPT is also a dominant term in the vorticity balance of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and therefore represents a key dynamical link between the overturning and gyre streamfunctions. The interannual variability of the Atlantic circulation over the last several decades, viewed in terms of time-varying integral vorticity balances, demonstrates the fundamental role played by BPT in coupling the large-scale barotropic and baroclinic flows. Forcing perturbation experiments show how flow–bathymetry interactions mediate buoyancy-driven changes in the gyre circulation and momentum-driven changes in the AMOC. Examples of topographic coupling of the overturning and gyre circulations that this analysis elucidates include the covariation of the high-latitude AMOC and subpolar gyre flows on decadal time scales, buoyancy-forced variance of the Gulf Stream, and large wind-driven variations in AMOC at subtropical latitudes.

Abstract The nature of the multidecadal variability in the North Atlantic basin is investigated through detailed analysis of multicentury integrations performed using the low-resolution version of the Community Climate System Model, version 3 (CCSM3), a modern atmosphere–ocean coupled general circulation model. Specifically, the results of control simulations under both preindustrial and present-day perpetual seasonal cycle conditions are compared to each other and also to the results of five simulations with increasing CO2 concentration scenarios. In the absence of greenhouse gas–induced warming, the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) variability is shown to be dependent on the details of the simulation. In the present-day control simulation, the MOC is characterized by a broad spectrum of low frequencies, whereas, in preindustrial control simulations, MOC variability is characterized either by a well-defined periodicity of 60 yr or by a broad spectrum of low frequencies. In all the control simulations, the MOC appears to respond with a delay of 10 yr to synchronous temperature and salinity anomalies in the deep water formation sites located in the subpolar gyre, but salinity dominates the density anomalies. The explanation of the modeled MOC periodicity is therefore sought in the creation of these density anomalies. The influence of increased sea ice coverage under cold/preindustrial conditions is shown to modify the salinity variability, but it is not a sufficient condition for the support of the MOC periodicity. Instead, its source appears to be a modified subpolar gyre circulation resulting from interaction with the bottom bathymetry, which is able to sustain strong coupling between the horizontal and overturning circulations. Based on the global warming analyses, for the simulations initialized from the cold/preindustrial statistical equilibrium run, the North Atlantic variability continues to be dominated by strong coupling between the horizontal and overturning circulations if the imposed forcing is weak. More generally, the delayed response of the MOC to surface density anomalies in the deep water formation regions is preserved under weak forcing.

Abstract The impact of synoptic atmospheric forcing on the mean ocean circulation is investigated by comparing simulations of a global eddy-permitting ocean–sea ice model forced with and without synoptic atmospheric phenomena. Consistent with previous studies, transient atmospheric motions such as weather systems are found to contribute significantly to the time-mean wind stress and surface heat loss at mid- and high latitudes owing to the nonlinear nature of air–sea turbulent fluxes. Including synoptic atmospheric forcing in the model has led to a number of significant changes. For example, wind power input to the ocean increases by about 50%, which subsequently leads to a similar percentage increase in global eddy kinetic energy. The wind-driven subtropical gyre circulations are strengthened by about 10%–15%, whereas even greater increases in gyre strength are found in the subpolar oceans. Deep convection in the northern North Atlantic becomes significantly more vigorous, which in turn leads to an increase in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) by as much as 55%. As a result of the strengthened horizontal gyre circulations and the AMOC, the maximum global northward heat transport increases by almost 50%. Results from this study show that synoptic atmospheric phenomena such as weather systems play a vital role in driving the global ocean circulation and heat transport, and therefore should be properly accounted for in paleo- and future climate studies.

Abstract The subpolar gyres of the Southern Ocean form an important dynamical link between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and the coastline of Antarctica. Despite their key involvement in the production and export of bottom water and the poleward transport of oceanic heat, these gyres are rarely acknowledged in conceptual models of the Southern Ocean circulation, which tend to focus on the zonally averaged overturning across the ACC. To isolate the effect of these gyres on the regional circulation, we carried out a set of numerical simulations with idealized representations of the Weddell Sea sector in the Southern Ocean. A key result is that the zonally oriented submarine ridge along the northern periphery of the subpolar gyre plays a fundamental role in setting the stratification and circulation across the entire region. In addition to sharpening and strengthening the horizontal circulation of the gyre, the zonal ridge establishes a strong meridional density front that separates the weakly stratified subpolar gyre from the more stratified circumpolar flow. Critically, the formation of this front shifts the latitudinal outcrop position of certain deep isopycnals such that they experience different buoyancy forcing at the surface. Additionally, the zonal ridge modifies the mechanisms by which heat is transported poleward by the ocean, favoring heat transport by transient eddies while suppressing that by stationary eddies. This study highlights the need to characterize how bathymetry at the subpolar gyre–ACC boundary may constrain the transient response of the regional circulation to changes in surface forcing. Significance Statement This study explores the impact of seafloor bathymetry on the dynamics of subpolar gyres in the Southern Ocean. The subpolar gyres are major circulation features that connect the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and the coastline of Antarctica. This work provides deeper insight for how the submarine ridges that exist along the northern periphery of these gyres shape the vertical distribution of tracers and overturning circulation in these regions. These findings highlight an underappreciated yet fundamentally important topographical constraint on the three-dimensional cycling of heat and carbon in the Southern Ocean—processes that have far-reaching implications for the global climate. Future work should explore how the presence of these ridges affect the time-evolving response of the Southern Ocean to changes in surface conditions.

Abstract In an attempt to elucidate the role of atmospheric and oceanic processes in setting a vigorous ocean overturning circulation in the North Atlantic but not in the North Pacific, a comparison of the observed atmospheric circulation and net surface freshwater fluxes over the North Atlantic and Pacific basins is conducted. It is proposed that the more erratic meridional displacements of the atmospheric jet stream over the North Atlantic sector is instrumental in maintaining high surface salinities in its subpolar gyre. In addition, it is suggested that the spatial pattern of the net freshwater flux at the sea surface favors higher subpolar Atlantic salinity, because the geographical line separating net precipitation from net evaporation is found well south of the time-mean gyre separation in the North Pacific, whereas the two lines tend to coincide in the North Atlantic. Numerical experiments with an idealized two-gyre system confirm that these differences impact the salinity budget of the subpolar gyre. Further analysis of a coupled climate model in which the Atlantic meridional overturning cell has been artificially weakened suggests that the more erratic jet fluctuations in the Atlantic and the shift of the zero [net evaporation minus precipitation (E − P)] line are likely explained by features independent of the state of the thermohaline circulation. It is thus proposed that the atmospheric circulation helps “locking” high surface salinities and an active coupling between upper and deep ocean layers in the North Atlantic rather than in the North Pacific basin.

La dorsale de Reykjanes est une structure topographique majeure de l’océan Atlantique Nord qui s’étend de l’Islande à la zone de fracture de Charlie Gibbs. Située entre le bassin d’Islande et la mer d’Irminger, la dorsale de Reykjanes influence fortement la circulation du gyre subpolaire et est une porte d’entrée vers les zones de convection profondes. Cependant, la circulation et la répartition des masses d’eau à travers la dorsale de Reykjanes n’ont jamais été directement quantifiées, de sorte que la caractérisation de la connexion entre le bassin d’Islande et la mer d’Irminger est encore incomplète. Dans le cadre du projet « Reykjanes Ridge Experiment », nous avons été capables d’analyser la circulation autour, au-dessus et à travers la dorsale de Reykjanes. Essentiellement à partir de sections hydrographiques perpendiculaires et le long de l’axe de la dorsale, l’objectif de cette thèse a été de quantifier et caractériser la circulation 3-D et les propriétés des courants qui longent et traversent la dorsale de Reykjanes. Nous avons commencé par quantifier précisément le transport géostrophique à travers les sections, ce qui a permis d’améliorer le traitement des données S-ADCP. A travers la dorsale de Reykjanes, l’intensité de la branche du gyre subpolaire qui rejoint la mer d’Irminger a été estimée à 21.9 + 2.5 Sv en Juin – Juillet, avec des intensifications dans la zone de fracture Bight (BFZ) et à 59 – 62°N. Dans la BFZ, les masses d’eau profondes sont influencées par la bathymétrie, de sorte que leurs propriétés hydrologiques se modifient lorsqu’elles traversent la dorsale de Reykjanes. Enfin, la bathymétrie et la circulation horizontale cyclonique du bassin d’Islande contrôlent les courants qui longent la dorsale en bloquant certaines masses d’eau, et donc sont à l’origine de la répartition de ces masses d’eau le long de la dorsale. En plus des masses d’eau du Bassin d’Islande, le Courant d’Irminger comprend également des masses d’eau qui proviennent de la mer d’Irminger
The Reykjanes Ridge is a major topographic feature of the North-Atlantic Ocean that extends from Iceland to the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone. Located between the Iceland Basin and the Irminger Sea, the Reykjanes Ridge strongly influences the subpolar gyre circulation and is a gate toward the deep convection areas. However, the circulation and distribution across the Reykjanes Ridge has never been directly quantified such that the characterization of the connection between the Iceland Basin and the Irminger Sea is still incomplete. As part of the Reykjanes Ridge Experiment project, we were able to analyze the circulation around, above and across the Reykjanes Ridge. Mainly based on hydrographic sections along and perpendicular to the ridge axis, the aim of this PhD thesis was thus to characterize the 3-D circulation and properties of the flow along and across the Reykjanes Ridge.We started by accurately quantifying geostrophic transports across the sections, which led to improvements in the treatment of S-ADCP data. Across the Reykjanes Ridge, the intensity of the wesward branch of the subpolar gyre was estimated at21.9 + 2.5 Sv in June – July 2015 with intensifications at the Bight Fracture Zone (BFZ) and at 59 – 62°N. At the BFZ, overflow waters are influenced by the bathymetry such as their hydrological properties evolve as they cross the Reykjanes Ridge. Finally, both the bathymetry and the cyclonic horizontal circulation of the Iceland Basin regulate the evoluton of the along-ridge flows by blocking water masses, and thus shaping the water mass distribution over the Reykjanes Ridge. In addition to waters from the crossridge flow, the Irminger Current incorporates waters from the center of the Irminger Sea

Cette thèse s’intéresse au courant profond de bord ouest dans l’Atlantique Nord, le Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). Ce courant transporte des eaux denses, formées dans la gyre subpolaire, vers l’équateur et constitue une des composantes majeures de la circulation méridienne Atlantique, l’AMOC (pour Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation). Cette circulation contribue au transport de chaleur vers les hautes latitudes et stabilise le climat actuel. L’AMOC calculée dans différents modèles de circulation générale de l’océan présente une diversité dans son intensité, sa structure spatiale et sa variabilité temporelle. De nombreux facteurs peuvent expliquer cette hétérogénéité de réponses, dont les incertitudes qui subsistent sur le lien entre la formation d’eau dense par convection dans la gyre subpolaire, qui contribue à connecter les branches supérieure et inférieure de l’AMOC, et l’intensité de l’AMOC aux moyennes latitudes. Ces incertitudes proviennent en grande partie d’une méconnaissance de la circulation profonde dans l’Atlantique Nord, car difficile à observer et souvent incorrecte dans les modèles d’océan de faible résolution spatiale.L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’étudier la dynamique du DWBC et son influence sur l’AMOC, à l’aide de simulations numériques réalistes d’un modèle de circulation générale de l’océan (NEMO). Dans cette optique, trois configurations de résolution horizontale croissante ont été mises en place en utilisant l’outil de raffinement de grille AGRIF : une grille globale de référencer à 1/2◦ de résolution (configuration ORCA), à laquelle a été ajouté une première grille raffinée à 1/8◦ couvrant l’Atlantique nord (configuration ERNA) incluant elle-même une seconde grille à 1/32◦ centrée sur la gyre subpolaire (configuration FER). ERNA et FER sont deux configurations originales, par la prise en compte du modèle de glace de mer dans l’emboîtement des grilles, et par la résolution horizontale de FER dans la gyre subpolaire.Dans un premier temps, nous étudions l’influence de la résolution horizontale sur la circulation moyenne en Atlantique Nord avec un intérêt particulier pour l’AMOC en contrastant les simulations issues des configurations ORCA et ERNA. L’augmentation de la résolution se traduit par l’amélioration de la dynamique des courants de bord ouest, en surface et également en profondeur. En effet, le transport du DWBC s’intensifie de l’ordre de 8Sv dans la gyre subpolaire, ce qui est en partie lié à une meilleure représentation de l’écoulement des eaux denses en provenance des Mers Nordiques. En outre, alors que dans ORCA le DWBC s’écoule vers le sud principalement le long de la ride médio-Atlantique, dans ERNA la route le long du bord ouest est privilégiée avec une circulation secondaire à l’intérieur de l’inetrgyre, ce qui est en meilleur accord avec les observations. Le chemin suivi par le DWBC le long du talus continental permet une intensification de l’AMOC et de la localisation de son maximum vers 35 ̊N. Ce résultat tend à réduire l’influence de la convection aux hautes latitudes sur l’intensité de l4AMOC par l’intermédiaire de l’interaction des courants de surface et de fond.Nous nous sommes intéressés par la suite à la structure dynamique et thermohaline du DWBC, en lien avec la représentation de la méso-échelle, dans la mer du Labrador, en utilisant la configuration FER. Dans cette configuration qui résout explicitement les processus de méso-échelle dans la gyre subpolaire, la dérive en température et salinité est nettement moins importante que dans ERNA. De plus, la structure verticale du courant de bord, notamment sa barotropisation entre l’est et l’ouest sde la section AR7W dans la mer du Labrador, est en très bon accord avec les observations. A partir d’une équation simplifiée de la vorticité relative, nous avons cherché à identifier les processus principaux qui contrôlent la dynamique du DWBC. Il ressort de cette analyse que le stretching associé aux vitesses […]
The present study tackles the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) dynamics in the North Atlantic basin as its impact on the AMOC. The DWBC advects dense water masses equatorward, produced in the subpolar gyre, and is one of the major component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). This circulation contributes to the northward heat transport to high latitudes and allows to stabilise climate. When computing the AMOC in different ocean general circulation models (OGCM), results cover a wide range of intensity, spatial shape and temporal variability. Such response diversity is due to several factors. One of them is the remaining uncertainty on the link between dense water formation due to convection in the subpolar gyre, which contributes to connect the AMOC upper and lower branches, and the AMOC intensity at mid-latitudes. Those uncertainties are largely due to the knowledge gap of the deep circulation in North Atlantic because its direct observation is difficult and incorrectly reproduced in ocean models with a low spatial resolution. The methodology used rely on realistic numerical simulations based on the NEMO ocean general circulation model. Three configurations with an increasing spatial resolution have been developped using the grid refinement tool AGRIF : a global grid at 1/2◦ resolution (ORCA configuration), within which a first refined grid at 1/8◦ covering the whole North Atlantic (ERNA configuration) in which a second grid at 1/32◦ over the subpolar gyre (FER configuration). Both ERNA and FER are advanced and original by two aspects; they include a Sea-Ice model within embedded grids and FER reaches a high horizontal resolution over the subpolar gyre. We study the spatial horizontal resolution impact on the mean circulation in the North Atlantic with a focus on the AMOC contrasting simulations obtained with ORCA and ERNA solutions. Increasing the resolution improves the western boundary current dynamics at surface and depth. Indeed, the DWBC transport is intensified by 8Sv in the subpolar gyre partly due to a better representation of overflows coming from Nordic Seas through the Denmark Strait. Furthermore in ORCA the DWBC flows to the south along the Mid-Atlantic ridge ; in ERNA the flow along western continental shelf is dominant while a secondary circulation within the subpolar gyre arises being in better agreement with observations. The path followed by the DWBC along the continental shelf allows an interaction between surface and deep currents which seems to result both in an AMOC intensification and a maxima located close to 35 ̊N. This result tends to limit the influence of the convection, occuring at high latitudes, on the AMOC intensity at mid latitudes, often raised, and shed light on a modulation process of the AMOC intensity through the surface and deep currents interaction. We then addressed the thermohaline and the dynamical structure of the DWBC, asssocia- ted with the mesoscale representation, within the Labrador Sea using the FER configuration. With this configuration, which solved explicitly mesoscale eddies in the subpolar gyre, tempera- ture and salinity drift are clearly reduced compare to ERNA. Furthermore the vertical DWBC structure, especially its barotropisation from the eatstern to western side of the AR7W section within the Labrador Sea, is in very good agrement with observations. Using a simplified equation for relative vorticity, we try to identify the main processes handling the DWBC dynamics. The analysis reveals that the stretching associated with vertical velocities above topography and exchanges between isopycnal layers within boundary current dominate the vorticity balance. We also identify two areas within the DWBC where diapynal flux occur : along the Labrador Current on the western side of the Labrador Sea and seaward of Cape Desolation where eddy activity is marked. These results are close to two previous studies based on conceptual model and […]

L’objectif de ce travail était d’étudier la variabilité de la circulation océanique méridienne aux échelles de temps pluri décennales dans l’océan Atlantique nord au cours des deux mille dernières années, ainsi que son lien avec la variation de l’extension des gyres subtropicales et subpolaires. J’ai donc étudié, à partir de carottes de sédiments marins à fort taux de sédimentation, l’évolution de la température des eaux de surface et de la stratification de la colonne d’eau en lien avec le fonctionnement des gyres subpolaire et subtropicale.Compte tenu des difficultés spécifiques à la période de temps considérée, la première partie de mon travail a consisté à contraindre le milieu et la période de calcification des principaux foraminifères utilisés, à partir de la composition isotopique de l’oxygène analysée dans la coquille des foraminifères planctoniques. J’ai également précisé la calibration en Magnésium et en Calcium en fonction de la température. La deuxième partie de mon travail a consisté à reconstruire les conditions hydrologiques dans des zones clés de l’océan Atlantique Nord sur les deux mille dernières années. J’ai ainsi construit un index de la gyre subpolaire à partir d’un gradient de température Est-Ouest, qui traduit l’intensité dynamique de la gyre subpolaire et de la gyre subtropicale. L’apport de l’analyse des foraminifères planctoniques profonds a permis de reconstituer les variations de la colonne d’eau supérieure. La stratification plus ou moins marquée de la colonne d’eau est reliée directement à l’intensité des vents d’Ouest. Les similitudes entre les vents et l’index de gyre m’ont amené à proposer un couplage entre l’océan et l’atmosphère aux échelles de temps pluri décennales.La dernière partie de ma thèse s’est focalisée sur les conséquences des variations de la dynamique des gyres océaniques sur le transport de chaleur vers les hautes latitudes ainsi que sur l’impact des variations des vents d’Ouest sur le climat européen
The purpose of this thesis was to study the surface oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean during the last 2,000 years, and its link with the intensity of the subpolar and the subtropical gyres. To fulfill these objectives, I studied sediment cores with a high sedimentation rate to reconstruct the multidecadal variability of the temperature and the water column stratification, controlled by the dynamic of oceanic gyres. To improve the marine paleoclimatic signal recorded from planktonic foraminifera, I constrained their growing season and their calcification depth by analyzing the oxygen isotopic composition of their calcitic shells. I also established calibrations between Mg/Ca ratio and temperature for the main species used.I applied these calibrations to reconstruct the hydrological conditions in key areas of the North Atlantic Ocean. I constructed an index of the subpolar gyre that traduces the dynamic intensity of the subpolar gyre and the subtropical gyre. I also studied the variability of the upper water column based on the analysis of deep-dwelling foraminifera. I interpret past changes in the water column stratification as resulting from changes in the intensity of Westerly winds. The similarities between the wind forcing evolution and the index of the subpolar gyre dynamics led me to propose a coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere on the multidecadal time scale. The consequences of the gyres dynamic on heat transport and the impacts of the change in westerly wind strength on European climate are studied in the last part of the manuscript

Les Eaux Modales du gyre subpolaire de l’Atlantique Nord sont des éléments importants de la circulation de surface océanique. Jusqu’à présent, le cycle de vie de ces masses d’eau n’a été décrit qu’à partir d’observations collectées et moyennées sur plusieurs décennies. Ces descriptions n’abordent pas les échelles de temps de ce cycle et lissent les signaux de variabilité. Cette thèse aborde donc ces deux aspects grâce à l’analyse des champs du modèle ORCAQ25-G70 qui complète l’analyse des observations. L’analyse lagrangienne des champs ORCAO25-G70 permet de mettre en évidence le rôle prépondérant du courant Nord Atlantique dans le cycle de vie des Eaux Modales. Les échelles de temps du cycle de vie sont très courtes. Les Eaux Modales se forment sous l’effet des flux atmosphériques et du mélange et sont rapidement advectées par le courant Nord Atlantique vers les zones de convection profonde. Si les flux atmosphériques sont le moteur de la formation des Eaux Modales, la variabilité de leurs propriétés et de leur répartition spatiale est dirigée par l’advection. La variabilité liée à l’advection s’accompagne de variations de l’intensité des courants alimentant le gyre subpolaire. Ces variations sont associées à la variabilité des contributions subpolaires et subtropicales à l’alimentation des Eaux Modales responsable des grands changements de propriétés observés lors des dernières décennies, Les processus décrits parle modèle étant proches des observations, on estime, via un bilan de chaleur, que le réseau Argo doit permettre de décrire avec précision la formation et la variabilité des Eaux Modales subpolaires sur des échelles de cinq à dix ans
The subpolar mode waters of the North Atlantic ocean play a key role in the general oceanic surface circulation. Their life cycle bas only been described from an average of observations collected during several decades. This description avoids the real time scale of the life cycle of the mode waters and smooths their variability. This thesis work deals with these two parameters by analysing both the ORCA025-G70 model fields and the observations. The lagrangian analysis of the ORCAO25-G70 fields highlights the key role of the North Atlantic current in the life cycle of the mode waters. The time scales of this cycle are very short. The surface atmospheric fluxes and the mixing are the formation processes of the mode waters. These ones are rapidly advected by the North Atlantic Current toward the areas of deep convection. If the mode water formation is driven by the atmospheric fluxes, the mode Water variability le driven by the advection. This variability is linked to the variable intensity of the main branches of the North Atlantic current in the subpolar gyre. These variations are linked to the variable influence of the subpolar and subtropical contributions to the mode water feeding. This relative influence is responsible for the great changes in the subpolar mode water properties observed in the past decades. The processes describes by the model are close to the observations. Therefore, we consider from a heat budget calculation that the Argo array should be able to provide a precise description of the mode water formation and variability on a pentadal to decadal time scale

La circulation méridienne de retournement (MOC) de l’Atlantique Nord est une composante clé du système climatique global, via son rôle dans la redistribution de chaleur, d’eau douce et de propriétés chimiques entre hautes et basses latitudes. Aux moyennes et hautes latitudes, le Courant Nord-Atlantique(NAC) forme la branche haute de la MOC. Il s’écoule vers le nord-est à la frontière des gyres subpolaire et subtropical, et se divise en deux branches principales dans l’est du gyre subpolaire : une branche nord qui recircule vers l’ouest dans le gyre subpolaire et une branche sud qui alimente les mers Nordiques.Une simulation réaliste haute résolution (ORCA025-G70, 1/4°) est combinée à un outil d’analyse Lagrangienne pour étudier la variabilité de la MOC (1965-2004) à travers la section A25-Ovide qui joint le Portugal au Groenland. Deux cellules de retournement vertical sont identifiées : une cellule subtropicale connectant les hautes et basses latitudes et une cellule interne aux régions subpolaires. La variabilité décennale de la MOC est associée à des changements synchronisés des apports subtropical et subpolaire dans la NAC. Ce dernier subit d’importantes restructurations horizontales caractérisées par la variabilité opposée de ses deux branches. Ces modifications de la distribution horizontale du transport sont principalement régies par la variabilité de l’afflux subtropical.Les variations du transport de chaleur à travers A25-Ovide sont la cause principale de la variabilité du contenu de chaleur observée dans l’est du gyre subpolaire (1965-2004). La variabilité du transport de chaleur résulte d’un déséquilibre entre des changements opposés de ses composantes « vitesse » et « température ». Les anomalies de vitesse et température sont en partie reflétées dans des déplacements verticaux d’isopycnes, potentiellement associés à la proportion changeante de masses d’eau subtropicales et subpolaires transportées par la branche nord du NAC.Enfin, une circulation surface-fond moyenne calculée depuis des mesures hydrographiques répétées et des mesures altimétriques indique une contribution mineure de la mer du Labrador pour la MOC global. Cependant, l’intensité du retournement diapycnal à AR7W a presque diminué de moitié entres les 1990’s et les 2000’s, confirmant l’importance de la région pour la variabilité basse-fréquence de la MOC
The meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) of the North Atlantic ocean is a key component of the global climate system, through its role in redistributing heat, freshwater end chemical properties between low and high latitude regions. In mid-high latitude regions, the North Atlantic Current (NAC) forms the upper limb of the MOC. It flows northeastward at the subtropical/subpolar boundary, and splits into two main branches in the eastern subpolar gyre: a northern branch that recirculates within the subpolar region and a southern branch that feed the Nordic Seas.A realistic eddy-permitting simulation (ORCA025-G70, 1/4°) is combined with a Lagrangian analysis tool (ARIANE) to investigate the MOC variability (1965-2004) across the A25-Ovide line, which joins Greenland to Portugal. Two vertical overturning cells are identified: a subtropical cell connecting low and high latitudes (12Sv) and a cell internal to the subpolar gyre (4Sv). The decadal MOC variability is associated with synchronized transport changes of the subtropical and subpolar inflow within the NAC. The latter undergoes important horizontal restructuring with opposed transport changes of its northern and southern branches. Those horizontal transport changes are largely induced by the horizontal variability of the subtropical inflow.Changes in oceanic heat transport across A25-Ovide are largely responsible for the observed heat content changes in the eastern subpolar gyre (1965-2004). Heat transport variability at A25-Ovide results from an imbalance between opposed changes in its velocity and temperature components. Both temperature and velocity anomalies are partly reflected in large scale heaves of isopycnals, and potentially relate to the varying proportion of warm subtropical waters and cold subpolar waters advected within the northern NAC branch.A 2000’s mean full-depth circulation computed along the merged AR7W/A25-Ovide line from repeated hydrographic profile and altimetry data indicates a minor contribution of the Labrador Sea to the basin wide mean MOC. However, the strength of the diapycnal overturning at AR7W has almost halved between the 1990’s and the 2000’s, confirming the importance of the region for the low-frequency MOC Variability

Le gyre subpolaire de l’Atlantique Nord décrit par la circulation cyclonique à grande échelle entre 50°N et 63°N joue un rôle clé dans la variabilité du climat. Le programme Ovide contribue à l’observation des éléments de circulation dans cette région, par le biais notamment de la répétition d’une radiale de mesures tous les deux ans en été depuis 2002 entre le Groenland et le Portugal, suivant un trajet proche de la section Fourex (A25) réalisée en août 1997. Pour estimer les transports à travers les sections, on utilise un modèle inverse géostrophique en boite, contraint par des mesures directes de courant. La nécessité d’utiliser des contraintes temporellement associées à une section pour estimer des transports représentatifs de la circulation au moment de la campagne est mise en évidence à partir des données de Fourex 1997. On montre que des mesures altimétriques peuvent être utilisées à la place des mesures ADGP pour estimer les transports à travers les sections à l’aide du modèle inverse. L’analyse de la circulation à travers la section Ovide 2006 montre des transports tous significativement beaucoup plus faible en juin 2006 par rapport aux étés 1997, 2002 et 2004. Une analyse de la hauteur dynamique le long de la section Ovide semble indiquer que le transport vers le nord en surface était particulièrement faible pendant toute l’année 2006. La variabilité des flux d’eau douce à travers les sections Fourex 1997 et Ovide 2002, 2004 et 2006 est mise en évidence, ainsi que la variabilité de la position de l’EGCC, dont le transport d’eau douce correspond à 15% du transport total d’eau douce à travers les sections
The cyclonic circulation of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre, between 50°N and 63°N, plays a key role in the climate variability. The Ovide program contributes to the observation of the circulation in this region. A section is repeated every two years in summer since 2002 between Greenland and Portugal following a path close the Fourex 1997 section. To get transport estimates across the sections, a geostrophic box inverse model is used, constrained with direct current measurements. Our new estimates of Fourex transports show the need to use constraints temporally associated with the section to get transports estimates representative of the circulation at the section realisation dates. It is also shown that altimetry velocities can be used instead of ADCP measurements to get transports across sections with the inverse model, provided that the a priori errors is correctly evaluated. Analysis of circulation across Ovide 2006 section display significantly weaker transports compared to 1997, 2002 and 2004, for aIl the main currents as well as for the Meridional Overturning Cell and the heat transport. Altimetry is used to interpret surface variability along the Ovide section from 1992 to 2007. An index is defined, which seems to indicate that northward surface transport was especially low during the whole year 2006 and turn back to less extreme values in the following years. Variability in freshwater fluxes across Fourex 1997, Ovide 2002, 2004 and 2006 sections is revealed in the last chapter, together with the EGCC position. This coastal current transport represents 15% of the total freshwater transport across the section

L'objectif de ce travail était d'étudier la variabilité de la circulation océanique méridienne aux échelles de temps pluri décennales dans l'océan Atlantique nord au cours des deux mille dernières années, ainsi que son lien avec la variation de l'extension des gyres subtropicales et subpolaires. J'ai donc étudié, à partir de carottes de sédiments marins à fort taux de sédimentation, l'évolution de la température des eaux de surface et de la stratification de la colonne d'eau en lien avec le fonctionnement des gyres subpolaire et subtropicale.Compte tenu des difficultés spécifiques à la période de temps considérée, la première partie de mon travail a consisté à contraindre le milieu et la période de calcification des principaux foraminifères utilisés, à partir de la composition isotopique de l'oxygène analysée dans la coquille des foraminifères planctoniques. J'ai également précisé la calibration en Magnésium et en Calcium en fonction de la température. La deuxième partie de mon travail a consisté à reconstruire les conditions hydrologiques dans des zones clés de l'océan Atlantique Nord sur les deux mille dernières années. J'ai ainsi construit un index de la gyre subpolaire à partir d'un gradient de température Est-Ouest, qui traduit l'intensité dynamique de la gyre subpolaire et de la gyre subtropicale. L'apport de l'analyse des foraminifères planctoniques profonds a permis de reconstituer les variations de la colonne d'eau supérieure. La stratification plus ou moins marquée de la colonne d'eau est reliée directement à l'intensité des vents d'Ouest. Les similitudes entre les vents et l'index de gyre m'ont amené à proposer un couplage entre l'océan et l'atmosphère aux échelles de temps pluri décennales.La dernière partie de ma thèse s'est focalisée sur les conséquences des variations de la dynamique des gyres océaniques sur le transport de chaleur vers les hautes latitudes ainsi que sur l'impact des variations des vents d'Ouest sur le climat européen.

L’océan Austral est une région centrale pour la circulation océanique globale et le climat. Il est cependant également en première ligne du changement climatique, notamment par son absorption importante de chaleur et de carbone anthropique. Par conséquent, l’océan Austral a connu de grands changements dans sa structure hydrographique et sa circulation dans les dernières décennies. Sa région subpolaire, au sud du courant circumpolaire Antarctique, abrite une circulation grande échelle importante pour la production des masses d'eau et leur contenu de chaleur et de carbone, pour les interactions océaniques avec la banquise et les plateformes glaciaires, avec des conséquences sur l'élévation du niveau de la mer. C’est également une région très peu observée, en particulier en hiver lorsque celle-ci est couverte par la banquise. Par conséquent, la réponse locale de la circulation et de la structure hydrographique de l’océan Austral subpolaire à des interactions avec l’atmosphère, la cryosphère et la grande échelle est toujours sujette à de nombreuses recherches. Dans cette thèse, je contribue à observer la variabilité et les changements à long terme de l’hydrographie et de la circulation de l’océan Austral subpolaire, et à documenter les mécanismes qui contrôlent leur variabilité. J’observe d’abord les changements à long terme de la température de la couche supérieure de l’océan Austral, à partir de transects répétés par bateau pendant 25 années. En plus des changements déjà bien documentés, je montre le réchauffement et la remontée des eaux chaudes de subsurface, à une vitesse plus importante qu’estimée auparavant et de façon plus forte que la variabilité interannuelle. Je présente ensuite un jeu de données de hauteur de mer, qui consiste en six années de mesures sur l’ensemble de l’océan Austral au sud de 50°S. Ce jeu de données me permet d’explorer la variabilité de la circulation de l’océan Austral subpolaire, et notamment sur le cycle saisonnier de la circulation grande échelle et de l’activité méso-échelle sous la glace. À l’échelle saisonnière, la circulation des gyres de Weddell, de Ross et le courant de pente Antarctique sont principalement dictés par trois modes de variabilités, reliés à la tension de vent en surface et sa modulation par la glace de mer. La circulation de méso-échelle est faible sous la banquise hors du courant de pente Antarctique, alors que la zone marginale de glace semble favoriser la génération de tourbillons cycloniques. Les implications de ces résultats pour les mécanismes physiques de l’océan Austral et ses changements à long terme sont discutées
The Southern Ocean is central to the global oceanic circulation and climate. This region is however on the frontline of human-induced climate change, through intense uptake of anthropogenic heat and carbon. Consequently, the Southern Ocean has experienced important changes in its hydrography and circulation over the last decades. Its subpolar part, south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, hosts large circulation systems of importance for the production of water masses and their associate heat and carbon content, for ocean interactions with sea-ice and ice-shelves, and consequently for global mean sea level. Observations are still sparse in that region, particularly in wintertime when it is covered by sea ice. Thus, the regional response of the subpolar Southern Ocean hydrography and circulation to interactions with the atmosphere, cryosphere, and background circulation at various spatial and time scales is still under active research.In this thesis, I contribute to observing the variability and long-term changes of the hydrography and circulation of the subpolar Southern Ocean, and to unveil the mechanisms driving their variability. I first observe the long-term temperature changes in the upper layer of the Southern Ocean, from repeated ship-based measurement transects over 25 years. Besides previously documented trends, I refine the monitoring on the still poorly observed warming and shallowing of the warm subsurface water of the Southern Ocean. The long term warming is stronger than interannual variability, and the shallowing rate is 3 to 9 times the previously estimated one. In a second part, I develop and exploit an ocean topography dataset, spanning six years of measurements over the whole Southern Ocean south of 50°S. This dataset allows me to explore the variability of the subpolar Southern Ocean circulation, particularly the seasonal cycle of the large-scale circulation and the mesoscale variability under sea ice. At the seasonal scale, the circulation of the Weddell and Ross gyres, and the Antarctic Slope Current are mainly dictated by three modes of variability, principally linked to the surface stress of the wind on the surface of the ocean and its modulation by the sea ice. The mesoscale variability is weak outside the energetic Antarctic slope current in the pack ice, while the marginal ice zone seems to be a region with enhanced cyclonic eddies generation. The implications of these results on the physical processes of the Southern Ocean and its long-term changes are discussed

L’océan représente un puits majeur de carbone vis-à-vis de l’accroissement de CO2 atmosphérique, mais l’évolution à long terme de ce puits est mal connue. Ce travail vise donc à analyser son évolution dans l’Atlantique nord à l’aide de données biogéochimiques et hydrologiques collectées entre 1993 et 2007. Dans le gyre subpolaire de l'Atlantique nord, il est montré que la fugacité océanique du CO2 (fCO2oc) a augmenté plus rapidement dans l’océan que dans l’atmosphère sur la période 1993-2007. Pour la période 1993-2003, l’augmentation est due au réchauffement des eaux de surface, tandis q’entre 2001 et 2007, ce changement a été attribué à des modifications des propriétés chimiques de l’eau de mer. Depuis 2001 cette région est une source océanique de CO2 en hiver. En conséquence, le puits océanique de CO2 diminue rapidement et est susceptible d’impliquer des changements dans les concentrations de CO2 atmosphérique.

The growth, distribution, and variability of phytoplankton populations in the North Atlantic are primarily controlled by the physical environment. This chapter provides an overview of the regional circulation of the North Atlantic, and an introduction to the key physical features and processes that affect ecosystems, and especially plankton, via the availability of light and nutrients. There is a natural seasonal cycle in primary production driven by physical processes that determine the light and nutrient levels, but the pattern has strong regional variations. The variations are determined by persistent features on the basin scale (e.g. the main currents and mixed layer regimes of the subtropical and subpolar gyres), as well as transient mesoscale features such as eddies and meanders of fronts.

One aspect of climate variability is the shift in seasonal change, with a given season arriving early or late. However, this shift in season is location-dependent and affects local ecology. Over subpolar regions, the change in temperature is very much associated with the regional and local variability of snow-caps, sea ice near the pole, pole-ward transportation of heat, cloud cover, and wind circulation. Based on a 36-year analysis of skin temperature, we found that the lowest temperature occurred in March rather than in February. Additionally, the maximum snow cover day has shifted from March 12 to March 17 in the last 3 to 4 decades. A plausible reason for the late accumulation of ice/snow over the Arctic/Alaskan region may be due to the multi-scale interactions between multi-decadal oscillations, for example, North Atlantic Oscillations (NAO) and climate change.

The Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) is an international effort started in 2014 dedicated to achieving a better understanding of the link between dense-water formation and the meridional overturning circulation in the high-latitude North Atlantic. Moorings, gliders, and subsurface acoustically-tracked RAFOS floats have been used to collect temperature, salinity, and current data across the Labrador Sea, Irminger Sea, Reykjanes Ridge, Iceland Basin, Rockall-Hatton Plateau, and Rockall Trough. The specific objective of the OSNAP float program is to gather information on the pathways of the dense overflow waters transported by the deep limb of the overturning circulation and assess the connection of those pathways with currents observed crossing the OSNAP mooring line. This data report details the observations collected by 148 floats that were deployed for OSNAP during the summers of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Deployment locations were in the Iceland Basin, Irminger Sea, and in the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. Mission lengths ranged from 540-730 days, and the floats were ballasted to passively drift at a fixed pressure of either 1800, 2000, 2200, 2500, or 2800 dbar to tag the deep overflow water masses of the subpolar North Atlantic (Iceland-Scotland and Denmark Strait Overflow Waters).