HR: 11:32h
AN: OS42A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Observing and Modelling the Greenland Scotland Overflow
AU: * Käse, R H
EM: rkaese@t-online.de
AB: The overflows across the Greenland -Scotland Ridge system are an important component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, Both, observing and modelling the overflow is a challenging task, because relatively small spatial scales are involved. The physics of the overflow is governed by rotating hydraulics, a process that has not been represented in large scale climate models until recently. We report on experiments to capture the overflows by new observational techniques and show that an advanced coupled climate model resolving the Denmark Strait with an appropriate grid confirms the nonlinear hydraulic character. Overflow variations can be linked to upstream reservoir height changes and - in case of the Denmark Strait - also to sea surface elevation, providing a possibility to monitor the throughflow with remote sensing techniques. Finally, a controlled volume box model based on hydraulic exchange laws is used to analyse overflow variability during the last century and to compare results with observations.
DE: 1635 Oceans (1616, 3305, 4215, 4513)
DE: 3337 Global climate models (1626, 4928)
DE: 4255 Numerical modeling (0545, 0560)
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly