Abstract
Examinations of the impact of anthropogenic aerosols on oceanic heat content have focused largely on the global average response. Given that aerosol-induced cooling is greater in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), do aerosols induce a greater impact on NH oceanic heat content? Sea level rise over the past 50 years has shown little hemispheric differentiation. Using a set of global climate model experiments forced with and without anthropogenic aerosols, we show that increasing aerosols in the 20th century induce a pan-oceanic heat redistribution. This leads to a reduction in the SH oceanic heat content comparable to that in the NH oceans. The process includes a strengthening of the northward cross-equatorial heat transport in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with the majority taking place in the Atlantic Ocean via the most effective pathway: the globally interconnected ocean current system associated with the Atlantic overturning.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 21707 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4 Nov 2006 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- SEA-LEVEL
- CLIMATE
- ATMOSPHERE
- PERIOD
- WATER
- CYCLE
- MODEL
- ICE