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Climate Dynamics of the North Atlantic and NW-Europe: An Observation-Based Overview

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Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm

Abstract

The North Atlantic is the site for major ocean-atmosphere interaction because its wide meridional connection with the Arctic allows for extreme poleward propagation of warm subtropical waters and hence for extreme heat release to the high-latitude atmosphere. The cooled surface waters sink and lead to the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water, which is spreading southward in the lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and the global thermohaline conveyor. The ocean/atmosphere system experiences considerable variability on interannual to multi-decadal timescales. On five examples of observed North Atlantic ocean variability and possible links with low-frequency atmospheric driving related to the North Atlantic Oscillation the range of climate-variability in the past decades is described.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanography, University of Hamburg, Troplowitzstraβe 7, D-22529, Hamburg, Germany

    Jens Meincke

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  1. Jens Meincke
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität Bremen, Klagenfurter Straße 2, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Gerold Wefer

  2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Geological Research Division, University of California, 92093-0215, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Wolfgang H. Berger

  3. Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung, Viktoriastraße 26/28, 26483, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Karl-Ernst Behre

  4. University of Bergen, Department of Geology, Allégaten 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Eystein Jansen

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Meincke, J. (2002). Climate Dynamics of the North Atlantic and NW-Europe: An Observation-Based Overview. In: Wefer, G., Berger, W.H., Behre, KE., Jansen, E. (eds) Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04965-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04965-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07744-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04965-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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