Can Paleoceanographic Tracers Constrain Meridional Circulation Rates?

Can Paleoceanographic Tracers Constrain Meridional Circulation Rates?

DSpace/Manakin Repository

Can Paleoceanographic Tracers Constrain Meridional Circulation Rates?

dc.contributor.author	Huybers, Peter John
dc.contributor.author	Gebbie, Geoffrey A
dc.contributor.author	Marchal, Olivier
dc.date.accessioned	2009-11-05T21:02:14Z
dc.date.issued	2007
dc.identifier.citation	Huybers, Peter J., Geoffrey Gebbie, and Olivier Marchal. 2007. Can paleoceanographic tracers constrain meridional circulation rates? Journal of Physical Oceonography 37(2): 394-407.	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0022-3670	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3383440
dc.description.abstract	The ability of paleoceanographic tracers to constrain rates of transport is examined using an inverse method to combine idealized observations with a geostrophic model. Considered are the spatial distribution, accuracy, and types of tracers required to constrain changes in meridional transport within an idealized single-hemisphere basin. Measurements of density and radioactive tracers each act to constrain rates of transport. Conservative tracers, while not of themselves able to inform regarding rates of transport, improve constraints when coupled with density or radioactive observations. It is found that the tracer data would require an accuracy one order of magnitude better than is presently available for paleo-observations to conclusively rule out factor-of-2 changes in meridional transport, even when assumed available over the entire model domain. When data are available only at the margins and bottom of the model, radiocarbon is unable to constrain transport while density remains effective only when a reference velocity level is assumed. The difficulty in constraining the circulation in this idealized model indicates that placing firm bounds on past meridional transport rates will prove challenging.	en_US
dc.description.sponsorship	Earth and Planetary Sciences	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	American Meteorological Society	en_US
dc.relation.isversionof	http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JPO3018.1	en_US
dc.relation.hasversion	http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~phuybers/	en_US
dash.license	LAA
dc.title	Can Paleoceanographic Tracers Constrain Meridional Circulation Rates?	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article	en_US
dc.description.version	Version of Record	en_US
dc.relation.journal	Journal of Physical Oceanography	en_US
dash.depositing.author	Huybers, Peter John
dc.date.available	2009-11-05T21:02:14Z