North Atlantic–Pacific salinity contrast enhanced by wind and ocean warming

Ying Lu, Yuanlong Li (), Pengfei Lin, Lijing Cheng, Kai Ge, Hailong Liu, Jing Duan and Fan Wang ()
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Ying Lu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuanlong Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Pengfei Lin: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lijing Cheng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kai Ge: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hailong Liu: Laoshan Laboratory
Jing Duan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fan Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Climate Change, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 723-731

Abstract: Abstract High salinities in the Atlantic and low salinities in the Pacific are critical ocean features, impacting ocean circulations and climate. Here, using observational data, we reveal that the Atlantic–Pacific salinity contrast has amplified during the past half-century. Notably, in the 0–800 m, 20°–40° N band, the Atlantic–Pacific salinity contrast increased by 5.9% ± 0.6% since 1965. A decomposition of heaving and spicing modes suggests vital contributions of wind and ocean warming, in addition to known surface freshwater fluxes. Specifically, ocean surface warming leads to poleward migration of thermocline outcrop zones, while surface wind changes cause upper-layer convergence in mid-latitudes. These processes lead to substantial upper-layer salinity increases in the North Atlantic but have much weaker signatures in the North Pacific, determined by the inter-basin difference in climatological salinities. This work highlights the complexity of ocean salinity response to climate change, underscoring the unexpected importance of wind- and heat-driven processes in the Atlantic–Pacific salinity contrast.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-024-02033-y

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