Potential effect of the marine carbon cycle on the multiple equilibria window of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Boot, Amber A.; von der Heydt, Anna S.; Dijkstra, Henk A.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-1567-2024

Articles | Volume 15, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-1567-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-1567-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 6

Research article

|

10 Dec 2024

Research article |

| 10 Dec 2024

Potential effect of the marine carbon cycle on the multiple equilibria window of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Amber A. Boot, Anna S. von der Heydt, and Henk A. Dijkstra

Data sets

dboot0016/ESD_AABOOT_AMOC_MEW: v1.1_16_10_2023 (v1.1) Amber A. Boot https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10005999

Model code and software

dboot0016/ESD_AABOOT_AMOC_MEW: v1.1_16_10_2023 (v1.1) Amber A. Boot https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10005999

Short summary

We investigate the multiple equilibria window (MEW) of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) within a box model. We find that increasing the total carbon content of the system widens the MEW of the AMOC. The important mechanisms at play are the balance between the source and sink of carbon and the sensitivity of the AMOC to freshwater forcing over the Atlantic Ocean. Our results suggest that changes in the marine carbon cycle can influence AMOC stability in future climates.