GYRED

The large-scale circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean plays a key role in regulating climate by transporting warm and salty waters within the extended Gulf Stream system along the borders of the subtropical and subpolar gyres. However, the role of variable gyre circulation in modulating the northward transport of water between the gyres and thus influencing the large-scale Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), remains unexplored. GYRED will quantify variability in the transport between the gyres versus recirculation within the gyres, identify the forcing mechanisms of variable northward transport, and determine the effect on the AMOC and poleward ocean heat transport. Understanding the role of gyre-induced variability in the large-scale ocean circulation will impact the interpretation of the observations at various measurement sites in the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas. The project will thus pave the way for early detection and improved predictions of future changes in the extended Gulf Stream system and the AMOC.