Abrupt climate change and thermohaline circulation: Mechanisms and predictability
Abstract
The ocean's thermohaline circulation has long been recognized as potentially unstable and has consequently been invoked as a potential cause of abrupt climate change on all timescales of decades and longer. However, fundamental aspects of thermohaline circulation changes remain poorly understood.
Footnotes
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↵ * To whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: Jochem.Marotzke{at}soc.soton.ac.uk.
- Abbreviations:
- THC,
- thermohaline circulation;
- NH,
- Northern Hemisphere;
- SH,
- Southern Hemisphere;
- Younger Dryas,
- YD
- Copyright © 2000, The National Academy of Sciences
