Sea level Changes Mechanisms in the MPI-ESM under FAFMIP forcing conditions

Abstract:

Sea level anomaly pattern are being analyzed with respect to mechanistic causes and statistical significance as they emerge from CMIP6 FAFMIP coupled climate experiments imposing individual CMIP forcing anomalies in wind stress, heatflux and freshwater flux to the MPI-M model. It is found that in each experiment not only the imposed individual forcing anomalies are active but because it is a coupled experiment, all air-sea fluxes react and that not only the ocean component reacts but actually also the atmosphere allowing a communication of anomalies also through the atmosphere around the world. As a result anomalies observed, e.g., due to heat flux anomalies imposed over the Atlantic can change wind stress anomalies everywhere, including the Pacific.

Through the respective coupling mechanisms wind stress appears as the primary driving agent in all three experiments. It appears to be strongest in the heatflux anomaly experiment. Ongoing work will further explore the underlying mechanisms as well as the feedback processes.