2025-11-07 中国科学院（CAS）
Relationship between AMOC and its proxies in climate models. (Image by IOCAS)
＜関連情報＞
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/earth/202511/t20251107_1096712.shtml
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02793-1
赤道大西洋中深度の温暖化は大西洋南北循環の減速を示唆している Equatorial Atlantic mid-depth warming indicates Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown
Qiuping Ren,Shang-Ping Xie,Qihua Peng,Yuanlong Li & Fan Wang
Communications Earth & Environment Published;17 October 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02793-1
Abstract
Climate models project an Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation slowdown under anthropogenic greenhouse warming. Despite a ~1.5 °C increase in the global mean surface temperature, debate remains on whether and when this circulation has slowed. Here we identify a distinctive temperature fingerprint in the equatorial Atlantic that signals the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation change through numerical ocean model experiments. The equatorial Atlantic is a crucial crossroads for the circulation anomalies to propagate to other oceans. A slowdown drives a mid-depth (1000–2000 m) warming in the equatorial Atlantic in a decade via baroclinic Kelvin waves. Analysis of climate models shows that this mid-depth temperature change is a better indicator for Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation change on decadal and longer timescales than other surface proxies. Observations reveal a robust mid-depth warming since 1960 that emerged from natural variability in the early 2000s, suggesting a slowdown that already started in the late 20th century.
