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Simon Wett

Institution: Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen
Office: NW 1, room  M3200
Phone: +49 421 218 - 62159
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Other webpage(s):

Simon´s IUP web page
Simon´s ArcTrain web page

 

Simon Wett
Photo: Dragonfly Leathrum

PhD Project

Water mass ventilation and climate relevant circulation in the subpolar North Atlantic

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the main driver of northward oceanic volume and heat transport in the Atlantic. Since the early 2000s, hydrographic sections across the Atlantic at 47° N and continuous current measurements from moored instruments at specific locations are available. From these observations AMOC components can be estimated. However, the spatial resolution of current measurements is coarse and ship based hydrographic sections are mostly done only once a year. Also, the observational timeseries still remain too short to come to conclusions about decadal trends in the AMOC variability. Thus, today our knowledge about the role of the AMOC in the global climate system is mainly based on model simulations. Comparing these model simulations against observations remains an important task to accurately predict the future of the AMOC and adapt to changes.

In my PhD project I will conduct a comparison of the AMOC in the North Atlantic from observations at 47 deg North and a high-resolution ocean model. This comparison will help assessing different methods of estimating the AMOC strength from observations. Another part of my analysis will focus on the role of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) formation, a main component of the AMOC. Changes in LSW formation have repercussions for the AMOC: in most ocean-ice and climate models, a stronger LSW ventilation is related to larger than normal air-sea heat flux anomalies over the subpolar North Atlantic and to an increased AMOC transport. I will test this hypothesis in observations and high-resolution ocean models.

Thesis Committee

Prof. Dr. Monika Rhein Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen
Prof. Dr. Paul Myers University of Alberta
Prof. Dr. Arne Biastoch GEOMAR, University of Kiel
Dr. Dagmar Kieke Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen
Dr. Christian Mertens Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen