| orthward flow of warm, upper-ocean water is required to compensate for a net southward export of deep water from the Atlantic basin. A primary mechanism of oceanic heat transport and a fundamental component of the global climate system, the resulting meridional overturning cell (MOC) has been shown to play a significant role in modulating long-term transients in global climate. The pathways by which the northward MOC return flow navigates the tropical and equatorial Atlantic are three-dimensional, time-dependent, and not well described by available observations. In this study, a numerical model is used to identify and quantify these pathways, and to examine associated seasonal and mesoscale variability. Results include a quantitative description of mean interhemispheric and intergyre transport pathways in the upper tropical Atlantic Ocean. With an imposed 14 Sv MOC in the numerical model, approximately 6 Sv of intermediate water (26.80... |
