资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Here we explore the relationship between the mean salinity (S) over bar of the ocean and the strength of its Atlantic and Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulations (AMOC and PMOC). We compare simulations performed with a realistically configured coarse-grained ocean model, spanning a range of mean salinities. We find that the AMOC strength increases approximately linearly with (S) over bar. In contrast, the PMOC strength declines approximately linearly with (S) over bar until it reaches a small background value similar to the present-day ocean. Well-established scaling laws for the overturning circulation explain both of these dependencies on (S) over bar.