Berlin 2005 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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SYKE: Klima und Energie

SYKE 1: Klima und Energie

SYKE 1.3: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 8. März 2005, 15:15–16:00, TU HFT101

Climate Variability and Change in the Atlantic Sector — •Martin Visbeck — Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften (IFM-GEOMAR), Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105 Kiel

The last three decades of increased observations in the ocean and atmosphere have revealed significant variability and change. Large scale Atmospheric fluctuation in the strength and position of the main wind systems have affected the circulation and stratification of the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time an increase in upper ocean heat content and a changes in the salinity distribution suggest slow changes in the climate system and its hydrological cycle. Changes in the atmospheric circulation, in part forced by the ocean, have shown significant impacts of the energy sector in the last two decades, and that trend will likely continue.

In the tropical Atlantic, significant variability in the coupled ocean atmosphere system has been observed. Several of the mechanisms are understood in principle involving swift ocean currents and a rather sensitive atmosphere. However, our ability to realize the potential predictability of changes in seasonal rainfall over Brazil and western Africa have been hampered by the lack of sufficient oceanic data and flaws in the current generation of ocean and atmospheric models. This region thus provided a nice challenge for a focused research program. The tropical oceans have shown to play a mayor role in communicating changes in the large scale ocean circulation to the atmosphere.