Controls of the global overturning circulation of the ocean

Abstract The global overturning circulation (GOC) is the largest scale component of the ocean circulation, associated with a global redistribution of key tracers such as heat and carbon. The GOC generates decadal to millennial climate variability, and will determine much of the long-term response to anthropogenic climate perturbations. This review aims at providing an overview of the main controls of the GOC. By controls, we mean processes affecting the overturning structure and variability. We distinguish three main controls: mechanical mixing, convection, and wind pumping. Geography provides an additional control on geological timescales. An important emphasis of this review is to present how the different controls interact with each other to produce an overturning flow, making this review relevant to the study of past, present and future climates as well as to exoplanets’ oceans.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Published
2025-08-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01185-8
Primary Topic
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
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article

Controls of the global overturning circulation of the ocean

David Ferreira, M. J. Bell, C Spencer Jones, Fabien Roquet et al.
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
article

Controls of the global overturning circulation of the ocean

David Ferreira, M. J. Bell, C Spencer Jones, Fabien Roquet, Casimir de Lavergne, Agatha M. de Boer, Jonas Nycander, Malin Ödalen, J. H. LaCasce, David Munday, David P. Marshall
article en

Abstract

Abstract The global overturning circulation (GOC) is the largest scale component of the ocean circulation, associated with a global redistribution of key tracers such as heat and carbon. The GOC generates decadal to millennial climate variability, and will determine much of the long-term response to anthropogenic climate perturbations. This review aims at providing an overview of the main controls of the GOC. By controls, we mean processes affecting the overturning structure and variability. We distinguish three main controls: mechanical mixing, convection, and wind pumping. Geography provides an additional control on geological timescales. An important emphasis of this review is to present how the different controls interact with each other to produce an overturning flow, making this review relevant to the study of past, present and future climates as well as to exoplanets’ oceans.

npj Climate and Atmospheric ScienceVol. 8(1)
Met Office (GB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), British Antarctic Survey (GB), Stockholm University (SE), University of Oslo (NO), Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (NO), Sorbonne Université (FR), University of Oxford (GB), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (FR), Bolin Centre for Climate Research (SE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University of Reading (GB), University of Gothenburg (SE), Texas A&M University (US)
National Science Foundation, Vetenskapsrådet, Göteborgs Universitet
Openalex Percentile: Top 77%
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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