Potential Processes of Two‐Phase AMOC Recovery After the Younger Dryas in the TraCE‐21K‐II Simulation

Abstract A two‐phase recovery of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is revealed following the abrupt cessation of freshwater forcing (FWF) input at the end of the Younger Dryas in the TraCE‐21K‐II simulation. This staged AMOC reactivation is attributed to changes in sea surface salinity (SSS) pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean. The first recovery phase is mainly due to the termination of FWF; however, the increasing SSS through hemispheric‐scale northward transport of salty water is partially suppressed by melting water from high‐latitude regions, resulting in a subsequent oscillation in the AMOC strength. The second recovery phase is primarily linked to the sea ice retreat in the Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian Seas, which reinitiates the SSS transport through the Norwegian Current. Exploring such model characteristics in simulating the surface oceanic processes may improve our understanding of the AMOC's response to FWF.