Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Volume and Heat Transport Estimates

J. K. Willis provides a time series estimating the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) volume and heat transports near 41°N. The dataset is derived from observations by the Argo array of profiling floats and satellite altimetry, processed using techniques from Willis (2010) and Hobbs and Willis (2012). It includes 3-monthly averaged estimates of Ekman, geostrophic, and overturning volume transports, as well as meridional heat transport.

Use Cases

• Monitoring AMOC strength variability based on the Meridional Overturning Volume Transport time series.
• Analyzing the partitioning of volume transport into Ekman and geostrophic components.
• Estimating oceanic heat transport into the North Atlantic using the Meridional Overturning Heat Transport column.
• Studying the spatial structure of geostrophic flow from the netCDF file containing latitude, longitude, depth, and time dimensions.

Strengths

• Data synthesis combines in-situ Argo float profiles with satellite altimetry and ERA5 reanalysis wind stress.
• Time series includes estimates through calendar year 2025, providing recent coverage.
• Methodology is explicitly cited to peer-reviewed techniques (Willis 2010; Hobbs and Willis 2012).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific update dates are not provided across sources.
• The time series is oversampled, with 12 time-steps per year each representing a 3-month average.
• Heat transport estimates for depths below 2000m rely on assumptions described in the variable 'Hpar'.

Provenance

Source

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, J. K. Willis

Collection Method

Estimates computed from Argo float (temperature, salinity, velocity) and satellite altimetry (sea level) observations, combined with ERA5 wind stress analysis.

Time Range

Time series includes estimates through 2025; specific start year is not stated.

Freshness

Updated Jan 13, 2026 to include estimates through calendar year 2025.

Geography

Atlantic Ocean, focusing on latitudes near 41°N.