Simulated pathways of the overflow waters in the North Atlantic: Subpolar to subtropical export

Motivated by previous observational and modeling studies that demonstrate interior pathways for the export of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) into the subtropical North Atlantic, we analyze whether the deeper, denser overflow water (OW) pathways are similarly distributed in the basin. For this study, we rely on the simulation of OW pathways in the context of an ocean general circulation model. From our analysis, we suggest that OW in the North Atlantic is not restricted to the DWBC in its equatorward transport. Thus, a measure of OW transport variability within the DWBC downstream of the subpolar gyre cannot be safely equated to transport variability of the lower limb of the AMOC. Since this study of OW export pathways relies solely on simulated pathways, the applicability of our results to the North Atlantic rests on the representativeness of the model's deep flow field. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.