Effects of Mode Waters on Ocean Circulation and Climate

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A mode water is a particular water mass with vertical homogeneity of water properties such as temperature and salinity, distributed widely at subtropical and subarctic regions all over the world. From an analysis of observations and outputs of numerical models and some numerical experiments, the present study showed the active role of mode waters in the formation of surface ocean circulation and its impacts on the atmosphere. We found the influence of interannual to decadal variations of mode waters and their long-term changes associated with global warming on the North Pacific ocean circulation. In the North Pacific, the eastern subtropical countercurrent, which is generated by central mode water, is found to be possibly responsible for the formation of another mode water, eastern subtropical mode water, through air-sea interaction caused by the subtropical countercurrent.