AMOC
D1. Physical and chemical oceanography and marine meteorologyDefinition
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the large-scale overturning circulation of the Atlantic.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is the basin-scale overturning of the Atlantic, carrying warm upper-ocean water northward and returning cold North Atlantic Deep Water southward at depth. Continuous arrays such as RAPID at 26.5 degrees north measure it at roughly 17 Sv with large variability. It moves about 1.25 petawatts of heat poleward, and model projections show a weakening under warming, a focus of climate-tipping-point research.