The role of subtropical mode waters in the variability of meridional heat transport in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

The AMOC is usually defined as the maximum of the overturning streamfunction. The time series produced by the RAPID-MOCHA-WBTS observing array uses a streamfunction calculated in depth space. Using data from the RAPID-MOCHA-WBTS array along with additional data from the WBTS sections in the Florida Straits and other hydrographic data, we have made a time series of the overturning streamfunction calculated in density space. The streamfunction in density space reveals the shallow overturning cell associated with subtropical mode waters (STMW) that is obscured in the depth-space streamfunction. The time series of the data also reveal that inter-annual variability in the amount of STMW in the Florida Straits is linked to changes in meridional heat transport.