Abstract:
The global ocean circulation is very complicated, and its related water volume, heat and salt transport determine the redistribution of mass and energy in global ocean and have great impacts on air-sea interactions and climate change. Based on five reanalysis data sets, including GLORYS12, GLORYS2V4, C-GLORS05, FOAM, and ORAS5, this study estimated the global water volume, heat and salt transport that across 12 key sections in global oceans. The results show that the meridional salinity variation is similar to that of the meridional volume transport because the salt transport is proportional to the volume transport due to the less vertical salinity change. The global ocean exhibits maximum meridional volume transport at around 35°S, and its southward transport is close to 10 Sv. Since ocean temperature decreases rapidly with depth, and the middle and lower layers are relatively stable, ocean meridional heat transport is more related to upper ocean circulation. The global ocean exhibits poleward heat transport in both hemispheres. The transport capacity at mid-low latitudes in northern hemisphere is between 1.5 and 2.0 PW, and that at the same latitudes in southern hemisphere is about 1.0 PW. The northward heat transport spans the entire Atlantic Ocean, with 0.3–1.0 PW at mid-low latitudes in South Atlantic and 1.0–1.3 PW at the mid-low latitudes in North Atlantic. In contrast, the Southern Ocean has significant zonal water volume, heat and salt transport due to the strong eastward Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Statistical results show that there are about 144.5, 162.46 and 146.05 Sv volume transport flowing through the 20°E and, 146°E sections in the Southern Ocean and the Drake Passage, respectively (corresponding to 5.1×10
9, 5.74×10
9, 5.15×10
9 kg/s salt transport, and 1.27, 2.28, 1.58 PW heat transport. In addition, the climatological transport variation shows that the meridional volume, heat and salt transport have obvious seasonality, the zonal heat transport in the Southern Ocean has greater seasonal changes than the zonal volume and salt transport.