Glacial AMOC shoaling despite vigorous tidal dissipation: vertical stratification matters

Abstract

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), tidal dissipation was about 3-fold higher than today, which could have led to a considerable increase in vertical mixing. This increase might have enhanced the glacial Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), contradicting the shoaled AMOC indicated by paleoproxies. Here, we conduct ocean model simulations to investigate the impact of background climate conditions and tidal mixing on the AMOC during the LGM. We successfully reproduce the stratified ocean characteristics of the LGM by accurately simulating the elevated salinity of the deep sea and the rapid temperature decrease in the ocean's upper layers. Our findings indicate that the shoaled glacial AMOC is mainly due to strong glacial-ocean stratification, regardless of enhanced tidal dissipation. However, glacial tidal dissipation plays a critical role in the intensification of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) during the LGM. Given the critical role of the AMOC in (de-)glacial climate evolution, our results highlight the complex interactions of ocean stratification and tidal dissipation that have been neglected so far.