Subpolar North Atlantic Climate States, Klimatilstander i subpolare strøk i Nord-Atlanteren

The Subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) is a key region for understanding climate and its interactions with ocean biogeochemistry. Acting as a gatekeeper to the deep ocean, its dynamics effectively control the preformed properties of deep convecting waters in the Labrador Sea as well as of waters flowing to the northward convection regions. At depth, the SPNA is a crossroads where the Nordic Seas overflows join the Labrador Sea Deep water and continue as the Deep Western Boundary Current, which forms the lower limb of the Thermohaline Conveyor that ventilates the deep ocean globally. Variability in the SPNA affects several processes that influence climate such as heat fluxes, overturning strength, and carbon fluxes. Hence SPNA variability is involved in mult iple feedback mechanisms in the climate system. The variability is closely tied to atmospheric forcing and has downstream effects, which provides inertia in the climate system increasing potential predictability. The exact processes underlying this vari ability are not completely understood. Neither is the long-term signal and significance. This is largely a result of limited duration of observational records and their gaps in critical seasons, and also of limitations of our model systems. Subpolar Nor th Atlantic Climate States (SNACS) will deal with these issues through a multidisciplinary approach and obtain new observations from the critical winter season, extend our data far beyond the instrumental period and identify and use the best Earth System Models available to explore future SPNA behavior and impacts. SNACS will provide new understanding of SPNA climate variability and interactions with biogeochemistry and carbon cycle across annual to millennial timescales. SNACS will provide optimized pr edictions of the future development of the SPNA under several emission scenarios. The information produced in SNACS will be used to fuel further understanding of climate and to guide greenhouse gas emission policies