Abstract
The North Brazil Current transport displays a pronounced multidecadal
variability with about a 7 Sv peak-to-peak amplitude. Although it has
been suggested that this variability is related to that of the Atlantic
Meridional Overturning Circulation, its origin is still unknown. Here we
present results of an analysis of model data from a long (200 years)
simulation of a high-resolution (0.1 horizontally) version of the
Parallel Ocean Program that indicates a connection between multidecadal
variability in the Southern Ocean, due to the so-called Southern Ocean
Mode, and multidecadal variability in the North Brazil Current. The
interaction of the large-scale ocean circulation and eddies is crucial
for the existence of the Southern Ocean Mode. We present the mechanisms
of this teleconnection in detail, which involves the vertical
displacement of isopycnals, generation of Rossby waves and meridional
propagation of sea surface height and ocean heat content anomalies. In
addition, we show that the same mechanism connecting Southern Ocean and
North Brazil Current multidecadal variability is also found in a (200
years) simulation of a high-resolution global version of the Community
Earth System Model, with the same horizontal ocean resolution of 0.1.
The results provide a new mechanism for the multidecadal variability of
the North Brazil Current.