AMOC flow and period vs. depth to the bottom of the thermocline.

The curves show calculated volumetric flow (Ψ) and oscillation period (T-) for depths to the bottom of the thermocline at the south end of the flow path (Z_H = Z_ML+Z_TC) ranging from 300 to 400 m for mixed layer temperatures (T_ML) of 28, 30, and 32°C (blue, red and black lines). The length and width of the flow path (L_F and W_F) are the same as for Fig. 4. The sensitivity of the calculated values for AMOC flow and period to the depth to the bottom of the thermocline is high because the depth of the flow path Z_F used in the calculation of AMOC flow is related to the depth to the bottom of the thermocline, ranging between 0.5 and 0.7 of Z_H depending on the relative depths of the mixed layer and thermocline. This term appears as Z_F⁴ in Eq. 7. The shaded areas on the figures indicate the approximate range of observed values for AMOC flow and oscillation period.