Greenland ice cores and other climate records clearly indicate that various abrupt changes in the North Atlantic climate occured in the past. A well- known example is the Younger Dryas cold event, around 11,000 years BP. It is presumed that these changes are connected with freshwater invasions into the deep water formation areas of the northern North Atlantic, resulting in a weakening of the thermohaline-driven ocean circulation (THC) and consequently in a decreased oceanic poleward heat transport (Broecker, 1991). Paleoclimatic studys actually show relations between meltwater events, owing to retreating glaciers (Keigwin et al., 1991) or massive discharges of icebergs launched from Canada (Bond, 1995; Bond et al., 1992) and cold snaps in the North Atlantic region. Obviously, the sensitivity of the THC plays a key role for the climate variability and is the subject of several papers.
"On the water cycle and the thermohaline circulation: Analysis of a coupled general circulation model."
"The hydrological cycle under paleoclimatic conditions
as derived from AGCM simulations."
Abstracts of papers about the hydrological cycle
"The Influence of a near-bottom Transport Parameterization on the Sensitivity of the Thermohaline Circulation."
Abstract of the overflow paper
"Sea ice effects on the Sensitivity of the Thermohaline Circulation in simplified atmosphere-ocean-sea ice models."
Abstract of the sea ice paper
"Sensitivity of the thermohaline circulation in coupled oceanic GCM-atmospheric EBM experiments."
Abstract of sensitivity experiments with several atmospheric models, Question of multiple equilibria