The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is comprised of a series of northward surface currents and southward currents at depth in the Atlantic Basin. It is a key part of the global ocean circulation and is responsible for substantial oceanic heat transport, deep water formation, and controlling regional climate. It is possible that climate change has and will continue to affect the strength of AMOC and observations of this system are critical for validating model experiments of the circulation. Multiple observing systems across the Atlantic basic work together to measure the AMOC. There is no one single observing system, nor is there a one-stop shop for data access. Users need to decide which dataset to use based on their specific interests. The following observing systems typically express AMOC as the volume of seawater transported across a line as part of AMOC. These volume transports are calculated as the sums of multiple components such as currents at the boundary, in the interior, and wind-driven currents near the surface. For comparisons with output from numerical models, it may be appropriate to compare the resulting AMOC directly, to reproduce the calculation methods in the model output, or to compare the underlying in-situ data such as temperature, salinity, or boundary current speeds. In addition to observing systems that attempt to capture the whole AMOC, this page also includes observing systems that capture important sub-components of the circulation, such as boundary currents in specific locations.
