Fig.1: A three-dimensional interbasin flow schematic (Fig II-8 from the "World Ocean Circulation" by W. J. Schmitz)
 

THC carries large amounts of heat, salt, and biochemical tracers. This circulation can change dramatically on the time scale of decades and play an important role in climate reorganizations. It is therefore important to study THC and the mechanisms that control it: heating/cooling by the atmosphere, surface winds, mixing due to internal waves and mesoscale eddies and variations in the sea ice. My approach to understanding the importance of these processes is to combine different tools: coupled atmosphere/ocean numerical models, observational data and theory.