Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
E. A. D’Asaro (1985a)
The energy flux from the wind to near-inertial motions in the surface mixed layer, 15
M. F. Cronin, C. W. Fairall, M. J. McPhaden (2006)
An assessment of buoy-derived and numerical weather prediction surface heat fluxes in the tropical Pacific, 111
J. R. Carpenter, N. J. Balmforth, G. A. Lawrence (2010)
Identifying unstable modes in stratified shear layer, 22
E. A. D’Asaro (2003)
Performance of autonomous Lagrangian floats, 20
Y. C. Agrawal, E. A. Terray, M. A. Donelan, P. A. Hwang, A. J. Williams, W. M. Drennan, K. K. Khama, S. A. Kitaigorodskii (1992)
Enhanced dissipation of kinetic energy beneath surface waves, 359
A. D. D. Craik, S. Leibovich (1976)
A rational model for Langmuir circulations, 73
E. A. D’Asaro (2014)
Turbulence in the upper-ocean mixed layer, 6
J. R. Carpenter, G. A. Lawrence, W. D. Smyth (2007)
Evolution and mixing of asymmetric Holmboe instabilities, 582
C. P. Caulfield (2021)
Layering, instabilities, and mixing in turbulent stratified flows, 53
S. E. Belcher (2012)
A global perspective of Langmuir turbulence in the ocean surface boundary layer, 39
D. Archer (1995)
Upper ocean physics as relevant to ecosystem dynamics: A tutorial, 5
E. A. D’Asaro (1985b)
Upper ocean temperature structure, inertial currents, and Richardson numbers observed during strong meteorological forcing, 15
M. A. Baker, C. H. Gibson (1987)
Sampling turbulence in the stratified ocean: Statistical consequences of strong intermittency, 17
R. S. Arthur, S. K. Venayagamoorthy, J. R. Koseff, O. B. Fringer (2017)
How we compute N matters to estimates of mixing in stratified flows, 831
M. F. Cronin, N. A. Pelland, S. R. Emerson, W. R. Crawford (2015)
Estimating diffusivity from the mixed layer heat and salt balances in the North Pacific, 120
AbstractA crucial region of the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) is the strongly sheared and strongly stratified transition layer (TL) separating the mixed layer from the upper pycnocline, where a diverse range of waves and instabilities are possible. Previous work suggests that these different waves and instabilities will lead to different OSBL behaviors. Therefore, understanding which physical processes occur is key for modeling the TL. Here we present observations of the TL from a Lagrangian float deployed for 73 days near Ocean Weather Station Papa (50°N, 145°W) during fall 2018. The float followed the vertical motion of the TL, continuously measuring profiles across it using an ADCP, temperature chain, and salinity sensors. The temperature chain made depth–time images of TL structures with a resolution of 6 cm and 3 s. These showed the frequent occurrence of very sharp interfaces, dominated by temperature jumps of O(1)°C over 6 cm or less. Temperature inversions were typically small (≲10 cm), frequent, and strongly stratified; very few large overturns were observed. The corresponding velocity profiles varied over larger length scales than the temperature profiles. These structures are consistent with scouring behavior rather than Kelvin–Helmholtz–type overturning. Their net effect, estimated via a Thorpe-scale analysis, suggests that these frequent small temperature inversions can account for the observed mixed layer deepening and entrainment flux. Corresponding estimates of dissipation, diffusivity, and heat fluxes also agree with previous TL studies, suggesting that the TL dynamics is dominated by these nearly continuous 10-cm-scale mixing structures, rather than by less frequent larger overturns.
Journal of Physical Oceanography – American Meteorological Society
Published: Oct 1, 2021
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.