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Time Scales of Southern Ocean Eddy Equilibration

Time Scales of Southern Ocean Eddy Equilibration Stratification in the Southern Ocean is determined primarily by a competition between westerly wind-driven upwelling and baroclinic eddy transport. This study investigates the time scales of equilibration of the Southern Ocean in response to changing winds through an idealized channel model. An analytical framework describing the energetic pathways between wind input, available potential energy (APE), eddy kinetic energy (EKE), and dissipation provides a simple theory of the phase and amplitude response to oscillating wind stress. The transient ocean response to variable winds lies between the two limits of Ekman response (high frequency), characterized by the isopycnal slope responding directly to wind stress, and “eddy saturation” (low frequency), wherein a large fraction of the anomalous wind work goes into mesoscale eddies. The crossover time scale is the time scale of meridional eddy diffusive transport across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) front. For wind variability with a period of 3 months (high-frequency forcing), the relative conversion of wind work to APE/EKE is 11, while for a period of 16 years (low-frequency forcing), the relative conversion to APE/EKE reduces to 3. The system’s frequency response is characterized by a complex transfer function. Both the phase and amplitude response of EKE and APE predicted by the linear analytic framework are verified using multiple ensemble experiments in an eddy-resolving (4-km horizontal resolution) isopycnal coordinate model. The results from the numerical experiments show agreement with the linear theory and can be used to explain certain features observed in previous modeling studies and observations. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Physical Oceanography American Meteorological Society

Time Scales of Southern Ocean Eddy Equilibration

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Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 American Meteorological Society
ISSN
0022-3670
eISSN
1520-0485
DOI
10.1175/JPO-D-16-0041.1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Stratification in the Southern Ocean is determined primarily by a competition between westerly wind-driven upwelling and baroclinic eddy transport. This study investigates the time scales of equilibration of the Southern Ocean in response to changing winds through an idealized channel model. An analytical framework describing the energetic pathways between wind input, available potential energy (APE), eddy kinetic energy (EKE), and dissipation provides a simple theory of the phase and amplitude response to oscillating wind stress. The transient ocean response to variable winds lies between the two limits of Ekman response (high frequency), characterized by the isopycnal slope responding directly to wind stress, and “eddy saturation” (low frequency), wherein a large fraction of the anomalous wind work goes into mesoscale eddies. The crossover time scale is the time scale of meridional eddy diffusive transport across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) front. For wind variability with a period of 3 months (high-frequency forcing), the relative conversion of wind work to APE/EKE is 11, while for a period of 16 years (low-frequency forcing), the relative conversion to APE/EKE reduces to 3. The system’s frequency response is characterized by a complex transfer function. Both the phase and amplitude response of EKE and APE predicted by the linear analytic framework are verified using multiple ensemble experiments in an eddy-resolving (4-km horizontal resolution) isopycnal coordinate model. The results from the numerical experiments show agreement with the linear theory and can be used to explain certain features observed in previous modeling studies and observations.

Journal

Journal of Physical OceanographyAmerican Meteorological Society

Published: Feb 14, 2016

References