A note on average cross-isopycnal mixing in the North Atlantic ocean

Abstract

Area averaged mixing is inferred from the difference between cross-isopycnal advection and air-sea forcing, using a density budget in isopycnal layers. The results suggest that mixing is weak (indistinguishable from zero) in the thermocline in qualitative agreement with local and regional measurements. Mixing increases in warmer density classes, but becomes indeterminate at low densities, where climatological flux errors are largest. At high density, mixing reappears owing to the heat flux required to balance the formation of dense water and reflects mixing with intermediate and bottom water.