Comment on gmd-2022-110

Abstract

The surface waves and internal tides have great contribution to the vertical mixing processes in the upper ocean. In this study, three mixing schemes, including the non-breaking surface-wave-generated turbulent mixing, the mixing induced by the wave transport flux residue, and the internal-tide-generated turbulent mixing, are introduced to study the effects the surface waves and the internal tides on the vertical mixing. The three schemes are jointly incorporated into the Marine Science and Numerical Modeling (MASNUM) ocean circulation model as a part of the vertical diffusive terms, which are calculated by the surface wave parameters simulated from the MASNUM wave model and the surface amplitudes of the mode-1 M2 internal tides extracted from the satellite altimetry data using a two-dimensional plane wave fit method. The effects of the mixing schemes on the Indian Ocean modeling are tested by five climatological experiments. The surface waves and internal tides lead to enhance the vertical mixing processes in the sea surface and ocean interior, respectively. The combination of the mixing schemes is able to strengthen the vertical water exchange and draw more water from the sea surface to the ocean interior. The simulated results gain significant improvement in the thermal structure and the mixed layer depth if the three schemes are all adopted.