Abstract
In this study, we report results from a high-resolution measurement of submesoscale turbulence in a mesoscale eddy. The kinetic energy spectra in the mesoscale eddy are decomposed into mesoscale and submesoscale components using Helmholtz decomposition and wave-vortex decomposition methods. The length scale of transition from mesoscale to submesoscale is quantitatively determined, which is roughly consistent with the first baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation (44 km) and has a relatively weak dependence on depth. Two distinct spectral slopes for the mesoscale and submesoscale turbulence are identified: the kinetic energy spectrum at mesoscale has a vertical average − 2.6 slope, which agrees with the interior QG turbulence theory; at submesoscale, the average slope is −1.5 and weakly dependent on depth, which is consistent with the GM internal wave spectrum.
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