Shear and Richardson number in a mode-water eddy

Abstract

Abstract Measurements of stratification and shear were carried out as part of the EDDIES tracer release experiment in mode-water eddy A4 during the summer of 2005. These measurements were accomplished using both shipboard instrumentation and a drifting mooring. A strong relationship between shear intensity and distance from the center of the eddy A4 was observed with the shipboard ADCP. Diapycnal diffusivity at the SF6 tracer isopycnal prior to and during the release was estimated from the drifting mooring to be 2.9×10−6 m2 s−1. Diffusivity increased by an order of magnitude to 3.2×10−5 m2 s−1 during the period of the final tracer survey in early September, which was similar to the value estimated from the tracer analysis for the whole experiment (3.5×10−5 m2 s−1, [Ledwell, J.R., McGillicuddy Jr., D.J., Anderson, L.A., 2008. Nutrient flux into an intense deep chlorophyll layer in a mode-water eddy. Deep-Sea Research II, this issue [ doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.02.005 ]].