Abstract
Abstract A steady ventilation model is used to assess the effect of the mixed layer on the structure of the main thermocline; the potential vorticity is found in a subtropical gyre after imposing the thickness and density of the mixed layer, the Ekman pumping, and the hydrography on the eastern boundary. The modeled potential vorticity becomes comparable in value to observations in the North Atlantic if the mixed layer deepens poleward as is observed in winter. The isopycnal gradients in potential vorticity are reduced on the denser ventilated surfaces if the mixed-layer outcrops deviate from latitude circles and, more realistically, sweep southward along the eastern boundary; the age of the subducted fluid is also in reasonable agreement with observations of the tritium-helium age by Jenkins. This study suggests that ventilation may form much of the extensive region of nearly uniform potential vorticity observed on the σθ = 26.75 surface in the North Atlantic, with lateral mixing by eddies being required...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.