Abstract
AbstractThe response of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) to the strengthening of Southern Hemisphere winds occurring since the 1950s is investigated with a global ocean model having a resolution of 1/12° in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current domain. The simulations expose regional differences in the relative importance of stochastic and wind‐related contributions to interannual EKE changes. In the Pacific and Indian sectors the model captures the EKE variability observed since 1993 and confirms previous hypotheses of a lagged response to regional wind stress anomalies. Here the multidecadal trend in wind stress is reflected in an increase in EKE typically exceeding 5 cm2 s−2 decade−1. In the western Atlantic, EKE variability is mostly stochastic, is weakly correlated with wind fluctuations, and its multidecadal trends are close to zero. The nonuniform distribution of wind‐related changes in the eddy activity could affect the regional patterns of ocean circulation and biogeochemical responses to future climate change.
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