High-resolution Ocean General Circulation Model Research Articles

Mixed Rossby Gravity Waves at Middepths of the Equatorial Indian Ocean

Abstract This study examines mixed Rossby gravity (MRG) waves at middepths (500–2000 m) of the Indian Ocean, using multiyear velocity time series obtained from current-meter moorings at 77°, 83°, and 93°E along the equator over the period 2000–19. These data are analyzed in combination with a high-resolution wind-forced ocean general circulation model. The spectrum of observed meridional velocity showed elevated energy over a wide range of periods from about 10 to 100 days with the spectral peak at a period of about 30 days. The model was able to simulate the characteristics of the observed spectrum. Further diagnostics determined that the detected variability is generally consistent with theoretical MRG waves in a resting ocean. Statistical analysis and a model sensitivity experiment identified distinct variations at three periods, where meridional velocity has sizable energy. The 14-day variability is wind driven and has a long zonal (∼3300 km) and vertical (∼4200 m) wavelength. The 28-day variability is excited by the dynamical instability of the background flow in the equatorial western Indian Ocean near the surface and propagates to the study area. It is characterized by a shorter zonal (∼1100 km) and vertical (∼2800 m) wavelength compared to 14-day variability. The 43-day variability has a zonal wavelength (∼820 km) comparable to the 28-day variability but does not show the tendency of propagation and is likely generated in situ through nonlinear interactions. These results show that various processes contribute to the excitation of MRG waves at middepths of the Indian Ocean. Significance Statement Mixed Rossby gravity (MRG) waves are a prominent mode of intraseasonal variability in tropical oceans. They are of climatic importance owing to their effects on turbulent mixing in the deep sea and how they affect the large-scale ocean circulation. This study examines MRG waves at the middepths of the equatorial Indian Ocean using a unique set of in situ current-meter measurements and a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. We describe characteristics such as horizontal and vertical wavelengths, frequency spectra, dispersion properties, and energy sources. Results show that wind forcing at the sea surface, dynamical instability of the background flow near the surface in the western Indian Ocean, and nonlinear interactions generate MRG waves at distinct periods and wavelengths.

Northward shift of the Kuroshio Extension during 1993–2021

The Kuroshio Extension (KE) flows eastward at the northern boundary of the North Pacific subtropical gyre. By transporting large amounts of seawater with heat, the KE contributes significantly to the formation of sea surface temperature (SST) fields. Recently, poleward shifts of major ocean gyres in the world ocean, including the North Pacific subtropical gyre, have been highlighted based on basin-scale changes in SST and sea surface height (SSH) distributions. However, a detailed investigation of the long-term meridional KE movement has not been presented. Investigation of KE path changes helps provide insights into long-term changes in the physical fields in the western North Pacific. In this study, we identified the KE path from satellite-derived SSH and surface current velocity data using a front identification method and showed that the KE migrated northward by approximately 210 km during 1993–2021. We further explored the cause of the northward KE shift based on atmospheric reanalysis data and numerical experiments using a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. It was revealed that the northward KE shift is mostly caused by the trend of wind stress curl in the North Pacific during 1993–2021.

Three Regimes of Internal Gravity Wave–Stable Vortex Interaction Classified by a Nondimensional Parameter δ: Scattering, Wheel-Trapping, and Spiral-Trapping with Vortex Deformation

Abstract The internal wave–vortex interaction was investigated for a broad parameter range except near inertial waves, by 1) scaling, 2) numerical experiments, and 3) the estimation of possible occurrences. By scaling, we identified a nondimensional parameter, δ = (V/c)[1/(kR)], where V is the vortex flow speed, R is the radius, c is the incident wave phase speed, and k is the horizontal wavenumber. As δ appears in all terms related to the interaction, it is important in the classification of the wave–vortex interaction. Numerical experiments were conducted on internal waves incident on a stable barotropic vortex with a parameter range of δ = [0.001, 1.7], which is much broader than that used in previous studies (δ ≪ 1). We found new phenomena for δ > 0.15, in addition to previously known scattering for δ ≤ 0.15 (scattering regime). For 0.15 < δ ≤ 0.4, part of the incident internal wave is trapped in a vortex, forming a wheel-like shape maintaining a superinertial frequency (wheel-trapping regime). When δ > 0.4, incident waves are trapped, but with a spiral shape (spiral-trapping regime). Spiral-shaped trapped waves release momentum by wave breaking, which deforms the vortex into a zigzag shape in the vertical direction. Vortex deformation produces vertical shear, which rapidly increases the vertical wavenumber of the incident wave. The distribution of δ in the Pacific Ocean was estimated using a high-resolution (1/30°) ocean general circulation model output. We found the occurrences of all three regimes. The scattering and wheel-trapping regimes are distributed broadly and varied seasonally, thus affecting mixing variability. Significance Statement Oceanic internal waves constitute the fundamental forcing of overturning and material circulation, because internal waves eventually break and cause vertical mixing. Interactions between internal waves and vortices affect wave properties and, therefore, mixing. However, as far as we are aware, all previous studies have focused on large weak vortices relative to waves. Here, we investigated such interactions for a much larger parameter space and identified two new regimes, in which vertical mixing is caused by newly found internal wave trapping and vortex deformation processes. We identified a nondimensional parameter that classifies the regimes and estimated their spatiotemporal distribution. These results suggest new energy routes from internal waves to turbulence and are applicable to other types of waves and vortices.

Topographic Trapping of the Leeuwin Current and Its Impact on the 2010/11 Ningaloo Niño

Abstract Previous theoretical studies suggest that the topography along the west coast of Australia plays an important role in strengthening and trapping the Leeuwin Current (LC) at the coast. To isolate and quantify the effect of the continental shelf and slope on the LC and Ningaloo Niño, high-resolution (1/12°) ocean general circulation model experiments with different bottom topographies are performed. The “control” experiment uses a realistic bottom topography along the west coast of Australia, whereas the sensitivity (“no-shelf”) experiment uses a modified topography with no continental shelf and slope near the coast. The mean and variability of LC are realistically simulated in the control experiment. Compared to the control experiment, the strength of LC in the no-shelf experiment decreased by about 28%. The continental shelf influences the development of the 2010/11 Ningaloo Niño through modulating the LC variability: in August–October 2010 and January–February 2011, the LC in the control experiment is enhanced much more than that in the no-shelf experiment. As a result, the upper-50-m ocean temperature in the control experiment is about 26% warmer than the no-shelf experiment from September 2010 to March 2011. Different evolution of SST warming is also found in the two experiments. Comparisons of oceanic processes in the two experiments show that the shelf-slope topography can effectively trap the positive sea level anomaly at the coast in the control experiment while more Rossby waves radiate from the coast in the no-shelf experiment, resulting in a weaker LC.

Nonlocal and local wind forcing dependence of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and its depth scale

Abstract. We use wind sensitivity experiments to understand the wind forcing dependencies of the level of no motion as the depth of maximum overturning and the e-folding pycnocline scale, as well as their relationship to northward transport of the mid-depth Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) which extends vertically to the depth of maximum overturning of the upper AMOC cell. In contrast to previous studies, we investigate the interplay of nonlocal and local wind effects on a decadal timescale. We use 30-year simulations with a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) which is an eddy-resolving version of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology ocean model (MPIOM). Our findings deviate from the common perspective that the AMOC is a nonlocal phenomenon only, because northward transport and its depth scales depend on both nonlocal Southern Ocean wind effects and local wind effects in the Northern Hemisphere downwelling region where Ekman pumping takes place. Southern Ocean wind forcing predominantly determines the magnitude of the pycnocline scale throughout the basin, whereas Northern Hemisphere winds additionally influence the level of no motion locally. In that respect, the level of no motion is a better proxy for northward transport and mid-depth velocity profiles than the pycnocline scale, since the wind forcing dependencies of the level of no motion and maximum overturning are equal. The changes in maximum overturning with wind forcing are explained by the changes in the level of no motion only. This is because wind-driven Ekman compensation is baroclinic and occurs above the level of no motion, and the internal vertical velocity shear that is not influenced by the external Ekman cells stays approximately constant. The analysis of the wind experiments suggests a hemisphere-dependent scaling of the strength of AMOC. We put forward the idea that the ability of numerical models to capture the spatial and temporal variations of the level of no motion is crucial to reproduce the mid-depth cell in an appropriate way both quantitatively and dynamically.

A Barotropic Solver for High-Resolution Ocean General Circulation Models

High-resolution global ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) play a key role in accurate ocean forecasting. However, the models of the operational forecasting systems are still not in high resolution due to the subsequent high demand for large computation, as well as the low parallel efficiency barrier. Good scalability is an important index of parallel efficiency and is still a challenge for OGCMs. We found that the communication cost in a barotropic solver, namely, the preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) method, is the key bottleneck for scalability due to the high frequency of the global reductions. In this work, we developed a new algorithm—a communication-avoiding Krylov subspace method with a PCG (CA-PCG)—to improve scalability and then applied it to the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) as an example. For PCG, inner product operations with global communication were needed in every iteration, while for CA-PCG, inner product operations were only needed every eight iterations. Therefore, the global communication cost decreased from more than 94.5% of the total execution time with PCG to less than 63.4% with CA-PCG. As a result, the execution time of the barotropic modes decreased from more than 17,000 s with PCG to less than 6000 s with CA-PCG, and the total execution time decreased from more than 18,000 s with PCG to less than 6200 s with CA-PCG. Besides, the ratio of the speedup can also be increased from 3.7 to 4.6. In summary, the high process count scalability when using CA-PCG was effectively improved from that using the PCG method, providing a highly effective solution for accurate ocean simulation.

Seasonal variations in salinity of the North Pacific Intermediate Water and vertical mixing intensity over the Okinawa Trough

Seasonal variations in vertical mixing intensity in the intermediate layer of the northern Okinawa Trough was deduced using the seasonal variations in salinity in the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) using two distinct datasets: the World Ocean Atlas 2013 and historical conductivity, temperature, and depth data in the Okinawa Trough. Water mass analysis of the NPIW with a simple advection model showed that the vertical mixing intensity in the intermediate layer is enhanced in the winter at a rate of 20–50% of the annual mean amplitude value. To determine the driving force behind the seasonal variations in vertical mixing, we examined moored current-meter data in the northern Okinawa Trough during 2004–2011 and showed that the near-inertial internal wave energy in the intermediate layer was enhanced around January beneath the Kuroshio on the continental slope; this was due to strong southwestward flows associated with deep cyclonic eddies developing in the winter. We used density and velocity data from a realistic high-resolution ocean general circulation model simulation to hypothesize that the large-amplitude Kuroshio meander and associated deep cyclonic eddies in the winter generate near-inertial internal waves through centrifugal/inertial instability in the area of negative potential vorticity that appears not only beneath the Kuroshio near the western slope but also near the eastern slope of the trough. In addition, the symmetric instability along the offshore Kuroshio front and the wind energy input in the winter are suggested as possible sources of winter-enhanced near-inertial internal wave energy in the intermediate layer.

Energetics and spatio-temporal variability of semidiurnal internal tides in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea

Energetics of semidiurnal barotropic and internal tides in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and Andaman Sea (AS) are studied using the simulations from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. Barotropic M2 tide, which is the largest tidal constituent in this region, loses about 65.5 GW of energy in the BoB and AS. Most of this barotropic energy (46.5 GW) is dissipated by means of bottom friction in the shallow regions, such as the head of the bay and the Gulf of Martaban. Due to the interaction of barotropic tides with bottom topography, about one-third of the barotropic M2 energy (19.1 GW) gets converted into internal tides and most of this conversion (84%) occurs over the Andaman–Nicobar (AN) Ridge. On the contrary to the estimates in earlier studies, our results show that a large part (59%) of this internal tide energy in the BoB and AS gets dissipated far away from the generation sites. Compared to the BoB, energy dissipation rates are found to be large over the entire AS and it could result in enhanced vertical mixing in this region. Further, analysis of the temporal variability of conversion within the model domain shows that energy conversion in the semidiurnal band varies between 11 to 27 GW over a spring–neap cycle. Seasonal variability in the stratification due to river runoff significantly changes the conversion of tidal energy at the generation sites in the northern BoB and AS. Our study revealed that westward radiating internal tides from AN Ridge undergo path alteration (refraction) due to the time-varying mesoscale circulation and such path alterations cause large intraseasonal variability in internal tide activity and redistribution of internal tide energy available for mixing in the remote areas such as the continental margins of the western BoB.

Relative contributions of heat flux and wind stress on the spatiotemporal upper-ocean variability in the tropical Indian Ocean

High-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) simulations are employed to investigate interannual variability of the upper-ocean temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean (20°S–20°N). The seasonal cycle and interannual variability in the upper-ocean temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean in the forced ocean simulation are in good agreement with available observation and reanalysis products. Two further sensitivity OGCM simulations are used to separate the relative contributions of heat flux and wind stress. The comparison of the model simulations reveals the depth-dependent influences of heat flux and wind stress on the ocean temperature variability in the tropical Indian Ocean. Generally, heat flux dominates the temperature variability in the top 30 m, while wind stress contributes most strongly to the subsurface temperature variability below 30 m. This implies that a transition depth should exist at each location, where the dominant control of the ocean temperature variability switched from heat flux to wind stress. We define the depth of this transition point as the ‘crossing depth’ and make use of this concept to better understand the depth-dependent impacts of the heat flux and wind stress on the upper-ocean temperature variability in the tropical Indian Ocean. The crossing depth tends to be shallower in the southern tropical Indian Ocean (20°S-EQ), including the Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge (SCTR) and the eastern part of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), suggesting the dominance of forcing due to wind stress and the resulting ocean dynamical processes in the temperature variability in those regions. The crossing depth also shows prominent seasonal variability in the southern tropical Indian Ocean. In the SCTR, the variability of the subsurface temperature forced by the wind stress dominates largely in boreal winter and spring, resulting in the shallow crossing depth in these seasons. In contrast, the intensified subsurface temperature variability with shallow crossing depth in the eastern part of the IOD is seen during boreal autumn. Overall, our results suggest that the two regions within the tropical Indian Ocean, the SCTR and the eastern part of the IOD, are the primary locations where the ocean dynamics due to wind-stress forcing control the upper-ocean temperature variability.

The INALT family – a set of high-resolution nests for the Agulhas Current system within global NEMO ocean/sea-ice configurations

Abstract. The Agulhas Current, the western boundary current of the South Indian Ocean, has been shown to play an important role in the connectivity between the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The greater Agulhas Current system is highly dominated by mesoscale dynamics. To investigate their influence on the regional and global circulations, a family of high-resolution ocean general circulation model configurations based on the NEMO code has been developed. Horizontal resolution refinement is achieved by embedding “nests” covering the South Atlantic and the western Indian oceans at 1/10∘ (INALT10) and 1/20∘ (INALT20) within global hosts with coarser resolutions. Nests and hosts are connected through two-way interaction, allowing the nests not only to receive boundary conditions from their respective host but also to feed back the impact of regional dynamics onto the global ocean. A double-nested configuration at 1/60∘ resolution (INALT60) has been developed to gain insights into submesoscale processes within the Agulhas Current system. Large-scale measures such as the Drake Passage transport and the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation are rather robust among the different configurations, indicating the important role of the hosts in providing a consistent embedment of the regionally refined grids into the global circulation. The dynamics of the Agulhas Current system strongly depend on the representation of mesoscale processes. Both the southward-flowing Agulhas Current and the northward-flowing Agulhas Undercurrent increase in strength with increasing resolution towards more realistic values, which suggests the importance of improving mesoscale dynamics as well as bathymetric slopes along this narrow western boundary current regime. The exploration of numerical choices such as lateral boundary conditions and details of the implementation of surface wind stress forcing demonstrates the range of solutions within any given configuration.

Event detection and visualization of ocean eddies simulated by ocean general circulation model

Numerical study of ocean eddies has been carried out by using high-resolution ocean general circulation models. In order to understand ocean eddies from the large volume data produced by simulations, visualizing only eddy distribution at each time step is insufficient; time-variations in eddy events and phenomena must also be considered. However, existing methods cannot precisely find and track eddy events such as amalgamation and bifurcation. In this study, we propose an original approach for eddy detection, tracking, and event visualization based on an eddy classification system. The proposed method detects streams and currents as well as eddies, and it classifies discovered eddies into several categories using the additional stream and current information. By tracking how the classified eddies vary over time, detecting events such as eddy amalgamation and bifurcation as well as the interaction between eddies and ocean currents becomes achievable. We adopt the proposed method for two ocean areas in which strong ocean currents exist as case studies. We visualize the detected eddies and events in a time series of images, allowing us to acquire an intuitive understanding of a region of interest concealed in a high-resolution data set. Furthermore, our proposed method succeeded in clarifying the occurrence place and seasonality of each type of eddy event.

Online isolation of near-inertial internal waves in ocean general circulation models

Near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) play an important role in furnishing ocean diapycnal mixing. However, parameterization of NIW-induced mixing in high-resolution ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) remains a challenging problem partially due to the lack of appropriate tools for isolating NIWs during the model integration. In this study, we propose two new methods feasible for online isolation of NIWs in high-resolution OGCMs, i.e., the two-step filter and three-step filter.The two-step filter only requires the velocity records to be stored at two time steps. It performs reasonably well in isolating NIWs poleward of 30° if the time step is set as 6 h. By utilizing the velocity information at one additional time step, the three-step filter with a time step of 6 h generally outperforms the two-step filter in the global ocean. Specifically, the three-step filter results in reasonable isolation of NIWs poleward of 15° where the NIW-induced mixing is strongest.

SENSITIVITY OF UPPER OCEAN DYNAMICS IN HIGH-RESOLUTION TROPICAL INDIAN OCEAN MODEL TO DIFFERENT FLUX PARAMETERIZATION: CASE STUDY FOR THE BAY OF BENGAL (BOB)

Abstract. Simulation experiments using a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) of the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) were carried out to assess the model’s sensitivity to different flux parameterization. The flux formulation proposed by Kara et al. (2000) is used in the control run (CR). One more experiment differing in the bulk fluxes formulation for the computation of momentum, freshwater and heat is carried out. In the first experiment (CR), actual wind is used for the computation of the exchange coefficient in air-sea bulk flux formulation. In the second experiment (E1), model surface current is used in the wind stress formulation to compute the turbulent air-sea fluxes for TIO region. The formulation used in E1 is the same as it is used in CR, instead of actual wind, relative wind component is used in flux formulas. Both experiments are carried out for the period 2014–2016. The OGCM is forced using the daily fields of winds, radiation and freshwater fluxes obtained from ERA-Interim Reanalysis. In this study, we examine and quantify the performance of the above-mentioned experiments with respect to observations from ARGO, satellite-based sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS) for the year 2015. We observe that the upper ocean dynamics is significantly modulated by different flux algorithms. The errors in simulated SST is reduced by ∼8% to 10% in E1 compared to CR, respectively. The temperature errors in the top 20 m depth are reduced by 8% in E1. It is found that this flux formulation using relative winds is effective in accurately simulating the upper ocean dynamics in strong wind regimes of the Bay of Bengal.

SWOT Spatial Scales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Derived from Pseudo-Observations and an Ad Hoc Filtering

The aim of this study is to assess the capacity of the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite to resolve fine scale oceanic surface features in the western Mediterranean. Using as input the Sea Surface Height (SSH) fields from a high-resolution Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM), the SWOT Simulator for Ocean Science generates SWOT-like outputs along a swath and the nadir following the orbit ground tracks. Given the characteristic temporal and spatial scales of fine scale features in the region, we examine temporal and spatial resolution of the SWOT outputs by comparing them with the original model data which are interpolated onto the SWOT grid. To further assess the satellite’s performance, we derive the absolute geostrophic velocity and relative vorticity. We find that instrument noise and geophysical error mask the whole signal of the pseudo-SWOT derived dynamical variables. We therefore address the impact of removal of satellite noise from the pseudo-SWOT data using a Laplacian diffusion filter, and then focus on the spatial scales that are resolved within a swath after this filtering. To investigate sensitivity to different filtering parameters, we calculate spatial spectra and root mean square errors. Our numerical experiments show that noise patterns dominate the spectral content of the pseudo-SWOT fields at wavelengths below 60 km. Application of the Laplacian diffusion filter allows recovery of the spectral signature within a swath down to the 40–60 km wavelength range. Consequently, with the help of this filter, we are able to improve the observation of fine scale oceanic features in pseudo-SWOT data, and in the estimation of associated derived variables such as velocity and vorticity.

The accuracy of estimates of the overturning circulation from basin-wide mooring arrays

Previous modeling and observational studies have established that it is possible to accurately monitor the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) at 26.5°N using a coast-to-coast array of instrumented moorings supplemented by direct transport measurements in key boundary regions (the RAPID/MOCHA/WBTS Array). The main sources of observational and structural errors have been identified in a variety of individual studies. Here a unified framework for identifying and quantifying structural errors associated with the RAPID array-based AMOC estimates is established using a high-resolution (eddy resolving at low-mid latitudes, eddy permitting elsewhere) ocean general circulation model, which simulates the ocean state between 1978 and 2010. We define a virtual RAPID array in the model in close analogy to the real RAPID array and compare the AMOC estimate from the virtual array with the true model AMOC. The model analysis suggests that the RAPID method underestimates the mean AMOC by ∼1.5 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) at ∼900 m depth, however it captures the variability to high accuracy. We examine three major contributions to the streamfunction bias: (i) due to the assumption of a single fixed reference level for calculation of geostrophic transports, (ii) due to regions not sampled by the array and (iii) due to ageostrophic transport. A key element in (i) and (iii) is use of the model sea surface height to establish the true (or absolute) geostrophic transport. In the upper 2000 m, we find that the reference level bias is strongest and most variable in time, whereas the bias due to unsampled regions is largest below 3000 m. The ageostrophic transport is significant in the upper 1000 m but shows very little variability. The results establish, for the first time, the uncertainty of the AMOC estimate due to the combined structural errors in the measurement design and suggest ways in which the error could be reduced. Our work has applications to basin-wide circulation measurement arrays at other latitudes and in other basins as well as quantifying systematic errors in ocean model estimates of the AMOC at 26.5°N.

Impacts of the IOD-associated temperature and salinity anomalies on the intermittent equatorial undercurrent anomalies

The study of Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) has attracted a broad attention in recent years due to its strong response and feedback to the Indian Ocean Dipole. In this paper, we first produce a high-quality simulation of three-dimensional temperature, salinity and zonal current simulation from 1982 to 2014, using a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. On this basis, with two sensitivity experiments, we investigate the role of temperature and salinity anomalies in driving and enhancing the EUC during the positive IOD events by examining the variation of the EUC seasonal cycle and diagnosing the zonal momentum budget along the equatorial Indian Ocean. Our results show that during January–March, the EUC can appear along the entire equatorial Indian Ocean in all years, but during August–November, the EUC can appear and reach the eastern Indian Ocean only during the positive IOD events. The zonal momentum budget analysis indicates that the pressure gradient force contributes most to the variation of the eastward acceleration of zonal currents in the subsurface. During the positive IOD events, strong negative subsurface temperature anomalies exist in the eastern Indian Ocean, with negative surface salinity anomalies in the central and eastern Indian Ocean, resulting in a large pressure gradient force to drive EUC during the August–November. Further, the results of two sensitivity experiments indicate that the temperature anomalies significantly impact the pressure gradient force, playing a leading role in driving the EUC, while the surface salinity anomalies can secondarily help to intensify the eastward EUC through increasing the zonal density gradient in the eastern Indian Ocean and impacting the vertical momentum advection in the subsurface.

Evaluation of oceanic and atmospheric trajectory schemes in the TRACMASS trajectory model v6.0

Abstract. Three different trajectory schemes for oceanic and atmospheric general circulation models are compared in two different experiments. The theories of the trajectory schemes are presented showing the differential equations they solve and why they are mass conserving. One scheme assumes that the velocity fields are stationary for set intervals of time between saved model outputs and solves the trajectory path from a differential equation only as a function of space, i.e. stepwise stationary. The second scheme is a special case of the stepwise-stationary scheme, where velocities are assumed constant between general circulation model (GCM) outputs; it uses hence a fixed GCM time step. The third scheme uses a continuous linear interpolation of the fields in time and solves the trajectory path from a differential equation as a function of both space and time, i.e. a time-dependent scheme. The trajectory schemes are tested offline, i.e. using the already integrated and stored velocity fields from a GCM. The first comparison of the schemes uses trajectories calculated using the velocity fields from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model in the Agulhas region. The second comparison uses trajectories calculated using the wind fields from an atmospheric reanalysis. The study shows that using the time-dependent scheme over the stepwise-stationary scheme greatly improves accuracy with only a small increase in computational time. It is also found that with decreasing time steps the stepwise-stationary scheme becomes increasingly more accurate but at increased computational cost. The time-dependent scheme is therefore preferred over the stepwise-stationary scheme. However, when averaging over large ensembles of trajectories, the two schemes are comparable, as intrinsic variability dominates over numerical errors. The fixed GCM time step scheme is found to be less accurate than the stepwise-stationary scheme, even when considering averages over large ensembles.

Simulated Interannual Modulation of Intraseasonal Kelvin Waves in the Equatorial Indian Ocean

Outputs from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) for the period of 1990-2003 indicate an interannual modulation of intraseasonal Kelvin waves along the equatorial Indian Ocean. During normal conditions without IOD event, the first mode explains about 30-40% of the total variance in the western (60-65oE) and central (75-80oE) basin, while the second mode contributes up to 45% to the total variance in the central basin around the longitude of 82oE. In contrast, during the 1997/98 IOD event, the fourth mode caused about 40% of the total variance in the central and eastern basin. During the 1994 IOD event, the contribution from the fourth baroclinic mode in the eastern basin caused 45% of the total variance. In the central basin, the second and the fourth baroclinic mode caused almost the same variance (~40%). The variations in the characteristics of the intraseasonal Kelvin waves are related to variations in the vertical stratification. During the IOD event, the pycnocline in the eastern basin was raised by about 50 m and the stratification at the upper level is strengthened, while it is weakened at lower levels. These changes lead to an increase in the contribution of higher-order baroclinic modes.

Influence of Eddy Momentum Fluxes on the Mean Flow of the Kuroshio Extension in a 1/10° Ocean General Circulation Model

AbstractThis study explores the role of the momentum flux divergence due to mesoscale eddies for the maintenance of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) jet. For that purpose, the zonal momentum budget in a high-resolution ocean general circulation model is examined on the basis of the temporal residual mean framework. The momentum budget analysis is performed for two control volumes: the upstream region of the KE jet flanked by the robust recirculations (33°–38°N and 142.2°–149.4°E) and the downstream region to the east (33°–38°N and 149.4°–160.0°E), both fully covering the meridional width of the KE jet. In both regions the KE jet decelerates to the east, which can be well accounted for by sum of zonal Reynolds stress and Coriolis force on mean ageostrophic flow; the former tends to decelerate the KE jet and the latter to accelerate it in the upstream region, respectively, but these effects are switched in the downstream region. The mean ageostrophic Coriolis force is partially balanced by the horizontal gradient of the eddy kinetic energy, which is the isotropic component of the Reynolds stress. The difference between these terms, that is, net ageostrophic Coriolis force, leads to the final deceleration of the KE jet in the downstream region, overwhelming the acceleration tendency of the anisotropic Reynolds stress. The authors also reinterpret the downstream decay process of an eastward jet in a previous quasigeostrophic experiment in terms of momentum and show that the same features as described above are also likely to be included in that experiment.

A New Approach to Ocean Eddy Detection, Tracking, and Event Visualization –Application to the Northwest Pacific Ocean

High-resolution ocean general circulation models have advanced the numerical study of ocean eddies. To gain an understanding of ocean eddies from the large volume of data produced by simulations, visualizing just the distribution of eddies at each time step is insufficient; time- variations in eddy events and phenomena must also be considered. However, existing methods cannot accurately detect and track eddy events such as amalgamation and bifurcation. In this study, we propose a new approach for eddy detection, tracking, and event visualization based on an eddy classification system. The proposed method detects streams and currents in addition to eddies, and it classifies detected eddies into several categories using the additional stream and current information. By tracking how the classified eddies vary over time, it is possible to detect events such as eddy amalgamation and bifurcation as well as the interaction between eddies and ocean currents. We visualize the detected eddies and events in a time series of images (or animation), enabling us to gain an intuitive understanding of a region of interest hidden in a high-resolution data set.