Mesoscale Eddy Field Research Articles

Circumpolar Transport and Overturning Strength Inferred From Satellite Observables Using Deep Learning in an Eddying Southern Ocean Channel Model

AbstractThe Southern Ocean connects the ocean's major basins via the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), and closes the global meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Observing these transports is challenging because three‐dimensional mesoscale‐resolving measurements of currents, temperature, and salinity are required to calculate transport in density coordinates. Previous studies have proposed to circumvent these limitations by inferring subsurface transports from satellite measurements using data‐driven methods. However, it is unclear whether these approaches can identify the signatures of subsurface transport in the Southern Ocean, which exhibits an energetic mesoscale eddy field superposed on a highly heterogeneous mean stratification and circulation. This study employs Deep Learning techniques to link the transports of the ACC and the upper and lower branches of the MOC to sea surface height (SSH) and ocean bottom pressure (OBP), using an idealized channel model of the Southern Ocean as a test bed. A key result is that a convolutional neural network produces skillful predictions of the ACC transport and MOC strength (skill score of 0.74 and 0.44, respectively). The skill of these predictions is similar across timescales ranging from daily to decadal but decreases substantially if SSH or OBP is omitted as a predictor. Using a fully connected or linear neural network yields similarly accurate predictions of the ACC transport but substantially less skillful predictions of the MOC strength. Our results suggest that Deep Learning offers a route to linking the Southern Ocean's zonal transport and overturning circulation to remote measurements, even in the presence of pronounced mesoscale variability.

Offshore Plankton Blooms via Mesoscale and Sub‐Mesoscale Interactions With a Western Boundary Current

AbstractWe investigate mesoscale circulations in an oligotrophic western boundary current, the East Australian Current, during a sustained offshore plankton bloom. Using a series of high resolution hydrographic sections taken a few days apart, supplemented with in situ samples of nutrients, satellite and long‐term mooring measurements, we describe a dynamic situation by which the East Australian Current's velocity core and associated front, interacts with a mesoscale eddy, migrating zonally by approximately 100 km over the course of 10 days. This interaction between the boundary current and mesoscale eddy field occurred concurrently with a sustained offshore plankton bloom. Sub‐mesoscale upwelling motions on the inshore flank of the boundary current core coincides with increased nutrient and plankton concentrations in the near surface. Calculations based on the quasi‐geostrophic omega equation and finite size lyapunov exponents suggest that these vertical motion arise from the interaction of the mesoscale with the East Australian Current. Frontolysis (the destruction of horizontal buoyancy gradients) leads to a thermally indirect ageostrophic secondary circulation that has the potential to supply nutrients to the near surface ocean. Using satellite data, we investigate the mesoscale conditions associated with all offshore phytoplankton blooms identified by an automated method, finding similar mesoscale patterns to those observed during the field campaign. We conclude that the interaction between the East Australian Current and mesoscale eddies is a recurrent catalyst for the complex sub‐mesoscale dynamics we observed, and is likely a fundamental processes in driving offshore biological productivity in the region.

Combined physical and biogeochemical assessment of mesoscale eddy parameterisations in ocean models: Eddy-induced advection at eddy-permitting resolutions

Ocean general circulation models at the eddy-permitting regime are known to under-resolve the mesoscale eddy activity and associated eddy-mean interaction. Under-resolving the mesoscale eddy field has consequences for the resulting mean state, affecting the modelled ocean circulation and biogeochemical responses, and impacting the quality of climate projections. There is an ongoing debate on whether and how a parameterisation should be utilised in the eddy-permitting regime. Focusing on the Gent–McWilliams (GM) based parameterisations, it is known that, on the one hand, not utilising a parameterisation leads to insufficient eddy feedback and results in biases. On the other hand, utilising a parameterisation leads to double-counting of the eddy feedback, and introduces other biases. A recently proposed approach, known as splitting, modifies the way GM-based schemes are applied in eddy-permitting regimes, and has been demonstrated to be effective in an idealised Southern Ocean channel model. In this work, we evaluate whether the splitting approach can lead to improvements in the physical and biogeochemical responses in an idealised double gyre model. Compared with a high resolution mesoscale eddy resolving model truth, the use of the GM-based GEOMETRIC parameterisation together with splitting in the eddy-permitting regime leads to broad improvements in the control pre-industrial scenario and an idealised climate change scenario, over models with and models without the GM-based GEOMETRIC parameterisation active. While there are still some deficiencies, particularly in the subtropical region where the transport is too weak and may need momentum re-injection to reduce the biases, the present work provides further evidence in support of using the splitting procedure together with a GM-based parameterisation in ocean general circulation models at eddy-permitting resolutions.

Characterizing the stable oxygen isotopic composition of the southeast Indian Ocean

New seawater stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) samples were collected from the southeast Indian Ocean as part of the Coring to Reconstruct Ocean Circulation and Carbon dioxide Across 2 Seas (CROCCA-2S) expedition in November – December of 2018. These data fill a gap in the δ18O sampling coverage of the southern Indian basin, providing new insights into the hydrologic and oceanographic processes influencing the δ18O distribution of the region and its relationship to salinity in the upper ocean. Our surface ocean data (<100 m)—in combination with decades of observations from the broader south Indian Ocean—show distinct δ18O – salinity characteristics on either side of ∼85°E. The balance between evaporation and precipitation yields a strong, robust δ18O – salinity relationship west of 85°E (δ18O = 0.50(±0.01) * S – 17.2(±0.22)). However, within the mesoscale eddy field initiated by the Leeuwin Current further east (∼85–120°E), our observations fall along a mixing line between the southwest Indian Ocean and data collected from the Australian coastal margin, illustrating for the first time how the unique eastern boundary system of the south Indian Ocean drives regional-scale variability in the δ18O – salinity relationship of the surface ocean. A comparison between our observations in the shallow subsurface (100–1000 m) and those from neighboring surveys reinforces this upper ocean connection across the Indo-Australian basin. Antarctic Intermediate Water from the Indian Ocean can be isotopically distinguished from the more regional Tasman Intermediate Water occupying the South Australian Bight, suggesting exchange between the two regions is most prevalent at surface and mode water depths. In deeper waters (> ∼1500 m), we observe a notable 0.87‰ spread in δ18O. This variability may represent interactions between distinct deep water masses in the region, although additional data are needed to confirm. Overall, our data provide a new look at the hydrography and isotopic chemistry of the southeast Indian Ocean, emphasizing the impact of the region's mesoscale eddy field and its interconnectivity with neighboring basins.

Evaluating westward and eastward propagating mesoscale eddies using a 1/10° global ocean simulation of CAS-LICOM3

This research evaluates the performance of CAS-LICOM3 (Chinese Academy of Science, State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics/Institute of Atmospheric Physics (LASG/IAP) Climate system Ocean Model, version 3) in simulating global coherent mesoscale eddies by comparison to satellite altimeter observations. The simulations of westward and eastward propagating eddies (WPEs and EPEs) and cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies (CEs and AEs) are separately analyzed. The results demonstrate that the simulated spatial-temporal variabilities in global mesoscale eddies agree roughly with the satellite observations. CAS-LICOM3 also reproduces the distinctive features between WPEs and EPEs or between CEs and AEs. However, some systematic biases are found. Globally, CAS-LICOM3 simulates a less frequent and weaker mesoscale eddy field than is observed. WPEs contribute more to these global biases than do EPEs. EPEs are relatively better reproduced than WPEs, exhibiting smaller underestimations and even overestimations in the energetic western boundary current and Antarctic circumpolar current regions. The simulation results for CEs resemble those of AEs, but AEs are comparatively less biased than CEs. These findings provide a basis for improving low-resolution and eddy-resolving ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) and developing submesoscale-resolving OGCMs.

Parameterizing Mesoscale Eddy Buoyancy Transport Over Sloping Topography

AbstractMost of the ocean's kinetic energy is contained within the mesoscale eddy field. Models that do not resolve these eddies tend to parameterize their impacts such that the parameterized transport of buoyancy and tracers reduces the large‐scale available potential energy and spreads tracers. However, the parameterizations used in the ocean components of current generation Earth System Models rely on an assumption of a flat ocean floor even though observations and high‐resolution modeling show that eddy transport is sensitive to the potential vorticity gradients associated with a sloping seafloor. We show that buoyancy transport coefficient diagnosed from idealized eddy‐resolving simulations is indeed reduced over both prograde and retrograde bottom slopes (topographic wave propagation along or against the mean flow, respectively) and that the reduction can be skilfully captured by a mixing length parameterization by introducing the topographic Rhines scale as a length scale. This modified “GM” parameterization enhances the strength of thermal wind currents over the slopes in coarse‐resolution, non‐eddying, simulations. We find that in realistic global coarse‐resolution simulations the impact of topography is most pronounced at high latitudes, enhancing the mean flow strength and reducing temperature and salinity biases. Reducing the buoyancy transport coefficient further with a mean‐flow dependent eddy efficiency factor, has notable effects also at lower latitudes and leads to reduction of global mean biases.

Interpreting Observed Interactions between Near-Inertial Waves and Mesoscale Eddies

Abstract The evolution of wind-generated near-inertial waves (NIWs) is known to be influenced by the mesoscale eddy field, yet it remains a challenge to disentangle the effects of this interaction in observations. Here, the model of Young and Ben Jelloul (YBJ), which describes NIW evolution in the presence of slowly evolving mesoscale eddies, is compared to observations from a mooring array in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The model captures the evolution of both the observed NIW amplitude and phase much more accurately than a slab mixed layer model. The YBJ model allows for the identification of specific physical processes that drive the observed evolution. It reveals that differences in the NIW amplitude across the mooring array are caused by the refractive concentration of NIWs into anticyclones. Advection and wave dispersion also make important contributions to the observed wave evolution. Stimulated generation, a process by which mesoscale kinetic energy acts as a source of NIW potential energy, is estimated to be 20 μW m−2 in the region of the mooring array, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than the global average input to mesoscale kinetic energy and likely not an important contribution to the mesoscale kinetic energy budget in this region. Overall, the results show that the YBJ model is a quantitatively useful tool to interpret observations of NIWs.

A FEM Flow Impact Acoustic Model Applied to Rapid Computation of Ocean-Acoustic Remote Sensing in Mesoscale Eddy Seas

Mesoscale eddies have an impact on the marine environment mainly in two areas, namely, currents and changes in the sound velocity gradient due to temperature and salt stirring. The traditional underwater-related remote sensing acoustic remote sensing model is capable of analyzing the acoustic field under the change in sound velocity gradient, but it is not capable of analyzing the acoustic field under the influence of ocean currents. In order to more effectively analyze the changes in the acoustic field caused by mesoscale eddies, this paper proposes a FEM flow impact model applied to the rapid computation of acoustic remote sensing of mesoscale eddies in the sea area. The algorithm first performs a grid optimization of the sea area model based on vertical sound velocity variations and completes the classification of sound velocity layer junctions. At the same time, we construct the sound velocity gradient environment affected by the mesoscale eddy and then simplify the fluid flow in the mesoscale eddy into a non-viscous and non-rotating velocity potential, and then participate in the solution of the three-dimensional spatial fluctuation equations in the form of time-harmonic in the frequency domain, from which we can obtain the truncated sound pressure as well as the propagation loss, and quickly and completely characterize the acoustic remote sensing of the sea area of the mesoscale eddy. The paper verifies the effectiveness of the algorithm through SW06-contained flow experiments and further proposes an optimization formula for sound velocity inversion. We analyze this using measured data of mesoscale eddy fields in the Bering Sea waters during 2022 and find that eddies have a greater effect on the propagation of the acoustic field along their flow direction.

Near-Inertial Energy Variability in a Strong Mesoscale Eddy Field in the Iceland Basin

An 18-month deployment of moored sensors in Iceland Basin allows characterization of near-inertial (frequencies near the Coriolis frequency f with periods of ~14 h) internal gravity wave generation and propagation in a region with an active mesoscale eddy field and strong seasonal wind and heat forcing. The seasonal cycle in surface forcing deepens the mixed layer in winter and controls excitation of near-​inertial energy. The mesoscale eddy field modulates near-inertial wave temporal, horizontal, and vertical scales, as well as propagation out of the surface layer into the deep permanent pycnocline. Wind-forced near-inertial energy has the most active downward propagation within anticyclonic eddies. As oceanic surface and bottom boundaries act to naturally confine the propagation of internal waves, the vertical distribution of these waves can be decomposed into a set of “standing” vertical modes that each propagate horizontally at different speeds. The lowest modes, which propagate quickly away from their generation sites, are most enhanced when the mixed layer is deep and are generally directed southward.

Why Near-Inertial Waves Are Less Affected by Vorticity in the Northeast Pacific Than in the North Atlantic

Over 35 years ago, the influential Ocean Storms Experiment (OSE) in the Northeast Pacific documented, for the first time, the generation of near-inertial waves (NIWs) by a storm and the subsequent radiation of the waves away from the forcing. The NIWs were observed to radiate equatorward and downward, consistent with the theory of β-refraction, which attributes such NIW propagation to the gradient in Earth’s planetary vorticity, β. Surprisingly, there was no evidence that gradients in the vorticity of mesoscale eddies in the region affected the NIWs, despite the fact that these gradients were nearly 10 times larger than β. In contrast, NIWs observed in the recent Near-Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINe) were strongly affected by the mesoscale eddy field in the region. In this article we explain the distinct behavior of the NIWs observed in the two experiments through a careful reanalysis of the observations, which are then interpreted using simulations and NIW-mean flow interaction theory. The observed differences can be partially attributed to how NIWs were measured in the two experiments. But more interestingly, we find that wind energy was injected primarily into low vertical modes during OSE and more broadly into higher modes during NISKINe. This, combined with the stronger stratification in the Northeast Pacific, implies that NIWs are more dispersive and hence less susceptible to being modified by vorticity there than they are in the North Atlantic.

4D-Var data assimilation in a nested model of the Mid-Atlantic Bight

The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) 4-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation platform has been extended to include nested grid configurations using both one-way and two-way nesting strategies. The efficacy of this new ROMS utility is demonstrated in a model comprising three nested grids with horizontal refinement and configured for the Mid-Atlantic Bight. The three nested grids have a horizontal resolution ranging from ∼7 km to ∼0.8 km thereby capturing circulation regimes that span the Gulf Stream western boundary current, through the mesoscale eddy field, and down to the rapidly evolving and energetic submesoscale. These circulation regimes represent a challenge for any data assimilation system, and the nested 4D-Var system was found to perform well across the range of resolved space and time scales. The observational data used to constrain the ocean state estimates come from a wide range of remote sensing, in situ, and mobile platforms, along with the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative Pioneer Array. Several aspects of the system performance are explored and described here, including the fit of the model to the observations, the influence of data assimilation on the wave number spectra at the submesoscale, and the downscaling and upscaling of information captured by the observations.

Hidden heatwaves and severe coral bleaching linked to mesoscale eddies and thermocline dynamics

The severity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) that are increasingly impacting ocean ecosystems, including vulnerable coral reefs, has primarily been assessed using remotely sensed sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), without information relevant to heating across ecosystem depths. Here, using a rare combination of SST, high-resolution in-situ temperatures, and sea level anomalies observed over 15 years near Moorea, French Polynesia, we document subsurface MHWs that have been paradoxical in comparison to SST metrics and associated with unexpected coral bleaching across depths. Variations in the depth range and severity of MHWs was driven by mesoscale (10s to 100s of km) eddies that altered sea levels and thermocline depths and decreased (2007, 2017 and 2019) or increased (2012, 2015, 2016) internal-wave cooling. Pronounced eddy-induced reductions in internal waves during early 2019 contributed to a prolonged subsurface MHW and unexpectedly severe coral bleaching, with subsequent mortality offsetting almost a decade of coral recovery. Variability in mesoscale eddy fields, and thus thermocline depths, is expected to increase with climate change, which, along with strengthening and deepening stratification, could increase the occurrence of subsurface MHWs over ecosystems historically insulated from surface ocean heating by the cooling effects of internal waves.

Turbulent Mixing Variability in an Energetic Standing Meander of the Southern Ocean

Abstract This study presents novel observational estimates of turbulent dissipation and mixing in a standing meander between the Southeast Indian Ridge and the Macquarie Ridge in the Southern Ocean. By applying a finescale parameterization on the temperature, salinity, and velocity profiles collected from Electromagnetic Autonomous Profiling Explorer (EM-APEX) floats in the upper 1600 m, we estimated the intensity and spatial distribution of dissipation rate and diapycnal mixing along the float tracks and investigated the sources. The indirect estimates indicate strong spatial and temporal variability of turbulent mixing varying from O(10−6) to O(10−3) m2 s−1 in the upper 1600 m. Elevated turbulent mixing is mostly associated with the Subantarctic Front (SAF) and mesoscale eddies. In the upper 500 m, enhanced mixing is associated with downward-propagating wind-generated near-inertial waves as well as the interaction between cyclonic eddies and upward-propagating internal waves. In the study region, the local topography does not play a role in turbulent mixing in the upper part of the water column, which has similar values in profiles over rough and smooth topography. However, both remotely generated internal tides and lee waves could contribute to the upward-propagating energy. Our results point strongly to the generation of turbulent mixing through the interaction of internal waves and the intense mesoscale eddy field.

Chaotic Variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at Subannual Time Scales

Abstract This study describes the intra- to interannual variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the relative dynamical contributions to the total variability in an eddy-resolving 1/12° resolution ocean model. Based on a 53-yr-long hindcast and two 4-yr-long ensembles, we assess the total AMOC variability as well as the variability arising from small differences in the ocean initial state that rapidly imprints on the mesoscale eddy fields and subsequently on large-scale features. This initial-condition-dependent variability will henceforth be referred to as “chaotic” variability. We find that intra-annual AMOC fluctuations are mainly driven by the atmospheric forcing, with the chaotic variability fraction never exceeding 26% of the total variance in the whole meridional Atlantic domain. To understand the nature of the chaotic variability we decompose the AMOC (into its Ekman, geostrophic, barotropic, and residual components). The barotropic and geostrophic AMOC contributions exhibit strong, partly compensating fluctuations, which are linked to chaotic spatial variations of currents over topography. In the North Atlantic, the largest chaotic divergence of ensemble members is found around 24°, 38°, and 64°N. At 26.5°N, where the AMOC is monitored by the RAPID–MOCHA array, the chaotic fraction of the AMOC variability is 10%. This fraction is slightly overestimated with the reconstruction methodology as used in the observations (∼15%). This higher fraction of chaotic variability is due to the barotropic contribution not being completely captured by the monitoring system. We look at the strong AMOC decline observed in 2009/10 and find that the ensemble spread (our measure for chaotic variability) was not particularly large during this event. Significance Statement The ocean is characterized by ubiquitous swirls (eddies) with diameters ranging from more than 100 km (low latitudes) to a few tens of kilometers (high latitudes). There is limited predictability of the timing and location of such eddies. They introduce unpredictable (“chaotic”) variability, which affects the ocean circulation on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Any observations of ocean currents contain a fraction of chaotic variability. However, it is, in general, not possible to quantify this chaotic variability from observations. Here we use a set of simulations performed with a state-of-the-art ocean computer model to estimate the fraction of chaotic variability in the amount of warm northward flowing near-surface seawater that delivers large amounts of heat to the North Atlantic, known to scientists as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). We find that about 10%–25% of the AMOC variance is likely to be chaotic.

Mesoscale Eddies Regulate Seasonal Iron Supply and Carbon Drawdown in the Drake Passage

AbstractThe Southern Ocean is a major region for uptake of anthropogenic carbon. The transport of carbon and nutrients are dominated by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its rich mesoscale eddy field; however, the current generation of Earth System Models (ESMs) lack the resolution to resolve eddies. Here we show that a computational model that explicitly represents mesoscale eddies can reproduce observed phases and amplitudes of seasonal biological productivity and partial pressure of carbon dioxide. Our sensitivity study demonstrates that when eddies are suppressed or parameterized, the model cannot reproduce these seasonal cycles. Experiments with suppressed eddy activity show that the lack of eddies significantly changes the iron supply and phenology of phytoplankton blooms. The mismatch in the timing and intensity of the bloom causes significant biases in the seasonal carbon cycle of the region with implications to the enigmatic biases in partial pressure of carbon dioxide among the state‐of‐the‐art ESMs.

State Estimates and Forecasts of the Northern Philippine Sea Circulation including Ocean Acoustic Travel Times

AbstractThe 2010–11 North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory (NPAL) Philippine Sea experiment measured travel times between six acoustic transceiver moorings in a 660-km diameter ocean acoustic tomography array in the northern Philippine Sea (NPS). The travel-time series compare favorably with travel times computed for a yearlong series of state estimates produced for this region using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model–Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean four-dimensional variational (MITgcm-ECCO 4DVAR) assimilation system constrained by satellite sea surface height and sea surface temperature observations and by Argo temperature and salinity profiles. Fluctuations in the computed travel times largely match the fluctuations in the measurements caused by the intense mesoscale eddy field in the NPS, providing a powerful test of the observations and state estimates. The computed travel times tend to be shorter than the measured travel times, however, reflecting a warm bias in the state estimates. After processing the travel times to remove tidal signals and extract the low-frequency variability, the differences between the measured and computed travel times were used in addition to SSH, SST, and Argo temperature and salinity observations to further constrain the model and generate improved state estimates. The assimilation of the travel times reduced the misfit between the measured and computed travel times, while not increasing the misfits with the other assimilated observations. The state estimates that used the travel times are more consistent with temperature measurements from an independent oceanographic mooring than the state estimates that did not incorporate the travel times.

A new algorithm for reconstructing the three-dimensional flow field of the oceanic mesoscale eddy* *Project sported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41875045 and 61371119) and the Blue Project of Jiangsu Province, China.

A new algorithm for reconstructing the three-dimensional flow field of the oceanic mesoscale eddies is proposed in this paper, based on variational method. Firstly, with the numerical differentiation Tikhonov regularizer, we reconstruct the continuous horizontal flow field on discrete grid points at each layer in the oceanic region, in terms of the horizontal flow field observations. Secondly, benefitting from the variational optimization analysis and its improvemen, we reconstruct a three-dimensional flow field under the constraint of the horizontal flow and the vertical flow. The results of simulation experiments validate that the relative error of the new algorithm is lower than that of the finite difference method in the case of high grid resolution, which still holds in the case of unknown observational errors or in the absence of vertical velocity boundary conditions. Finally, using the reanalysis horizontal data sourcing from SODA and the proposed algorithm, we reconstruct three-dimensional flow field structure for the real oceanic mesoscale eddy.

Ocean Mesoscale Variability: A Case Study on the Mediterranean Sea From a Re-Analysis Perspective

The mesoscale variability in the Mediterranean Sea is investigated through eddy detection techniques. The analysis is performed over 24 years (1993–2016) considering the three-dimensional (3D) fields from an ocean re-analysis of the Mediterranean Sea (MED-REA). The objective is to achieve a fit-for-purpose assessment of the 3D mesoscale eddy field. In particular, we focus on the contribution of eddy-driven anomalies to ocean dynamics and thermodynamics. The accuracy of the method used to disclose the 3D eddy contributions is assessed against pointwise in-situ measurements and observation-based data sets. Eddy lifetimes ≥ 2 weeks are representative of the 3D mesoscale field in the basin, showing a high probability (&amp;gt; 60%) of occurrence in the areas of the main quasi-stationary mesoscale features. The results show a dependence of the eddy size and thickness on polarity and lifetime: anticyclonic eddies (ACE) are significantly deeper than cyclonic eddies (CE), and their size tends to increase in long-lived structures which also show a seasonal variability. Mesoscale eddies result to be a significant contribution to the ocean dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea, as they account for a large portion of the sea-surface height variability at temporal scales longer than 1 month and for the kinetic energy (50–60%) both at the surface and at depth. Looking at the contributions to ocean thermodynamics, the results exhibit the existence of typical warm (cold) cores associated with ACEs (CEs) with exceptions in the Levantine basin (e.g., Shikmona gyre) where a structure close to a mode-water ACE eddy persists with a positive salinity anomaly. In this area, eddy-induced temperature anomalies can be affected by a strong summer stratification in the surface water, displaying an opposite sign of the anomaly whether looking at the surface or at depth. The results show also that temperature anomalies driven by long-lived eddies (≥ 4 weeks) can affect up to 15–25% of the monthly variability of the upper ocean heat content in the Mediterranean basin.

Variability and Sources of the Internal Wave Continuum Examined from Global Moored Velocity Records

AbstractEnergy for ocean turbulence is thought to be transferred from its presumed sources (viz., the mesoscale eddy field, near-inertial internal waves, and internal tides) to the internal wave continuum, and through the continuum via resonant triad interactions to breaking scales. To test these ideas, the level and variability of the oceanic internal gravity wave continuum spectrum are examined by computing time-dependent rotary spectra from a global database of 2260 current meter records deployed on 1362 separate moorings. Time series of energy in the continuum and the three “source bands” (near-inertial, tidal, and mesoscale) are computed, and their variability and covariability examined. Seasonal modulation of the continuum by factors of up to 5 is seen in the upper ocean, implicating wind-driven near-inertial waves as an important source. The time series of the continuum is found to correlate more strongly with the near-inertial peak than with the semidiurnal or mesoscale. The use of moored internal-wave kinetic energy frequency spectra as an alternate input to the traditional shear or strain wavenumber spectra in the Gregg–Henyey–Polzin finescale parameterization is explored and compared to traditional strain-based estimates.

The mesoscale eddy field in the Lofoten Basin from high-resolution Lagrangian simulations

Abstract. Warm Atlantic-origin waters are modified in the Lofoten Basin in the Nordic Seas on their way toward the Arctic. An energetic eddy field redistributes these waters in the basin. Retained for extended periods, the warm waters result in large surface heat losses to the atmosphere and have an impact on fisheries and regional climate. Here, we describe the eddy field in the Lofoten Basin by analyzing Lagrangian simulations forced by a high-resolution numerical model. We obtain trajectories of particles seeded at three levels – near the surface, at 200 m and at 500 m depth – using 2D and 3D velocity fields. About 200 000 particle trajectories are analyzed from each level and each simulation. Using multivariate wavelet ridge analysis, we identify coherent cyclonic and anticyclonic vortices in the trajectories and describe their characteristics. We then compare the evolution of water properties inside cyclones and anticyclones as well as in the ambient flow outside vortices. As measured from Lagrangian particles, anticyclones have longer lifetimes than cyclones (16–24 d compared to 13–19 d), a larger radius (20–22 km compared to 17–19 km) and a more circular shape (ellipse linearity of 0.45–0.50 compared to 0.51–0.57). The angular frequencies for cyclones and anticyclones have similar magnitudes (absolute values of about 0.05f). The anticyclones are characterized by warm temperature anomalies, whereas cyclones are colder than the background state. Along their path, water parcels in anticyclones cool at a rate of 0.02–0.04 ∘Cd-1, while those in cyclones warm at a rate of 0.01–0.02 ∘Cd-1. Water parcels experience a net downward motion in anticyclones and upward motion in cyclones, often found to be related to changes in temperature and density. The along-path changes in temperature, density and depth are smaller for particles in the ambient flow. An analysis of the net temperature and vorticity fluxes into the Lofoten Basin shows that while vortices contribute significantly to the heat and vorticity budgets, they only cover a small fraction of the domain area (about 6 %). The ambient flow, including filaments and other non-coherent variability undetected by the ridge analysis, hence plays a major role in closing the budgets of the basin.