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    Using the Helmholtz decomposition to define the Indian Ocean meridional overturning streamfunction

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    Article (1.828Mb)
    Date
    2020-03-02
    Author
    Han, Lei  Concept link
    Huang, Rui Xin  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/25681
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-19-0218.1
    DOI
    10.1175/JPO-D-19-0218.1
    Keyword
     Meridional overturning circulation; Ocean circulation; Streamfunction 
    Abstract
    The zonally integrated flow in a basin can be separated into the divergent/nondivergent parts, and a uniquely defined meridional overturning circulation (MOC) can be calculated. For a basin with significant volume exchange at zonal open boundaries, this method is competent in removing the components associated with the nonzero source terms due to zonal transports at open boundaries. This method was applied to the zonally integrated flow in the Indian Ocean basin extended all the way to the Antarctic by virtue of the ECCO dataset. The contributions due to two major zonal flow systems at open boundaries, the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), were well separated from the rotational flow component, and a nondivergent overturning circulation pattern was identified. Comparisons with previous studies on the MOC of the Indian Ocean in different seasons showed overall consistency but with refinements in details to the south of the entry of the ITF, reflecting the influence of ITF on the MOC pattern in the domain. Other options of decomposition are also examined.
    Description
    Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 50(3), (2020): 679-694, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-19-0218.1.
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    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    Suggested Citation
    Han, L., & Huang, R. X. (2020). Using the Helmholtz decomposition to define the Indian Ocean meridional overturning streamfunction. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 50(3), 679-694.
     

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