Impact of current-wind interaction on vertical processes in the Southern Ocean
Date
2020-03-17Author
Song, Hajoon
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Marshall, John C.
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McGillicuddy, Dennis J.
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Seo, Hyodae
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Show full item recordCitable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/25926As published
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016046DOI
10.1029/2020JC016046Keyword
Southern Ocean; Eddy-wind interaction; Ekman pumping; Stratification; Eddy kinetic energy; Mixed layer depthAbstract
Momentum input from westerly winds blowing over the Southern Ocean can be modulated by mesoscale surface currents and result in changes in large‐scale ocean circulation. Here, using an eddy‐resolving 1/20 degree ocean model configured near Drake Passage, we evaluate the impact of current‐wind interaction on vertical processes. We find a reduction in momentum input from the wind, reduced eddy kinetic energy, and a modification of Ekman pumping rates. Wind stress curl resulting from current‐wind interaction leads to net upward motion, while the nonlinear Ekman pumping term associated with horizontal gradients of relative vorticity induces net downward motion. The spatially averaged mixed layer depth estimated using a density criteria is shoaled slightly by current‐wind interaction. Current‐wind interaction, on the other hand, enhances the stratification in the thermocline below the mixed layer. Such changes have the potential to alter biogeochemical processes including nutrient supply, biological productivity, and air‐sea carbon dioxide exchange.
Description
Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 125(4), (2020): e2020JC016046, doi:10.1029/2020JC016046.
Suggested Citation
Song, H., Marshall, J., McGillicuddy, D. J., Jr., & Seo, H. (2020). Impact of current-wind interaction on vertical processes in the Southern Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 125(4), e2020JC016046.Related items
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