Diagnosing the Observed Seasonal Cycle of Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water Using Potential Vorticity and Its Attendant Theorems
Name
Maze-2011-Diagnosing the Obser.pdf
Size
3.87 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
0723ce0c3ca8e3dba9615211efbe88c6
Author(s)
Maze, Guillaume O.
Marshall, John C
Date Issued
October 2011
Journal
Journal of Physical Oceanography
Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Citation
Maze, Guillaume, and John Marshall. “Diagnosing the Observed Seasonal Cycle of Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water Using Potential Vorticity and Its Attendant Theorems.” Journal of Physical Oceanography 41.10 (2011): 1986–1999. © American Meteorological Society.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Analyzed fields of ocean circulation and the flux form of the potential vorticity equation are used to map the creation and subsequent circulation of low potential vorticity waters known as subtropical mode water (STMW) in the North Atlantic. Novel mapping techniques are applied to (i) render the seasonal cycle and annual-mean mixed layer vertical flux of potential vorticity (PV) through outcrops and (ii) visualize the extraction of PV from the mode water layer in winter, over and to the south of the Gulf Stream. Both buoyancy loss and wind forcing contribute to the extraction of PV, but the authors find that the former greatly exceeds the latter. The subsequent path of STMW is also mapped using Bernoulli contours on isopycnal surfaces.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1175/2011jpo4576.1
