Impact of Current‐Wind Interaction on Vertical Processes in the Southern Ocean
Name
Song_etal_2020_JGR_Oceans.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
3.71 MB
Format
Unknown
Checksum (MD5)
62fc404d6a90fbad7ad18c32061aebe5
Author(s)
Song, Hajoon
Marshall, John C
McGillicuddy, Dennis J. Jr.
Seo, Hyodae
Date Issued
April 2020
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
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.
MIT Department
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering.
Joint Program in Oceanography
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016046
