Suppression of Eddy Diffusivity across Jets in the Southern Ocean
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Ferrari-2010-Suppression of Eddy.pdf
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Author(s)
Ferrari, Raffaele
Nikurashin, Maxim Anatolevich
Date Issued
July 2010
Journal
Journal of Physical Oceanography
Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Citation
Ferrari, Raffaele, and Maxim Nikurashin. “Suppression of Eddy Diffusivity Across Jets in the Southern Ocean.” Journal of Physical Oceanography 40.7 (2010) : 1501-1519. Copyright c2010 American Meteorological Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Geostrophic eddies control the meridional mixing of heat, carbon, and other climatically important tracers in the Southern Ocean. The rate of eddy mixing is typically quantified through an eddy diffusivity. There is an ongoing debate as to whether eddy mixing in enhanced in the core of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current or on its flanks. A simple expression is derived that predicts the rate of eddy mixing, that is, the eddy diffusivity, as a function of eddy and mean current statistics. This novel expression predicts suppression of the cross-jet eddy diffusivity in the core of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, despite enhanced values of eddy kinetic energy. The expression is qualitatively and quantitatively validated by independent estimates of eddy mixing from altimetry observations. This work suggests that the meridional eddy diffusivity across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is weaker than presently assumed because of the suppression of eddy mixing by the strong zonal current.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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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/10.1175/2010jpo4278.1
