scholarly journals Local Sensitivities of the Gulf Stream Separation

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Schoonover ◽  
William K. Dewar ◽  
Nicolas Wienders ◽  
Bruno Deremble
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Stream ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Modeling ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

AbstractRobust and accurate Gulf Stream separation remains an unsolved problem in general circulation modeling whose resolution will positively impact the ocean and climate modeling communities. Oceanographic literature does not face a shortage of plausible hypotheses that attempt to explain the dynamics of the Gulf Stream separation, yet a single theory that the community agrees on is missing. In this paper, the authors investigate the impact of the deep western boundary current (DWBC), coastline curvature, and continental shelf steepening on the Gulf Stream separation within regional configurations of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model. Artificial modifications to the regional bathymetry are introduced to investigate the sensitivity of the separation to each of these factors. Metrics for subsurface separation detection confirm the direct link between flow separation and the surface expression of the Gulf Stream in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. It is shown that the Gulf Stream separation and mean surface position are most sensitive to the continental slope steepening, consistent with a theory proposed by Melvin Stern in 1998. In contrast, the Gulf Stream separation exhibits minimal sensitivity to the presence of the DWBC and coastline curvature. The implications of these results to the development of a “separation recipe” for ocean modeling are discussed. This study concludes adequate topographic resolution is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for proper Gulf Stream separation.

scholarly journals Seasonality in Transition Scale from Balanced to Unbalanced Motions in the World Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Qiu ◽  
Shuiming Chen ◽  
Patrice Klein ◽  
Jinbo Wang ◽  
Hector Torres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Internal Tides ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Tropical Oceans

AbstractThe transition scale Lt from balanced geostrophic motions to unbalanced wave motions, including near-inertial flows, internal tides, and inertia–gravity wave continuum, is explored using the output from a global 1/48° horizontal resolution Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) simulation. Defined as the wavelength with equal balanced and unbalanced motion kinetic energy (KE) spectral density, Lt is detected to be geographically highly inhomogeneous: it falls below 40 km in the western boundary current and Antarctic Circumpolar Current regions, increases to 40–100 km in the interior subtropical and subpolar gyres, and exceeds, in general, 200 km in the tropical oceans. With the exception of the Pacific and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean, the seasonal KE fluctuations of the surface balanced and unbalanced motions are out of phase because of the occurrence of mixed layer instability in winter and trapping of unbalanced motion KE in shallow mixed layer in summer. The combined effect of these seasonal changes renders Lt to be 20 km during winter in 80% of the Northern Hemisphere oceans between 25° and 45°N and all of the Southern Hemisphere oceans south of 25°S. The transition scale’s geographical and seasonal changes are highly relevant to the forthcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. To improve the detection of balanced submesoscale signals from SWOT, especially in the tropical oceans, efforts to remove stationary internal tidal signals are called for.

scholarly journals Labrador Slope Water Connects the Subarctic with the Gulf Stream

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian New ◽  
David Smeed ◽  
Arnaud Czaja ◽  
Adam Blaker ◽  
Jenny Mecking ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Stream ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Western Slope ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Shelf Slope

<p>Labrador Slope Water (LSLW) is found in the Slope Sea on the US-Canadian eastern shelf-slope as a relatively fresh and cool water mass, lying between the upper layer water masses and those carried by the Deep Western Boundary Current. It originates from the Labrador Current and has previously only been reported in the Eastern Slope Sea (east of 66°W). We here use the EN4 gridded database and the Line W hydrographic observations to show for the first time that the LSLW also penetrates into the Western Slope Sea, bringing it into close contact with the Gulf Stream. We also show that the LSLW spreads across the entire Slope Sea north of the Gulf Stream, and is both fresher and thicker when the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is high at the RAPID array at 26°N. The fresher, thicker LSLW is likely to contribute an additional 1.5 Sv of Gulf Stream transport. The spreading of the LSLW is also investigated in a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (NEMO), and is found to occur both as a western boundary current and through the extrusion of filaments following interaction with Gulf Stream meanders and eddies. The mechanism results in downward vertical motion as the filaments are entrained into the Gulf Stream. We conclude that the LSLW (rather than the deeper Labrador Sea Water) provides the intermediate depth water masses which maintain the density contrast here which partly drives the Gulf Stream, and that the transport of the LSLW from the Labrador shelf-slope offers a potential new mechanism for decadal variability in the Atlantic climate system, through connecting high latitude changes in the Subarctic with subsequent variability in the Gulf Stream and AMOC.</p>

scholarly journals Impact of ECCO Ocean-State Estimates on the Initialization of Seasonal Climate Forecasts

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1929-1947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Cazes-Boezio ◽  
Dimitris Menemenlis ◽  
Carlos R. Mechoso
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Seasonal Climate ◽  
Climate Forecasts ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Seasonal Climate Forecasts

Abstract The impact of ocean-state estimates generated by the consortium for Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) on the initialization of a coupled general circulation model (CGCM) for seasonal climate forecasts is examined. The CGCM consists of the University of California, Los Angeles, Atmospheric GCM (UCLA AGCM) and an ECCO ocean configuration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology GCM (MITgcm). The forecasts correspond to ensemble seasonal hindcasts for the period 1993–2001. For the forecasts, the ocean component of the CGCM is initialized in either early March or in early June using ocean states provided either by an unconstrained forward ocean integration of the MITgcm (the “baseline” hindcasts) or by data-constrained ECCO results (the “ECCO” hindcasts). Forecast skill for both the baseline and the ECCO hindcasts is significantly higher than persistence and compares well with the skill of other state-of-the art CGCM forecast systems. For March initial conditions, the standard errors of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in ECCO hindcasts (relative to observed anomalies) are up to 1°C smaller than in the baseline hindcasts over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (150°–120°W). For June initial conditions, the errors of ECCO hindcasts are up to 0.5°C smaller than in the baseline hindcasts. The smaller standard error of the ECCO hindcasts is, in part, due to a more realistic equatorial thermocline structure of the ECCO initial conditions. This study confirms the value of physically consistent ocean-state estimation for the initialization of seasonal climate forecasts.

scholarly journals Cyclonic Eddies in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations by Underwater Gliders and Simulations by Numerical Model

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 313-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Rudnick ◽  
Ganesh Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Bruce D. Cornuelle
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Momentum Balance ◽  
Loop Current ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Underwater Gliders ◽  
Flow Curvature ◽  
Institute Of Technology

AbstractCirculation in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is dominated by the Loop Current (LC) and by Loop Current eddies (LCEs) that form at irregular multimonth intervals by separation from the LC. Comparatively small cyclonic eddies (CEs) are thought to have a controlling influence on the LCE, including its separation from the LC. Because the CEs are so dynamic and short-lived, lasting only a few weeks, they have proved a challenge to observe. This study addresses that challenge using underwater gliders. These gliders’ data and satellite sea surface height (SSH) are used in a four-dimensional variational (4DVAR) assimilation in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) general circulation model (MITgcm). The model serves two purposes: first, the model’s estimate of ocean state allows the analysis of four-dimensional fields, and second, the model forecasts are examined to determine the value of glider data. CEs have a Rossby number of about 0.2, implying that the effects of flow curvature, cyclostrophy, to modify the geostrophic momentum balance are slight. The velocity field in CEs is nearly depth independent, while LCEs are more baroclinic, consistent with the CEs origin on the less stratified, dense side of the LCE. CEs are formed from water in the GoM, rather than the Atlantic water that distinguishes the LCE. Model forecasts are improved by glider data, using a quality metric based on satellite SSH, with the best 2-month GoM forecast rivaling the accuracy of a global hindcast.

scholarly journals Numerical investigation of the Arctic ice–ocean boundary layer and implications for air–sea gas fluxes

Ocean Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Bigdeli ◽  
Brice Loose ◽  
An T. Nguyen ◽  
Sylvia T. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Mixed Layer Depth ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Abstract. In ice-covered regions it is challenging to determine constituent budgets – for heat and momentum, but also for biologically and climatically active gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The harsh environment and relative data scarcity make it difficult to characterize even the physical properties of the ocean surface. Here, we sought to evaluate if numerical model output helps us to better estimate the physical forcing that drives the air–sea gas exchange rate (k) in sea ice zones. We used the budget of radioactive 222Rn in the mixed layer to illustrate the effect that sea ice forcing has on gas budgets and air–sea gas exchange. Appropriate constraint of the 222Rn budget requires estimates of sea ice velocity, concentration, mixed-layer depth, and water velocities, as well as their evolution in time and space along the Lagrangian drift track of a mixed-layer water parcel. We used 36, 9 and 2 km horizontal resolution of regional Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) configuration with fine vertical spacing to evaluate the capability of the model to reproduce these parameters. We then compared the model results to existing field data including satellite, moorings and ice-tethered profilers. We found that mode sea ice coverage agrees with satellite-derived observation 88 to 98 % of the time when averaged over the Beaufort Gyre, and model sea ice speeds have 82 % correlation with observations. The model demonstrated the capacity to capture the broad trends in the mixed layer, although with a significant bias. Model water velocities showed only 29 % correlation with point-wise in situ data. This correlation remained low in all three model resolution simulations and we argued that is largely due to the quality of the input atmospheric forcing. Overall, we found that even the coarse-resolution model can make a modest contribution to gas exchange parameterization, by resolving the time variation of parameters that drive the 222Rn budget, including rate of mixed-layer change and sea ice forcings.

scholarly journals On modeling the Southern Ocean Phytoplankton Functional Types

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana N. Losa ◽  
Stephanie Dutkiewicz ◽  
Martin Losch ◽  
Julia Oelker ◽  
Mariana A. Soppa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Pigment Analysis ◽  
Functional Types ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Abstract. This study highlights recent advances and challenges of applying coupled physical-biogeochemical modeling for investigating the distribution of the key phytoplankton groups in the Southern Ocean, an area of strong interest for understanding biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning under present climate change. Our simulations of the phenology of various Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFTs) are based on a version of the Darwin biogeochemical model coupled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) general circulation model (Darwin-MITgcm). The ecological module version was adapted for the Southern Ocean by: 1) improving coccolithophores abundance relative to the original model by introducing a high affinity for nutrients and an ability to escape grazing control for coccolithophores; 2) including two different (small vs. large) size classes of diatoms; and 3) accounting for two distinct life stages for Phaeocystis (single cell vs. colonial). This new model configuration describes best the competition and co-occurrence of the PFTs in the Southern Ocean. It improves significantly relative to an older version the agreement of the simulated abundance of the coccolithophores and diatoms with in situ scanning electron microscopy observations in the Subantarctic Zone as well as with in situ diatoms and haptophytes (including coccolithophores and Phaeocystis) chlorophyll a concentrations within the Patagonian Shelf and along the Western Antarctic Peninsula obtained by diagnostic pigment analysis. The modeled Southern Ocean PFT dominance also agrees well with satellite-based PFT information.

GEOS-MITgcm coupled atmosphere-ocean simulation for DYAMOND

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehud Strobach ◽  
Andrea Molod ◽  
Atanas Trayanov ◽  
William Putman ◽  
Dimitris Menemenlis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Grid Spacing ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Horizontal Grid ◽  
Ocean Simulation

<p>During the past few years, the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) groups have produced, respectively, global atmosphere-only and ocean-only simulations with km-scale grid spacing. These simulations have proved invaluable for process studies and the development of satellite and in-situ sampling strategies. Nevertheless, a key limitation of these simulations is the lack of feedback between the ocean and the atmosphere, limiting their usefulness for studying air-sea interactions and designing observing missions to study these interactions. To remove this limitation, we have coupled the km-scale GEOS atmospheric model with the km-scale MITgcm ocean model. We will present preliminary results from the GEOS-MITgcm contribution to the second phase of the DYAMOND (DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains) initiative.</p><p>The coupled atmosphere-ocean simulation was integrated using a cubed-sphere-1440 (~6-7 km horizontal grid spacing) configuration of GEOS and a lat-lon-cap-2160 (2–5-km horizontal grid spacing) configuration of MITgcm. We will show results from a preliminary analysis of air-sea interactions between Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and surface winds. In particular, we will discuss non-local atmospheric overturning circulation formed above the Gulf Stream SST front with characteristic sub-mesoscale width. This formation of a secondary circulation above the front suggests that capturing such air-sea interaction phenomena requires high-resolution capabilities in both the models' oceanic and atmospheric components.</p>

Lagrangian diffusivity estimated from coherent mesoscale eddies in an idealized basin circulation model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenda Zhang ◽  
Christopher Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Mesoscale Eddies ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Convergence Time ◽  
Inversion Method ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Tracer Diffusivity ◽  
Institute Of Technology

<div> <div> <div> <p>Lagrangian methods have been used to estimate the lateral eddy diffusivity in the ocean using surface drifter and subsurface float tracks and using the numerical particles advected by satellite-derived velocity fields. The diffusivity is estimated from the rate of dispersion of these particles. Accurate point-wise estimates of diffusivity generally require averages over a large number of drifters or floats, but the distribution of drifters and floats is generally sparse and many tracks of drifters are contaminated by winds. On the other hand, the convergence time for the particle-based diffusivity is on the order of a month for both in situ and numerical particles, which makes the estimates inefficient and allows for the accumulation of measurement error. Studies of vortex-dominated 2D turbulence have found that particle dispersion is dominated by the movement of coherent eddies, and that the dispersion rate of coherent eddies themselves can provide accurate estimates of the Lagrangian diffusivity. We found that the potential vorticity diffusivity in two-layer quasigeostrophic turbulence can also be accurately estimated by the rate of dispersion of coherent eddies, and this estimate converges more than four times faster than the diffusivity estimated from particles inserted uniformly in the flow. If this result also holds for oceanic mesoscale turbulence, it can form the basis for a potentially useful technique for diagnosing mesoscale diffusivity based on the tracks of coherent mesoscale eddies.</p> <p>This presentation examines the relation between the dispersion of coherent eddies and tracer diffusivity in an idealized configuration of Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model which contains multiple gyres, boundary currents, and a zonally reentrant channel flow analogous to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The coherent eddies are identified and tracked from the sea surface height snapshots, and the diffusivity estimated from coherent eddies is compared to the tracer diffusivity diagnosed by a tracer inversion method. The diffusivity inferred from dispersion of coherent eddies generally converges within 15 days. Direct comparison of two diffusivity estimates is not straightforward, since the tracer-based diffusivity varies vertically. Approaches for reconciling the two estimates are discussed. This study shows the possibility of relating the Lagrangian movement of coherent eddies to the Eulerian tracer diffusivity.</p> </div> </div> </div>

State estimates and forecasts of the eddy field in the Subtropical Countercurrent in the Northern Philippine Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganesh Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Bruce D. Cornuelle ◽  
Matthew R. Mazloff ◽  
Peter F. Worcester ◽  
Matthew A. Dzieciuch
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
The State ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Philippine Sea ◽  
Subtropical Countercurrent ◽  
Continuous State ◽  
Eddy Field ◽  
Institute Of Technology

AbstractA strongly nonlinear eddy field is present in and around the Subtropical Countercurrent in the Northern Philippine Sea (NPS). A regional implementation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model–Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean four-dimensional variational (MITgcm-ECCO 4DVAR) assimilation system is found to be able to produce a series of two-month-long dynamically-consistent optimized state estimates between April 2010 and April 2011 for the eddy-rich NPS region. The assimilation provides a stringent dynamical test of the model, showing that a free run of the model forced using adjusted controls remains consistent with the observations for two months. The 4DVAR iterative optimization reduced the total cost function for the observations and controls by 40–50% from the reference solution, initialized using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model 1/12° global daily analysis, achieving residuals approximately equal to the assumed uncertainties for the assimilated observations. The state estimates are assessed by comparing with assimilated and withheld observations and also by comparing one-month model forecasts with future data. The state estimates and forecasts were more skillful than model persistence and the reference solutions. Finally, the continuous state estimates were used to detect and track the eddies, analyze their structure, and quantify their vertically-integrated meridional heat and salt transports.

State estimates and forecasts of the northern Philippine Sea circulation including ocean acoustic travel times

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganesh Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Bruce D. Cornuelle ◽  
Matthew R. Mazloff ◽  
Peter F. Worcester ◽  
Matthew A. Dzieciuch
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Mesoscale Eddy ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
The State ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Philippine Sea ◽  
Institute Of Technology

AbstractThe 2010–2011 North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory (NPAL) Philippine Sea experiment measured travel times between six acoustic transceiver moorings in a 660–km diameter ocean acoustic tomography array in the Northern Philippine Sea (NPS). The travel-time series compare favorably with travel times computed for a yearlong series of state estimates produced for this region using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model–Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean four-dimensional variational (MITgcm-ECCO 4DVAR) assimilation system constrained by satellite sea surface height and sea surface temperature observations and by Argo temperature and salinity profiles. Fluctuations in the computed travel times largely match the fluctuations in the measurements caused by the intense mesoscale eddy field in the NPS, providing a powerful test of the observations and state estimates. The computed travel times tend to be shorter than the measured travel times, however, reflecting a warm bias in the state estimates. After processing the travel times to remove tidal signals and extract the low-frequency variability, the differences between the measured and computed travel times were used in addition to SSH, SST, and Argo temperature and salinity observations to further constrain the model and generate improved state estimates. The assimilation of the travel times reduced the misfit between the measured and computed travel times, while not increasing the misfits with the other assimilated observations. The state estimates that used the travel times are more consistent with temperature measurements from an independent oceanographic mooring than the state estimates that did not incorporate the travel times.

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