scholarly journals Energetics of Eddy–Mean Flow Interactions along the Western Boundary Currents in the North Pacific

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 789-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomei Yan ◽  
Dujuan Kang ◽  
Enrique N. Curchitser ◽  
Chongguang Pang
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
The North ◽  
Flow Interactions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Eddy Field ◽  
The Kuroshio ◽  
The North Pacific

AbstractThe energetics of eddy–mean flow interactions along two western boundary currents of the North Pacific, the Kuroshio and Ryukyu Currents, are systematically investigated using 22 years of numerical data from the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator (OFES). For the time-mean and time-varying flow fields, all the energy components and conversions exhibit inhomogeneous spatial distributions. In the two currents, complex cross-stream and along-stream variations are seen in the eddy–mean flow energy conversions. East of Taiwan, the kinetic energy is mainly transferred from the mean flow to the eddy field through barotropic instability, whereas the baroclinic energy conversions form a meridional dipole structure caused by the topographic constraint. In the northern area, particularly, the eddy field drains 2.25 × 108 W of kinetic energy and releases 2.82 × 108 W of available potential energy when interacting with the mean flow, indicating that mesoscale eddies impinging on the Kuroshio decay with baroclinic inverse energy cascades. In the Ryukyu Current, inverse energy conversions from the eddy field to the mean flow also dominate the power transfer in the subsurface layer. The eddy field transfers 0.16 × 108 W of kinetic energy and 1.89 × 108 W of available potential energy to the mean flow, suggesting that meososcale eddies play an important role in maintaining the velocity and hydrographic structure of the current. In other areas, both barotropic and baroclinic instabilities contribute to the generation of eddy kinetic energy with the latter one providing more than 3 times as much power as the former one.

scholarly journals Eddy–Mean Flow Interaction in the Kuroshio Extension Region

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1182-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Waterman ◽  
Nelson G. Hogg ◽  
Steven R. Jayne
Keyword(s):  
Kuroshio Extension ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Flow Interaction ◽  
Flow Interactions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Jet Structure ◽  
The Kuroshio

Abstract The authors use data collected by a line of tall current meter moorings deployed across the axis of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) jet at the location of maximum time-mean eddy kinetic energy to characterize the mean jet structure, the eddy variability, and the nature of eddy–mean flow interactions observed during the Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS). A picture of the 2-yr record mean jet structure is presented in both geographical and stream coordinates, revealing important contrasts in jet strength, width, vertical structure, and flanking recirculation structure. Eddy variability observed is discussed in the context of some of its various sources: jet meandering, rings, waves, and jet instability. Finally, various scenarios for eddy–mean flow interaction consistent with the observations are explored. It is shown that the observed cross-jet distributions of Reynolds stresses at the KESS location are consistent with wave radiation away from the jet, with the sense of the eddy feedback effect on the mean consistent with eddy driving of the observed recirculations. The authors consider these results in the context of a broader description of eddy–mean flow interactions in the larger KE region using KESS data in combination with in situ measurements from past programs in the region and satellite altimetry. This demonstrates important consistencies in the along-stream development of time-mean and eddy properties in the KE with features of an idealized model of a western boundary current (WBC) jet used to understand the nature and importance of eddy–mean flow interactions in WBC jet systems.

scholarly journals Bjerknes-like Compensation in the Wintertime North Pacific

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1339-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart P. Bishop ◽  
Frank O. Bryan ◽  
R. Justin Small
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Kuroshio Extension ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Meridional Heat Transport ◽  
Western Boundary Currents ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
The North ◽  
The Kuroshio ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
Kuroshio Extension Region

AbstractObservational and model evidence has been mounting that mesoscale eddies play an important role in air–sea interaction in the vicinity of western boundary currents and can affect the jet stream storm track. What is less clear is the interplay between oceanic and atmospheric meridional heat transport in the vicinity of western boundary currents. It is first shown that variability in the North Pacific, particularly in the Kuroshio Extension region, simulated by a high-resolution fully coupled version of the Community Earth System Model matches observations with similar mechanisms and phase relationships involved in the variability. The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) is correlated with sea surface height anomalies generated in the central Pacific that propagate west preceding Kuroshio Extension variability with a ~3–4-yr lag. It is then shown that there is a near compensation of O(0.1) PW (PW ≡ 1015 W) between wintertime atmospheric and oceanic meridional heat transport on decadal time scales in the North Pacific. This compensation has characteristics of Bjerknes compensation and is tied to the mesoscale eddy activity in the Kuroshio Extension region.

scholarly journals Characteristics, Energetics, and Origins of Agulhas Current Meanders and Their Limited Influence on Ring Shedding

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 2294-2314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Elipot ◽  
Lisa M. Beal
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Single Mode ◽  
Cyclonic Circulation ◽  
Recent Analysis ◽  
Altimeter Data ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Agulhas Current ◽  
The Mean

AbstractThe Agulhas Current intermittently undergoes dramatic offshore excursions from its mean path because of the downstream passage of mesoscale solitary meanders or Natal pulses. New observations and analyses are presented of the variability of the current and its meanders using mooring observations from the Agulhas Current Time-Series Experiment (ACT) near 34°S. Using a new rotary EOF method, mesoscale meanders and smaller-scale meanders are differentiated and each captured in a single mode of variance. During mesoscale meanders, an onshore cyclonic circulation and an offshore anticyclonic circulation act together to displace the jet offshore, leading to sudden and strong positive conversion of kinetic energy from the mean flow to the meander via nonlinear interactions. Smaller meanders are principally represented by a single cyclonic circulation spanning the entire jet that acts to displace the jet without extracting kinetic energy from the mean flow. Synthesizing in situ observations with altimeter data leads to an account of the number of mesoscale meanders at 34°S: 1.6 yr−1 on average, in agreement with a recent analysis by Rouault and Penven (2011) and significantly less than previously understood. The links between meanders and the arrival of Mozambique Channel eddies or Madagascar dipoles at the western boundary upstream are found to be robust in the 20-yr altimeter record. Yet, only a small fraction of anomalies arriving at the western boundary result in meanders, and of those, two-thirds can be related to ring shedding. Most Agulhas rings are shed independently of meanders.

scholarly journals On the Relationship between Synoptic Wintertime Atmospheric Variability and Path Shifts in the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio Extension

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 3177-3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence M. Joyce ◽  
Young-Oh Kwon ◽  
Lisan Yu
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Kuroshio Extension ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Atmospheric Variability ◽  
The North ◽  
The Kuroshio ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract Coherent, large-scale shifts in the paths of the Gulf Stream (GS) and the Kuroshio Extension (KE) occur on interannual to decadal time scales. Attention has usually been drawn to causes for these shifts in the overlying atmosphere, with some built-in delay of up to a few years resulting from propagation of wind-forced variability within the ocean. However, these shifts in the latitudes of separated western boundary currents can cause substantial changes in SST, which may influence the synoptic atmospheric variability with little or no time delay. Various measures of wintertime atmospheric variability in the synoptic band (2–8 days) are examined using a relatively new dataset for air–sea exchange [Objectively Analyzed Air–Sea Fluxes (OAFlux)] and subsurface temperature indices of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio path that are insulated from direct air–sea exchange, and therefore are preferable to SST. Significant changes are found in the atmospheric variability following changes in the paths of these currents, sometimes in a local fashion such as meridional shifts in measures of local storm tracks, and sometimes in nonlocal, broad regions coincident with and downstream of the oceanic forcing. Differences between the North Pacific (KE) and North Atlantic (GS) may be partly related to the more zonal orientation of the KE and the stronger SST signals of the GS, but could also be due to differences in mean storm-track characteristics over the North Pacific and North Atlantic.

Mean and eddy kinetic energy of the Gulf Stream from multiyear underwater glider surveys

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Eddy Kinetic Energy ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Western Boundary Currents ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Global Circulation Models ◽  
The North

<p>Subtropical western boundary currents play a key role in ocean energy storage and transport and are characterized by elevated mean and eddy kinetic energy. Due to a lack of spatially broad subsurface observations of velocity, most studies of kinetic energy in western boundary currents have relied on satellite-based estimates of surface geostrophic velocity. Since 2015, Spray autonomous underwater gliders have completed more than 175 crossings of the Gulf Stream distributed over more than 1,500 km in along-stream extent between between Miami, FL (~25°N) and Cape Cod, MA (~40°N). The observations include roughly 14,000 absolute ocean velocity profiles in the upper 1000 m. Novel three-dimensional estimates of mean and eddy kinetic energy are constructed along the western margin of the North Atlantic at 10-m vertical resolution. The horizontal and vertical distributions of mean and eddy kinetic energy are analyzed in light of existing independent estimates and theoretical expectations. Observation-based estimates of mean and eddy-kinetic energy such as these serve as important metrics for validation of global circulation models that must adequately represent western boundary currents.</p>

Estimating Bolus Velocities from Data—How Large Must They Be?

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Killworth
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Density Level ◽  
Eddy Flux ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Flux Divergence ◽  
The North ◽  
Resolution Model ◽  
Eddy Fluxes ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract This paper examines the representation of eddy fluxes by bolus velocities. In particular, it asks the following: 1) Can an arbitrary eddy flux divergence of density be represented accurately by a nondivergent bolus flux that satisfies the condition of no normal flow at boundaries? 2) If not, how close can such a representation come? 3) If such a representation can exist in some circumstances, what is the size of the smallest bolus velocity that fits the data? The author finds, in agreement with earlier authors, that the answer to the first question is no, although under certain conditions, which include a modification to the eddy flux divergence, a bolus representation becomes possible. One such condition is when the eddy flux divergence is required to balance the time-mean flux divergence. The smallest bolus flow is easily found by solving a thickness-weighted Poisson equation on each density level. This problem is solved for the North Pacific using time-mean data from an eddy-permitting model. The minimum bolus flow is found to be very small at depth but larger than is usually assumed near the surface. The magnitude of this minimum flow is of order one-tenth of the mean flow. Similar but larger results are found for a coarse-resolution model.

scholarly journals Intermediate-Depth Circulation of the Indian and South Pacific Oceans Measured by Autonomous Floats

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 683-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ E. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The North ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Circulation

Abstract As part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, 306 autonomous floats were deployed in the tropical and South Pacific Ocean and 228 were deployed in the Indian Ocean to observe the basinwide circulation near 900-m depth. Mean velocities, seasonal variability, and lateral eddy diffusivity from the resultant 2583 float-years of data are presented. Area averages, local function fits, and a novel application of objective mapping are used to estimate the mean circulation. Patterns of mean circulation resemble those at the surface in both basins. Well-developed subtropical gyres, twice as strong in the Indian Ocean as in the Pacific, feed western boundary currents. Tropical gyres are separated by eastward flow along the equator in both hemispheres of both basins, although the Indian subcontinent splits the north Indian tropical gyre. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and west wind drifts are prominent in both basins, generally tending slightly southward but deviating to the north behind the Del Cano, Kerguelen, and Campbell Plateaus and, of course, South America. Remarkably, the eastern boundaries of the southern subtropical gyres in all three basins apparently occur in the ocean interior, away from land. The Indian Ocean’s subtropical gyre, and perhaps part of the South Atlantic’s, reaches east to a retroflection just upstream of the Campbell Plateau south of New Zealand. Seasonal variability at 900 m is focused around the equator with weaker variability found near certain bathymetric features. There is a remarkable agreement between the observed seasonable variability and that predicted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)–Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) data-assimilating numerical model. Aside from seasonal effects, eddy variability is greatest along the equator, in tropical and subtropical western basins, and along the ACC. Integrals of velocity across regional passages (Tasman Sea, Mozambique Channel) provide useful reference for hydrographic analyses of transport. Across whole ocean basins, however, the uncertainty associated with the appropriate continuity relation for horizontal flow (e.g., geostrophy vs nondivergence) is comparable to the mean flow.

scholarly journals Eddy Shape, Orientation, Propagation, and Mean Flow Feedback in Western Boundary Current Jets

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 1666-1690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Waterman ◽  
Brian J. Hoskins
Keyword(s):  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Upstream Region ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Idealized Model ◽  
Recirculation Gyres ◽  
Flow Interactions ◽  
The Mean

Abstract This manuscript revisits a study of eddy–mean flow interactions in an idealized model of a western boundary current extension jet using properties of the horizontal velocity correlation tensor to diagnose characteristics of average eddy shape, orientation, propagation, and mean flow feedback. These eddy characteristics are then used to provide a new description of the eddy–mean flow interactions observed in terms of different ingredients of the eddy motion. The diagnostics show patterns in average eddy shape, orientation, and propagation that are consistent with the signatures of jet instability in the upstream region and wave radiation in the downstream region. Together they give a feedback onto the mean flow that gives the downstream character of the jet and drives the jet's recirculation gyres. A breakdown of the eddy forcing into contributions from individual terms confirms the expected role of cross-jet gradients in meridional eddy tilt in stabilizing the jet to its barotropic instability; however, it also reveals important roles played by the along-jet evolution of eddy zonal–meridional elongation. It is the mean flow forcing derived from these patterns that acts to strengthen and extend the jet downstream and forces the time-mean recirculation gyres. This understanding of the dependence of mean flow forcing on eddy structural properties suggests that failure to adequately resolve eddy elongation could underlie the weakened jet strength, extent, and changed recirculation structure seen in this idealized model for reduced spatial resolutions. Further, it may suggest new ideas for the parameterization of this forcing.

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