scholarly journals Enhanced Abyssal Mixing in the Equatorial Pacific Associated with Non-Traditional Effects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrand L. Delorme ◽  
Leif N. Thomas ◽  
Patrick Marchesiello ◽  
Jonathan Gula ◽  
Guillaume Roullet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Deep Circulation ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Abyssal Mixing

AbstractRecent theoretical work has shown that, when the so-called non-traditional effects are taken into account, the reflection of Equatorially Trapped Waves (ETWs) off the seafloor generates strong vertical shear that results in bottom-intensified mixing at the inertial latitude of the ETW via a mechanism of critical reflection. It has been estimated that this process could play an important role in driving diapycnal upwelling in the Abyssal Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). However, these results were derived under an idealized configuration with a monochromatic ETW propagating through a flat ocean at rest. To test the theory in a flow that is more representative of the ocean, we contrast a set of realistic numerical simulations of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific run using either the hydrostatic or quasi-hydrostatic approximation, the latter of which accounts for non-traditional effects. The simulations are nested into a Pacific-wide hydrostatic parent solution forced with climatological data and realistic bathymetry, resulting in an ETW field and a deep circulation consistent with observations. Using these simulations, we observe enhanced abyssal mixing in the quasi-hydrostatic run, even over smooth topography, that is absent in the hydrostatic run. The mixing is associated with inertial shear that has spatio-temporal properties consistent with the critical reflection mechanism. The enhanced mixing results in a weakening of the abyssal stratification and drives diapycnal upwelling in our simulation, in agreement with the predictions from the idealized simulations. The diapycnal upwelling is on the order of O(10) Sv and thus could play an important role in closing the AMOC.

scholarly journals Abyssal Mixing through Critical Reflection of Equatorially Trapped Waves off Smooth Topography

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 519-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrand L. Delorme ◽  
Leif N. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Trapped Waves ◽  
Wave Type ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Abyssal Mixing ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

AbstractThe inferred diapycnal upwelling in the abyssal meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is intensified near the equator, but little is known as to why this is so. In this study, it is shown that the reflection of equatorially trapped waves (ETWs) off the bottom leads to seafloor-intensified mixing and substantial diapycnal upwelling near the equator when the full Coriolis force and the so-called nontraditional effects are taken into account. Using idealized simulations run with the MITgcm of downward-propagating ETWs of various types (i.e., inertia–gravity, Yanai, Kelvin, and Rossby waves) accounting for nontraditional effects, it is demonstrated that the reflection of ETWs off a flat seafloor generates beams of short inertia–gravity waves with strong vertical shear and low Richardson numbers that result in bottom-intensified, persistent, zonally invariant mixing at the inertial latitude of the ETW through the mechanism of critical reflection. The beams are more intense with weaker stratification and, for a given wave type, are stronger for waves with shorter periods and longer vertical wavelengths. The intensity of the beams also differs between wave types because their distinct meridional structures modulate the amount of energy fluxed to the bottom at the inertial latitude. As a result, equatorial inertia–gravity, Rossby, and eastward-propagating Yanai waves yield stronger mixing than Kelvin and westward-propagating Yanai waves in the simulations. It is estimated that this process can result in order 10 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of diapycnal upwelling per wavelength of ETW in the abyss and thus could play an important role in closing the AMOC.

scholarly journals The Influence of a Weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation on ENSO

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 4899-4919 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Timmermann ◽  
Y. Okumura ◽  
S.-I. An ◽  
A. Clement ◽  
B. Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract The influences of a substantial weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) on the tropical Pacific climate mean state, the annual cycle, and ENSO variability are studied using five different coupled general circulation models (CGCMs). In the CGCMs, a substantial weakening of the AMOC is induced by adding freshwater flux forcing in the northern North Atlantic. In response, the well-known surface temperature dipole in the low-latitude Atlantic is established, which reorganizes the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation by increasing the northeasterly trade winds. This leads to a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the tropical Atlantic and also the eastern tropical Pacific. Because of evaporative fluxes, mixing, and changes in Ekman divergence, a meridional temperature anomaly is generated in the northeastern tropical Pacific, which leads to the development of a meridionally symmetric thermal background state. In four out of five CGCMs this leads to a substantial weakening of the annual cycle in the eastern equatorial Pacific and a subsequent intensification of ENSO variability due to nonlinear interactions. In one of the CGCM simulations, an ENSO intensification occurs as a result of a zonal mean thermocline shoaling. Analysis suggests that the atmospheric circulation changes forced by tropical Atlantic SSTs can easily influence the large-scale atmospheric circulation and hence tropical eastern Pacific climate. Furthermore, it is concluded that the existence of the present-day tropical Pacific cold tongue complex and the annual cycle in the eastern equatorial Pacific are partly controlled by the strength of the AMOC. The results may have important implications for the interpretation of global multidecadal variability and paleo-proxy data.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal structure of phytoplankton assemblages in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific in the El Niño Region 1+2

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
González-Narváez Mariela ◽  
Mendes Susana ◽  
Fernández-Gómez Mª José ◽  
Ruiz-Barzola Omar ◽  
Recalde Sonia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Phytoplankton Assemblages ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Decoupled changes in upwelling and acidity in the eastern equatorial Pacific during the Pliocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Shankle ◽  
Natalie Burls ◽  
Alexey Fedorov ◽  
Matthew Thomas ◽  
Donald Penman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ph Gradient ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Equatorial Upwelling ◽  
System States ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Levels

<p>The Pliocene epoch (5.3-2.6 million years ago) is the last time Earth experienced atmospheric carbon dioxide levels comparable to present day anthropogenic levels. As such, this time interval is a potential analogue for future, warmer Earth system states. One enigmatic feature of Pliocene climate is a reduced east-west sea surface temperature gradient in the equatorial Pacific (indicative of reduced equatorial upwelling) coinciding with enhanced biological productivity in the eastern equatorial Pacific (indicative of enhanced equatorial upwelling).  Here we use boron isotopes to investigate these dynamics and to reconstruct the zonal surface pH gradient across the Pliocene equatorial Pacific. We find a strengthened pH gradient relative to modern (with more acidic conditions in the east than the west) despite a reduced temperature gradient at this time. These findings are in contrast to modern-day dynamics in which temperature and acidity co-vary, such that the reduction of the zonal temperature gradient during an El Niño event is accompanied by reduced acidity (as well as reduced upwelling and productivity) in the eastern equatorial Pacific. We show that this decoupling between changes in the pH and temperature gradients is consistent with biogeochemically enabled model simulations of Pliocene climate containing an active Pacific meridional overturning circulation and a weakly stratified equatorial thermocline. This reorganization of Pacific circulation and the onset of north Pacific deep water formation allows old, acidic, more nutrient-rich waters to reach the eastern equatorial Pacific despite weak wind-driven upwelling rates, accounting for the low pH values we observe there as well as previous evidence of enhanced productivity.</p>

scholarly journals A spatio-temporal specification language and its completeness & decidability

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengfei Li ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Haiying Sun ◽  
Xiang Chen ◽  
Lipeng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intelligent Transportation System ◽  
Cyber Physical Systems ◽  
Specification Language ◽  
Finite Model ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Spatial Objects ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Temporal Specification

AbstractIn the past few years, significant progress has been made on spatio-temporal cyber-physical systems in achieving spatio-temporal properties on several long-standing tasks. With the broader specification of spatio-temporal properties on various applications, the concerns over their spatio-temporal logics have been raised in public, especially after the widely reported safety-critical systems involving self-driving cars, intelligent transportation system, image processing. In this paper, we present a spatio-temporal specification language, STSL PC, by combining Signal Temporal Logic (STL) with a spatial logic S4 u, to characterize spatio-temporal dynamic behaviors of cyber-physical systems. This language is highly expressive: it allows the description of quantitative signals, by expressing spatio-temporal traces over real valued signals in dense time, and Boolean signals, by constraining values of spatial objects across threshold predicates. STSL PC combines the power of temporal modalities and spatial operators, and enjoys important properties such as finite model property. We provide a Hilbert-style axiomatization for the proposed STSL PC and prove the soundness and completeness by the spatio-temporal extension of maximal consistent set and canonical model. Further, we demonstrate the decidability of STSL PC and analyze the complexity of STSL PC. Besides, we generalize STSL to the evolution of spatial objects over time, called STSL OC, and provide the proof of its axiomatization system and decidability.

Enhanced E. huxleyi carbonate counterpump as a positive feedback to increase deglacial pCO2sw in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 260 ◽  
pp. 106921
Author(s):  
Chiara Balestrieri ◽  
Patrizia Ziveri ◽  
Michaël Grelaud ◽  
P. Graham Mortyn ◽  
Claudia Agnini
Keyword(s):  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Equatorial Pacific ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific

Spatio-temporal visual properties in the ascending tectofugal system

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Rokszin ◽  
Zita Márkus ◽  
Gábor Braunitzer ◽  
Antal Berényi ◽  
Marek Wypych ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Neuronal Population ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Visual Receptive Field ◽  
Detailed Statistical Analysis ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Visual Properties

AbstractOur study compares the spatio-temporal visual receptive field properties of different subcortical stages of the ascending tectofugal visual system. Extracellular single-cell recordings were performed in the superficial (SCs) and intermediate (SCi) layers of the superior colliculus (SC), the suprageniculate nucleus (Sg) of the posterior thalamus and the caudate nucleus (CN) of halothane-anesthetized cats. Neuronal responses to drifting gratings of various spatial and temporal frequencies were recorded. The neurons of each structure responded optimally to low spatial and high temporal frequencies and displayed narrow spatial and temporal frequency tuning. The detailed statistical analysis revealed that according to its stimulus preferences the SCs has markedly different spatio-temporal properties from the homogeneous group formed by the SCi, Sg and CN. The SCs neurons preferred higher spatial and lower temporal frequencies and had broader spatial tuning than the other structures. In contrast to the SCs the visually active SCi, as well as the Sg and the CN neurons possessed consequently similar spatio-temporal preferences. These data support our hypothesis that the visually active SCi, Sg and CN neurons form a homogeneous neuronal population given a similar spatio-temporal frequency preference and a common function in processing of dynamic visual information.

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