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Weak Mixing in the Eastern North Atlantic: An Application of the Tracer-Contour Inverse Method

Weak Mixing in the Eastern North Atlantic: An Application of the Tracer-Contour Inverse Method
Weak Mixing in the Eastern North Atlantic: An Application of the Tracer-Contour Inverse Method
The tracer-contour inverse method is used to infer mixing and circulation in the eastern North Atlantic. Solutions for the vertical mixing coefficient D, the along-isopycnal mixing coefficient K, and a geostrophic streamfunction ? are all direct outputs of the method. The method predicts a vertical mixing coefficient O(10?5 m2 s?1) in the upper 1000 m of the water column, consistent with in situ observations. The method predicts a depth-dependent along-isopycnal mixing coefficient that decreases from O(1000 m2 s?1) close to the mixed layer to O(100 m2 s?1) in the interior, which is also consistent with observations and previous hypotheses. The robustness of the result is tested with a rigorous sensitivity analysis including the use of two independently constructed datasets.

This study confirms the utility of the tracer-contour inverse method. The results presented support the hypothesis that vertical mixing is small in the thermocline of the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. A strong depth dependence of the along-isopycnal mixing coefficient is also demonstrated, supporting recent parameterizations for coarse-resolution ocean models.
Mixing, North Atlantic, Tracers, Ocean circulation
0022-3670
1881-1893
Zika, Jan D.
1843cce7-77ce-4ef6-9f79-bcf4f9db30e5
McDougall, Trevor J.
06a3853b-ba2c-4203-8a7d-34dd0e0a8836
Sloyan, Bernadette M.
76a5a33f-4e74-4bfa-a330-688351a53717
Zika, Jan D.
1843cce7-77ce-4ef6-9f79-bcf4f9db30e5
McDougall, Trevor J.
06a3853b-ba2c-4203-8a7d-34dd0e0a8836
Sloyan, Bernadette M.
76a5a33f-4e74-4bfa-a330-688351a53717

Zika, Jan D., McDougall, Trevor J. and Sloyan, Bernadette M. (2010) Weak Mixing in the Eastern North Atlantic: An Application of the Tracer-Contour Inverse Method. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 40 (8), 1881-1893. (doi:10.1175/2010JPO4360.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The tracer-contour inverse method is used to infer mixing and circulation in the eastern North Atlantic. Solutions for the vertical mixing coefficient D, the along-isopycnal mixing coefficient K, and a geostrophic streamfunction ? are all direct outputs of the method. The method predicts a vertical mixing coefficient O(10?5 m2 s?1) in the upper 1000 m of the water column, consistent with in situ observations. The method predicts a depth-dependent along-isopycnal mixing coefficient that decreases from O(1000 m2 s?1) close to the mixed layer to O(100 m2 s?1) in the interior, which is also consistent with observations and previous hypotheses. The robustness of the result is tested with a rigorous sensitivity analysis including the use of two independently constructed datasets.

This study confirms the utility of the tracer-contour inverse method. The results presented support the hypothesis that vertical mixing is small in the thermocline of the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. A strong depth dependence of the along-isopycnal mixing coefficient is also demonstrated, supporting recent parameterizations for coarse-resolution ocean models.

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More information

Published date: August 2010
Keywords: Mixing, North Atlantic, Tracers, Ocean circulation
Organisations: Physical Oceanography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 337460
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/337460
ISSN: 0022-3670
PURE UUID: ec8853f1-4867-47e2-b037-c709ae4c2876

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Date deposited: 25 Apr 2012 12:47
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:53

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Contributors

Author: Jan D. Zika
Author: Trevor J. McDougall
Author: Bernadette M. Sloyan

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