Vertical and Lateral Mixing Processes Deduced from the Mediterranean Water Signature in the North Atlantic
Vertical and Lateral Mixing Processes Deduced from the Mediterranean Water Signature in the North Atlantic
The conservation equations of heat, salt, and mass are combined in such a way that a simple relation is found between the known volume flux of Mediterranean Water entering the North Atlantic Ocean and the effects of lateral and vertical mixing processes. The method is a form of inverse method in which the only unknowns are the vertical and lateral diffusivities. For each isohaline contour on each neutral density surface the authors develop one equation in two unknowns, arguing that other terms that cannot be evaluated are small. By considering several such isohaline contours, the method becomes overdetermined for each density layer, and results are found for both the vertical and lateral diffusivity that vary smoothly in the vertical direction, giving some confidence in the method.
Mixing, Water masses, Mediterranean region, Diffusion, Advection
164-176
Zika, Jan D.
1843cce7-77ce-4ef6-9f79-bcf4f9db30e5
McDougall, Trevor J.
06a3853b-ba2c-4203-8a7d-34dd0e0a8836
January 2008
Zika, Jan D.
1843cce7-77ce-4ef6-9f79-bcf4f9db30e5
McDougall, Trevor J.
06a3853b-ba2c-4203-8a7d-34dd0e0a8836
Zika, Jan D. and McDougall, Trevor J.
(2008)
Vertical and Lateral Mixing Processes Deduced from the Mediterranean Water Signature in the North Atlantic.
Journal of Physical Oceanography, 38 (1), .
(doi:10.1175/2007JPO3507.1).
Abstract
The conservation equations of heat, salt, and mass are combined in such a way that a simple relation is found between the known volume flux of Mediterranean Water entering the North Atlantic Ocean and the effects of lateral and vertical mixing processes. The method is a form of inverse method in which the only unknowns are the vertical and lateral diffusivities. For each isohaline contour on each neutral density surface the authors develop one equation in two unknowns, arguing that other terms that cannot be evaluated are small. By considering several such isohaline contours, the method becomes overdetermined for each density layer, and results are found for both the vertical and lateral diffusivity that vary smoothly in the vertical direction, giving some confidence in the method.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: January 2008
Keywords:
Mixing, Water masses, Mediterranean region, Diffusion, Advection
Organisations:
Physical Oceanography
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 337464
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/337464
ISSN: 0022-3670
PURE UUID: cd6fd29d-089b-4534-9a1e-1ef7a1188932
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 25 Apr 2012 12:58
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:53
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Jan D. Zika
Author:
Trevor J. McDougall
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics