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Intensified turbulent mixing in the boundary current system of southern Greenland

Intensified turbulent mixing in the boundary current system of southern Greenland
Intensified turbulent mixing in the boundary current system of southern Greenland
The southern Greenland Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) advects major components of North Atlantic Deep Water. Turbulent diapycnal mixing rates of ?10?4 m2 s?1 commonly occur in the DWBC. These diffusivities, estimated with an internal wave strain-based parameterisation, are independently confirmed by budgets of density and dissolved O2. “Moderate” mixing rates (?10?4 m2 s?1) over the DWBC path between Denmark Strait and Cape Farewell (?1000 km) drive a similar net increase in volume transport by diapycnal entrainment to the more intense (?10?3 m2 s?1), localised mixing rates found near the Denmark Strait overflow sill. Therefore turbulent mixing associated with the DWBC south of Denmark Strait is instrumental in establishing the magnitude of the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Elevated mixing rates are also seen in the East and West Greenland Currents; this may be significant in preconditioning seasonal restratification of the intermediate layers of the Irminger and Labrador basins.
0094-8276
L04611
Lauderdale, Jonathan M.
b6794364-7060-4048-b2cc-d3ec8429353b
Bacon, Sheldon
1e7aa6e3-4fb4-4230-8ba7-90837304a9a7
Naveira Garabato, Alberto C.
97c0e923-f076-4b38-b89b-938e11cea7a6
Holliday, N.Penny
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79
Lauderdale, Jonathan M.
b6794364-7060-4048-b2cc-d3ec8429353b
Bacon, Sheldon
1e7aa6e3-4fb4-4230-8ba7-90837304a9a7
Naveira Garabato, Alberto C.
97c0e923-f076-4b38-b89b-938e11cea7a6
Holliday, N.Penny
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79

Lauderdale, Jonathan M., Bacon, Sheldon, Naveira Garabato, Alberto C. and Holliday, N.Penny (2008) Intensified turbulent mixing in the boundary current system of southern Greenland. Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L04611. (doi:10.1029/2007GL032785).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The southern Greenland Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) advects major components of North Atlantic Deep Water. Turbulent diapycnal mixing rates of ?10?4 m2 s?1 commonly occur in the DWBC. These diffusivities, estimated with an internal wave strain-based parameterisation, are independently confirmed by budgets of density and dissolved O2. “Moderate” mixing rates (?10?4 m2 s?1) over the DWBC path between Denmark Strait and Cape Farewell (?1000 km) drive a similar net increase in volume transport by diapycnal entrainment to the more intense (?10?3 m2 s?1), localised mixing rates found near the Denmark Strait overflow sill. Therefore turbulent mixing associated with the DWBC south of Denmark Strait is instrumental in establishing the magnitude of the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Elevated mixing rates are also seen in the East and West Greenland Currents; this may be significant in preconditioning seasonal restratification of the intermediate layers of the Irminger and Labrador basins.

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More information

Published date: 29 February 2008
Organisations: National Oceanography Centre,Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 50658
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/50658
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 326e9f5a-d2f5-44cd-8e78-3f0ab8c7de47
ORCID for Alberto C. Naveira Garabato: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6071-605X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Mar 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:48

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Contributors

Author: Jonathan M. Lauderdale
Author: Sheldon Bacon
Author: N.Penny Holliday

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