scholarly journals Scale of oceanic eddy killing by wind from global satellite observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (28) ◽  
pp. eabf4920
Author(s):  
Shikhar Rai ◽  
Matthew Hecht ◽  
Matthew Maltrud ◽  
Hussein Aluie
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Power Input ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Primary Driver ◽  
Oceanic Eddy ◽  
Recent Method ◽  
Almost All

Wind is the primary driver of the oceanic general circulation, yet the length scales at which this energy transfer occurs are unknown. Using satellite data and a recent method to disentangle multiscale processes, we find that wind deposits kinetic energy into the geostrophic ocean flow only at scales larger than 260 km, on a global average. We show that wind removes energy from scales smaller than 260 km at an average rate of −50 GW, a process known as eddy killing. To our knowledge, this is the first objective determination of the global eddy killing scale. We find that eddy killing is taking place at almost all times but with seasonal variability, peaking in winter, and it removes a substantial fraction (up to 90%) of the wind power input in western boundary currents. This process, often overlooked in analyses and models, is a major dissipation pathway for mesoscales, the ocean’s most energetic scales.

scholarly journals The Ocean General Circulation near 1000-m Depth

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 384-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Ollitrault ◽  
Alain Colin de Verdière
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Neumann Boundary ◽  
Reference Level ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Zonal Jets ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Circumpolar Current ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract The mean ocean circulation near 1000-m depth is estimated with 100-km resolution from the Argo float displacements collected before 1 January 2010. After a thorough validation, the 400 000 or so displacements found in the 950–1150 dbar layer and with parking times between 4 and 17 days allow the currents to be mapped at intermediate depths with unprecedented details. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the most prominent feature, but western boundary currents (and their recirculations) and alternating zonal jets in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific are also well defined. Eddy kinetic energy (EKE) gives the mesoscale variability (on the order of 10 cm2 s−2 in the interior), which is compared to the surface geostrophic altimetric EKE showing e-folding depths greater than 700 m in the ACC and northern subpolar regions. Assuming planetary geostrophy, the geopotential height of the 1000-dbar isobar is estimated to obtain an absolute and deep reference level worldwide. This is done by solving numerically the Poisson equation that results from taking the divergence of the geostrophic equations on the sphere, assuming Neumann boundary conditions.

A novel masking technique to investigate atmosphere-ocean interaction over Western Boundary Currents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumi Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Stream ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Atmospheric Response ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Western Boundary Currents ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Oceanic Fronts ◽  
The Difference

<p>Western Boundary Currents (WBC), such as the Gulf Stream, leave a strong imprint on the ocean-atmosphere boundary in the form of strong gradients and high variability of Sea Surface Temperature (SST). Recent studies have shown that midlatitude oceanic fronts have an influence throughout the depth of the troposphere by means of synoptic systems such as weather fronts. An understanding of how the midlatitude ocean influences the synoptic system is crucial for better climate projection, however, this has been challenging. For example, in model simulations the sensitivity of the atmosphere to SST anomalies are dependent on its resolution, with low resolution models unable to capture the air-sea interactions occurring over warm sectors of midlatitude cyclones, possibly leading to underestimations of the oceanic influence on the atmosphere. A novel modelling technique is developed in which an interactive “mask” is used to systematically isolate and study the air-sea interaction over different synoptic regimes (warm and cold sector). Here, simulations using an idealised aqua-planet atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) are used to study the atmospheric response to a tightening of SST gradient (comparable to that of the Gulf Stream) over the cold sector (“cold path”) and the warm sector (“warm path”) separately. Same experiments will also be performed on models with higher resolution to investigate the difference in atmospheric response between the high and low resolution models and what physical processes are responsible for such change in response.</p>

scholarly journals Influence of Global Warming on Baroclinic Rossby Radius in the Ocean: A Model Intercomparison

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1354-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg A. Saenko
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentration ◽  
Rossby Radius Of Deformation

Abstract Results from eight ocean–atmosphere general circulation models are used to evaluate the influence of the projected changes in the oceanic stratification on the first baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation in the ocean, associated with atmospheric CO2 increase. For each of the models, an oceanic state corresponding to the A1B stabilization experiment (with atmospheric CO2 concentration of 720 ppm) is compared to a state corresponding to the preindustrial control experiment (with atmospheric CO2 concentration of 280 ppm). In all of the models, the first baroclinic Rossby radius increases with increasing oceanic stratification in the warmer climate. There is, however, a considerable range among the models in the magnitude of the increase. At the latitudes of intense eddy activity associated with instability of western boundary currents (around 35°–40°), the increase reaches 4 km on average, or about 15% of the local baroclinic Rossby radius. Some of the models predict an increase of the baroclinic Rossby radius by more than 20% at these latitudes under the applied forcing. It is therefore suggested that in a plausible future warmer climate, the characteristic length scale of mesoscale eddies, as well as boundary currents and fronts, may increase. In addition, since the speed of long baroclinic Rossby waves is proportional to the squared baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation, the results suggest that the time scale for large-scale dynamical oceanic adjustment may decrease in the warmer climate, thereby increasing the frequency of long-term climate variability where the oceanic Rossby wave dynamics set the dominant period. Finally, the speed of equatorial Kelvin waves and Rossby waves, carrying signals along the equator, including those related to ENSO, is projected to increase.

ON EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF THERMAL AND WIND FACTORS FOR A PHYSICAL MODEL OF THE WORLD OCEAN GENERAL CIRCULATION SYSTEM

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-91
Author(s):  
V. G. Neiman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Model ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Circulation System ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Conceptual Foundations

The main content of the work consists of certain systematization and addition of longexisting, but eventually deformed and partly lost qualitative ideas about the role of thermal and wind factors that determine the physical mechanism of the World Ocean’s General Circulation System (OGCS). It is noted that the conceptual foundations of the theory of the OGCS in one form or another are contained in the works of many well-known hydrophysicists of the last century, but the aggregate, logically coherent description of the key factors determining the physical model of the OGCS in the public literature is not so easy to find. An attempt is made to clarify and concretize some general ideas about the two key blocks that form the basis of an adequate physical model of the system of oceanic water masses motion in a climatic scale. Attention is drawn to the fact that when analyzing the OGCS it is necessary to take into account not only immediate but also indirect effects of thermal and wind factors on the ocean surface. In conclusion, it is noted that, in the end, by the uneven flow of heat to the surface of the ocean can be explained the nature of both external and almost all internal factors, in one way or another contributing to the excitation of the general, or climatic, ocean circulation.

Population Change, Modernization and Welfare. By Joseph Spengler. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1974.

1977 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-222
Author(s):  
Zeba A. Sathar
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Stable Condition ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
Almost All

The book covers a wide field, touching on almost all aspects of popula¬tion change on a world-wide scale. It discusses, using world and country data, the relationships between demographic and socio-economic variables, and elaborates on" their relative importance in the determination of population problems which confront the world as a whole and nations individually. Policies designed to alleviate these problems are discussed with an emphasis on those related to population control. The first chapter is entitled "Population Growth: Past and Prospective" and reviews the various parameters associated with population change in the past and in the future. It touches upon the concept of a stable population in order to show the elements which cause a population to change (i.e. remove it from its stable condition). The main elements of change, population growth, migration, mortality and natality are discussed individually. The chapter is concluded by a description of the main differences in these elements and other socio-economic conditions as they exist in the less-developed and developed countries.

scholarly journals Estimating the Continental Response to Global Warming Using Pattern-Scaled Sea Surface Temperatures and Sea Ice

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (24) ◽  
pp. 9125-9139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Bichet ◽  
Paul J. Kushner ◽  
Lawrence Mudryk
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Continental Climate

Abstract Better constraining the continental climate response to anthropogenic forcing is essential to improve climate projections. In this study, pattern scaling is used to extract, from observations, the patterned response of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice concentration (SICE) to anthropogenically dominated long-term global warming. The SST response pattern includes a warming of the tropical Indian Ocean, the high northern latitudes, and the western boundary currents. The SICE pattern shows seasonal variations of the main locations of sea ice loss. These SST–SICE response patterns are used to drive an ensemble of an atmospheric general circulation model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), over the period 1980–2010 along with a standard AMIP ensemble using observed SST—SICE. The simulations enable attribution of a variety of observed trends of continental climate to global warming. On the one hand, the warming trends observed in all seasons across the entire Northern Hemisphere extratropics result from global warming, as does the snow loss observed over the northern midlatitudes and northwestern Eurasia. On the other hand, 1980–2010 precipitation trends observed in winter over North America and in summer over Africa result from the recent decreasing phase of the Pacific decadal oscillation and the recent increasing phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, respectively, which are not part of the global warming signal. The method holds promise for near-term decadal climate prediction but as currently framed cannot distinguish regional signals associated with oceanic internal variability from aerosol forcing and other sources of short-term forcing.

scholarly journals Comparison on the Nutrient Plunder Capacity of Orychophragmus violaceus and Brassica napus L. Based on Electrophysiological Information

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Cheng Zhang ◽  
Yue Su ◽  
Yanyou Wu ◽  
Haitao Li ◽  
Ying Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Napus ◽  
Orychophragmus Violaceus ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Brassica Napus L ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms ◽  
Capacitive Reactance ◽  
Time Determination ◽  
Almost All ◽  
First Time

The nutrient metabolism, growth and development of plants are strongly affected by its nutrient plunder, and plants have different adaptive mechanisms to low-nutrient environments. The electrophysiological activities involve almost all life processes of plants. In this study, the active transport flow of nutrient (NAF) and nutrient plunder capacity (NPC) of plants were defined based on leaf intrinsic impedance (IZ), capacitive reactance (IXc), inductive reactance (IXL) and capacitance (IC) to evaluate the nutrient plunder capacity of plants for the first time. The results indicate that Orychophragmus violaceus had higher (p < 0.01) NPC and IC and lower (p < 0.01) IR, IXc, IXL and IZ as compared to Brassica napus L., which supports a superior ion affinity and that it could be better adapted to low-nutrient environments. UAF and NPC of plants exhibited good correlations with crude protein, crude ash and water content, and precisely revealed the plunder capacity and adaptive strategies of plants to nutrients. The present work highlights that O. violaceus had superior NPC and ion affinity compared with B. napus, and provided a novel, rapid, reliable method based on the plant’s electrophysiological information for real-time determination of the nutrient plunder capacity of plants.

scholarly journals Radiating Instability of a Meridional Boundary Current

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 2294-2307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hristina G. Hristova ◽  
Joseph Pedlosky ◽  
Michael A. Spall
Keyword(s):  
Western Boundary ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Important Conclusion ◽  
Western Boundary Currents ◽  
Horizontal Structure ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Zonal Jets ◽  
Eastern Boundary ◽  
Eastern Boundary Current

Abstract A linear stability analysis of a meridional boundary current on the beta plane is presented. The boundary current is idealized as a constant-speed meridional jet adjacent to a semi-infinite motionless far field. The far-field region can be situated either on the eastern or the western side of the jet, representing a western or an eastern boundary current, respectively. It is found that when unstable, the meridional boundary current generates temporally growing propagating waves that transport energy away from the locally unstable region toward the neutral far field. This is the so-called radiating instability and is found in both barotropic and two-layer baroclinic configurations. A second but important conclusion concerns the differences in the stability properties of eastern and western boundary currents. An eastern boundary current supports a greater number of radiating modes over a wider range of meridional wavenumbers. It generates waves with amplitude envelopes that decay slowly with distance from the current. The radiating waves tend to have an asymmetrical horizontal structure—they are much longer in the zonal direction than in the meridional, a consequence of which is that unstable eastern boundary currents, unlike western boundary currents, have the potential to act as a source of zonal jets for the interior of the ocean.

scholarly journals From the western boundary currents to the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent: Modeled pathways and water mass evolutions

2011 ◽  
Vol 116 (C12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Grenier ◽  
Sophie Cravatte ◽  
Bruno Blanke ◽  
Christophe Menkes ◽  
Ariane Koch-Larrouy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Mass ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Western Boundary Currents ◽  
Equatorial Undercurrent ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
The Pacific
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