Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations
The Southern Ocean is characterized by high levels of eddy activity, which are crucial for the vertical exchange or transfer of matter, energy, and momentum. Previous studies have shown that the variability of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the Southern Ocean is primarily intrinsic. However, the facto...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/olar.0042 https://spj.science.org/doi/pdf/10.34133/olar.0042 |
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craaas:10.34133/olar.0042 2024-04-28T08:39:06+00:00 Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations Cai, Yongqing Chen, Dake Chen, Ru Lei, Ruibo Wu, Lichuan National Natural Science Foundation of China National Natural Science Foundation of China National Natural Science Foundation of China Vetenskapsrådet 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/olar.0042 https://spj.science.org/doi/pdf/10.34133/olar.0042 en eng American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research volume 3 ISSN 2771-0378 journal-article 2024 craaas https://doi.org/10.34133/olar.0042 2024-04-09T06:40:42Z The Southern Ocean is characterized by high levels of eddy activity, which are crucial for the vertical exchange or transfer of matter, energy, and momentum. Previous studies have shown that the variability of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the Southern Ocean is primarily intrinsic. However, the factors that modulate the forced and intrinsic variability of the EKE remain unclear. In this study, we conduct a series of idealized simulations and apply ensemble analysis to investigate the impact of topography and wind-stress perturbations on the forced and intrinsic variability of the EKE and their relative contributions. The results show that while the large wind-stress perturbation obviously increases the forced variability of EKE by enhancing the Ekman response, the topography not only amplifies the forced variability by sharpening isopycnals and energizing the mean flow but also intensifies the intrinsic variability of EKE. However, EKE variabilities in both complex-topographic and flat-bottom cases are dominated by their intrinsic components, even when driven by escalated wind-stress perturbations. These findings deepen our understanding of the eddy field, its ongoing variability in the Southern Ocean, and its potential impact on the balance of heat, carbon, and freshwater. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research 3 |
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Open Polar |
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AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) |
op_collection_id |
craaas |
language |
English |
description |
The Southern Ocean is characterized by high levels of eddy activity, which are crucial for the vertical exchange or transfer of matter, energy, and momentum. Previous studies have shown that the variability of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the Southern Ocean is primarily intrinsic. However, the factors that modulate the forced and intrinsic variability of the EKE remain unclear. In this study, we conduct a series of idealized simulations and apply ensemble analysis to investigate the impact of topography and wind-stress perturbations on the forced and intrinsic variability of the EKE and their relative contributions. The results show that while the large wind-stress perturbation obviously increases the forced variability of EKE by enhancing the Ekman response, the topography not only amplifies the forced variability by sharpening isopycnals and energizing the mean flow but also intensifies the intrinsic variability of EKE. However, EKE variabilities in both complex-topographic and flat-bottom cases are dominated by their intrinsic components, even when driven by escalated wind-stress perturbations. These findings deepen our understanding of the eddy field, its ongoing variability in the Southern Ocean, and its potential impact on the balance of heat, carbon, and freshwater. |
author2 |
National Natural Science Foundation of China National Natural Science Foundation of China National Natural Science Foundation of China Vetenskapsrådet |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cai, Yongqing Chen, Dake Chen, Ru Lei, Ruibo Wu, Lichuan |
spellingShingle |
Cai, Yongqing Chen, Dake Chen, Ru Lei, Ruibo Wu, Lichuan Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
author_facet |
Cai, Yongqing Chen, Dake Chen, Ru Lei, Ruibo Wu, Lichuan |
author_sort |
Cai, Yongqing |
title |
Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
title_short |
Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
title_full |
Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
title_fullStr |
Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
title_full_unstemmed |
Factors Modulating the Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Southern Ocean from Idealized Simulations |
title_sort |
factors modulating the variability of eddy kinetic energy in the southern ocean from idealized simulations |
publisher |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/olar.0042 https://spj.science.org/doi/pdf/10.34133/olar.0042 |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research volume 3 ISSN 2771-0378 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.34133/olar.0042 |
container_title |
Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research |
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3 |
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1797570307594125312 |