Global Interior Eddy Available Potential Energy Diagnosed from Argo Floats

By combining all Argo profiles for the period 2002 to present, a cumulative density function is constructed on a 3D grid of the global ocean. This function quantifies the statistics of isopycnals: time-averaged density, root- mean square (rms) of isopycnal displacement, and Eddy Available Potential...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Roullet, Guillaume, Capet, Xavier, Maze, Guillaume
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00175/28579/26966.pdf
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00175/28579/27471.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL059004
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00175/28579/
Description
Summary:By combining all Argo profiles for the period 2002 to present, a cumulative density function is constructed on a 3D grid of the global ocean. This function quantifies the statistics of isopycnals: time-averaged density, root- mean square (rms) of isopycnal displacement, and Eddy Available Potential Energy (EAPE). EAPE is the analogue of the eddy kinetic energy, but for the potential energy reservoir. Because it is essentially tied to the spatial struc- ture and magnitude of mesoscale activity, EAPE is an important quantity that should be useful to evaluate eddy resolving/permitting model turbu- lence and circulation. Among other striking features are the turbulent be- havior of Pacific and southern Atlantic Tsuchiya jets and subsurface EAPE maxima in some parts of the ocean, particularly in the Southern Ocean.