Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning
The ocean’s global overturning circulation regulates the transport and storage of heat, carbon and nutrients. Upwelling across the Southern Ocean’s Antarctic Circumpolar Current and into the mixed layer, coupled to water mass modification by surface buoyancy forcing, has been highlighted as a key pr...
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ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:80899 2023-05-15T13:55:46+02:00 Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning Ruan, Xiaozhou Thompson, Andrew F. Flexas, Mar M. Sprintall, Janet 2017-11 application/pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/3/ngeo3053-s1.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986 en eng Nature Publishing Group https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/3/ngeo3053-s1.pdf Ruan, Xiaozhou and Thompson, Andrew F. and Flexas, Mar M. and Sprintall, Janet (2017) Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning. Nature Geoscience, 10 (11). pp. 840-845. ISSN 1752-0894. doi:10.1038/NGEO3053. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986> other Article PeerReviewed 2017 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO3053 2021-11-18T18:43:33Z The ocean’s global overturning circulation regulates the transport and storage of heat, carbon and nutrients. Upwelling across the Southern Ocean’s Antarctic Circumpolar Current and into the mixed layer, coupled to water mass modification by surface buoyancy forcing, has been highlighted as a key process in the closure of the overturning circulation. Here, using twelve high-resolution hydrographic sections in southern Drake Passage, collected with autonomous ocean gliders, we show that Circumpolar Deep Water originating from the North Atlantic, known as Lower Circumpolar Deep Water, intersects sloping topography in narrow and strong boundary currents. Observations of strong lateral buoyancy gradients, enhanced bottom turbulence, thick bottom mixed layers and modified water masses are consistent with growing evidence that topographically generated submesoscale flows over continental slopes enhance near-bottom mixing, and that cross-density upwelling occurs preferentially over sloping topography. Interactions between narrow frontal currents and topography occur elsewhere along the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which leads us to propose that such interactions contribute significantly to the closure of the overturning in the Southern Ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage North Atlantic Southern Ocean Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean The Antarctic Nature Geoscience 10 11 840 845 |
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Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
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English |
description |
The ocean’s global overturning circulation regulates the transport and storage of heat, carbon and nutrients. Upwelling across the Southern Ocean’s Antarctic Circumpolar Current and into the mixed layer, coupled to water mass modification by surface buoyancy forcing, has been highlighted as a key process in the closure of the overturning circulation. Here, using twelve high-resolution hydrographic sections in southern Drake Passage, collected with autonomous ocean gliders, we show that Circumpolar Deep Water originating from the North Atlantic, known as Lower Circumpolar Deep Water, intersects sloping topography in narrow and strong boundary currents. Observations of strong lateral buoyancy gradients, enhanced bottom turbulence, thick bottom mixed layers and modified water masses are consistent with growing evidence that topographically generated submesoscale flows over continental slopes enhance near-bottom mixing, and that cross-density upwelling occurs preferentially over sloping topography. Interactions between narrow frontal currents and topography occur elsewhere along the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which leads us to propose that such interactions contribute significantly to the closure of the overturning in the Southern Ocean. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ruan, Xiaozhou Thompson, Andrew F. Flexas, Mar M. Sprintall, Janet |
spellingShingle |
Ruan, Xiaozhou Thompson, Andrew F. Flexas, Mar M. Sprintall, Janet Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
author_facet |
Ruan, Xiaozhou Thompson, Andrew F. Flexas, Mar M. Sprintall, Janet |
author_sort |
Ruan, Xiaozhou |
title |
Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
title_short |
Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
title_full |
Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
title_fullStr |
Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
title_full_unstemmed |
Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning |
title_sort |
contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to southern ocean overturning |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/3/ngeo3053-s1.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986 |
geographic |
Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/80899/3/ngeo3053-s1.pdf Ruan, Xiaozhou and Thompson, Andrew F. and Flexas, Mar M. and Sprintall, Janet (2017) Contribution of topographically-generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning. Nature Geoscience, 10 (11). pp. 840-845. ISSN 1752-0894. doi:10.1038/NGEO3053. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170829-110203986> |
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other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO3053 |
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Nature Geoscience |
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10 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
840 |
op_container_end_page |
845 |
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1766262604925239296 |