Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre
Kinetic energy (KE) in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre is dominated by the mesoscale eddy field that plays a central role in the transport of freshwater, heat, and biogeochemical tracers. Understanding Beaufort Gyre KE variability sheds light on how this freshwater reservoir responds to wind f...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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American Geophysical Union
2018
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ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:89409 2023-05-15T14:26:26+02:00 Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre Zhao, Mengnan Timmermans, Mary-Louise Krishfield, Richard Manucharyan, Georgy 2018-07 application/pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/1/Zhao_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research%253A_Oceans.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892 en eng American Geophysical Union https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/1/Zhao_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research%253A_Oceans.pdf Zhao, Mengnan and Timmermans, Mary-Louise and Krishfield, Richard and Manucharyan, Georgy (2018) Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre. Journal of Geophysical Research. Oceans, 123 (7). pp. 4806-4819. ISSN 2169-9275. doi:10.1029/2018JC014037. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892> other Article PeerReviewed 2018 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014037 2021-11-18T18:47:36Z Kinetic energy (KE) in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre is dominated by the mesoscale eddy field that plays a central role in the transport of freshwater, heat, and biogeochemical tracers. Understanding Beaufort Gyre KE variability sheds light on how this freshwater reservoir responds to wind forcing and sea ice and ocean changes. The evolution and fate of mesoscale eddies relate to energy pathways in the ocean (e.g., the exchange of energy between barotropic and baroclinic modes). Mooring measurements of horizontal velocities in the Beaufort Gyre are analyzed to partition KE into barotropic and baroclinic modes and explore their evolution. We find that a significant fraction of water column KE is in the barotropic and the first two baroclinic modes. We explain this energy partitioning by quantifying the energy transfer coefficients between the vertical modes using the quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity conservation equations with a specific background stratification observed in the Beaufort Gyre. We find that the quasi‐geostrophic vertical mode interactions uphold the persistence of KE in the first two baroclinic modes, consistent with observations. Our results explain the specific role of halocline structure on KE evolution in the gyre and suggest depressed transfer to the barotropic mode. This limits the capacity for frictional dissipation at the sea floor and suggests that energy dissipation via sea ice‐ocean drag may be prominent. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Sea ice Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Arctic Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 123 7 4806 4819 |
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Open Polar |
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Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftcaltechauth |
language |
English |
description |
Kinetic energy (KE) in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre is dominated by the mesoscale eddy field that plays a central role in the transport of freshwater, heat, and biogeochemical tracers. Understanding Beaufort Gyre KE variability sheds light on how this freshwater reservoir responds to wind forcing and sea ice and ocean changes. The evolution and fate of mesoscale eddies relate to energy pathways in the ocean (e.g., the exchange of energy between barotropic and baroclinic modes). Mooring measurements of horizontal velocities in the Beaufort Gyre are analyzed to partition KE into barotropic and baroclinic modes and explore their evolution. We find that a significant fraction of water column KE is in the barotropic and the first two baroclinic modes. We explain this energy partitioning by quantifying the energy transfer coefficients between the vertical modes using the quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity conservation equations with a specific background stratification observed in the Beaufort Gyre. We find that the quasi‐geostrophic vertical mode interactions uphold the persistence of KE in the first two baroclinic modes, consistent with observations. Our results explain the specific role of halocline structure on KE evolution in the gyre and suggest depressed transfer to the barotropic mode. This limits the capacity for frictional dissipation at the sea floor and suggests that energy dissipation via sea ice‐ocean drag may be prominent. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zhao, Mengnan Timmermans, Mary-Louise Krishfield, Richard Manucharyan, Georgy |
spellingShingle |
Zhao, Mengnan Timmermans, Mary-Louise Krishfield, Richard Manucharyan, Georgy Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
author_facet |
Zhao, Mengnan Timmermans, Mary-Louise Krishfield, Richard Manucharyan, Georgy |
author_sort |
Zhao, Mengnan |
title |
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
title_short |
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
title_full |
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
title_fullStr |
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
title_full_unstemmed |
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre |
title_sort |
partitioning of kinetic energy in the arctic ocean's beaufort gyre |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/1/Zhao_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research%253A_Oceans.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Sea ice |
op_relation |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/89409/1/Zhao_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research%253A_Oceans.pdf Zhao, Mengnan and Timmermans, Mary-Louise and Krishfield, Richard and Manucharyan, Georgy (2018) Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre. Journal of Geophysical Research. Oceans, 123 (7). pp. 4806-4819. ISSN 2169-9275. doi:10.1029/2018JC014037. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180906-075842892> |
op_rights |
other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014037 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
123 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
4806 |
op_container_end_page |
4819 |
_version_ |
1766299001129271296 |