Lagrangian pathways of upwelling in the Southern Ocean

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
• Main Authors: Viglione, Giuliana A., Thompson, Andrew F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2016
• Subjects: Southern Ocean; upwelling; Lagrangian pathways; mixed layer; Drake Passage; Pacific; Indian; Adkins
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC011773

The spatial and temporal variability of upwelling into the mixed layer in the Southern Ocean is studied using a 1/10° ocean general circulation model. Virtual drifters are released in a regularly-spaced pattern across the Southern Ocean at depths of 250, 500, and 1000 m during both summer and winter months. The drifters are advected along isopycnals for a period of four years, unless they outcrop into the mixed layer, where lateral advection and a parameterization of vertical mixing is applied. The focus of this study is on the discrete exchange between the model mixed layer and the interior. Localization of interior-mixed layer exchange occurs downstream of major topographic features across the Indian and Pacific basins, creating "hotspots" of outcropping. Minimal outcropping occurs in the Atlantic basin, while 59% of drifters outcrop in the Pacific sector and in Drake Passage (the region from 140° W to 40° W), a disproportionately large amount even when considering the relative basin sizes. Due to spatial and temporal variations in mixed layer depth, the Lagrangian trajectories provide a statistical measure of mixed layer residence times. For each exchange into the mixed layer, the residence time has a Rayleigh distribution with a mean of 30 days; the cumulative residence time of the drifters is 261 ± 194 days, over a period of four years. These results suggest that certain oceanic gas concentrations, such as CO_2 and ^(14)C, will likely not reach equilibrium with the atmosphere before being re-subducted. © 2016 American Geophysical Union. Received 4 MAR 2016; Accepted 4 AUG 2016; Accepted article online 8 AUG 2016; Published online 23 AUG 2016. We thank Jess Adkins, Matt Mazloff, and Jean-Baptiste Sallèe for helpful discussions during this work. AFT gratefully acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (OCE-1235488). GAV thanks the Vanoni Fellowship for supporting this work. The model output used are listed in the references and available from JAMSTEC at ...