Modeling upper ocean dynamics in the Southern Ocean : interaction of physics and biogeochemistry ...

• Main Author: Wang, Xiujun
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Southern Ocean
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23241518; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Modeling_upper_ocean_dynamics_in_the_Southern_Ocean_interaction_of_physics_and_biogeochemistry/23241518

A one-dimensional biophysical model was developed to simulate upper ocean dynamics and seasonal nutrient (N, P, Si) export from the euphotic zone to the depths in the Southern Ocean. Simulations were made in the Subantarctic Zone (SAZ) and the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ). The physical part of model was forced with the heat fluxes, freshwater fluxes and wind stresses provided by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. In both the SAZ and PFZ, the model was capable of reproducing the amplitude of the seasonal sea surface temperature (SST) and the seasonality of the mixed layer depth (MLD). The MLD was deepest in August-October (600 m in the SAZ, 160 m in the PFZ) and shallowest in January-Februry (20m in the SAZ, 35m in the PFZ). The shallower summer MLD in the SAZ was due to lower wind stress. However, the shallower winter MLD in the PFZ was due to strong stratification in the water below the mixed layer. The biological component of the model used incident light, temperature, nutrient availability and ...