Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere
International audience The Gulf Stream (GS) is known to have a strong influence on climate, for example, by transporting heat from the tropics to higher latitudes. Although the GS transport intensity presents a clear interannual variability, satellite observations reveal its mean path is stable. Num...
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ftsorbonneuniv:oai:HAL:hal-01498553v1 2024-09-15T18:23:59+00:00 Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere Renault, Lionel Molemaker, M. Jeroen Gula, Jonathan Masson, Sébastien Mcwilliams, James C. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Los Angeles (AOS) University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) University of California (UC)-University of California (UC) Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2016 https://hal.science/hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553/document https://hal.science/hal-01498553/file/1520-0485-jpo-d-16-0115.1.pdf https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 en eng HAL CCSD American Meteorological Society info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553/document https://hal.science/hal-01498553/file/1520-0485-jpo-d-16-0115.1.pdf doi:10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0022-3670 EISSN: 1520-0485 Journal of Physical Oceanography https://hal.science/hal-01498553 Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2016, 46 (11), pp.3439 - 3453. ⟨10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1⟩ Atmosphere-ocean interaction Boundary currents Mesoscale processes Ocean circulation Ocean dynamics [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph] info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2016 ftsorbonneuniv https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 2024-07-25T23:47:44Z International audience The Gulf Stream (GS) is known to have a strong influence on climate, for example, by transporting heat from the tropics to higher latitudes. Although the GS transport intensity presents a clear interannual variability, satellite observations reveal its mean path is stable. Numerical models can simulate some characteristics of the mean GS path, but persistent biases keep the GS separation and postseparation unstable and therefore unrealistic. This study investigates how the integration of ocean surface currents into the ocean–atmosphere coupling interface of numerical models impacts the GS. The authors show for the first time that the current feedback, through its eddy killing effect, stabilizes the GS separation and postseparation, resolving long-lasting biases in modeled GS path, at least for the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS). This key process should therefore be taken into account in oceanic numerical models. Using a set of oceanic and atmospheric coupled and uncoupled simulations, this study shows that the current feedback, by modulating the energy transfer from the atmosphere to the ocean, has two main effects on the ocean. On one hand, by reducing the mean surface stress and thus weakening the mean geostrophic wind work by 30%, the current feedback slows down the whole North Atlantic oceanic gyre, making the GS narrower and its transport weaker. Yet, on the other hand, the current feedback acts as an oceanic eddy killer, reducing the surface eddy kinetic energy by 27%. By inducing a surface stress curl opposite to the current vorticity, it deflects energy from the geostrophic current into the atmosphere and dampens eddies. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic HAL Sorbonne Université Journal of Physical Oceanography 46 11 3439 3453 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
HAL Sorbonne Université |
op_collection_id |
ftsorbonneuniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Atmosphere-ocean interaction Boundary currents Mesoscale processes Ocean circulation Ocean dynamics [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph] |
spellingShingle |
Atmosphere-ocean interaction Boundary currents Mesoscale processes Ocean circulation Ocean dynamics [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph] Renault, Lionel Molemaker, M. Jeroen Gula, Jonathan Masson, Sébastien Mcwilliams, James C. Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
topic_facet |
Atmosphere-ocean interaction Boundary currents Mesoscale processes Ocean circulation Ocean dynamics [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph] |
description |
International audience The Gulf Stream (GS) is known to have a strong influence on climate, for example, by transporting heat from the tropics to higher latitudes. Although the GS transport intensity presents a clear interannual variability, satellite observations reveal its mean path is stable. Numerical models can simulate some characteristics of the mean GS path, but persistent biases keep the GS separation and postseparation unstable and therefore unrealistic. This study investigates how the integration of ocean surface currents into the ocean–atmosphere coupling interface of numerical models impacts the GS. The authors show for the first time that the current feedback, through its eddy killing effect, stabilizes the GS separation and postseparation, resolving long-lasting biases in modeled GS path, at least for the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS). This key process should therefore be taken into account in oceanic numerical models. Using a set of oceanic and atmospheric coupled and uncoupled simulations, this study shows that the current feedback, by modulating the energy transfer from the atmosphere to the ocean, has two main effects on the ocean. On one hand, by reducing the mean surface stress and thus weakening the mean geostrophic wind work by 30%, the current feedback slows down the whole North Atlantic oceanic gyre, making the GS narrower and its transport weaker. Yet, on the other hand, the current feedback acts as an oceanic eddy killer, reducing the surface eddy kinetic energy by 27%. By inducing a surface stress curl opposite to the current vorticity, it deflects energy from the geostrophic current into the atmosphere and dampens eddies. |
author2 |
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Los Angeles (AOS) University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) University of California (UC)-University of California (UC) Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Renault, Lionel Molemaker, M. Jeroen Gula, Jonathan Masson, Sébastien Mcwilliams, James C. |
author_facet |
Renault, Lionel Molemaker, M. Jeroen Gula, Jonathan Masson, Sébastien Mcwilliams, James C. |
author_sort |
Renault, Lionel |
title |
Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
title_short |
Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
title_full |
Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
title_fullStr |
Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
title_full_unstemmed |
Control and Stabilization of the Gulf Stream by Oceanic Current Interaction with the Atmosphere |
title_sort |
control and stabilization of the gulf stream by oceanic current interaction with the atmosphere |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553/document https://hal.science/hal-01498553/file/1520-0485-jpo-d-16-0115.1.pdf https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
ISSN: 0022-3670 EISSN: 1520-0485 Journal of Physical Oceanography https://hal.science/hal-01498553 Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2016, 46 (11), pp.3439 - 3453. ⟨10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553 https://hal.science/hal-01498553/document https://hal.science/hal-01498553/file/1520-0485-jpo-d-16-0115.1.pdf doi:10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-16-0115.1 |
container_title |
Journal of Physical Oceanography |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
3439 |
op_container_end_page |
3453 |
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1810464280733024256 |