Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation
Advent of satellite altimetry brought into focus the pervasiveness of mesoscale eddies [Formula: see text] km in size, which are the ocean's analogue of weather systems and are often regarded as the spectral peak of kinetic energy (KE). Yet, understanding of the ocean's spatial scales has...
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ftunivliverpool:oai:livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk:3164888 2023-05-15T13:52:10+02:00 Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation Storer, Benjamin A Buzzicotti, Michele Khatri, Hemant Griffies, Stephen M Aluie, Hussein 2022 text http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/ https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33031-3 http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/1/2022_Spectrum_Ocean_Global_Storer.pdf en eng eng Springer Science and Business Media LLC http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/1/2022_Spectrum_Ocean_Global_Storer.pdf Storer, Benjamin A, Buzzicotti, Michele, Khatri, Hemant orcid:0000-0001-6559-9059 , Griffies, Stephen M and Aluie, Hussein (2022) Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 13 (1). 5314-. Article NonPeerReviewed 2022 ftunivliverpool https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33031-3 2023-01-20T00:19:04Z Advent of satellite altimetry brought into focus the pervasiveness of mesoscale eddies [Formula: see text] km in size, which are the ocean's analogue of weather systems and are often regarded as the spectral peak of kinetic energy (KE). Yet, understanding of the ocean's spatial scales has been derived mostly from Fourier analysis in small "representative" regions that cannot capture the vast dynamic range at planetary scales. Here, we use a coarse-graining method to analyze scales much larger than what had been possible before. Spectra spanning over three decades of length-scales reveal the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as the spectral peak of the global extra-tropical circulation, at ≈ 10 4 km, and a previously unobserved power-law scaling over scales larger than 10 3 km. A smaller spectral peak exists at ≈ 300 km associated with mesoscales, which, due to their wider spread in wavenumber space, account for more than 50% of resolved surface KE globally. Seasonal cycles of length-scales exhibit a characteristic lag-time of ≈ 40 days per octave of length-scales such that in both hemispheres, KE at 10 2 km peaks in spring while KE at 10 3 km peaks in late summer. These results provide a new window for understanding the multiscale oceanic circulation within Earth's climate system, including the largest planetary scales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic The University of Liverpool Repository Antarctic The Antarctic Nature Communications 13 1 |
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English |
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Advent of satellite altimetry brought into focus the pervasiveness of mesoscale eddies [Formula: see text] km in size, which are the ocean's analogue of weather systems and are often regarded as the spectral peak of kinetic energy (KE). Yet, understanding of the ocean's spatial scales has been derived mostly from Fourier analysis in small "representative" regions that cannot capture the vast dynamic range at planetary scales. Here, we use a coarse-graining method to analyze scales much larger than what had been possible before. Spectra spanning over three decades of length-scales reveal the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as the spectral peak of the global extra-tropical circulation, at ≈ 10 4 km, and a previously unobserved power-law scaling over scales larger than 10 3 km. A smaller spectral peak exists at ≈ 300 km associated with mesoscales, which, due to their wider spread in wavenumber space, account for more than 50% of resolved surface KE globally. Seasonal cycles of length-scales exhibit a characteristic lag-time of ≈ 40 days per octave of length-scales such that in both hemispheres, KE at 10 2 km peaks in spring while KE at 10 3 km peaks in late summer. These results provide a new window for understanding the multiscale oceanic circulation within Earth's climate system, including the largest planetary scales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Storer, Benjamin A Buzzicotti, Michele Khatri, Hemant Griffies, Stephen M Aluie, Hussein |
spellingShingle |
Storer, Benjamin A Buzzicotti, Michele Khatri, Hemant Griffies, Stephen M Aluie, Hussein Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
author_facet |
Storer, Benjamin A Buzzicotti, Michele Khatri, Hemant Griffies, Stephen M Aluie, Hussein |
author_sort |
Storer, Benjamin A |
title |
Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
title_short |
Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
title_full |
Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
title_fullStr |
Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
title_sort |
global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation |
publisher |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/ https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33031-3 http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/1/2022_Spectrum_Ocean_Global_Storer.pdf |
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Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
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Antarc* Antarctic |
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Antarc* Antarctic |
op_relation |
http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3164888/1/2022_Spectrum_Ocean_Global_Storer.pdf Storer, Benjamin A, Buzzicotti, Michele, Khatri, Hemant orcid:0000-0001-6559-9059 , Griffies, Stephen M and Aluie, Hussein (2022) Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 13 (1). 5314-. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33031-3 |
container_title |
Nature Communications |
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13 |
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1 |
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1766256429011828736 |