Exploring the role of the ‘‘Ice-Ocean Governor' and mesoscale eddies in the equilibration of the Beaufort Gyre: lessons from observations

Observations of Ekman pumping, sea surface height anomaly, and isohaline depth anomaly over the Beaufort Gyre are used to explore the relative importance and role of (i) feedbacks between ice and ocean currents, dubbed the “ice–ocean governor,” and (ii) mesoscale eddy processes in the equilibration...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Physical Oceanography
Main Authors: Meneghello, G, Doddridge, E, Marshall, J, Scott, J, Campin, J-M
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Amer Meteorological Soc 2020
Subjects:
sea ice
dynamics
Arctic
Beaufort Gyre
Ekman pumping/transport
atmosphere-ocean interaction
Sea ice
Online Access:https://eprints.utas.edu.au/33661/
Description
Summary:Observations of Ekman pumping, sea surface height anomaly, and isohaline depth anomaly over the Beaufort Gyre are used to explore the relative importance and role of (i) feedbacks between ice and ocean currents, dubbed the “ice–ocean governor,” and (ii) mesoscale eddy processes in the equilibration of the Beaufort Gyre. A two-layer model of the gyre is fit to observations and used to explore the mechanisms governing the gyre evolution from the monthly to the decennial time scale. The ice–ocean governor dominates the response on interannual time scales, with eddy processes becoming evident only on the longest, decadal time scales.

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