The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress
We study the statistics of wind-driven open ocean currents. Using the Ekman layer model for the integrated currents, we investigate analytically and numerically the relationship between the wind-stress distribution and its temporal correlations and the statistics of the open ocean currents. We found...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2013-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/5/053024 |
| _version_ | 1797751615428493312 |
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| author | Golan Bel Yosef Ashkenazy |
| author_facet | Golan Bel Yosef Ashkenazy |
| author_sort | Golan Bel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We study the statistics of wind-driven open ocean currents. Using the Ekman layer model for the integrated currents, we investigate analytically and numerically the relationship between the wind-stress distribution and its temporal correlations and the statistics of the open ocean currents. We found that temporally long-range correlated winds result in currents whose statistics is proportional to the wind-stress statistics. On the other hand, short-range correlated winds lead to Gaussian distributions of the current components, regardless of the stationary distribution of the winds, and therefore to a Rayleigh distribution of the current amplitude, if the wind stress is isotropic. We found that the second moment of the current speed exhibits a maximum as a function of the correlation time of the wind stress for a non-zero Coriolis parameter. The results were validated using an oceanic general circulation model. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:51:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e8fb501429084ca2a00e848272decc6b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:51:08Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-e8fb501429084ca2a00e848272decc6b2023-08-08T11:10:30ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302013-01-0115505302410.1088/1367-2630/15/5/053024The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stressGolan Bel0Yosef Ashkenazy1Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede Boqer Campus 84990, IsraelDepartment of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede Boqer Campus 84990, IsraelWe study the statistics of wind-driven open ocean currents. Using the Ekman layer model for the integrated currents, we investigate analytically and numerically the relationship between the wind-stress distribution and its temporal correlations and the statistics of the open ocean currents. We found that temporally long-range correlated winds result in currents whose statistics is proportional to the wind-stress statistics. On the other hand, short-range correlated winds lead to Gaussian distributions of the current components, regardless of the stationary distribution of the winds, and therefore to a Rayleigh distribution of the current amplitude, if the wind stress is isotropic. We found that the second moment of the current speed exhibits a maximum as a function of the correlation time of the wind stress for a non-zero Coriolis parameter. The results were validated using an oceanic general circulation model.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/5/053024 |
| spellingShingle | Golan Bel Yosef Ashkenazy The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress New Journal of Physics |
| title | The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| title_full | The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| title_fullStr | The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| title_short | The relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| title_sort | relationship between the statistics of open ocean currents and the temporal correlations of the wind stress |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/5/053024 |
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