Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes
The large-scale circulation of the abyssal ocean is enabled by small-scale diapycnal mixing, which observations suggest is strongly enhanced toward the ocean bottom, where the breaking of internal tides and lee waves is most vigorous. As discussed recently, bottom-intensified mixing induces a patter...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Meteorological Society
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125088 |
| _version_ | 1826199813346033664 |
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| author | Callies, Jörn Ferrari, Raffaele |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Callies, Jörn Ferrari, Raffaele |
| author_sort | Callies, Jörn |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The large-scale circulation of the abyssal ocean is enabled by small-scale diapycnal mixing, which observations suggest is strongly enhanced toward the ocean bottom, where the breaking of internal tides and lee waves is most vigorous. As discussed recently, bottom-intensified mixing induces a pattern of near-bottom upand downwelling that is quite different from the traditionally assumed widespread upwelling. Here the consequences of bottom-intensified mixing for the horizontal circulation of the abyssal ocean are explored by considering planetary geostrophic dynamics in an idealized ''bathtub geometry.'' Up- and downwelling layers develop on bottom slopes as expected, and these layers are well described by boundary layer theory. The basin-scale circulation is driven by flows in and out of these boundary layers at the base of the sloping topography, which creates primarily zonal currents in the interior and a net meridional exchange along western boundaries. The rate of the net overturning is controlled by the up- and downslope transports in boundary layers on slopes and can be predicted with boundary layer theory. ©2018 American Meteorological Society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:26:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/125088 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:26:10Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | American Meteorological Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1250882022-09-27T19:31:42Z Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes Callies, Jörn Ferrari, Raffaele Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences The large-scale circulation of the abyssal ocean is enabled by small-scale diapycnal mixing, which observations suggest is strongly enhanced toward the ocean bottom, where the breaking of internal tides and lee waves is most vigorous. As discussed recently, bottom-intensified mixing induces a pattern of near-bottom upand downwelling that is quite different from the traditionally assumed widespread upwelling. Here the consequences of bottom-intensified mixing for the horizontal circulation of the abyssal ocean are explored by considering planetary geostrophic dynamics in an idealized ''bathtub geometry.'' Up- and downwelling layers develop on bottom slopes as expected, and these layers are well described by boundary layer theory. The basin-scale circulation is driven by flows in and out of these boundary layers at the base of the sloping topography, which creates primarily zonal currents in the interior and a net meridional exchange along western boundaries. The rate of the net overturning is controlled by the up- and downslope transports in boundary layers on slopes and can be predicted with boundary layer theory. ©2018 American Meteorological Society. U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant no. OCE-1233832) U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant no. OCE-1736109) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant no. NNX16AH77G) 2020-05-07T13:28:36Z 2020-05-07T13:28:36Z 2018-06 2017-06 2020-04-17T13:54:20Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1520-0485 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125088 Callies, Jörn and Raffaele Ferrari, "Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes." Journal of Physical Oceanography 48, 6 (June 2018): 1257-82 doi. 10.1175/JPO-D-17-0125.1 ©2018 Authors en 10.1175/JPO-D-17-0125.1 Journal of Physical Oceanography Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Meteorological Society American Meteorological Society |
| spellingShingle | Callies, Jörn Ferrari, Raffaele Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title | Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title_full | Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title_short | Dynamics of an Abyssal Circulation Driven by Bottom-Intensified Mixing on Slopes |
| title_sort | dynamics of an abyssal circulation driven by bottom intensified mixing on slopes |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125088 |
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