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Impact of oceanic-scale interactions on the seasonal modulation of ocean dynamics by the atmosphere

Author

Listed:
  • Hideharu Sasaki

    (Application Laboratory, JAMSTEC)

  • Patrice Klein

    (Laboratoire de Physique des Oceans, IFREMER-CNRS-UBO-IRD)

  • Bo Qiu

    (University of Hawaii at Manoa)

  • Yoshikazu Sasai

    (Research and Development Center for Global Change, JAMSTEC)

Abstract

Ocean eddies (with a size of 100–300 km), ubiquitous in satellite observations, are known to represent about 80% of the total ocean kinetic energy. Recent studies have pointed out the unexpected role of smaller oceanic structures (with 1–50 km scales) in generating and sustaining these eddies. The interpretation proposed so far invokes the internal instability resulting from the large-scale interaction between upper and interior oceanic layers. Here we show, using a new high-resolution simulation of the realistic North Pacific Ocean, that ocean eddies are instead sustained by a different process that involves small-scale mixed-layer instabilities set up by large-scale atmospheric forcing in winter. This leads to a seasonal evolution of the eddy kinetic energy in a very large part of this ocean, with an amplitude varying by a factor almost equal to 2. Perspectives in terms of the impacts on climate dynamics and future satellite observational systems are briefly discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Hideharu Sasaki & Patrice Klein & Bo Qiu & Yoshikazu Sasai, 2014. "Impact of oceanic-scale interactions on the seasonal modulation of ocean dynamics by the atmosphere," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms6636
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6636
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhiwei Zhang & Yuelin Liu & Bo Qiu & Yiyong Luo & Wenju Cai & Qingguo Yuan & Yinxing Liu & Hong Zhang & Hailong Liu & Mingfang Miao & Jinchao Zhang & Wei Zhao & Jiwei Tian, 2023. "Submesoscale inverse energy cascade enhances Southern Ocean eddy heat transport," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Benjamin A. Storer & Michele Buzzicotti & Hemant Khatri & Stephen M. Griffies & Hussein Aluie, 2022. "Global energy spectrum of the general oceanic circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.

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