Ajayi, A., Le Sommer, J., Chassignet, E., Molines, J. - M., Xu, X., Albert, A., et al. (2020). Spatial and Temporal Variability of the North Atlantic Eddy Field From Two Kilometric-Resolution Ocean Models. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 125(5).
Abstract: Ocean circulation is dominated by turbulent geostrophic eddy fields with typical scales ranging from 10 to 300 km. At mesoscales (>50 km), the size of eddy structures varies regionally following the Rossby radius of deformation. The variability of the scale of smaller eddies is not well known due to the limitations in existing numerical simulations and satellite capability. Nevertheless, it is well established that oceanic flows (<50 km) generally exhibit strong seasonality. In this study, we present a basin‐scale analysis of coherent structures down to 10 km in the North Atlantic Ocean using two submesoscale‐permitting ocean models, a NEMO‐based North Atlantic simulation with a horizontal resolution of 1/60 (NATL60) and an HYCOM‐based Atlantic simulation with a horizontal resolution of 1/50 (HYCOM50). We investigate the spatial and temporal variability of the scale of eddy structures with a particular focus on eddies with scales of 10 to 100 km, and examine the impact of the seasonality of submesoscale energy on the seasonality and distribution of coherent structures in the North Atlantic. Our results show an overall good agreement between the two models in terms of surface wave number spectra and seasonal variability. The key findings of the paper are that (i) the mean size of ocean eddies show strong seasonality; (ii) this seasonality is associated with an increased population of submesoscale eddies (10�50 km) in winter; and (iii) the net release of available potential energy associated with mixed layer instability is responsible for the emergence of the increased population of submesoscale eddies in wintertime.
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Ali, A., Christensen, K. H., Breivik, Ø., Malila, M., Raj, R. P., Bertino, L., et al. (2019). A comparison of Langmuir turbulence parameterizations and key wave effects in a numerical model of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Ocean Modelling, 137, 76–97.
Abstract: Five different parameterizations of Langmuir turbulence (LT) effect are investigated in a realistic model of the North Atlantic and Arctic using realistic wave forcing from a global wave hindcast. The parameterizations mainly apply an enhancement to the turbulence velocity scale, and/or to the entrainment buoyancy flux in the surface boundary layer. An additional run is also performed with other wave effects to assess the relative importance of Langmuir turbulence, namely the Coriolis-Stokes forcing, Stokes tracer advection and wave-modified momentum fluxes. The default model (without wave effects) underestimates the mixed layer depth in summer and overestimates it at high latitudes in the winter. The results show that adding LT mixing reduces shallow mixed layer depth (MLD) biases, particularly in the subtropics all year-around, and in the Nordic Seas in summer. There is overall a stronger relative impact on the MLD during winter than during summer. In particular, the parameterization with the most vigorous LT effect causes winter MLD increases by more than 50% relative to a control run without Langmuir mixing. On the contrary, the parameterization which assumes LT effects on the entrainment buoyancy flux and accounts for the Stokes penetration depth is able to enhance the mixing in summer more than in winter. This parametrization is also distinct from the others because it restrains the LT mixing in regions of deep MLD biases, so it is the preferred choice for our purpose. The different parameterizations do not change the amplitude or phase of the seasonal cycle of heat content but do influence its long-term trend, which means that the LT can influence the drift of ocean models. The combined impact on water mass properties from the Coriolis-Stokes force, the Stokes drift tracer advection, and the wave-dependent momentum fluxes is negligible compared to the effect from the parameterized Langmuir turbulence.
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Aretxabaleta, A., Blanton, B. O., Seim, H. E., Werner, F. E., Nelson, J. R., & Chassignet, E. P. (2007). Cold event in the South Atlantic Bight during summer of 2003: Model simulations and implications. J. Geophys. Res., 112(C5).
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Arruda, W., Zharkov, V., Deremble, B., Nof, D., & Chassignet, E. (2014). A New Model of Current Retroflection Applied to the Westward Protrusion of the Agulhas Current. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 44(12), 3118–3138.
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Bozec, A., Lozier, M. S., Chassignet, E. P., & Halliwell, G. R. (2011). On the variability of the Mediterranean Outflow Water in the North Atlantic from 1948 to 2006. J. Geophys. Res., 116(C9).
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Brassington, G. B., Martin, M. J., Tolman, H. L., Akella, S., Balmeseda, M., Chambers, C. R. S., et al. (2015). Progress and challenges in short- to medium-range coupled prediction. Journal of Operational Oceanography, 8(sup2), s239–s258.
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Chassignet, E. P., & Marshall, D. P. (2008). Gulf Stream Separation in Numerical Ocean Models. In M. W. Hecht, & H. Hasumi (Eds.), Ocean Modeling in an Eddying Regime. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union.
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Chassignet, E., Cenedese, E., & Verron, J. (2012). Buoyancy-Drivenn Flows. Cambridge University Press.
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Chassignet, E., Hurlburt, H., Metzger, E. J., Smedstad, O., Cummings, J., Halliwell, G., et al. (2009). US GODAE: Global Ocean Prediction with the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Oceanog., 22(2), 64–75.
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Chassignet, E. P., & Xu, X. (2017). Impact of Horizontal Resolution (1/12° to 1/50°) on Gulf Stream Separation, Penetration, and Variability. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 47(8), 1999–2021.
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