A Perspective on Submesoscale Geophysical Turbulence

McWilliams, James C.

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0360-5_11

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Later, meanders and eddies develop along the front and slumping accelerates as a result of baroclinic instability [ Fox‐Kemper et al , 2008]. Other forms of instability have also been reported when the lateral shear at the front is particularly intense [ McWilliams , 2010]. Regardless of the details of specific processes, the instabilities typically result in restratification and suppression of vertical mixing within the turbulent boundary layer (i.e., a strong decrease of k z in ).…”

Section: Submesoscale Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bringing physics to life at the submesoscale

Lévy¹,

Ferrari²,

Franks³

et al. 2012

Geophysical Research Letters

396

339

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International audienceA common dynamical paradigm is that turbulence in the upper ocean is dominated by three classes of motion: mesoscale geostrophic eddies, internal waves and microscale three-dimensional turbulence. Close to the ocean surface, however, a fourth class of turbulent motion is important: submesoscale frontal dynamics. These have a horizontal scale of O(1-10) km, a vertical scale of O(100) m, and a time scale of O(1) day. Here we review the physical-chemical-biological dynamics of submesoscale features, and discuss strategies for sampling them. Submesoscale fronts arise dynamically through nonlinear instabilities of the mesoscale currents. They are ephemeral, lasting only a few days after they are formed. Strong submesoscale vertical velocities can drive episodic nutrient pulses to the euphotic zone, and subduct organic carbon into the ocean's interior. The reduction of vertical mixing at submesoscale fronts can locally increase the mean time that photosynthetic organisms spend in the well-lit euphotic layer and promote primary production. Horizontal stirring can create intense patchiness in planktonic species. Submesoscale dynamics therefore can change not only primary and export production, but also the structure and the functioning of the planktonic ecosystem. Because of their short time and space scales, sampling of submesoscale features requires new technologies and approaches. This paper presents a critical overview of current knowledge to focus attention and hopefully interest on the pressing scientific questions concerning these dynamics

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Section: Submesoscale Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bringing physics to life at the submesoscale

Lévy¹,

Ferrari²,

Franks³

et al. 2012

Geophysical Research Letters

396

339

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Submesoscale spiral eddies of the order of 10 km have been frequently observed in different regions over the world ocean since they were first seen in the sun‐glitter from the Apollo Mission in 1968 (e.g., Buckingham et al., 2017; Munk et al., 2000; Shen & Evans, 2002). Although submesoscale eddies are believed to be important for upper ocean dynamics and biogeochemical processes (Haine & Marshall, 1998; Mahadevan, 2016; McWilliams, 2010; Munk et al., 2000), progress in characterizing and understanding them has been slow because the resolutions of in‐situ ocean measurements and satellite altimetry observations are typically too coarse to resolve these small‐scale and short‐lifetime eddies. One way to overcome this obstacle is to utilize other satellite remote sensing data, such as sea surface temperature (SST) and near‐surface chlorophyll, which is available at high resolution and wide coverage (Buckingham et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2014; Munk et al., 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Submesoscale Eddies in the South China Sea

Zhai

Wilson

et al. 2021

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…In addition to being difficult to observe, submesoscale currents are difficult to theoretically describe (e.g., McWilliams, 2010;McWilliams, 2017). As a result, developments in our understanding have been largely driven by numerical simulations (McWilliams, 2019).…”

Section: Submesoscale Currentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Next Decade of Seismic Oceanography: Possibilities, Challenges and Solutions

Dickinson

Gunn²

2022

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Seismic reflection profiling of thermohaline structure has the potential to transform our understanding of oceanic mixing and circulation. This profiling, which is known as seismic oceanography, yields acoustic images that extend from the sea surface to the sea bed and which span horizontal distances of hundreds of kilometers. Changes in temperature and salinity are detected in two, and sometimes three, dimensions at spatial resolutions of ~O(10) m. Due to its unique combination of extensive coverage and high spatial resolution, seismic oceanography is ideally placed to characterize the processes that sustain oceanic circulation by transferring energy between basin-scale currents and turbulent flow. To date, more than one hundred research papers have exploited seismic oceanographic data to gain insight into phenomena as varied as eddy formation, internal waves, and turbulent mixing. However, despite its promise, seismic oceanography suffers from three practical disadvantages that have slowed its development into a widely accepted tool. First, acquisition of high-quality data is expensive and logistically challenging. Second, it has proven difficult to obtain independent observational constraints that can be used to benchmark seismic oceanographic results. Third, computational workflows have not been standardized and made widely available. In addition to these practical challenges, the field has struggled to identify pressing scientific questions that it can systematically address. It thus remains a curiosity to many oceanographers. We suggest ways in which the practical challenges can be addressed through development of shared resources, and outline how these resources can be used to tackle important problems in physical oceanography. With this collaborative approach, seismic oceanography can become a key member of the next generation of methods for observing the ocean.

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A Perspective on Submesoscale Geophysical Turbulence

Cited by 6 publications

References 26 publications

Bringing physics to life at the submesoscale

Bringing physics to life at the submesoscale

Submesoscale Eddies in the South China Sea

The Next Decade of Seismic Oceanography: Possibilities, Challenges and Solutions

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