Seasonal oceanic variability on meso- and submesoscales: a turbulence perspective

Galperin, Boris; Sukoriansky, Semion; Qiu, Bo

doi:10.1007/s10236-021-01444-1

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Furthermore, as pointed out by Galperin and Sukoriansky (2020) and Galperin et al. (2021), spectral slope alone is insufficient to uniquely identify the dynamics. Amplitudes of the flow variables, level of anisotropy, and the fluxes of the flow variables are inevitable to associate features that are seen in oceanic observations with corresponding physical processes.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the myriads of processes that operate at submesoscales, it is highly nontrivial to separate out the distinct mechanisms that contribute toward steep tracer spectra in above mentioned oceanic regions. Furthermore, as pointed out by Galperin and Sukoriansky (2020) and Galperin et al (2021), spectral slope alone is insufficient to uniquely identify the dynamics. Amplitudes of the flow variables, level of anisotropy, and the fluxes of the flow variables are inevitable to associate features that are seen in oceanic observations with corresponding physical processes.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wave‐Enhanced Tracer Dispersion

Thomas

Gupta

2022

JGR Oceans

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Recent oceanic datasets indicate high gravity wave‐to‐balance energy ratio at submesoscales. Idealized investigations exploring such wave‐dominated regimes have found that waves can break up coherent vortices and generate energetic small scale flow structures, indicating that the turbulence phenomenology is very different in wave‐dominated regimes when compared to the quasi‐geostrophic regime. Motivated by these recent investigations revealing significant differences in the flow dynamics in quasi‐geostrophic and wave‐dominated regimes and multiple oceanic observations pointing out enhanced tracer stirring at submesoscales, in this paper we compare and contrast passive tracer dispersion by barotropic flows in quasi‐geostrophic and wave‐dominated turbulent regimes using the reduced model explored by Thomas and Yamada (2019), https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2019.465. On comparing passive tracer dispersion by barotropic flows in the two different regimes, we find that wave‐dominated turbulent flows stir and mix tracer fields much more rapidly than quasi‐geostrophic turbulent flows that consist of well‐defined coherent vortices. The presence of energetic small‐scale features in wave‐dominated flows increases small‐scale turbulent diffusivity and results in steeper tracer variance spectrum in wave‐dominated flows compared to the quasi‐geostrophic flows. Our findings point out that gravity waves can play an indirect role in enhancing tracer dispersion: waves modify the flow, generating energetic small‐scale structures, that makes stirring of tracers more efficient. Despite our study being idealized, we speculate the qualitative phenomenology of waves indirectly enhancing tracer dispersion to be of significance at submesoscales in the world's oceans.

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave‐Enhanced Tracer Dispersion

Thomas

Gupta

2022

JGR Oceans

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“…New theoretical models have also appeared for describing nonstationary turbulent processes in the atmosphere and ocean. They are based on a spectral approach, confirming, in particular, the absence of a critical Richardson number for describing turbulent-wave processes in a stratified fluid (Sukoriansky et al, 2003(Sukoriansky et al, , 2005bGalperin and Sukoriansky, 2020;Galperin et al, 2021Galperin et al, , 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Similar equations were used in more specific models of formation of the upper turbulent layer (Ostrovsky and Soustova, 1969) and of the action of internal waves on turbulence (Ivanov et al, 1983;Strang and Fernando, 2001;Stretch et al, 2001). However, even that is insufficient to explain many observations in the ocean and atmosphere, where the turbulence is observed at significantly larger R i (Forryan et al, 2013;Avicola et al, 2007;Galperin et al, 2021). New theoretical models have also appeared for describing nonstationary turbulent processes in the atmosphere and ocean.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of small-scale turbulence at large Richardson numbers

Ostrovsky,

Soustova,

Troitskaya

et al. 2024

Nonlin. Processes Geophys.

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Abstract. The theory of stratified turbulent flow developed earlier by the authors is applied to data from different areas of the ocean. It is shown that turbulence can be amplified and supported even at large gradient Richardson numbers. The cause of that is the exchange between kinetic and potential energies of turbulence. Using the profiles of Brunt–Väisälä frequency and vertical current shear given in Forryan et al. (2013), the profiles of the kinetic energy dissipation rate are calculated. The results are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.

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“…In the presence of transient waves, it is possible for the EDQNM closure to have unphysical behaviour and blow up (Bowman et al, 1993 [67]). To avoid this, the steady state form of the triad relaxation function has often then been used [46,[68][69][70] or modified quasi-normal Markovian closures employed [71,72].…”

Section: Markovian Statistical Closure Theories Without Wavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Realizable Eddy Damped Markovian Anisotropic Closure for Turbulence and Rossby Wave Interactions

Frederiksen

O’Kane

2023

Atmosphere

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A realizable Eddy Damped Markovian Anisotropic Closure (EDMAC) is presented for the interaction of two-dimensional turbulence and transient waves such as Rossby waves. The structure of the EDMAC ensures that it is as computationally efficient as the eddy damped quasi normal Markovian (EDQNM) closure but, unlike the EDQNM, is guaranteed to be realizable in the presence of transient waves. Jack Herring’s important contributions to laying the foundations of statistical dynamical closure theories of fluid turbulence are briefly reviewed. The topics covered include equilibrium statistical mechanics, Eulerian and quasi-Lagrangian statistical dynamical closure theories, and the statistical dynamics of interactions of turbulence with topography. The impact of Herring’s work is described and placed in the context of related developments. Some of the further works that have built upon Herring’s foundations are discussed. The relationships between theoretical approaches employed in statistical classical and quantum field theories, and their overlap, are outlined. The seminal advances made by the pioneers in strong interaction fluid turbulence theory are put in perspective by comparing related developments in strong interaction quantum field theory.

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Seasonal oceanic variability on meso- and submesoscales: a turbulence perspective

Cited by 11 publications

References 77 publications

Wave‐Enhanced Tracer Dispersion

Wave‐Enhanced Tracer Dispersion

Evolution of small-scale turbulence at large Richardson numbers

Realizable Eddy Damped Markovian Anisotropic Closure for Turbulence and Rossby Wave Interactions

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