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Role of mixed layer depth in surface frontogenesis: The Agulhas Return Current front
Author(s) -
Tozuka Tomoki,
Cronin Meghan F.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl059624
Subject(s) - frontogenesis , front (military) , geology , mixed layer , current (fluid) , climatology , oceanography , layer (electronics) , meteorology , geography , mesoscale meteorology , materials science , composite material
Air‐sea interaction processes that modify the sea surface temperature (SST) front in the Agulhas Return Current region (between 40°E and 55°E) during austral summer and winter are examined using observational data and output from a high‐resolution ocean general circulation model. While the air‐sea heat flux frontal variations tend to relax the SST front, the frontolysis is amplified (damped) in summer (winter) when frontal variations in the mixed layer depth (MLD) are incorporated. The stronger (weaker) frontolysis associated with the MLD variations is due to the fact that the warming (cooling) by the surface heat flux is amplified south of the front where the MLD is shallower and is reduced north of the front where the MLD is deeper. This study is the first to show that the MLD variations play an important role in affecting the strength of the SST front.