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Anomalous chlorofluorocarbon uptake by mesoscale eddies in the D rake P assage region
Author(s) -
Song Hajoon,
Marshall John,
Gaube Peter,
McGillicuddy Dennis J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2014jc010292
Subject(s) - mesoscale meteorology , eddy , anticyclone , mixed layer , flux (metallurgy) , atmospheric sciences , sea surface temperature , climatology , anomaly (physics) , geology , chemistry , meteorology , turbulence , physics , organic chemistry , condensed matter physics
The role of mesoscale eddies in the uptake of anthropogenic chlorofluorocarbon‐11 (CFC‐11) gas is investigated with a 1/20° eddy‐resolving numerical ocean model of a region of the Southern Ocean. With a relatively fast air‐sea equilibrium time scale (about a month), the air‐sea CFC‐11 flux quickly responds to the changes in the mixed layer CFC‐11 partial pressure ( p CFC‐11). At the mesoscale, significant correlations are observed between p CFC‐11 anomaly, anomalies in sea surface temperature (SST), net heat flux, and mixed layer depth. An eddy‐centric analysis of the simulated CFC‐11 field suggests that anticyclonic warm‐core eddies generate negative p CFC‐11 anomalies and cyclonic cold‐core eddies generate positive anomalies of p CFC‐11. Surface p CFC‐11 is modulated by mixed layer dynamics in addition to CFC‐11 air‐sea fluxes. A negative cross correlation between mixed layer depth and surface p CFC‐11 anomalies is linked to higher CFC‐11 uptake in anticyclones and lower CFC‐11 uptake in cyclones, especially in winter. An almost exact asymmetry in the air‐sea CFC‐11 flux between cyclones and anticyclones is found.