Open AccessSimulations of chlorofluorocarbons in and around the Sea of Okhotsk: Effects of tidal mixing and brine rejection on the ventilation
Author(s) -
Uchimoto K.,
Nakamura T.,
Nishioka J.,
Mitsudera H.,
YamamotoKawai M.,
Misumi K.,
Tsumune D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2010jc006487
Subject(s) - brine , oceanography , geology , vertical mixing , mixed layer , seawater , mixing (physics) , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Ventilation of waters in and around the Sea of Okhotsk was investigated using simulations of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the northwestern North Pacific. We used an ocean general circulation model coupled with a sea ice model. The model reproduces the distributions of CFCs similar to observed values and indicates the importance of tidal mixing along the Kuril Islands and brine rejection to ventilation of waters in and around the Sea of Okhotsk. To clarify the role of each process, numerical experiments excluding one of the two processes were carried out. Results show that brine rejection transports CFCs into the intermediate layer as deep as 200–400 m along the path of dense shelf water in the western Sea of Okhotsk, but hardly to other areas and layers. On the other hand, tidal mixing transports CFCs into the intermediate and deeper layers throughout the Sea of Okhotsk. We conclude that the tidal mixing has a greater influence than brine rejection on the ventilation of layers below the winter mixed layer.