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Thermohaline Suppression of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water Eddies in the Ross Gyre
Author(s) -
Bebieva Yana,
Speer Kevin
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2021gl094476
Subject(s) - ocean gyre , geology , thermohaline circulation , eddy , geophysics , eddy diffusion , climatology , oceanography , circumpolar deep water , atmospheric sciences , turbulence , north atlantic deep water , meteorology , subtropics , physics , fishery , biology
Temperature and salinity measurements of a warm‐core eddy at the northern flank of the Ross Gyre are analyzed for dominant mixing mechanisms. The eddy is centered at the depths of the Circumpolar Deep Water and carries heat towards the gyre. Vertical and horizontal heat fluxes out of the eddy associated with internal wave turbulent mixing and thermohaline intrusions are estimated. Upward internal wave turbulent heat flux is O ( 100 ) W / m 2 , whereas, the lateral intrusive heat flux is of the order of O ( 1000 ) W / m 2 . The horizontal flux due to intrusions is suggested to be the dominant mechanism for eddy decay and yields an eddy lifetime of about 6 months. The thermohaline intrusion‐eddy suppression mechanism is proposed and shown to be effective in suppressing the eddy field at the northern flank of the Ross Gyre. This effect has important implications for setting the basin‐wide heat budget and regulating sea‐ice cover.