The Impact of Parameterized Lateral Mixing on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in a Coupled Climate Model
Abstract
This study examines the impact of changing the lateral diffusion coefficient A Redi on the transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The lateral diffusion coefficient A Redi is poorly constrained, with values ranging across an order of magnitude in climate models. The ACC is difficult to accurately simulate, and there is a large spread in eastward transport in the Southern Ocean (SO) in these models. This paper examines how much of that spread can be attributed to different eddy parameterization coefficients. A coarse-resolution, fully coupled model suite was run with A Redi = 400, 800, 1200, and 2400 m 2 s −1 . Additionally, two simulations were run with two-dimensional representations of the mixing coefficient based on satellite altimetry. Relative to the 400 m 2 s −1 case, the 2400 m 2 s −1 case exhibits 1) an 11% decrease in average wind stress from 50° to 65°S, 2) a 20% decrease in zonally averaged eastward transport in the SO, and 3) a 14% weaker transport through the Drake Passage. The decrease in transport is well explained by changes in the thermal current shear, largely due to increases in ocean density occurring on the northern side of the ACC.more »
- Authors:
-
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1607828
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1803713
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0019344
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article: Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physical Oceanography
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Journal of Physical Oceanography Journal Volume: 50 Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3670
- Publisher:
- American Meteorological Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Oceanography; Eddies; Isopycnal mixing; Mesoscale processes; Climate models; Parameterization; Subgrid-scale processes
Citation Formats
Ragen, Sarah, Pradal, Marie-Aude, and Gnanadesikan, Anand. The Impact of Parameterized Lateral Mixing on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in a Coupled Climate Model. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1175/JPO-D-19-0249.1.
Ragen, Sarah, Pradal, Marie-Aude, & Gnanadesikan, Anand. The Impact of Parameterized Lateral Mixing on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in a Coupled Climate Model. United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-19-0249.1
Ragen, Sarah, Pradal, Marie-Aude, and Gnanadesikan, Anand. 2020.
"The Impact of Parameterized Lateral Mixing on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in a Coupled Climate Model". United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-19-0249.1.
@article{osti_1607828,
title = {The Impact of Parameterized Lateral Mixing on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in a Coupled Climate Model},
author = {Ragen, Sarah and Pradal, Marie-Aude and Gnanadesikan, Anand},
abstractNote = {This study examines the impact of changing the lateral diffusion coefficient A Redi on the transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The lateral diffusion coefficient A Redi is poorly constrained, with values ranging across an order of magnitude in climate models. The ACC is difficult to accurately simulate, and there is a large spread in eastward transport in the Southern Ocean (SO) in these models. This paper examines how much of that spread can be attributed to different eddy parameterization coefficients. A coarse-resolution, fully coupled model suite was run with A Redi = 400, 800, 1200, and 2400 m 2 s −1 . Additionally, two simulations were run with two-dimensional representations of the mixing coefficient based on satellite altimetry. Relative to the 400 m 2 s −1 case, the 2400 m 2 s −1 case exhibits 1) an 11% decrease in average wind stress from 50° to 65°S, 2) a 20% decrease in zonally averaged eastward transport in the SO, and 3) a 14% weaker transport through the Drake Passage. The decrease in transport is well explained by changes in the thermal current shear, largely due to increases in ocean density occurring on the northern side of the ACC. In intermediate waters these increases are associated with changes in the formation of intermediate waters in the North Pacific. We hypothesize that the deep increases are associated with changes in the wind stress curl allowing Antarctic Bottom Water to escape and flow northward.},
doi = {10.1175/JPO-D-19-0249.1},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1607828},
journal = {Journal of Physical Oceanography},
issn = {0022-3670},
number = 4,
volume = 50,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
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