A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue

Shi, Yanyan; Wang, Bin; Huang, Wenyu

doi:10.1002/asl.728

Title: A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue

Abstract

Wind forcing is one of the most important sources for the oceanic energy cycle and is especially critical to the heat budget of surface mixed layer. The sensitivity of heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue (EACT) region (5°S–5°N, 25°W–5°E) to wind forcing and the related mechanism are explored in this study. Based on the experiments forced by different wind forcing from both reanalysis and idealized datasets, it is revealed that the contribution ratio for each of the dominant physical processes in the heat budget is insensitive (the variations within 1% of the mean) to the variations in the local winds (the largest variation is about 20% of the mean) over the EACT region. Therefore, a ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism exists in the mixed-layer heat budget: as local zonal winds over the EACT region strengthen (weaken), both the cooling effects of turbulent mixing and the combined warming effects of surface net heat flux and zonal advection simultaneously increase (decrease) by nearly the same percentage and thus their contribution ratios are kept constant. Finally, owing to the impact of meridional winds on each term of heat budget can be neglected, the above mechanism is also tenable under the situation when the localmore » meridional winds change.« less

Authors:

Shi, Yanyan ^[1]; Wang, Bin ^[2]; Huang, Wenyu ^[1]

Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China)
Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

Publication Date:: Fri Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2017

Research Org.:: Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

OSTI Identifier:: 1358432

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0009988

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Atmospheric Science Letters

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1530-261X

Publisher:: Royal Meteorological Society

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; sea-surface temperature; African monsoon; ocean dynamics; annual cycle; reanalysis; Pacific; model; sensitivity; simulations; level; self-adjustment; mixed-layer heat budget; wind forcing; equatorial Atlantic cold tongue

Citation Formats


                    Shi, Yanyan, Wang, Bin, and Huang, Wenyu. A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1002/asl.728.

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                    Shi, Yanyan, Wang, Bin, & Huang, Wenyu. A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.728

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                    Shi, Yanyan, Wang, Bin, and Huang, Wenyu. Fri .  
"A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.728.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1358432.

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@article{osti_1358432,

  title        = {A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue},

  author       = {Shi, Yanyan and Wang, Bin and Huang, Wenyu},

  abstractNote = {Wind forcing is one of the most important sources for the oceanic energy cycle and is especially critical to the heat budget of surface mixed layer. The sensitivity of heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue (EACT) region (5°S–5°N, 25°W–5°E) to wind forcing and the related mechanism are explored in this study. Based on the experiments forced by different wind forcing from both reanalysis and idealized datasets, it is revealed that the contribution ratio for each of the dominant physical processes in the heat budget is insensitive (the variations within 1% of the mean) to the variations in the local winds (the largest variation is about 20% of the mean) over the EACT region. Therefore, a ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism exists in the mixed-layer heat budget: as local zonal winds over the EACT region strengthen (weaken), both the cooling effects of turbulent mixing and the combined warming effects of surface net heat flux and zonal advection simultaneously increase (decrease) by nearly the same percentage and thus their contribution ratios are kept constant. Finally, owing to the impact of meridional winds on each term of heat budget can be neglected, the above mechanism is also tenable under the situation when the local meridional winds change.},

  doi          = {10.1002/asl.728},

  journal      = {Atmospheric Science Letters},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 18,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2017},

  month        = {Fri Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2017}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

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Seasonal influence of the sea surface temperature on the low atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the eastern equatorial Atlantic
journal, November 2015

Meynadier, Rémi; de Coëtlogon, Gaëlle; Leduc-Leballeur, Marion
Climate Dynamics, Vol. 47, Issue 3-4
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Sensitivity of mixed layer heat budgets to wind forcing: A case study for the equatorial Pacific cold tongue
journal, January 2009

Cravatte, Sophie; Menkes, Christophe
Ocean Modelling, Vol. 29, Issue 3
DOI: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2009.04.005

North Atlantic simulations in Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments phase II (CORE-II). Part I: Mean states
journal, January 2014

Danabasoglu, Gokhan; Yeager, Steve G.; Bailey, David
Ocean Modelling, Vol. 73
DOI: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2013.10.005

An assessment of global and regional sea level for years 1993–2007 in a suite of interannual CORE-II simulations
journal, June 2014

Griffies, Stephen M.; Yin, Jianjun; Durack, Paul J.
Ocean Modelling, Vol. 78
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NCEP–DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2)
journal, November 2002

Kanamitsu, Masao; Ebisuzaki, Wesley; Woollen, Jack
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 83, Issue 11
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Origin of Warm SST Bias over the Atlantic Cold Tongue in the Coupled Climate Model FGOALS-g2
journal, July 2018

Shi, Yanyan; Huang, Wenyu; Wang, Bin
Atmosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 7
DOI: 10.3390/atmos9070275

Origin of Warm SST Bias over the Atlantic Cold Tongue in the Coupled Climate Model FGOALS-g2
journal, July 2018

Shi, Yanyan; Huang, Wenyu; Wang, Bin
Atmosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 7
DOI: 10.3390/atmos9070275

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Similar Records

Title: A ‘self-adjustment’ mechanism for mixed-layer heat budget in the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue

Abstract

Citation Formats

Equatorial upper-ocean dynamics and their interaction with the West African monsoon journal, August 2010

Annual cycle of sea surface temperature in the tropical Atlantic Ocean journal, December 1997

Sensitivity of mixed layer heat budgets to wind forcing: A case study for the equatorial Pacific cold tongue journal, January 2009

North Atlantic simulations in Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments phase II (CORE-II). Part I: Mean states journal, January 2014

The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system journal, April 2011

The sensitivity of a global ocean model to wind forcing: A test using sea level and wind observations from satellites and operational wind analysis journal, July 1997

An assessment of global and regional sea level for years 1993–2007 in a suite of interannual CORE-II simulations journal, June 2014

Tropical Atlantic Biases in CCSM4 journal, June 2012

Thermal structure along 4°W in the Gulf of Guinea during 1983–1984 journal, January 1986

NCEP–DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2) journal, November 2002

The global climatology of an interannually varying air–sea flux data set journal, August 2008

Origins of tropical-wide SST biases in CMIP multi-model ensembles: TROPICAL-WIDE SST BIASES IN MODELS journal, November 2012

Responses of the tropical Pacific to wind forcing as observed by spaceborne sensors and simulated by an ocean general circulation model journal, July 1996

A Modeling Study of the Impact of Tropical Instability Waves on the Heat Budget of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific journal, May 2006

Seasonal influence of the sea surface temperature on the low atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the eastern equatorial Atlantic journal, November 2015

The Annual Cycle in Equatorial Convection and Sea Surface Temperature journal, October 1992

Interaction of the Atlantic Equatorial Cold Tongue and the African Monsoon* journal, September 2004

Climate model biases in the eastern tropical oceans: causes, impacts and ways forward: Climate model biases in the eastern tropical oceans journal, March 2015

Tropical Atlantic biases and their relation to surface wind stress and terrestrial precipitation journal, March 2011

The ERA-40 re-analysis journal, October 2005

Seasonal influence of the sea surface temperature on the low atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the eastern equatorial Atlantic journal, November 2015

Sensitivity of mixed layer heat budgets to wind forcing: A case study for the equatorial Pacific cold tongue journal, January 2009

North Atlantic simulations in Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments phase II (CORE-II). Part I: Mean states journal, January 2014

An assessment of global and regional sea level for years 1993–2007 in a suite of interannual CORE-II simulations journal, June 2014

NCEP–DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2) journal, November 2002

Origin of Warm SST Bias over the Atlantic Cold Tongue in the Coupled Climate Model FGOALS-g2 journal, July 2018

Origin of Warm SST Bias over the Atlantic Cold Tongue in the Coupled Climate Model FGOALS-g2 journal, July 2018

Equatorial upper-ocean dynamics and their interaction with the West African monsoon
journal, August 2010

Annual cycle of sea surface temperature in the tropical Atlantic Ocean
journal, December 1997

Sensitivity of mixed layer heat budgets to wind forcing: A case study for the equatorial Pacific cold tongue
journal, January 2009

North Atlantic simulations in Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments phase II (CORE-II). Part I: Mean states
journal, January 2014

The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system
journal, April 2011

The sensitivity of a global ocean model to wind forcing: A test using sea level and wind observations from satellites and operational wind analysis
journal, July 1997

An assessment of global and regional sea level for years 1993–2007 in a suite of interannual CORE-II simulations
journal, June 2014

Tropical Atlantic Biases in CCSM4
journal, June 2012

Thermal structure along 4°W in the Gulf of Guinea during 1983–1984
journal, January 1986

NCEP–DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2)
journal, November 2002

The global climatology of an interannually varying air–sea flux data set
journal, August 2008

Origins of tropical-wide SST biases in CMIP multi-model ensembles: TROPICAL-WIDE SST BIASES IN MODELS
journal, November 2012

Responses of the tropical Pacific to wind forcing as observed by spaceborne sensors and simulated by an ocean general circulation model
journal, July 1996

A Modeling Study of the Impact of Tropical Instability Waves on the Heat Budget of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific
journal, May 2006

Seasonal influence of the sea surface temperature on the low atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the eastern equatorial Atlantic
journal, November 2015

The Annual Cycle in Equatorial Convection and Sea Surface Temperature
journal, October 1992

Interaction of the Atlantic Equatorial Cold Tongue and the African Monsoon*
journal, September 2004

Climate model biases in the eastern tropical oceans: causes, impacts and ways forward: Climate model biases in the eastern tropical oceans
journal, March 2015

Tropical Atlantic biases and their relation to surface wind stress and terrestrial precipitation
journal, March 2011

The ERA-40 re-analysis
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Seasonal influence of the sea surface temperature on the low atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the eastern equatorial Atlantic
journal, November 2015

Sensitivity of mixed layer heat budgets to wind forcing: A case study for the equatorial Pacific cold tongue
journal, January 2009

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journal, January 2014

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journal, June 2014

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journal, November 2002

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