Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2019

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[E] Oral

A (Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences ) » A-OS Ocean Sciences & Ocean Environment

[A-OS09] Ocean Mixing Processes: Impact on Biogeochemistry, Climate and Ecosystem

Sun. May 26, 2019 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM 303 (3F)

convener:Ichiro Yasuda(Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo), Toshiyuki Hibiya(Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo), Jun Nishioka(Hokkaido University, Institute of low temperature sciences), Shin-ichi Ito(Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo), Chairperson:Shin-Ichi Ito(The University of Tokyo)

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM

[AOS09-12] What can horizontal stirring tell us about vertical mixing?

★Invited Papers

*Sylvia T Cole1 (1.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Keywords:Global Ocean, Mesoscale dynamics, Tracer distributions

Basin-scale tracer distributions are influenced by horizontal stirring and eddy diffusivity. Eddy diffusivity estimated from Argo temperature and salinity profiles together with ECCO-2 eddy kinetic energy has been updated to include additional years of data, finer horizontal resolution, and a formal error estimate. Assumptions related to vertical mixing inherent in the method for estimating eddy diffusivity are tested. Near the surface, thermohaline structure is influenced by the atmosphere more so than either horizontal stirring or vertical mixing. Locally, vertical mixing is responsible for setting thermohaline structure where large-scale horizontal gradients are weak. The equatorial regions are particularly influenced by these imprints of vertical mixing. Implications for ocean dynamics and numerical modeling are discussed.