Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Energy Exchange between the Mesoscale Oceanic Eddies and Wind-Forced Near-Inertial Oscillations

Zhao Jing Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, and
Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China

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Lixin Wu Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China

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Xiaohui Ma Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, and
Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China

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Print Publication:
01 Mar 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-16-0214.1
Page(s):
721–733
Restricted access

Abstract

In this study, the energy exchange between mesoscale eddies and wind-forced near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) is theoretically analyzed using a slab mixed layer model modified by including the geostrophic flow. In the presence of strain, there is a permanent energy transfer from mesoscale eddies to NIOs forced by isotropic wind stress. The energy transfer efficiency, that is, the ratio of the energy transfer rate to the near-inertial wind work, is proportional to , where S2 is the total strain variance, is the effective Coriolis frequency, and ζ is the relative vorticity. The theories derived from the modified slab mixed layer model are verified by the realistic numerical simulation obtained from a coupled regional climate model (CRCM) configured over the North Pacific. Pronounced energy transfer from mesoscale eddies to wind-forced NIOs is localized in the Kuroshio Extension region associated with both strong near-inertial wind work and strain variance. The energy transfer efficiency in anticyclonic eddies is about twice the value in cyclonic eddies in the Kuroshio Extension region because of the influence of ζ on feff, which may contribute to shaping the dominance of cyclonic eddies than anticyclonic eddies in that region.

Denotes content that is immediately available upon publication as open access.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

© 2017 American Meteorological Society.

Corresponding author e-mail: Zhao Jing, jingzhao198763@tamu.edu

Abstract

In this study, the energy exchange between mesoscale eddies and wind-forced near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) is theoretically analyzed using a slab mixed layer model modified by including the geostrophic flow. In the presence of strain, there is a permanent energy transfer from mesoscale eddies to NIOs forced by isotropic wind stress. The energy transfer efficiency, that is, the ratio of the energy transfer rate to the near-inertial wind work, is proportional to , where S2 is the total strain variance, is the effective Coriolis frequency, and ζ is the relative vorticity. The theories derived from the modified slab mixed layer model are verified by the realistic numerical simulation obtained from a coupled regional climate model (CRCM) configured over the North Pacific. Pronounced energy transfer from mesoscale eddies to wind-forced NIOs is localized in the Kuroshio Extension region associated with both strong near-inertial wind work and strain variance. The energy transfer efficiency in anticyclonic eddies is about twice the value in cyclonic eddies in the Kuroshio Extension region because of the influence of ζ on feff, which may contribute to shaping the dominance of cyclonic eddies than anticyclonic eddies in that region.

Denotes content that is immediately available upon publication as open access.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

© 2017 American Meteorological Society.

Corresponding author e-mail: Zhao Jing, jingzhao198763@tamu.edu
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