Search Results
You are looking at 1 - 10 of 10 items for
- Author or Editor: Hemantha W. Wijesekera x
- Refine by Access: All Content x
Abstract
It has been recognized that modulated wave groups trigger wave breaking and generate energy dissipation events on the ocean surface. Quantitative examination of wave-breaking events and associated turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rates within a modulated wave group in the open ocean is not a trivial task. To address this challenging topic, a set of laboratory experiments was carried out in an outdoor facility, the Oil and Hazardous Material Simulated Environment Test Tank (203 m long, 20 m wide, 3.5 m deep). TKE dissipation rates at multiple depths were estimated directly while moving the sensor platform at a speed of about 0.53 m s−1 toward incoming wave groups generated by the wave maker. The largest TKE dissipation rates and significant whitecaps were found at or near the center of wave groups where steepening waves approached the geometric limit of waves. The TKE dissipation rate was O(10−2) W kg−1 during wave breaking, which is two to three orders of magnitude larger than before and after wave breaking. The enhanced TKE dissipation rate was limited to a layer of half the wave height in depth. Observations indicate that the impact of wave breaking was not significant at depths deeper than one wave height from the surface. The TKE dissipation rate of breaking waves within wave groups can be parameterized by local wave phase speed with a proportionality breaking strength coefficient dependent on local steepness. The characterization of energy dissipation in wave groups from local wave properties will enable a better determination of near-surface TKE dissipation of breaking waves.
Abstract
It has been recognized that modulated wave groups trigger wave breaking and generate energy dissipation events on the ocean surface. Quantitative examination of wave-breaking events and associated turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rates within a modulated wave group in the open ocean is not a trivial task. To address this challenging topic, a set of laboratory experiments was carried out in an outdoor facility, the Oil and Hazardous Material Simulated Environment Test Tank (203 m long, 20 m wide, 3.5 m deep). TKE dissipation rates at multiple depths were estimated directly while moving the sensor platform at a speed of about 0.53 m s−1 toward incoming wave groups generated by the wave maker. The largest TKE dissipation rates and significant whitecaps were found at or near the center of wave groups where steepening waves approached the geometric limit of waves. The TKE dissipation rate was O(10−2) W kg−1 during wave breaking, which is two to three orders of magnitude larger than before and after wave breaking. The enhanced TKE dissipation rate was limited to a layer of half the wave height in depth. Observations indicate that the impact of wave breaking was not significant at depths deeper than one wave height from the surface. The TKE dissipation rate of breaking waves within wave groups can be parameterized by local wave phase speed with a proportionality breaking strength coefficient dependent on local steepness. The characterization of energy dissipation in wave groups from local wave properties will enable a better determination of near-surface TKE dissipation of breaking waves.
Abstract
A three-dimensional large-eddy simulation (LES) model was used to examine how stratified flow interacts with bottom obstacles in the coastal ocean. Bottom terrain representing a 2D ridge was modeled using a finite-volume approach with ridge height (4.5 m) and width (∼30 m) and water depth (∼45 m) appropriate for coastal regions. Temperature and salinity profiles representative of coastal conditions giving constant buoyancy frequency were applied with flow velocities between 0.16 and 0.4 m s−1. Simulations using a free-slip lower boundary yielded flow responses ranging from transition flows with relatively high internal wave pressure drag to supercritical flow with relatively small internal wave drag. Cases with high wave drag exhibited strong lee-wave systems with wavelength of ∼100 m and regions of turbulent overturning. Application of bottom drag caused a 5–10-m-thick bottom boundary layer to form, which greatly reduced the strength of lee-wave systems in the transition cases. A final simulation with bottom drag, but with a much larger obstacle height (16 m) and width (∼400 m), produced a stronger lee-wave response, indicating that large obstacle flow is not influenced as much by bottom roughness. Flow characteristics for the larger obstacle were more similar to hydraulic flow, with lee waves that are relatively short in comparison with the obstacle width. The relatively strong effect of bottom roughness on the small obstacle wave drag suggests that small-scale bottom variations may be ignored in internal wave drag parameterizations. However, the more significant wave drag from larger-scale obstacles must still be considered and may be responsible for mixing and momentum transfer at distances far from the obstacle source.
Abstract
A three-dimensional large-eddy simulation (LES) model was used to examine how stratified flow interacts with bottom obstacles in the coastal ocean. Bottom terrain representing a 2D ridge was modeled using a finite-volume approach with ridge height (4.5 m) and width (∼30 m) and water depth (∼45 m) appropriate for coastal regions. Temperature and salinity profiles representative of coastal conditions giving constant buoyancy frequency were applied with flow velocities between 0.16 and 0.4 m s−1. Simulations using a free-slip lower boundary yielded flow responses ranging from transition flows with relatively high internal wave pressure drag to supercritical flow with relatively small internal wave drag. Cases with high wave drag exhibited strong lee-wave systems with wavelength of ∼100 m and regions of turbulent overturning. Application of bottom drag caused a 5–10-m-thick bottom boundary layer to form, which greatly reduced the strength of lee-wave systems in the transition cases. A final simulation with bottom drag, but with a much larger obstacle height (16 m) and width (∼400 m), produced a stronger lee-wave response, indicating that large obstacle flow is not influenced as much by bottom roughness. Flow characteristics for the larger obstacle were more similar to hydraulic flow, with lee waves that are relatively short in comparison with the obstacle width. The relatively strong effect of bottom roughness on the small obstacle wave drag suggests that small-scale bottom variations may be ignored in internal wave drag parameterizations. However, the more significant wave drag from larger-scale obstacles must still be considered and may be responsible for mixing and momentum transfer at distances far from the obstacle source.
Abstract
Velocity, hydrographic, and microstructure observations collected under moderate to high winds, large surface waves, and significant ocean-surface heat losses were utilized to examine coherent velocity structures (CVS) and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in the mixed layer on the outer shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico in February 2017. The CVS exhibited larger downward velocities in downwelling regions and weaker upward velocities in broader upwelling regions, elevated vertical velocity variance, vertical velocity maxima in the upper part of the mixed layer, and phasing of crosswind velocities relative to vertical velocities near the base of the mixed layer. Temporal scales ranged from 10 to 40 min, and estimated lateral scales ranged from 90 to 430 m, which were 1.5–6 times as large as the mixed layer depth. Nondimensional parameters, Langmuir and Hoenikker numbers, indicated that plausible forcing mechanisms were surface-wave-driven Langmuir vortex and destabilizing surface buoyancy flux. The rate of change of TKE, shear production, Stokes production, buoyancy production, vertical transport of TKE, and dissipation in the TKE budget were evaluated. The shear and Stokes productions, dissipation, and vertical transport of TKE were the dominant terms. The buoyancy production term was important at the sea surface, but it decreased rapidly in the interior. A large imbalance term was found under the unstable, high-wind, and high–sea state conditions. The cause of this imbalance cannot be determined with certainty through analyses of the available observations; however, our speculation is that the pressure transport is significant under these conditions.
Abstract
Velocity, hydrographic, and microstructure observations collected under moderate to high winds, large surface waves, and significant ocean-surface heat losses were utilized to examine coherent velocity structures (CVS) and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in the mixed layer on the outer shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico in February 2017. The CVS exhibited larger downward velocities in downwelling regions and weaker upward velocities in broader upwelling regions, elevated vertical velocity variance, vertical velocity maxima in the upper part of the mixed layer, and phasing of crosswind velocities relative to vertical velocities near the base of the mixed layer. Temporal scales ranged from 10 to 40 min, and estimated lateral scales ranged from 90 to 430 m, which were 1.5–6 times as large as the mixed layer depth. Nondimensional parameters, Langmuir and Hoenikker numbers, indicated that plausible forcing mechanisms were surface-wave-driven Langmuir vortex and destabilizing surface buoyancy flux. The rate of change of TKE, shear production, Stokes production, buoyancy production, vertical transport of TKE, and dissipation in the TKE budget were evaluated. The shear and Stokes productions, dissipation, and vertical transport of TKE were the dominant terms. The buoyancy production term was important at the sea surface, but it decreased rapidly in the interior. A large imbalance term was found under the unstable, high-wind, and high–sea state conditions. The cause of this imbalance cannot be determined with certainty through analyses of the available observations; however, our speculation is that the pressure transport is significant under these conditions.
Abstract
Evolution of a thermally stratified diurnal warm layer (DWL), including the formation and decay of a daytime surface-layer jet, high-frequency internal waves, and mixing were examined from observations collected during July 2016, near 93.75°W, 28°N, on the outer Louisiana–Texas continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, when the ocean surface was experiencing a weak sea breeze (<5 m s−1) and strong solar insolation. While winds and surface waves were weak, the DWL was formed with stratification strengthening and stability frequency reaching 14 cycles per hour at 2-m depth, while inhibiting turbulence below the DWL. A surface-intensified jet developed during afternoon hours. The jet, oriented to the right of the wind stress with a speed of about 10 cm s−1 at 2 m, veered and decreased with depth. The magnitude of the diurnal jet was correlated with the heat content anomaly in the DWL. Internal waves with periods ranging from 5 min to 4 h were observed in the upper 4 m. Temperature fluctuations were ~ ±0.2°C, and the corresponding vertical displacements varied from 0.5 to 1 m. These fluctuations appeared during afternoon hours when the Richardson number dropped below the critical value of 0.25 followed by energetic mixing. The daytime jet and the high-frequency fluctuations disappeared a few hours after sunset. Internal waves were likely excited by Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and by surface wave and internal wave interactions. Mixing resulting from the dissipation of daytime internal waves is an important factor in regulating sea surface temperature in the DWL.
Abstract
Evolution of a thermally stratified diurnal warm layer (DWL), including the formation and decay of a daytime surface-layer jet, high-frequency internal waves, and mixing were examined from observations collected during July 2016, near 93.75°W, 28°N, on the outer Louisiana–Texas continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, when the ocean surface was experiencing a weak sea breeze (<5 m s−1) and strong solar insolation. While winds and surface waves were weak, the DWL was formed with stratification strengthening and stability frequency reaching 14 cycles per hour at 2-m depth, while inhibiting turbulence below the DWL. A surface-intensified jet developed during afternoon hours. The jet, oriented to the right of the wind stress with a speed of about 10 cm s−1 at 2 m, veered and decreased with depth. The magnitude of the diurnal jet was correlated with the heat content anomaly in the DWL. Internal waves with periods ranging from 5 min to 4 h were observed in the upper 4 m. Temperature fluctuations were ~ ±0.2°C, and the corresponding vertical displacements varied from 0.5 to 1 m. These fluctuations appeared during afternoon hours when the Richardson number dropped below the critical value of 0.25 followed by energetic mixing. The daytime jet and the high-frequency fluctuations disappeared a few hours after sunset. Internal waves were likely excited by Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and by surface wave and internal wave interactions. Mixing resulting from the dissipation of daytime internal waves is an important factor in regulating sea surface temperature in the DWL.
Abstract
Turbulent mixing adjacent to the Velasco Reef and Kyushu–Palau Ridge, off northern Palau in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean, is examined using shipboard and moored observations. The study focuses on a 9-day-long, ship-based microstructure and velocity survey, conducted in November–December 2016. Several sections (9–15 km in length) of microstructure, hydrographic, and velocity fields were acquired over and around the reef, where water depths ranged from 50 to 3000 m. Microstructure profiles were collected while steaming slowly either toward or away from the reef, and underway current surveys were conducted along quasi-rectangular boxes with side lengths of 5–10 km. Near the reef, both tidal and subtidal motions were important, while subtidal motions were stronger away from the reef. Vertical shears of currents and mixing were stronger on the northern and eastern flanks of the reef than on the western flanks. High turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates, 10−6–10−4 W kg−1, and large values of eddy diffusivities, 10−4–10−2 m2 s−1, with strong turbulent heat fluxes, 100–500 W m−2, were found. Currents flowing along the eastern side separated at the northern tip of the reef and generated submesoscale cyclonic vorticity of about 2–4 times the planetary vorticity. The analysis suggests that a torque, imparted by the turbulent bottom stress, generated the cyclonic vorticity at the northern boundary. The northern reef is associated with high vertical transports resulting from both submesoscale flow convergences and energetic mixing. Even though the area around Palau represents a small footprint of the ocean, vertical velocities and mixing rates are several orders magnitude larger than in the open ocean.
Abstract
Turbulent mixing adjacent to the Velasco Reef and Kyushu–Palau Ridge, off northern Palau in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean, is examined using shipboard and moored observations. The study focuses on a 9-day-long, ship-based microstructure and velocity survey, conducted in November–December 2016. Several sections (9–15 km in length) of microstructure, hydrographic, and velocity fields were acquired over and around the reef, where water depths ranged from 50 to 3000 m. Microstructure profiles were collected while steaming slowly either toward or away from the reef, and underway current surveys were conducted along quasi-rectangular boxes with side lengths of 5–10 km. Near the reef, both tidal and subtidal motions were important, while subtidal motions were stronger away from the reef. Vertical shears of currents and mixing were stronger on the northern and eastern flanks of the reef than on the western flanks. High turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates, 10−6–10−4 W kg−1, and large values of eddy diffusivities, 10−4–10−2 m2 s−1, with strong turbulent heat fluxes, 100–500 W m−2, were found. Currents flowing along the eastern side separated at the northern tip of the reef and generated submesoscale cyclonic vorticity of about 2–4 times the planetary vorticity. The analysis suggests that a torque, imparted by the turbulent bottom stress, generated the cyclonic vorticity at the northern boundary. The northern reef is associated with high vertical transports resulting from both submesoscale flow convergences and energetic mixing. Even though the area around Palau represents a small footprint of the ocean, vertical velocities and mixing rates are several orders magnitude larger than in the open ocean.
Abstract
The relationship between eastward-propagating convective equatorial signals (CES) along the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) and the northward-propagating monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISOs) in the Bay of Bengal (BOB) was studied using observational datasets acquired during the 2018 and 2019 MISO-BOB field campaigns. Convective envelopes of MISOs originating from just south of the BOB were associated with both strong and weak eastward CES (average speed ∼6.4 m s−1). Strong CES contributed to ∼20% of the precipitation budget of BOB, and they spurred northward-propagating convective signals that matched the canonical speed of MISOs (1–2 m s−1). In contrast, weak CES contributed to ∼14% of the BOB precipitation budget, and they dissipated without significant northward propagation. Eastward-propagating intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs; period 30–60 days) and convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs; period 4–15 days) accounted for most precipitation variability across the EIO during the 2019 boreal summer as compared with that of 2018. An agreement could be noted between high moisture content in the midtroposphere and the active phases of CCKWs and ISOs for two observational locations in the BOB. Basin-scale thermodynamic conditions prior to the arrival of strong or weak CES revealed warmer or cooler sea surface temperatures, respectively. Flux measurements aboard a research vessel suggest that the evolution of MISOs associated with strong CES are signified by local enhanced air–sea interactions, in particular the supply of local moisture and sensible heat, which could enhance deep convection and further moisten the upper troposphere.
Significance Statement
Eastward-propagating convective signals along the equatorial Indian Ocean and their relationship to the northward-propagating spells of rainfall that lead to moisture variability in the Bay of Bengal are studied for the 2018 and 2019 southwest monsoon seasons using observational datasets acquired during field campaigns. Strong convective equatorial signals spurred northward-propagating convection, as compared with weak signals that dissipated without significant northward propagation. Wave spectral analysis showed CCKWs (period 4–15 days), and eastward ISOs (period 30–60 days) accounted for most of the precipitation variability, with the former dominating during the 2018 boreal summer. High moisture periods observed from radiosonde measurements show agreement with the active phases of CCKWs and ISOs.
Abstract
The relationship between eastward-propagating convective equatorial signals (CES) along the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) and the northward-propagating monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISOs) in the Bay of Bengal (BOB) was studied using observational datasets acquired during the 2018 and 2019 MISO-BOB field campaigns. Convective envelopes of MISOs originating from just south of the BOB were associated with both strong and weak eastward CES (average speed ∼6.4 m s−1). Strong CES contributed to ∼20% of the precipitation budget of BOB, and they spurred northward-propagating convective signals that matched the canonical speed of MISOs (1–2 m s−1). In contrast, weak CES contributed to ∼14% of the BOB precipitation budget, and they dissipated without significant northward propagation. Eastward-propagating intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs; period 30–60 days) and convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs; period 4–15 days) accounted for most precipitation variability across the EIO during the 2019 boreal summer as compared with that of 2018. An agreement could be noted between high moisture content in the midtroposphere and the active phases of CCKWs and ISOs for two observational locations in the BOB. Basin-scale thermodynamic conditions prior to the arrival of strong or weak CES revealed warmer or cooler sea surface temperatures, respectively. Flux measurements aboard a research vessel suggest that the evolution of MISOs associated with strong CES are signified by local enhanced air–sea interactions, in particular the supply of local moisture and sensible heat, which could enhance deep convection and further moisten the upper troposphere.
Significance Statement
Eastward-propagating convective signals along the equatorial Indian Ocean and their relationship to the northward-propagating spells of rainfall that lead to moisture variability in the Bay of Bengal are studied for the 2018 and 2019 southwest monsoon seasons using observational datasets acquired during field campaigns. Strong convective equatorial signals spurred northward-propagating convection, as compared with weak signals that dissipated without significant northward propagation. Wave spectral analysis showed CCKWs (period 4–15 days), and eastward ISOs (period 30–60 days) accounted for most of the precipitation variability, with the former dominating during the 2018 boreal summer. High moisture periods observed from radiosonde measurements show agreement with the active phases of CCKWs and ISOs.
Abstract
We present high-resolution sustained, persistent observations of the ocean around Sri Lanka from autonomous gliders collected over several years, a region with complex, variable circulation patterns connecting the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea to each other and the rest of the Indian Ocean. The Seaglider surveys resolve seasonal to interannual variability in vertical and horizontal structure, allowing quantification of volume, heat, and freshwater fluxes, as well as the transformations and transports of key water mass classes across sections normal to the east (2014–15) and south (2016–19) coasts of Sri Lanka. The resulting transports point to the importance of both surface and subsurface flows and show that the direct pathway along the Sri Lankan coast plays a significant role in the exchanges of waters between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Significant section-to-section variability highlights the need for sustained, long-term observations to quantify the circulation pathways and dynamics associated with exchange between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and provides context for interpreting observations collected as “snapshots” of more limited duration.
Significance Statement
The strong seasonal variations of the wind in the Indian Ocean create large and rapid changes in the ocean’s properties near Sri Lanka. This variable and poorly observed circulation is very important for how temperature and salinity are distributed across the northern Indian Ocean, both at the surface and at depths. Long-term and repeated surveys from autonomous Seagliders allow us to understand how freshwater inflow, atmospheric forcing, and underlying ocean variability act to produce observed contrasts (spatial and seasonal) in upper-ocean structure of the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
Abstract
We present high-resolution sustained, persistent observations of the ocean around Sri Lanka from autonomous gliders collected over several years, a region with complex, variable circulation patterns connecting the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea to each other and the rest of the Indian Ocean. The Seaglider surveys resolve seasonal to interannual variability in vertical and horizontal structure, allowing quantification of volume, heat, and freshwater fluxes, as well as the transformations and transports of key water mass classes across sections normal to the east (2014–15) and south (2016–19) coasts of Sri Lanka. The resulting transports point to the importance of both surface and subsurface flows and show that the direct pathway along the Sri Lankan coast plays a significant role in the exchanges of waters between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Significant section-to-section variability highlights the need for sustained, long-term observations to quantify the circulation pathways and dynamics associated with exchange between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and provides context for interpreting observations collected as “snapshots” of more limited duration.
Significance Statement
The strong seasonal variations of the wind in the Indian Ocean create large and rapid changes in the ocean’s properties near Sri Lanka. This variable and poorly observed circulation is very important for how temperature and salinity are distributed across the northern Indian Ocean, both at the surface and at depths. Long-term and repeated surveys from autonomous Seagliders allow us to understand how freshwater inflow, atmospheric forcing, and underlying ocean variability act to produce observed contrasts (spatial and seasonal) in upper-ocean structure of the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
Abstract
Small-scale processes at the southwestern boundary of the Ulleung Basin (UB) in the Japan/East Sea (JES) were examined using combined ship-based and moored observations along with model output. Model results show baroclinic semidiurnal tides are generated at the shelf break and corresponding slope connecting the Korea/Tsushima Strait with the UB and propagate into the UB with large barotropic-to-baroclinic energy conversion over the slope. Observations show high-frequency internal wave packets and indicate strong velocity shear and energetic turbulence associated with baroclinic tides in the stratified bottom layer. Solitary-like waves with frequencies from 0.2N to 0.5N (buoyancy frequency N) were found at the edge of the shelf break with supercritical flow. For subcritical flow, a hydraulic jump formed over the shelf break with weakly dispersive internal lee waves with frequencies varying from 0.5N to N. These high-frequency lee waves were trapped in the stratified bottom layer, with wave stress similar to the turbulent stress near the bottom. The power loss due to turbulent bottom drag can be an important factor for energy loss associated with the hydraulic jump. Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates of ∼10−4 W kg−1 were found. Large downward heat and salt fluxes below the high-salinity core mix warm/salty Tsushima Current Water with cold/low-salinity JES Intermediate Water. Mixing over the shelf break could be very important to the JES circulation since the calculated diapycnal upwelling (1–6 m day−1) at the shelf break and slope is substantially greater than the basin-averaged estimate from chemical tracers and modeling studies.
Significant Statement
The Japan/East Sea (JES) is a marginal sea, enclosed by Japan, Korea, and Russia. This study describes mixing processes over the shelf break connecting the northern Korea/Tsushima Strait (KTS) with the southern Ulleung Basin (UB), where the warm, high-salinity Kuroshio water carried by the Tsushima Current interacts with southward-flowing subsurface water masses in the JES. Our analysis suggests that the shelf break and slope between the KTS and the UB are vital areas for water-mass exchange in the southern JES. The enhanced mixing at the shelf break may impact water masses and circulation over the entire JES.
Abstract
Small-scale processes at the southwestern boundary of the Ulleung Basin (UB) in the Japan/East Sea (JES) were examined using combined ship-based and moored observations along with model output. Model results show baroclinic semidiurnal tides are generated at the shelf break and corresponding slope connecting the Korea/Tsushima Strait with the UB and propagate into the UB with large barotropic-to-baroclinic energy conversion over the slope. Observations show high-frequency internal wave packets and indicate strong velocity shear and energetic turbulence associated with baroclinic tides in the stratified bottom layer. Solitary-like waves with frequencies from 0.2N to 0.5N (buoyancy frequency N) were found at the edge of the shelf break with supercritical flow. For subcritical flow, a hydraulic jump formed over the shelf break with weakly dispersive internal lee waves with frequencies varying from 0.5N to N. These high-frequency lee waves were trapped in the stratified bottom layer, with wave stress similar to the turbulent stress near the bottom. The power loss due to turbulent bottom drag can be an important factor for energy loss associated with the hydraulic jump. Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates of ∼10−4 W kg−1 were found. Large downward heat and salt fluxes below the high-salinity core mix warm/salty Tsushima Current Water with cold/low-salinity JES Intermediate Water. Mixing over the shelf break could be very important to the JES circulation since the calculated diapycnal upwelling (1–6 m day−1) at the shelf break and slope is substantially greater than the basin-averaged estimate from chemical tracers and modeling studies.
Significant Statement
The Japan/East Sea (JES) is a marginal sea, enclosed by Japan, Korea, and Russia. This study describes mixing processes over the shelf break connecting the northern Korea/Tsushima Strait (KTS) with the southern Ulleung Basin (UB), where the warm, high-salinity Kuroshio water carried by the Tsushima Current interacts with southward-flowing subsurface water masses in the JES. Our analysis suggests that the shelf break and slope between the KTS and the UB are vital areas for water-mass exchange in the southern JES. The enhanced mixing at the shelf break may impact water masses and circulation over the entire JES.
Abstract
Upper-ocean heat content and heat fluxes of 10–60-day intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) were examined using high-resolution currents and hydrographic fields measured at five deep-water moorings in the central Bay of Bengal (BoB) and satellite observations as part of an international effort examining the role of the ocean on monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISOs) in the BoB. Currents, temperature, and salinity were sampled over the upper 600–1200 m from July 2018 to June 2019. The 10–60-day velocity ISOs of magnitudes 20–30 cm s−1 were observed in the upper 200 m, and temperature ISOs as large as 3°C were observed in the thermocline near 100 m. The wavelet cospectral analysis reveals multiple periods of ISOs carrying heat southward. The meridional heat-flux divergence associated with the 10–60-day band was strongest in the central BoB at depths between 40 and 100 m, where the averaged flux divergence over the observational period is as large as 10−7 °C s−1. The vertically integrated heat-flux divergence in the upper 200 m is about 20–30 W m−2, which is comparable to the annual-average net surface heat flux in the northern BoB. Correlations between the heat content over the 26°C isotherm and the outgoing longwave radiation indicate that the atmospheric forcing typically leads changes of the oceanic heat content, but in some instances, during fall–winter months, oceanic heat content leads the atmospheric convection. Our analyses suggest that ISOs play an important role in the upper-ocean heat balance by transporting heat southward, while aiding the air–sea coupling at ISO time scales.
Abstract
Upper-ocean heat content and heat fluxes of 10–60-day intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) were examined using high-resolution currents and hydrographic fields measured at five deep-water moorings in the central Bay of Bengal (BoB) and satellite observations as part of an international effort examining the role of the ocean on monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISOs) in the BoB. Currents, temperature, and salinity were sampled over the upper 600–1200 m from July 2018 to June 2019. The 10–60-day velocity ISOs of magnitudes 20–30 cm s−1 were observed in the upper 200 m, and temperature ISOs as large as 3°C were observed in the thermocline near 100 m. The wavelet cospectral analysis reveals multiple periods of ISOs carrying heat southward. The meridional heat-flux divergence associated with the 10–60-day band was strongest in the central BoB at depths between 40 and 100 m, where the averaged flux divergence over the observational period is as large as 10−7 °C s−1. The vertically integrated heat-flux divergence in the upper 200 m is about 20–30 W m−2, which is comparable to the annual-average net surface heat flux in the northern BoB. Correlations between the heat content over the 26°C isotherm and the outgoing longwave radiation indicate that the atmospheric forcing typically leads changes of the oceanic heat content, but in some instances, during fall–winter months, oceanic heat content leads the atmospheric convection. Our analyses suggest that ISOs play an important role in the upper-ocean heat balance by transporting heat southward, while aiding the air–sea coupling at ISO time scales.
Abstract
Air–Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean (ASIRI) is an international research effort (2013–17) aimed at understanding and quantifying coupled atmosphere–ocean dynamics of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) with relevance to Indian Ocean monsoons. Working collaboratively, more than 20 research institutions are acquiring field observations coupled with operational and high-resolution models to address scientific issues that have stymied the monsoon predictability. ASIRI combines new and mature observational technologies to resolve submesoscale to regional-scale currents and hydrophysical fields. These data reveal BoB’s sharp frontal features, submesoscale variability, low-salinity lenses and filaments, and shallow mixed layers, with relatively weak turbulent mixing. Observed physical features include energetic high-frequency internal waves in the southern BoB, energetic mesoscale and submesoscale features including an intrathermocline eddy in the central BoB, and a high-resolution view of the exchange along the periphery of Sri Lanka, which includes the 100-km-wide East India Coastal Current (EICC) carrying low-salinity water out of the BoB and an adjacent, broad northward flow (∼300 km wide) that carries high-salinity water into BoB during the northeast monsoon. Atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) observations during the decaying phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) permit the study of multiscale atmospheric processes associated with non-MJO phenomena and their impacts on the marine boundary layer. Underway analyses that integrate observations and numerical simulations shed light on how air–sea interactions control the ABL and upper-ocean processes.
Abstract
Air–Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean (ASIRI) is an international research effort (2013–17) aimed at understanding and quantifying coupled atmosphere–ocean dynamics of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) with relevance to Indian Ocean monsoons. Working collaboratively, more than 20 research institutions are acquiring field observations coupled with operational and high-resolution models to address scientific issues that have stymied the monsoon predictability. ASIRI combines new and mature observational technologies to resolve submesoscale to regional-scale currents and hydrophysical fields. These data reveal BoB’s sharp frontal features, submesoscale variability, low-salinity lenses and filaments, and shallow mixed layers, with relatively weak turbulent mixing. Observed physical features include energetic high-frequency internal waves in the southern BoB, energetic mesoscale and submesoscale features including an intrathermocline eddy in the central BoB, and a high-resolution view of the exchange along the periphery of Sri Lanka, which includes the 100-km-wide East India Coastal Current (EICC) carrying low-salinity water out of the BoB and an adjacent, broad northward flow (∼300 km wide) that carries high-salinity water into BoB during the northeast monsoon. Atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) observations during the decaying phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) permit the study of multiscale atmospheric processes associated with non-MJO phenomena and their impacts on the marine boundary layer. Underway analyses that integrate observations and numerical simulations shed light on how air–sea interactions control the ABL and upper-ocean processes.
