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Efficiency of turbulent mixing in the abyssal ocean circulation
Citation
Mashayek, A and Salehipour, H and Bouffard, D and Caulfield, CP and Ferrari, R and Nikurashin, M and Peltier, WR and Smyth, WD, Efficiency of turbulent mixing in the abyssal ocean circulation, Geophysical Research Letters, 44, (12) pp. 6296-6306. ISSN 0094-8276 (2017) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2017 American Geophysical Union
Abstract
Turbulent mixing produced by breaking of internal waves plays an important role in setting the patterns of downwelling and upwelling of deep dense waters and thereby helps sustain the global deep ocean overturning circulation. A key parameter used to characterize turbulent mixing is its efficiency, defined here as the fraction of the energy available to turbulence that is invested in mixing. Efficiency is conventionally approximated by a constant value near one sixth. Here we show that efficiency varies significantly in the abyssal ocean and can be as large as approximately one third in density stratified regions near topographic features. Our results indicate that variations in efficiency exert a first-order control over the rate of overturning of the lower branch of the meridional overturning circulation.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | ocean mixing, mixing efficiency, ocean overturning circulation, water-mass transformation |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Oceanography |
Research Field: | Physical oceanography |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Understanding climate change |
Objective Field: | Climate change models |
UTAS Author: | Nikurashin, M (Dr Maxim Nikurashin) |
ID Code: | 117223 |
Year Published: | 2017 |
Funding Support: | Australian Research Council (DE150100937) |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 67 |
Deposited By: | Oceans and Cryosphere |
Deposited On: | 2017-06-05 |
Last Modified: | 2018-05-24 |
Downloads: | 150 View Download Statistics |
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