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dc.contributor.authorBates, Michael
dc.contributor.authorTulloch, Ross
dc.contributor.authorMarshall, John
dc.contributor.authorFerrari, Raffaele
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T16:17:11Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T16:17:11Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.identifier.issn0022-3670
dc.identifier.doi10.1175/JPO-D-13-0130.1
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/66780
dc.description.abstractObservations and theory suggest that lateral mixing by mesoscale ocean eddies only reaches its maximum potential at steering levels, surfaces at which the propagation speed of eddies approaches that of the mean flow. Away from steering levels, mixing is strongly suppressed because the mixing length is smaller than the eddy scale, thus reducing the mixing rates. The suppression is particularly pronounced in strong currents where mesoscale eddies are most energetic. Here, a framework for parameterizing eddy mixing is explored that attempts to capture this suppression. An expression of the surface eddy diffusivity proposed by Ferrari and Nikurashin is evaluated using observations of eddy kinetic energy, eddy scale, and eddy propagation speed. The resulting global maps of eddy diffusivity have a broad correspondence with recent estimates of diffusivity based on the rate at which tracer contours are stretched by altimetric-derived surface currents. Finally, the expression for the eddy diffusivity is extrapolated in the vertical to infer the eddy-induced meridional heat transport and the overturning streamfunction.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherAmerican Meteorological Society
dc.publisher.placeUnited States
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom1523
dc.relation.ispartofpageto1540
dc.relation.ispartofissue6
dc.relation.ispartofjournalJournal of Physical Oceanography
dc.relation.ispartofvolume44
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchOceanography
dc.subject.fieldofresearchPhysical oceanography
dc.subject.fieldofresearchMaritime engineering
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3708
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode370803
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode4015
dc.titleRationalizing the Spatial Distribution of Mesoscale Eddy Diffusivity in Terms of Mixing Length Theory
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.facultyGriffith Sciences, Griffith School of Environment
gro.rights.copyrightSelf-archiving of the author-manuscript version is not yet supported by this journal. Please refer to the journal link for access to the definitive, published version or contact the authors for more information.
gro.hasfulltextNo Full Text
gro.griffith.authorBates, Michael


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