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Sea surface cooling at the Equator by subsurface mixing in tropical instability waves

Moum, J. N., Lien, R.-C., Perlin, A., Nash, J. D., Gregg, M. C., Wiles, P. J.·2009·Nature Geoscience
DOI 10.1038/ngeo657
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Abstract

Changes in sea surface temperature of equatorial waters have critical effects on the large-scale atmospheric circulation1-3. So far, large-scale, energetic tropical instability waves in equatorial waters have been thought to warm the sea surface through both meridional and zonal advection4,5. Here, we present shipboard profiling measurements of turbulence kinetic-energy dissipation rate that reveal unanticipated vigorous mixing associated with tropical instability waves. The meridional tropical instability-wave shear increases the shear above the core of the Equatorial Undercurrent, which is already large, nudging the flow toward instability. As a consequence, turbulence dissipation rates and heat fluxes are many times greater than previous measurements at the same location but in the absence of tropical instability waves. The vertical divergence of turbulence heat flux is sufficient to cool the upper layer by 2 K per month, and heat the core of the Equatorial Undercurrent by 10 K per month. Long-term records at 140 W further reveal that cooling of the sea surface is significantly correlated to tropical-instability- wave kinetic energy. Thus, seasonal surface cooling in the central equatorial Pacific may be largely caused by mixing induced by tropical instability waves. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

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Crossref · 10.1038/ngeo657

Cites

26 of 26 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The model of pulsating DC turbulence derived by Smyth et al. (2017) pertains to night-time only and was tested using data between 20 m and 70 m depth in a regime of exceptionally strong DC, November 2008 at 140W; in that case the scaled value was 0.86.

    “Note that the model of pulsating DC turbulence derived by Smyth et al. (2017) pertains to night-time only and was tested using data between 20m and 70m depth in a regime of exceptionally strong DC, [November 2008 at 140W; see (Moum et al., 2009)].In that case the scaled value was 0.86.”

    From Deep Cycle Turbulence in Atlantic and Pacific Cold Tongues (2022) · cites this paper as Moum et al., 2009

  • Moored turbulence measurements using χpods have time resolution sufficient to resolve the diurnal cycle and extend over many years at a few sites.

    “Moored turbulence measurements using χpods (Moum & Nash, 2009) have time resolution sufficient to resolve property (2) and now also extend over many years at a few sites.”

    From Deep Cycle Turbulence in Atlantic and Pacific Cold Tongues (2022) · cites this paper as Moum & Nash, 2009

  • The influence of TIW-induced mixing on long term means is less than expected from the measurements made in 2008.

    “This suggests that the influence of TIW-induced mixing on long term means is less than expected from the measurements made in 2008 (Moum et al., 2009;Inoue et al., 2012Inoue et al., , 2019)).”

    From Deep Cycle Turbulence in Atlantic and Pacific Cold Tongues (2022) · cites this paper as Moum et al., 2009

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Hashizume, H. et al. Direct observations of atmospheric boundary layer response to SST variations associated with tropical instability waves over the eastern equatorial Pacific. J. Clim. 15, 3379–3391 (2002). · DOI
  2. Moum, J. N., Hebert, D., Paulson, C. A. & Caldwell, D. R. Turbulence and internal waves at the Equator. Part I: Statistics from towed thermistors and a microstructure profiler. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 22, 1330–1345 (1992). · DOI

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Authors
Moum, J. N., Lien, R.-C., Perlin, A., Nash, J. D., Gregg, M. C., & Wiles, P. J.
Affiliations
  • Oregon State University (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Moum, J. N.
Venue
Nature Geoscience
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2009-10-11
Volume
2
Issue
11
Pages
761-765
ISSN
  • 1752-0894 (ISSN-L)
  • 1752-0908
DOI
10.1038/ngeo657
OpenAlex
W2164092372
Semantic Scholar
6307a1a4233d0da1433c2a6854b2188282013089
Cited by
137
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 9
FWCI
3.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
Nature Geoscience (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
Keywords
tropical instability waves, sea surface temperature cooling, equatorial Pacific, Equatorial Undercurrent, turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, subsurface mixing, shear instability, equatorial ocean dynamics

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