Mesoscale Eddy Buoyancy Flux and Eddy-Induced Circulation in Eastern Boundary Currents
Abstract
A dynamical interpretation is made of the mesoscale eddy buoyancy fluxes in the Eastern Boundary Currents off California and Peru–Chile, based on regional equilibrium simulations. The eddy fluxes are primarily shoreward and upward across a swath several hundred kilometers wide in the upper ocean; as such they serve to balance mean offshore air–sea heating and coastal upwelling. In the stratified interior the eddy fluxes are consistent with the adiabatic hypothesis associated with a mean eddy-induced velocity advecting mean buoyancy and tracers. Furthermore, with a suitable gauge choice, the horizontal fluxes are almost entirely aligned with the mean horizontal buoyancy gradient, consistent with the advective parameterization scheme of Gent and McWilliams. The associated diffusivity κ is surface intensified, matching the vertical stratification profile. The fluxes span the across-shore band of high eddy energy, but their alongshore structure is unresolved because of sampling limitations. In the surface layer the eddy flux is significantly diabatic with a shallow eddy-induced circulation cell and downgradient lateral diapycnal flux. The dominant eddy generation process is baroclinic instability, but there are significant regional differences between the upwelling systems in the flux and κ that are not consistent with simple instability theory.
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(Sub)mesoscale turbulence modulates offshore transport and hence the net upwelling rate.
“But (sub)mesoscale turbulence modulates offshore transport, hence the net upwelling rate.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. 2013
Quasi-balanced mesoscale and submesoscale turbulence is responsible for rectified eddy transport which also tends to counteract the Ekman upwelling cell.
“quasi-balanced mesoscale and submesoscale turbulence is responsible for rectified eddy transport which also tends to counteract the Ekman upwelling cell.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. 2013
The two studies (Nagai et al. 2015 and Colas et al. 2013) use very similar numerical configurations.
“Note that the two studies use very similar numerical configurations.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. (2013)
Eddy fluxes may also have an appreciable time-averaged effect on tracer advection in sectors of the California Current System where standing meanders yield intensified mesoscale and submesoscale activity.
“Eddy fluxes may also have an appreciable timeaveraged effect on tracer advection in sectors of the California Current System where standing meanders yield intensified mesoscale and submesoscale activity (Centurioni et al. 2008;Colas et al. 2013).”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. 2013
Diagnostics of the eddy-induced circulation in realistic simulations for this upwelling sector tend to confirm our estimates.
“Diagnostics of the eddy-induced circulation in realistic simulations for this upwelling sector tend to confirm our estimates.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. (2013)
Two estimations of the eddy cancellation strength in the California Current System can be drawn from Nagai et al. (2015) and Colas et al. (2013).
“Two estimations of the eddy cancellation strength in the California current system can be drawn from Nagai et al. (2015) and Colas et al. (2013).”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. (2013)
Slightly weaker but comparable values of 10%-15% are obtained in Colas et al. (2013) for summer, when upwelling winds and air-sea heat fluxes are most positive.
“Slightly weaker but comparable values of 10%-15% are obtained in Colas et al. (2013) for summer, when upwelling winds and air-sea heat fluxes are most positive.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. (2013)
Maximum eddy-induced streamfunction values for summer reported in Colas et al. (2013) reach about 0.2 m2 s-1, i.e., about 15% of the Ekman transport for that season.
“Maximum eddy-induced streamfunction values for summer reported in Colas et al. (2013, see their Fig.8) reach about 0.2 m 2 s 21 , i.e., about 15% of the Ekman transport for that season.”
From Competition between Baroclinic Instability and Ekman Transport under Varying Buoyancy Forcings in Upwelling Systems: An Idealized Analog to the Southern Ocean (2021) · cites this paper as Colas et al. (2013)
Cites
1997–1998 El Niño off Peru: A numerical study
Colas, F., Capet, X., McWilliams, J. C., & Shchepetkin, A. (2008) · Progress in Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2008.10.015 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Self-citationde Szoeke, S. P., Fairall, C. W., Wolfe, D. E., Bariteau, L., & Zuidema, P. (2010) · Journal of Climate · doi:10.1175/2010jcli3411.1 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
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Thomsen, S., Capet, X., & Echevin, V. (2021) · Journal of Physical Oceanography · doi:10.1175/jpo-d-20-0294.1 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Colas, F., Capet, X., McWilliams, J. C., & Li, Z.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Ifremer (FR)
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Physical Oceanography
- Publisher
- American Meteorological Society
- Published
- 2013-06-01
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1073-1095
- ISSN
- 0022-3670 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-0485
- OpenAlex
- W1968635955
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Physical Oceanography (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows
- Keywords
- mesoscale eddies, buoyancy flux, eastern boundary currents, California Current, coastal upwelling, air-sea heat flux, eddy diffusivity, baroclinic instability, surface layer, eddy energy
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