Role of mixed layer depth in surface frontogenesis: The Agulhas Return Current front

被引：22

作者：

Tozuka, Tomoki ^{[1
]}

Cronin, Meghan F. ^{[2
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Tokyo, Grad Sch Sci, Dept Earth & Planetary Sci, Tokyo 113, Japan

[2] NOAA, Pacific Marine Environm Lab, Seattle, WA 98115 USA

来源：

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS | 2014年 / 41卷 / 07期

基金：

日本科学技术振兴机构;

关键词：

mixed layer depth; SST front; frontolysis; frontogenesis; Agulhas Return Current; SEA HEAT EXCHANGES; NORTH PACIFIC; BOUNDARY-LAYER; GULF-STREAM; OCEAN; MODEL; CIRCULATION; SYSTEM;

D O I：

10.1002/2014GL059624

中图分类号：

P [天文学、地球科学];

学科分类号：

07 ;

摘要：

Air-sea interaction processes that modify the sea surface temperature (SST) front in the Agulhas Return Current region (between 40 degrees E and 55 degrees E) during austral summer and winter are examined using observational data and output from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. While the air-sea heat flux frontal variations tend to relax the SST front, the frontolysis is amplified (damped) in summer (winter) when frontal variations in the mixed layer depth (MLD) are incorporated. The stronger (weaker) frontolysis associated with the MLD variations is due to the fact that the warming (cooling) by the surface heat flux is amplified south of the front where the MLD is shallower and is reduced north of the front where the MLD is deeper. This study is the first to show that the MLD variations play an important role in affecting the strength of the SST front.

引用

页码：2447 / 2453

页数：7

共 42 条

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