Seasonal variations of eddy kinetic energy flux in the South Indian Countercurrent region -- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2020,38(5):1464-1475

	Cite this paper:
	CHEN Zhongqian, WANG Faming, ZHENG Jian, YANG Yuxing. Seasonal variations of eddy kinetic energy flux in the South Indian Countercurrent region[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2020, 38(5): 1464-1475

Seasonal variations of eddy kinetic energy flux in the South Indian Countercurrent region

CHEN Zhongqian^1,2, WANG Faming^1,2,3,4, ZHENG Jian^1,3,4, YANG Yuxing^1,3,4

1 Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China;
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
3 Function Laboratory for Ocean Dynamics and Climate, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology(Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China;
4 Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China

Abstract:

The inverse cascade flux of kinetic energy (KE) and its length scale in the South Indian Countercurrent (SICC) region were investigated using 24-year satellite altimeter daily data from 1993-2016. The evolution of the eddy life cycle in the SICC was presented systemically. It was found that the arrest and inject scales of inverse cascade were within the baroclinic most unstable scale and observed energy-containing eddy scale. The seasonal cycle of the arrest scale, inject scale, and amplitude of the inverse cascade were compared with the eddy kinetic energy seasonal cycle, which revealed a 1.5-month lag of the eddy kinetic energy to the vertical shear of zonal velocity, implying the existence of nonlinear processes during the eddy growth phase. Meanwhile, the anisotropy of the inverse cascade indicated that kinetic energy might be transferred from meridional motions to zonal motions, which is probably caused by β effect. These results would be beneficial for a better understanding of the KE transfer processes in the SICC region.

Key words: mesoscale eddies|spectral kinetic energy flux|inverse cascade|South Indian Countercurrent (SICC)

Received: 2020-03-06 Revised: 2020-04-20

Tools

PDF (2476 KB) Free

Print this page

Add to favorites

Email this article to others

Authors

Articles by CHEN Zhongqian

Articles by WANG Faming

Articles by ZHENG Jian

Articles by YANG Yuxing

References:
Arbic B K, Polzin K L, Scott R B, Richman J G, Shriver J F. 2013. On eddy viscosity, energy cascades, and the horizontal resolution of gridded satellite altimeter products. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43(2):283-300, https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-11-0240.1.
Chang Y L, Oey L Y. 2014. Instability of the North Pacific subtropical countercurrent. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 44(3):818-833, https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-13-0162.1.
Chelton D B, Schlax M G, Samelson R M. 2011. Global observations of nonlinear mesoscale eddies. Progress in Oceanography, 91(2):167-216, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2011.01.002.
Delman A S, Lee T, Qiu B. 2018. Interannual to multidecadal forcing of mesoscale eddy kinetic energy in the Subtropical Southern Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 123(11):8 180-8 202, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc013945.
Ferrari R, Wunsch C. 2010. The distribution of eddy kinetic and potential energies in the Global Ocean. Tellus A:Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 62(2):92-108.
Frisch U. 1995:Turbulence:The Legacy of A. N. Kolmogorov.Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 296p.
Jia F, Wu L X, Lan J, Qiu B. 2011a. Interannual modulation of eddy kinetic energy in the southeast Indian Ocean by Southern Annular Mode. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 116(C2):C02029, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010jc006699.
Jia F, Wu L X, Qiu B. 2011b. Seasonal modulation of eddy kinetic energy and its formation mechanism in the Southeast Indian Ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 41(4):657-665, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010jpo4436.1.
Khatri H, Sukhatme J, Kumar A, Verma M K. 2018. Surface ocean enstrophy, kinetic energy fluxes, and spectra from satellite altimetry. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 123(5):3 875-3 892, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017jc013516.
Menezes V V, Phillips H E, Schiller A, Bindoff N L, Domingues C M, Vianna M L. 2014. South Indian Countercurrent and associated fronts. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 119(10):6 763-6 791, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jc010076.
Morrow R, Le Traon P Y. 2012. Recent advances in observing mesoscale ocean dynamics with satellite altimetry.Advances in Space Research, 50(8):1 062-1 076, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2011.09.033.
Palastanga V, van Leeuwen P J, Schouten M W, de Ruijter W P M. 2007. Flow structure and variability in the subtropical Indian Ocean:Instability of the South Indian Ocean Countercurrent. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 112(C1):C01001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JC003395.
Qiu B, Chen S M, Klein P, Sasaki H, Sasai Y. 2014. Seasonal mesoscale and submesoscale eddy variability along the North Pacific subtropical countercurrent. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 44(12):3 079-3 098, https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0071.1.
Qiu B, Scott R B, Chen S M. 2008. Length scales of eddy generation and nonlinear evolution of the seasonally modulated South Pacific Subtropical Countercurrent.Journal of Physical Oceanography, 38(7):1 515-1 528, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007jpo3856.1.
Qiu B. 1999. Seasonal eddy field modulation of the North Pacific subtropical countercurrent:TOPEX/Poseidon observations and theory. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 29(10):2 471-2 486, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1999)029<2471:Sefmot>2.0.Co;2.
Rhines P B. 1975. Waves and turbulence on a beta-plane.Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 69(JUN10):417-443, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022112075001504.
Robinson A R. 1983. Eddies in Marine Science. Berlin, Heidelberg:Springer.
Sasaki H, Klein P, Sasai Y, Qiu B. 2017. Regionality and seasonality of submesoscale and mesoscale turbulence in the North Pacific Ocean. Ocean Dynamics, 67(9):1 195-1 216, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-017-1083-y.
Scott R B, Wang F M. 2005. Direct evidence of an oceanic inverse kinetic energy cascade from satellite altimetry.Journal of Physical Oceanography, 35(9):1 650-1 666, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO₂771.1.
Sérazin G, Penduff T, Barnier B, Molines J M, Arbic B K, Müller M, Terray L. 2018. Inverse cascades of kinetic energy as a source of intrinsic variability:a global OGCM study. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 48(6):1 385-1 408, https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-17-0136.1.
Smith K S, Vallis G K. 2001. The scales and equilibration of Midocean eddies:freely evolving flow. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 31(2):554-571, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(2001)031<0554:tsaeom>2.0.co;2.
Tulloch R, Marshall J, Hill C, Smith K S. 2011. Scales, growth rates, and spectral fluxes of baroclinic instability in the ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 41(6):1 057-1 076, https://doi.org/10.1175/2011jpo4404.1.
Wang S H, Liu Z L, Pang C G. 2015. Geographical distribution and anisotropy of the inverse kinetic energy cascade, and its role in the eddy equilibrium processes. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans, 120(7):4 891-4 906, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jc010476.
Wunsch C. 1997. The vertical partition of oceanic horizontal kinetic energy and the spectrum of global variability.Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27(8):1 770-1 794, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<1770:tvpo oh>2.0.co;2.
Zheng S, Du Y, Li J, Cheng X. 2015. Eddy characteristics in the South Indian Ocean as inferred from surface drifters.Ocean Science, 11(3):361-371, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-361-2015.