The Deacon Cell and the other meridional cells of the Southern ocean

Doos, Kristofer; Webb, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7084-8566. 1994 The Deacon Cell and the other meridional cells of the Southern ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 24 (2). 429-442. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1994)024<0429:TDCATO>2.0.CO;2

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Text © Copyright [1994] American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act September 2010 Page 2 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a web site or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy, available on the AMS Web site located at (http://www.ametsoc.org/) or from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or copyrights@ametsoc.org. Doos&Webb_1993.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

The meridional circulation cells of the Southern Ocean are investigated using the results from a fine-resolution primitive equation model. Zonal integration along depth levels shows the classical series of meridional cells but integrating along density surfaces shows a number of differences, including the virtual disappearance of the Deacon Cell. To investigate the differences, the meridional transport is calculated as a function of both density and depth. The results show that the Deacon Cell is associated with systematic changes in the depth of density surfaces between the western boundary current region off South America and the return flow in the interior of the ocean. Water flowing on each density surface produces a meridional cell with a vertical excursion of a few hundred meters. These cells combine, without water crossing density surfaces, to produce a single integrated deacon Cell extending from the surface to below 2000m. The results also show that, at each altitude, water on each of the density surfaces in the upper layers of the ocean systematically transfers angular momentum from the shallowest depths at which it is found to deeper depths. In this way the torque, due to the wind acting on the surface of the ocean, is transferred downward, in a series of steps between water masses of increasing density, until it is finally lost as a pressure torque acting on the ocean bottom topography.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1994)024<0429:TDCATO>2.0.CO;2
Programmes:	NOC Programmes > Marine Systems Modelling
ISSN:	0022-3670
Additional Keywords:	Southern Ocean, Deacon Cell
NORA Subject Terms:	Marine Sciences
Date made live:	03 Mar 2016 10:33 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/513172

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