Mixing in cyclonic eddies in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Hibbert, Angela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2529-0190; Leach, Harry; Strass, Volker; Cisewski, Boris. 2009 Mixing in cyclonic eddies in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Journal of Marine Research, 67 (1). 1-23. 10.1357/002224009788597935

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Abstract/Summary

Observations over a period of 39 days of the increasing minimum core temperature of Winter Water trapped within a mature cyclonic eddy in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current encouraged us to assess the mixing processes which might lead to this temperature rise. Using diffusive heat budgets for alternatively diapycnic (∼vertical) and then isopycnic (∼horizontal) mixing combined with the observed rate of warming allowed upper limits for diapycnic and isopycnic diffusivities to be inferred. This gave values of (3.3 ± 0.8) × 10−4m2s−1 and 87 ± 20m2s−1 for the diapycnic and isopycnic diffusivities respectively. These were then in turn applied to the isopycnic temperature distributions of a juvenile eddy observed earlier in the cruise and integrated forward in time. While both forms of diffusion undoubtedly play a role in modifying the temperature, it was the horizontal diffusivity which was better able to reproduce the tighter θS relationship and the horizontal spread of the temperature minimum observed in the mature eddy

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1357/002224009788597935
Programmes:	NOC Programmes
ISSN:	00222402
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Not NERC funded.
Date made live:	18 Jul 2012 13:13 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/18805

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