Sensitivity of Southern Ocean overturning to wind stress changes:Role of surface restoring time scales

Zhai, Xiaoming and Munday, David (2014) Sensitivity of Southern Ocean overturning to wind stress changes:Role of surface restoring time scales. Ocean Modelling, 84. pp. 12-25. ISSN 1463-5003

Preview

PDF (so_haney5_revision 2) - Draft Version Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The influence of different surface restoring time scales on the response of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation to wind stress changes is investigated using an idealised channel model. Regardless of the restoring time scales chosen, the eddy-induced meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is found to compensate for changes of the direct wind-driven Eulerian-mean MOC, rendering the residual MOC less sensitive to wind stress changes. However, the extent of this compensation depends strongly on the restoring time scale: residual MOC sensitivity increases with decreasing restoring time scale. Strong surface restoring is shown to limit the ability of the eddy-induced MOC to change in response to wind stress changes and as such suppresses the eddy compensation effect. These model results are consistent with qualitative arguments derived fromresidual-mean theory andmay have important implications for interpreting past and future observations.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	surface restoring,southern ocean,ocean eddies,meridional overturning circulation,eddy compensation,wind forcing,oceanography ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1910
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2014 15:06
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2022 14:32
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/50472
DOI:	10.1016/j.ocemod.2014.09.004

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item