Repository logo
 

Testing eddy compensation and eddy saturation in the Southern Ocean

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorJones, Daniel C., author
dc.contributor.authorIto, Takamitsu, advisor
dc.contributor.authorBirner, Thomas, committee member
dc.contributor.authorLovenduski, Nicole, committee member
dc.contributor.authorRandall, David, committee member
dc.contributor.authorTavener, Simon, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T05:36:05Z
dc.date.available2014-06-30T04:54:32Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractThe Southern Ocean (SO) is a unique and dynamic component of the climate system. Due in part to its cold temperatures and large surface area, the SO is an important region for the transfer of heat, momentum, and climatically relevant gases between the atmosphere and the interior ocean. The strong westerly winds above the SO help drive a powerful current (i.e. the Antarctic Circumpolar Current or ACC) that connects Earth's ocean basins in a global overturning circulation. In recent decades, these winds have strengthened and shifted poleward. Despite this change in surface forcing, no clear observational signal of the oceanic density structure's response has yet been detected. The eddy compensation hypothesis posits that changes in the direct wind-driven overturning circulation are balanced by changes in the eddy-induced meridional circulation, effectively rendering SO stratification insensitive to wind stress. The closely related (but not identical) eddy saturation hypothesis suggests that the ACC is also insensitive to increased wind stress, since additional energy ends up in the mesoscale eddy field instead of in the zonal mean circulation. In this work, we examine the viability of the eddy compensation and saturation hypotheses on interannual, decadal, and centennial timescales. Using a combination of theory and idealized numerical simulations, we show that it may take the Southern Ocean many decades to centuries to fully equilibrate with the world ocean following a change in wind stress. As such, it may be difficult to detect changes in isopycnal slope using the few decades of available observational data. We also explore the characteristics of eddy-driven interannual variability and examine how this variability may affect the decadal-scale adjustment of the global ocean. Our results suggest that departures from the eddy compensation regime may be important on decadal and centennial timescales, on which the interaction between regional Southern Ocean circulation and global ocean circulation is significant. As such, we suggest that Southern Ocean overturning circulation is likely to strengthen in response to recent and future climate change, with implications for the global carbon cycle and climate.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierJones_colostate_0053A_11617.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/79441
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectmodeling
dc.subjectwind stress
dc.subjectclimate change
dc.subjecteddy compensation
dc.subjecteddy saturation
dc.subject.lcshSouthern Ocean
dc.titleTesting eddy compensation and eddy saturation in the Southern Ocean
dc.typeText
dcterms.embargo.expires2014-06-30
dcterms.embargo.terms2014-06-30
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineAtmospheric Science
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Jones_colostate_0053A_11617.pdf
Size:
10.23 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download

Collections

2000-2019
Theses and Dissertations