DOI: 10.1007/s00382-017-3940-2
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-85031822593
论文题名: A metric for surface heat flux effect on horizontal sea surface temperature gradients
作者: Tozuka T. ; Ohishi S. ; Cronin M.F.
刊名: Climate Dynamics
ISSN: 9307575
出版年: 2018
卷: 51, 期: 2018-01-02 起始页码: 547
结束页码: 561
语种: 英语
Scopus关键词: frontogenesis
; heat flux
; sea surface temperature
; surface flux
; temperature gradient
; upper ocean
; North America
; Pacific Ocean
; Pacific Ocean (Equatorial)
; Pacific Ocean (Northwest)
; Southern Ocean
英文摘要: Understanding what controls horizontal variations in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) is one of the key science questions in climate research. Although various oceanic effects contribute to reinforcement/relaxation of horizontal variations in SSTs, the role of surface heat fluxes is surprisingly complex and can lead to significant biases in coupled models if improperly represented. In particular, the contribution of surface heat fluxes to surface frontogenesis/frontolysis depends not just on their gradients, but also on the distribution of mixed layer depth, which controls the effective heat capacity of the upper ocean. In this study, a new metric, referred to as the surface flux frontogenesis metric, is proposed that quantifies the relative importance of horizontal variations in surface heat fluxes and mixed layer depth. Global maps of this metric reveal that the role of surface heat fluxes in determining the horizontal SST gradient is highly variable geographically and by season. Furthermore, the metric can help explain characteristics of SST fronts in the northwestern Pacific, the Southern Ocean, the eastern equatorial Pacific, and the west coast of North America. Implications of this metric in coupled models will also be discussed. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/109230
Appears in Collections: 影响、适应和脆弱性 气候变化事实与影响
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作者单位: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan; Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan; NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, WA, United States
Recommended Citation:
Tozuka T.,Ohishi S.,Cronin M.F.. A metric for surface heat flux effect on horizontal sea surface temperature gradients[J]. Climate Dynamics,2018-01-01,51(2018-01-02)