DOI: 10.1002/2017JC013578
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-85044058322
论文题名: Contribution of Surface Thermal Forcing to Mixing in the Ocean
作者: Wang F. ; Huang S.-D. ; Xia K.-Q.
刊名: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
ISSN: 21699275
出版年: 2018
卷: 123, 期: 2 起始页码: 855
结束页码: 863
语种: 英语
英文关键词: conveyor belt
; diapycnal mixing
; meridional heat flux
; ocean circulation
; surface thermal forcing
; thermocline
英文摘要: A critical ingredient of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is vertical mixing, which causes dense waters in the deep sea to rise throughout the stratified interior to the upper ocean. Here, we report a laboratory study aimed at understanding the contributions from surface thermal forcing (STF) to this mixing process. Our study reveals that the ratio of the thermocline thickness to the fluid depth largely determines the mixing rate and the mixing efficiency in an overturning flow driven by STF. By applying this finding to a hypothetical MOC driven purely by STF, we obtain a mixing rate of O(10-6 m2/s) and a corresponding meridional heat flux of O(10-2 petawatt, PW), which are far smaller than the values found for real oceans. These results provide quantitative support for the notion that STF alone is not sufficient to drive the MOC, which essentially acts as a heat conveyor belt powered by other energy sources. © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/114562
Appears in Collections: 气候减缓与适应
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作者单位: Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
Recommended Citation:
Wang F.,Huang S.-D.,Xia K.-Q.. Contribution of Surface Thermal Forcing to Mixing in the Ocean[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans,2018-01-01,123(2)