Float-Derived Isopycnal Diffusivities in the DIMES Experiment

(LaCasce, J. H. and Ferrari, R. and Marshall, J. and Tulloch, R. and Balwada, D. and Speer, K.), Journal of Physical Oceanography, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. pages, 2014.

Abstract

AbstractAs part of the Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment in the Southern Ocean (DIMES), 210 subsurface floats were deployed west of the Drake Passage on two targeted density surfaces. Absolute (single particle) diffusivities are calculated for the floats. The focus is on the meridional component, which is less affected by the mean shear. The diffusivities are estimated in several ways, including a novel method based on the probability density function of the meridional displacements. This allows the determination of the range of possible lateral diffusivities, as well as the period over which the spreading can be said to be diffusive. The method is applied to the float data and to synthetic trajectories generated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model (MITgcm). Because of ballasting problems, many of the floats did not remain on their targeted density surface. However, the float temperature records suggest that most occupied a small range of densities, so the floa…

doi = 10.1175/JPO-D-13-0175.1

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