2024-03-19T11:26:56Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/592552016-02-17T11:24:08Zcom_10261_132com_10261_8col_10261_385
Surface frontogenesis and thermohaline intrusion in a shelfbreak front
Wang, Dong Ping
Jordi, Antoni
Surface frontogenesis and thermohaline intrusion are examined in a submesoscale eddy-resolving primitive-equation model simulation of an idealized summer shelfbreak front of the Middle Atlantic Bight (USA). The initial front evolves into fully developed geostrophic turbulence characterized by large Rossby number, strong vortical asymmetry, and k-3 eddy kinetic energy and density spectra (k is the horizontal wavenumber). The baroclinic eddies are trapped in the upper 20m, and their growth is limited by conversion from the eddy to mean kinetic energy. The surface frontogenesis drives vigorous thermohaline intrusions of density-compensated temperature and salinity anomalies. Warmer saltier slope waters are subducted in the wave troughs, while colder fresher shelf waters are upwelled in the wave crests. The model results compare well with the observed distribution of subsurface salinity maxima. The total eddy induced onshore salt flux is comparable to the estimated salt budget in the Mid-Atlantic shelf. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
2012-10-31T08:07:45Z
2012-10-31T08:07:45Z
2011
2012-10-31T08:07:45Z
artículo
Ocean Modelling 38: 161- 170 (2011)
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/59255
10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.02.012
eng
closedAccess
Elsevier