Feedback of mesoscale ocean currents on atmospheric winds in high-resolution coupled models and implications for the forcing of ocean-only models.

Abel, Rafael , Böning, Claus W. , Greatbatch, Richard John , Hewitt, Helene T. and Roberts, Malcolm J. (2017) Feedback of mesoscale ocean currents on atmospheric winds in high-resolution coupled models and implications for the forcing of ocean-only models. Open Access Ocean Science Discussions . DOI 10.5194/os-2017-24.

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Abstract

The repercussions of surface ocean currents for the near-surface wind and the air-sea momentum flux are investigated in two versions of a global climate model with eddying ocean. The focus is on the effect of mesoscale ocean current features at scales of less than 150 km, by considering high-pass filtered, monthly-mean model output fields. We find a clear signature of a mesoscale oceanic imprint in the wind fields over the energetic areas of the oceans, particularly along the extensions of the western boundary currents and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. These areas are characterized by a positive correlation between mesoscale perturbations in the curl of the surface currents and the wind curl. The coupling coefficients are spatially non-uniform and show a pronounced seasonal cycle. The positive feedback of mesoscale current features on the near-surface wind acts in opposition to their damping effect on the wind stress. A tentative incorporation of this feedback in the surface stress formulation of an eddy-permitting global ocean-only model leads to a gain in the kinetic energy of up to 10 %, suggesting a fundamental shortcoming of present ocean model configurations.

Document Type: Article
Funder compliance: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/603521
Additional Information: Review status: this preprint was under review for the journal OS but the revision was not accepted.
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-OD Ocean Dynamics
Refereed: No
Open Access Journal?: Yes
Publisher: Copernicus Publications (EGU)
Related URLs:
Projects: RACE, MiKlip, ATMOS-MODINI, SACUS, PREFACE, Opendap
Date Deposited: 10 Feb 2020 12:12
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2021 13:59
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/48960

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