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Abstract The “eddying” ocean, recognized for several decades, has been the focus of much observational and theoretical research. We here describe a generalization for the analysis of eddy energy, based on the use of ensembles, that addresses two key related issues: the definition of an “eddy” and the general computation of energy spectra. An ensemble identifies eddies as the unpredictable component of the flow, and permits the scale decomposition of their energy in inhomogeneous and non‐stationary settings. We present two distinct, but equally valid, spectral estimates: one is similar to classical Fourier spectra, the other reminiscent of classical empirical orthogonal function analysis. Both satisfy Parseval's equality and thus can be interpreted as length‐scale dependent energy decompositions. The issue of “tapering” or “windowing” of the data, used in traditional approaches, is also discussed. We apply the analyses to a mesoscale “resolving” (1/12°) ensemble of the separated North Atlantic Gulf Stream. Our results reveal highly anisotropic spectra in the Gulf Stream and zones of both agreement and disagreement with theoretically expected spectral shapes. In general, we find spectral slopes that fall off faster than the steepest slope expected from quasi‐geostrophic theory.
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Diagnosing the Thickness‐Weighted Averaged Eddy‐Mean Flow Interaction From an Eddying North Atlantic Ensemble: The Eliassen‐Palm Flux
Abstract The thickness‐weighted average (TWA) framework, which treats the residual‐mean flow as the prognostic variable, provides a clear theoretical formulation of the eddy feedback onto the residual‐mean flow. The averaging operator involved in the TWA framework, although in theory being an ensemble mean, in practice has often been approximated by a temporal mean. Here, we analyze an ensemble of North Atlantic simulations at mesoscale‐permitting resolution (1/12°). We therefore recognize means and eddies in terms of ensemble means and fluctuations about those means. The ensemble dimension being orthogonal to the temporal and spatial dimensions negates the necessity for an arbitrary temporal or spatial scale in defining the eddies. Eddy‐mean flow feedbacks are encapsulated in the Eliassen‐Palm (E‐P) flux tensor and its convergence indicates that eddy momentum fluxes dominate in the separated Gulf Stream. The eddies can be interpreted to contribute to the zonal meandering of the Gulf Stream and a northward migration of it in the meridional direction. Downstream of the separated Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Current region, the interfacial form stress convergence becomes leading order in the E‐P flux convergence.
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- PAR ID:
- 10368500
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 1942-2466
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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