On the effect of small-scale oceanic variability on topography-generated currents
Abstract
Small-scale oceanic motions, in combination with bottom topography, induce mean large-scale along-isobaths flows. The direction of these mean flows is usually found to be anticyclonic (cyclonic) over bumps (depressions). Here we employ a quasigeostrophic model to show that the current direction of these topographically induced large-scale flows can be reversed by the small-scale variability. This result addresses the existence of a new bulk effect from the small-scale activity that could have strong consequences on the circulation of the world's ocean.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0003009,
title = {On the effect of small-scale oceanic variability on topography-generated currents},
author = {Alberto Alvarez and Emilio Hernandez-Garcia and Joaquin Tintore},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0003009},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
14 pages, 1 GIF file, uses the agums.sty style file(included). To appear in Geophysical Research Letters. Related material available from http://www.imedea.uib.es/Nonlinear/research_topics/GeoPhys/geo.html