Global surface eddy diffusivities derived from satellite altimetry

Velocities derived from AVISO sea‐surface height observations, adjusted to be nondivergent, are used to simulate the evolution of passive tracers at the ocean surface. Eddy mixing rates are derived from the tracer fields in two ways. First, the method of Nakamura is applied to a sector in the East P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Oceans 2013-02, Vol.118 (2), p.901-916
Main Authors: Abernathey, R. P., Marshall, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brownian motion
Diffusion
Earth, ocean, space
Eddies
Electric noise
Estimates
Evolution
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Geophysics
Mathematical analysis
mesoscale
mixing
Mixing processes
Oceanography
Oceans
Physics of the oceans
Satellite altimetry
Satellites
Simulation
stirring
Tracers
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Summary:Velocities derived from AVISO sea‐surface height observations, adjusted to be nondivergent, are used to simulate the evolution of passive tracers at the ocean surface. Eddy mixing rates are derived from the tracer fields in two ways. First, the method of Nakamura is applied to a sector in the East Pacific. Second, the Osborn‐Cox diffusivity is calculated globally to yield estimates of diffusivity in two dimensions. The results from the East Pacific show weak meridional mixing at the surface in the Southern Ocean (
ISSN:2169-9275
2169-9291
DOI:10.1002/jgrc.20066