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| Mcwilliams, James C.; Gula, Jonathan; Molemaker, Maarten Jeroen. |
| Eastward zonal jets are common in the ocean and atmosphere, for example, the Gulf Stream and jet stream. They are characterized by atypically strong horizontal velocity, baroclinic vertical structure with an upward flow intensification, large change in the density stratification meridionally across the jet, large-scale meanders around a central latitude, narrow troughs and broad crests, and a sharp and vertically sloping northern (poleward) "wall" defined by horizontal maxima in the lateral gradients of both velocity and density. Measurements and realistic oceanic simulations show these features in the Gulf Stream downstream from its western boundary separation point. A diagnostic theory based on the conservative balance equations is developed to calculate... |
| Tipo: Text |
Palavras-chave: Ageostrophic circulations; Frontogenesis/frontolysis; Ocean models. |
| Ano: 2019 |
URL: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00486/59786/62925.pdf |
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| Thomas, Leif N.; Shakespeare, Callum J.. |
| A simple analytical model is used to elucidate a potential mechanism for steady-state mode water formation at a thermohaline front that involves frontogenesis, submesoscale lateral mixing, and cabbeling. This mechanism is motivated in part by recent observations of an extremely sharp, density-compensated front at the North Wall of the Gulf Stream. Here, the intergyre, along-isopycnal, salinity-temperature difference is compressed into a span of a few kilometers, making the flow susceptible to cabbeling. The sharpness of the front is caused by frontogenetic strain, which is presumably balanced by submesoscale lateral mixing processes. The balance is studied with the simple model, and a scaling is derived for the amount of water mass transformation resulting... |
| Tipo: Text |
Palavras-chave: Circulation/ Dynamics; Frontogenesis/frontolysis; Fronts; Ocean dynamics; Atm/Ocean Structure/ Phenomena; Water masses. |
| Ano: 2015 |
URL: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00351/46243/46107.pdf |
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| Buckingham, Christian; Gula, Jonathan; Carton, Xavier. |
| We continue our study of the role of curvature in modifying frontal stability. In Part I, we obtained an instability criterion valid for curved fronts and vortices in gradient wind balance (GWB): Φ′ = L′q′ < 0, where L′ and q′ are the nondimensional absolute angular momentum and Ertel potential vorticity (PV), respectively. In Part II, we investigate this criterion in a parameter space representative of low-Richardson-number fronts and vortices in GWB. An interesting outcome is that, for Richardson numbers near 1, anticyclonic flows increase in q′, while cyclonic flows decrease in q′, tending to stabilize anticyclonic and destabilize cyclonic flow. Although stability is marginal or weak for anticyclonic flow (owing to multiplication by L′), the... |
| Tipo: Text |
Palavras-chave: Eddies; Fronts; Instability; Ocean circulation; Potential vorticity; Frontogenesis/frontolysis; Vortices; Angular momentum. |
| Ano: 2021 |
URL: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00677/78919/81286.pdf |
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| Buckingham, Christian; Gula, Jonathan; Carton, Xavier. |
| In this study, we examine the role of curvature in modifying frontal stability. We first evaluate the classical criterion that the Coriolis parameter f multiplied by the Ertel potential vorticity (PV) q is positive for stable flow and that instability is possible when this quantity is negative. The first portion of this statement can be deduced from Ertel’s PV theorem, assuming an initially positive fq. Moreover, the full statement is implicit in the governing equation for the mean geostrophic flow, as the discriminant, fq, changes sign. However, for curved fronts in cyclogeostrophic or gradient wind balance (GWB), an additional term enters the discriminant owing to conservation of absolute angular momentum L. The resulting expression, (1 + Cu)fq < 0 or... |
| Tipo: Text |
Palavras-chave: Instability; Ocean dynamics; Potential vorticity; Turbulence; Frontogenesis/frontolysis; Fronts; Vortices; Angular momentum. |
| Ano: 2021 |
URL: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00677/78920/81288.pdf |
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