Mixed and mixing layer depths simulated by an OGCM |
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| Authors: | Yign Noh Woo-Sung Lee |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Atmospheric Sciences/Global Environmental Laboratory, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea |
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| Abstract: | The global distributions of the mixed layer depth h
D
, representing the depth of uniform density, and the mixing layer depth h
K
, representing the depth of active turbulent mixing, were simulated using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM), and compared
with each other, as well as with the mixed layer depth from the climatological data h
D
*. The comparison between h
D
and h
D
* suggested that the threshold density difference Δ σ
θ
should decrease from 0.09 kg m−3 to 0.02 kg m−3 with increasing latitude for consistent comparison between two mixed layer depths, due to the different nature of density
profiles depending on latitude. The comparison between h
D
and h
K
revealed that h
K
is deeper than h
D
in the region where strong subsurface shear is present, such as the equatorial ocean and the region of the western boundary
current. On the other hand, h
K
is shallower than h
D
in the high latitude ocean during convective cooling and early restratification. |
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| Keywords: | Mixed layer depth vertical mixing OGCM ocean mixed layer convection subsurface shear |
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