Modification of North Pacific Intermediate Water around Mixed Water Region |
| |
| Authors: | Ryuichiro Inoue Jiro Yoshida Yutaka Hiroe Kousei Komatsu Kiyoshi Kawasaki Ichiro Yasuda |
| |
| Institution: | (1) Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Fisheries, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan;(2) National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan;(3) Department of Earth and Planetary Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan |
| |
| Abstract: | The mixing processes in the Mixed Water Region (MWR) that lead to changes in the properties of North Pacific Intermediate
Water (NPIW) have been studied using observational data sets obtained in May–June 1998. Neutral surfaces, the equation of
water mass conversion rate on neutral surfaces and the equation of vertical velocity across neutral surfaces have been used
to distinguish dominant processes by assuming the horizontal scale to be the streamer scale (under 100 km). The possibility
of double diffusive convection is also discussed in relation to the density ratio. These results may be summarized as follows:
(1) the difference between the potential density surface and the neutral surface may rise to −0.04 kg/m3 around the source water of NPIW; (2) horizontal diffusion causes strong modifications of the source water of NPIW; (3) the
density range within which strong modification of the source water of NPIW occurs becomes dense from the northern part of
MWR near the Oyashio Front to the southern part near the Kuroshio Front, and to the eastern part. Our modeling of these processes
shows that cabbeling has effects on the density increment of the source water of NPIW in the northern and southern part of
MWR. Double diffusive convection has effects on the density increment of the source water of NPIW, mainly in the northern
part of MWR. The possible density increment due to cabbeling in these areas is estimated to be 0.01≈0.03 kg/m3. The possible density increment due to double diffusive convection is 0.01≈0.03 kg/m3. The total density increment due to cabbeling and double diffusive convection amounts to 0.06 kg/m3.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
| |
| Keywords: | North Pacific Intermediate Water Mixed Water Region mixing neutral surfaces cabbeling double diffusive convection |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
