Pacific Subtropical Cell Response to Reduced Equatorial Dissipation

• Published in: Journal of physical oceanography Vol. 38; no. 9; pp. 1894 - 1912
• Main Authors: HARRISON, M. J, HALLBERG, R. W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 01.09.2008
• Subjects: Climate models; Climate system; Earth, ocean, space; Entrainment; Equator; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Gravity waves; Heat transport; Intermediate water; Marine; Oceans; Physics of the oceans; Sea-air exchange processes; Thermohaline structure and circulation. Turbulence and diffusion; Tropical environments; Upper ocean; Upwelling; IS, Tropical Pacific; PS, Antarctic Ocean; Pycnocline; Latitudinal variation; climate variability; Climate models; digital simulation; Internal gravity wave; ocean-atmosphere interaction; Wave breaking; Ocean model; Ocean-atmosphere model; Eddy diffusion; energy dissipation; spatial variations

Abstract Equatorial turbulent diffusivities resulting from breaking gravity waves may be more than a factor of 10 less than those in the midlatitudes. A coupled general circulation model with a layered isopycnal coordinate ocean is used to assess Pacific climate sensitivity to a latitudinally varyin...