Type |
Article |
Date |
2009-08 |
Language |
English |
Author(s) |
Levy M.1, Klein Patrice2, Ben Jelloul M.2 |
Affiliation(s) |
1 : Univ Paris 06, CNRS, IPSL, LOCEAN, F-75252 Paris 05, France. 2 : UBO, CNRS, IFREMER, LPO, F-29280 Brest, France. |
Source |
Geophysical Research Letters ( GRL ) (0094-8276) (American Geophysical Union), 2009-08 , Vol. 36 , N. L16603 , P. 1-5 |
DOI |
10.1029/2009GL039490 |
WOS© Times Cited |
35 |
Abstract |
Using an idealized model of an oligotrophic open-ocean region characterized by intense sub-mesoscale turbulence, we show that the presence of energetic near-inertial motions, forced by high-frequency winds, triggers transient nutrient inputs in the surface mixed-layer, stimulating new production. We also show that this production increase is larger than the increase due to the Ekman transport resulting from a slow-evolving wind forcing. The nutrient supplies are due to the interaction between near-inertial motions and the submesoscale frontogenetic dynamics that reinforces both the vertical advection and vertical diffusion, especially within sub-mesoscales features. The net result is an uplift of new production from the subsurface to the mixed-layer. A direct consequence is that the sub-mesoscale filamentary patterns of phytoplankton should become much more observable from space in the presence of high-frequency winds. Citation: Levy, M., P. Klein, and M. Ben Jelloul (2009), New production stimulated by high-frequency winds in a turbulent mesoscale eddy field, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L16603, doi:10.1029/2009GL039490. |
Full Text |
File |
Pages |
Size |
Access |
publication-6767.pdf |
10 |
4 MB |
Open access |
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