Papers

Peer-reviewed
Nov, 2010

Role of localized mixing around the Kuril Straits in the Pacific thermohaline circulation

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
  • Takao Kawasaki
  • ,
  • Hiroyasu Hasumi

Volume
115
Number
C11002
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1029/2010JC006130
Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION

[1] We investigate the Pacific thermohaline circulation induced by the locally enhanced vertical mixing around the Kuril Straits by using a general circulation model. When the strong vertical mixing reaches the sea surface, localized upwelling is induced from the depth to the surface. On the contrary, in the cases where the strong vertical mixing does not reach the sea surface, downwelling of surface water is induced in the shallow layer while upwelling of deep water is induced below. The structure of the meridional overturning circulation in the Pacific Ocean significantly differs depending on whether the surface buoyancy flux is large enough to sustain upwelling of deep water or not. The mixing-induced downwelling of shallow water is not associated with the sea surface cooling, and the source of dense water is in the deep ocean. Among the non-surface-reaching mixing cases, the depth that separates the downwelling and upwelling is found to be relatively insensitive to the depth where the vertical diffusivity sharply changes.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JC006130
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000283946900003&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1029/2010JC006130
  • ISSN : 0148-0227
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000283946900003

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