Article
 

Energetics of Bottom Ekman Layers during Buoyancy Arrest

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/ns064b55d

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Turbulent bottom Ekman layers are among the most important energy conversion sites in the ocean. Their energetics are notoriously complex, in particular near sloping topography, where the feedback between cross-slope Ekman transports, buoyancy forcing, and mixing affects the energy budget in ways that are not well understood. Here, the authors attempt to clarify the energy pathways and different routes to mixing, using a combined theoretical and modeling approach. The analysis is based on a newly developed energy flux diagram for turbulent Ekman layers near sloping topography that allows for an exact definition of the different energy reservoirs and energy pathways. Using a second-moment turbulence model, it is shown that mixing efficiencies increase for increasing slope angle and interior stratification, but do not exceed the threshold of 5% except for very steep slopes, where the canonical value of 20% may be reached. Available potential energy generated by cross-slope advection may equal up to 70% of the energy lost to dissipation for upwelling-favorable flow, and up to 40% for downwelling-favorable flow.
  • Keywords: Diapycnal mixing, Upwelling/downwelling, Mass fluxes/transport, Bottom currents, Circulation/Dynamics, Topographic effects, Ekman pumping/transport
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Umlauf, L., Smyth, W. D., & Moum, J. N. (2015). Energetics of Bottom Ekman Layers during Buoyancy Arrest. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 45(12), 3099-3117. doi:10.1175/JPO-D-15-0041.1
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 45
Journal Issue/Number
  • 12
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • LU is grateful for the support by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through Grant UM79/6-1. WDS's participation was funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant OCE 1355678. Additional support was provided by a Faculty Internationalization Grant from Oregon State University to WDS. JNM's participation was funded by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation (1256620).
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details SmythWilliamCEOASEnergeticsBottomEkman.pdf 2017-10-27 Public Download