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The total energy flux leaving the ocean's mixed layer

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Rimac,  Antonija
Ocean Statistics, The Ocean in the Earth System, MPI for Meteorology, Max Planck Society;
IMPRS on Earth System Modelling, MPI for Meteorology, Max Planck Society;

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von Storch,  Jin Song
Ocean Statistics, The Ocean in the Earth System, MPI for Meteorology, Max Planck Society;
A 1 - Climate Variability and Predictability, Research Area A: Climate Dynamics and Variability, The CliSAP Cluster of Excellence, External Organizations;
I 3 - Global High-Resolution Climate Reconstruction, Integrated Activities, The CliSAP Cluster of Excellence, External Organizations;

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Citation

Rimac, A., von Storch, J. S., & Eden, C. (2016). The total energy flux leaving the ocean's mixed layer. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 46, 1885-1900. doi:10.1175/JPO-D-15-0115.1.


Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0028-D5D7-E
Abstract
The total energy flux leaving the ocean’s spatially and seasonally varying mixed layer is estimated using a global ⅝1/10° ocean general circulation model. From the total wind-power input of 3.33 TW into near-inertial waves (0.35 TW), subinertial fluctuations (0.87 TW), and the time-mean circulation (2.11 TW), 0.92 TW leave the mixed layer, with 0.04 TW (11.4%) due to near-inertial motions, 0.07 TW (8.04%) due to subinertial fluctuations, and 0.81 TW (38.4%) due to time-mean motions. Of the 0.81 TW from the time-mean motions, 0.5 TW result from the projection of the horizontal flux onto the sloped bottom of the mixed layer. This projection is negligible for the transient fluxes. The spatial structure of the vertical flux is determined principally by the wind stress curl. The mean and subinertial fluxes leaving the mixed layer are approximately 40%–50% smaller than the respective fluxes across the Ekman layer according to the method proposed by Stern. The fraction related to transient fluctuations tends to decrease with increasing depth of the mixed layer and with increasing strength of wind stress variability.