Jean-Baptiste Sallée

Response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to Atmospheric Variability

Abstract Historical hydrographic profiles, combined with recent Argo profiles, are used to obtain an estimate of the mean geostrophic circulation in the Southern Ocean. Thirteen years of altimetric sea level anomaly data are then added to reconstruct the time variable sea level, and this new dataset is analyzed to identify and monitor the position of the two main fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) during the period 1993–2005. The authors relate their movements to the two main atmospheric climate modes of the Southern Hemisphere: the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The study finds that although the fronts are steered by the bathymetry, which sets their mean pathway on first order, in flat-bottom areas the fronts are subject to large meandering because of mesoscale activity and atmospheric forcing. While the dominant mode of atmospheric variability in the Southern Hemisphere, SAM, is relatively symmetric, the oceanic response of the fronts is not, show...

Southern Ocean Thermocline Ventilation

Abstract An approximate mass (volume) budget in the surface layer of the Southern Ocean is used to investigate the intensity and regional variability of the ventilation process, discussed here in terms of subduction and upwelling. Ventilation resulting from Ekman pumping is estimated from satellite winds, the geostrophic mean component is assessed from a climatology strengthened with Argo data, and the eddy-induced advection is included via the parameterization of Gent and McWilliams, together with eddy mixing estimates. All three components contribute significantly to ventilation. Finally, the seasonal cycle of the upper ocean is resolved using Argo data. The circumpolar-averaged circulation shows an upwelling in the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) density classes, which is carried north into a zone of dense Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) subduction. Although no consistent net production is found in the light SAMW density classes, a large subduction of Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) is observed. The S...

Sustained monitoring of the southern ocean at Drake Passage: Past achievements and future priorities

Drake Passage is the narrowest constriction of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the Southern Ocean, with implications for global ocean circulation and climate. We review the long-term sustained monitoring programs that have been conducted at Drake Passage, dating back to the early part of the twentieth century. Attention is drawn to numerous breakthroughs that have been made from these programs, including (1) the first determinations of the complex ACC structure and early quantifications of its transport; (2) realization that the ACC transport is remarkably steady over interannual and longer periods, and a growing understanding of the processes responsible for this; (3) recognition of the role of coupled climate modes in dictating the horizontal transport and the role of anthropogenic processes in this; and (4) understanding of mechanisms driving changes in both the upper and lower limbs of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation and their impacts. It is argued that monitoring of this passage remains a high priority for oceanographic and climate research but that strategic improvements could be made concerning how this is conducted. In particular, long-term programs should concentrate on delivering quantifications of key variables of direct relevance to large-scale environmental issues: In this context, the time-varying overturning circulation is, if anything, even more compelling a target than the ACC flow. Further, there is a need for better international resource sharing and improved spatiotemporal coordination of the measurements. If achieved, the improvements in understanding of important climatic issues deriving from Drake Passage monitoring can be sustained into the future.

Jets and topography: jet transitions and the impact on transport in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

The Southern Ocean’s Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) naturally lends itself to interpretations using a zonally averaged framework. Yet, navigation around steep and complicated bathymetric obstacles suggests that local dynamics may be far removed from those described by zonally symmetric models. In this study, both observational and numerical results indicate that zonal asymmetries, in the form of topography, impact global flow structure and transport properties. The conclusions are based on a suite of more than 1.5 million virtual drifter trajectories advected using a satellite altimetry–derived surface velocity field spanning 17 years. The focus is on sites of “cross front” transport as defined by movement across selected sea surface height contours that correspond to jets along most of the ACC. Cross-front exchange is localized in the lee of bathymetric features with more than 75% of crossing events occurring in regions corresponding to only 20% of the ACC’s zonal extent. These observations motivate a series of numerical experiments using a two-layer quasigeostrophic model with simple, zonally asymmetric topography, which often produces transitions in the front structure along the channel. Significantly, regimes occur where the equilibrated number of coherent jets is a function of longitude and transport barriers are not periodic. Jet reorganization is carried out by eddy flux divergences acting to both accelerate and decelerate the mean flow of the jets. Eddy kinetic energy is amplified downstream of topography due to increased baroclinicity related to topographic steering. The combination of high eddy kinetic energy and recirculation features enhances particle exchange. These results stress the complications in developing consistent circumpolar definitions of the ACC fronts.

Representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the CMIP5 climate models and future changes under warming scenarios

The representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the fifth Coupled Models Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) is generally improved over CMIP3. The range of modeled transports in the historical (1976–2006) scenario is reduced (90–264 Sv) compared with CMIP3 (33–337 Sv) with a mean of 155 ± 51 Sv. The large intermodel range is associated with significant differences in the ACC density structure. The ACC position is accurately represented at most longitudes, with a small (1.27°) standard deviation in mean latitude. The westerly wind jet driving the ACC is biased too strong and too far north on average. Unlike CMIP3 there is no correlation between modeled ACC latitude and the position of the westerly wind jet. Under future climate forcing scenarios (2070–2099 mean) the modeled ACC transport changes by between −26 to +17 Sv and the ACC shifts polewards (equatorwards) in models where the transport increases (decreases). There is no significant correlation between the ACC position change and that of the westerly wind jet, which shifts polewards and strengthens. The subtropical gyres strengthen and expand southwards, while the change in subpolar gyre area varies between models. An increase in subpolar gyre area corresponds with a decreases in ACC transport and an equatorward shift in the ACC position, and vice versa for a contraction of the gyre area. There is a general decrease in density in the upper 1000 m, particularly equatorwards of the ACC core.

Eddy heat diffusion and Subantarctic Mode Water formation

Subantarctic mode waters (SAMW) form in the deep winter mixed layers occuring north of the Subantarctic Front (SAF). The recent increase of hydrographic and surface drifter data in the Southern Ocean allows a better spatial representation of the distinct regions of SAMW formation. This study focuses on the thermodynamical processes acting on the winter mixed layer heat budget. Eddy heat diffusion play a substantial role in the local heat balance, whereas its action vanishes with large-scale averaging. South of the western boundary currents and north of the SAF, the eddy heating plays an important role in specific regions, counterbalancing the cooling of the mixed layer by Ekman advection and air-sea fluxes. Specifically, the eddy diffusion term reduces the tendency for mixed layer destabilisation north of the SAF in the Western Indian Ocean downstream of the Agulhas Retroflection and in the Western Pacific downstream of Campbell Plateau. This role for mixed layer eddy fluxes emphasizes a large-scale control of mixed layer properties by topography and mesoscale processes in the Southern Ocean.

Mean-flow and topographic control on surface eddy-mixing in the Southern Ocean

Surface cross-stream eddy diffusion in the Southern Ocean is estimated by monitoring dispersion of particles numerically advected with observed satellite altimetry velocity fields. To gain statistical significance and accuracy in the resolution of the jets, more than 1,5 million particles are released every 6 months over 16 years and advected for one year. Results are analyzed in a dynamic height coordinate system. Cross-stream eddy diffusion is highly inhomogenous. Diffusivity is larger on the equatorward flank of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) along eddy stagnation bands, where eddy displacement speed approaches zero. Along such bands, diffusivities reach typical values of 3500 m2 s-1. Local maxima of about 8-12.103 m2 s-1 occur in the energetic western boundary current systems. In contrast, diffusivity is lower in the core of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current with values of 1500-3000 m2 s-1, and continues to decrease south of the main ACC system. The distribution of eddy diffusion is set at three scales: at circumpolar scale, the mean flow reduces diffusion in the ACC and enhances it on the equatorward side of the current; at basin scale, diffusion is enhanced in the energetic western boundary current extension regions; at regional scale, diffusion is enhanced in the wake of large topographic obstacles. We find that the zonally average structure of eddy diffusion can be explained by theory which takes mean flow into account; however, local values depend on eddy propagation, not simply described by a single wave speed, and topography.

The ocean mixed-layer under Southern Ocean sea-ice: Seasonal cycle and forcing

The oceanic mixed-layer is the gateway for the exchanges between the atmosphere and the ocean; in this layer all hydrographic ocean properties are set for months to millennia. A vast area of the Southern Ocean is seasonally capped by sea-ice, which alters the characteristics of the ocean mixed-layer. The interaction between the ocean mixed-layer and sea-ice plays a key role for water-mass transformation, the carbon cycle, sea-ice dynamics, and ultimately for the climate as a whole. However, the structure and characteristics of the under-ice mixed-layer are poorly understood due to the sparseness of in-situ observations and measurements. In this study, we combine distinct sources of observations to overcome this lack in our understanding of the Polar Regions. Working with Elephant Seal-derived observations, ship-based and Argo float observations, we describe the seasonal cycle of the ocean mixed-layer characteristics and stability of the ocean mixed-layer over the Southern Ocean and specifically under sea-ice. Mixed-layer heat and freshwater budgets are used to investigate the main forcing mechanisms of the mixed-layer seasonal cycle. The seasonal variability of sea surface salinity and temperature are primarily driven by surface processes, dominated by sea-ice freshwater flux for the salt budget, and by air-sea flux for the heat budget. Ekman advection, vertical diffusivity and vertical entrainment play only secondary roles.Our results suggest that changes in regional sea-ice distribution and annual duration, as currently observed, widely affect the buoyancy budget of the underlying mixed-layer, and impact large-scale water-mass formation and transformation with far reaching consequences for ocean ventilation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Pathways of anthropogenic carbon subduction in the global ocean

The oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon is tightly coupled to carbon subduction, i.e., the physical carbon transfer from the well-ventilated surface ocean to its interior. Despite their importance, pathways of anthropogenic carbon subduction are poorly understood. Here we use an ocean carbon cycle model to quantify the mechanisms controlling this subduction. Over the last decade, 90% of the oceanic anthropogenic carbon is subducted at the base of the seasonally varying mixed layer. Vertical diffusion is the primary mechanism of this subduction (contributing 65% of total subduction), despite very low local fluxes. In contrast, advection drives the spatial patterns of subduction, with high positive and negative local fluxes. Our results suggest that vertical diffusion could have a leading role in anthropogenic carbon subduction, which highlights the need for an accurate estimate of vertical diffusion intensity in the upper ocean to further constrain estimates of the future evolution of carbon uptake.

Subduction over the Southern Indian Ocean in a High-Resolution Atmosphere–Ocean Coupled Model

This study examines the subduction of the Subantarctic Mode Water in the Indian Ocean in an ocean–atmosphere coupled model in which the ocean component is eddy permitting. The purpose is to assess how sensitive the simulated mode water is to the horizontal resolution in the ocean by comparing with a coarse-resolution ocean coupled model. Subduction of water mass is principally set by the depth of the winter mixed layer. It is found that the path of the Agulhas Current system in the model with an eddy-permitting ocean is different from that with a coarse-resolution ocean. This results in a greater surface heat loss over the Agulhas Return Current and a deeper winter mixed layer downstream in the eddy-permitting ocean coupled model. The winter mixed layer depth in the eddy-permitting ocean compares well to the observations, whereas the winter mixed layer depth in the coarse-resolution ocean coupled model is too shallow and has the wrong spatial structure. To quantify the impacts of different winter mixed depths on the subduction, a way to diagnose local subduction is proposed that includes eddy subduction. It shows that the subduction in the eddy-permitting model is closer to the observations in terms of the magnitudes and the locations. Eddies in the eddy-permitting ocean are found to 1) increase stratification and thus oppose the densification by northward Ekman flow and 2) increase subduction locally. These effects of eddies are not well reproduced by the eddy parameterization in the coarse-resolution ocean coupled model.