A numerical modeling study of the East Australian Current encircling and overwashing a warm-core eddy

Macdonald, HS; Roughan, M; Baird, ME; Wilkin, J

A numerical modeling study of the East Australian Current encircling and overwashing a warm-core eddy

Macdonald, HS Roughan, M Baird, ME

Wilkin, J

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2013, 118 (1), pp. 301 - 315
Issue Date:: 2013-01-01

Closed Access

	Filename	Description	Size
	2012004003OK.pdf		8.61 MB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Closed Access

This item is closed access and not available.

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Macdonald, HS	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Roughan, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Baird, ME https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4955-2298	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Wilkin, J	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2013, 118 (1), pp. 301 - 315	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/27475
dc.description.abstract	[1] Warm-core eddies (WCEs) often form in the meanders of Western Boundary Currents (WBCs). WCEs are frequently overwashed with less dense waters sourced from the WBC. We use the Regional Ocean Modelling System to investigate the ocean state during the overwashing of one such WCE in October 2008 in the East Australian Current (EAC). Comparisons of model outputs with satellite sea surface temperature and vertical profiles show that the model provides a realistic simulation of the eddy during the period when the EAC encircled and then overwashed the eddy. During the encircling stage, an eddy with closed circulation persisted at depth. In the surface EAC water entered from the north, encircled the eddy and exited to the east. The overwashing stage was initiated by the expulsion of cyclonic vorticity. For the following 8 days after the expulsion, waters from the EAC washed over the top of the eddy, transferring heat and anticyclonic vorticity radially-inward. After approximately one rotation period of overwashing, the eddy separated. The overwashing creates a two-layer system that forms a subsurface maximum velocity at the interface of the two layers. Analysis of water mass properties, Eulerian tracer dynamics, and Lagrangian particle tracks show that the original eddy sinks 10-50 m during the overwashing period. Overwashing has been observed in many WBCs and occurs in most WCEs in the western Tasman Sea. © 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1029/2012JC008386	en_US
dc.title	A numerical modeling study of the East Australian Current encircling and overwashing a warm-core eddy	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	118	en_US
utslib.for	0405 Oceanography	en_US
utslib.for	0404 Geophysics	en_US
utslib.for	0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	118	en_US

Abstract:

[1] Warm-core eddies (WCEs) often form in the meanders of Western Boundary Currents (WBCs). WCEs are frequently overwashed with less dense waters sourced from the WBC. We use the Regional Ocean Modelling System to investigate the ocean state during the overwashing of one such WCE in October 2008 in the East Australian Current (EAC). Comparisons of model outputs with satellite sea surface temperature and vertical profiles show that the model provides a realistic simulation of the eddy during the period when the EAC encircled and then overwashed the eddy. During the encircling stage, an eddy with closed circulation persisted at depth. In the surface EAC water entered from the north, encircled the eddy and exited to the east. The overwashing stage was initiated by the expulsion of cyclonic vorticity. For the following 8 days after the expulsion, waters from the EAC washed over the top of the eddy, transferring heat and anticyclonic vorticity radially-inward. After approximately one rotation period of overwashing, the eddy separated. The overwashing creates a two-layer system that forms a subsurface maximum velocity at the interface of the two layers. Analysis of water mass properties, Eulerian tracer dynamics, and Lagrangian particle tracks show that the original eddy sinks 10-50 m during the overwashing period. Overwashing has been observed in many WBCs and occurs in most WCEs in the western Tasman Sea. © 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/27475