Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2009
Abstract
As more high-resolution observations become available, our view of ocean mesoscale turbulence more closely becomes that of a “sea of eddies.” The presence of the coherent vortices significantly affects the dynamics and the statistical properties of mesoscale flows, with important consequences on tracer dispersion and ocean stirring and mixing processes. Here we review some of the properties of particle transport in vortex-dominated flows, concentrating on the statistical properties induced by the presence of an ensemble of vortices. We discuss a possible parameterization of particle dispersion in vortex-dominated flows, adopting the view that ocean mesoscale turbulence is a two-component fluid which includes intense, localized vortical structures with non-local effects immersed in a Kolmogorovian, low-energy turbulent background which has mostly local effects. Finally, we report on some recent results regarding the role of coherent mesoscale eddies in marine ecosystem functioning, which is related to the effects that vortices have on nutrient supply.
Introduction
The ocean transports heat, salt, momentum and vorticity, nutrients and pollutants, and many other material and dynamical quantities across its vast spaces. Some of these transport processes are at the heart of the mechanisms of climate variability and of marine ecosystem functioning. In addition, a large portion of the available data on ocean dynamics are in the form of float and drifter trajectories. These provide a Lagrangian view of the ocean circulation which is not always easy to disentangle.
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