Ocean Eddy Parameterisation and Conservation Principles
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Fri, 10/02/2012 14:30 |
Dr. James Maddison (AOPP University of Oxford) |
Mathematical Geoscience Seminar  |
DH 3rd floor SR |
| Ocean climate models are unlikely routinely to have sufficient resolution to resolve the turbulent ocean eddy field. The need for the development of improved mesoscale eddy parameterisation schemes therefore remains an important task. The current dominant mesoscale eddy closure is the Gent and McWilliams scheme, which enforces the down-gradient mixing of buoyancy. While motivated by the action of baroclinic instability on the mean flow, this closure neglects the horizontal fluxes of horizontal momentum. The down-gradient mixing of potential vorticity is frequently discussed as an alternative parameterisation paradigm. However, such a scheme, without careful treatment, violates fundamental conservation principles, and in particular violates conservation of momentum. A new parameterisation framework is presented which preserves conservation of momentum by construction, and further allows for conservation of energy. The framework has one dimensional parameter, the total eddy energy, and five dimensionless and bounded geometric parameters. The popular Gent and McWilliams scheme exists as a limiting case of this framework. Hence the new framework enables for the extension of the Gent and McWilliams scheme, in a manner consistent with key physical conservations. | |||