IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v7y2016i1d10.1038_ncomms11576.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Deep-reaching thermocline mixing in the equatorial pacific cold tongue

Author

Listed:
  • Chuanyu Liu

    (Institute of Oceanography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg (UHH)
    Key Lab of Ocean Circulation and Waves (KLOCAW), Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS)
    Function Laboratory for Ocean and Climate Dynamics, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM))

  • Armin Köhl

    (Institute of Oceanography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg (UHH))

  • Zhiyu Liu

    (College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University)

  • Fan Wang

    (Key Lab of Ocean Circulation and Waves (KLOCAW), Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS)
    Function Laboratory for Ocean and Climate Dynamics, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM))

  • Detlef Stammer

    (Institute of Oceanography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg (UHH))

Abstract

Vertical mixing is an important factor in determining the temperature, sharpness and depth of the equatorial Pacific thermocline, which are critical to the development of El Ninõ and Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Yet, properties, dynamical causes and large-scale impacts of vertical mixing in the thermocline are much less understood than that nearer the surface. Here, based on Argo float and the Tropical Ocean and Atmosphere (TAO) mooring measurements, we identify a large number of thermocline mixing events occurring down to the lower half of the thermocline and the lower flank of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), in particular in summer to winter. The deep-reaching mixing events occur more often and much deeper during periods with tropical instability waves (TIWs) than those without and under La Niña than under El Niño conditions. We demonstrate that the mixing events are caused by lower Richardson numbers resulting from shear of both TIWs and the EUC.

Suggested Citation

  • Chuanyu Liu & Armin Köhl & Zhiyu Liu & Fan Wang & Detlef Stammer, 2016. "Deep-reaching thermocline mixing in the equatorial pacific cold tongue," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11576
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11576
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11576
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms11576?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11576. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.