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HUANG Rui Xin. 2014. Energetics of lateral eddy diffusion/advection:Part Ⅱ. Numerical diffusion/diffusivity and gravitational potential energy change due to isopycnal diffusion. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 33(3):19-39
Energetics of lateral eddy diffusion/advection:Part Ⅱ. Numerical diffusion/diffusivity and gravitational potential energy change due to isopycnal diffusion
Energetics of lateral eddy diffusion/advection:Part Ⅱ. Numerical diffusion/diffusivity and gravitational potential energy change due to isopycnal diffusion
Received:August 30, 2013  Revised:December 17, 2013
DOI:10.1007/s13131-014-0410-0
Key words:Eulerian coordinates  numerical diffusivity  numerical dissipation  energetics of isopycnal eddy diffusion
中文关键词:  Eulerian coordinates  numerical diffusivity  numerical dissipation  energetics of isopycnal eddy diffusion
基金项目:
Author NameAffiliationE-mail
HUANG Rui Xin Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole 02543-1050, USA rhuang@whoi.edu 
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Abstract:
      Study of oceanic circulation and climate requires models which can simulate tracer eddy diffusion and advection accurately. It is shown that the traditional Eulerian coordinates can introduce large artificial horizontal diffusivity/viscosity due to the incorrect alignment of the axis. Therefore, such models can smear sharp fronts and introduce other numerical artifacts. For simulation with relatively low resolution, large lateral diffusion was explicitly used in models;therefore, such numerical diffusion may not be a problem. However, with the increase of horizontal resolution, the artificial diffusivity/viscosity associated with horizontal advection in the commonly used Eulerian coordinates may become one of the most challenging obstacles for modeling the ocean circulation accurately. Isopycnal eddy diffusion (mixing) has been widely used in numerical models. The common wisdom is that mixing along isopycnal is energy free. However, a careful examination reveals that this is not the case. In fact, eddy diffusion can be conceptually separated into two steps: stirring and subscale diffusion. Due to the thermobaric effect, stirring, or exchanging water masses, along isopycnal surface is associated with the change of GPE in the mean state. This is a new type of instability, called the thermobaric instability. In addition, due to cabbeling subscale diffusion of water parcels always leads to the release of GPE. The release of GPE due to isopycnal stirring and subscale diffusion may lead to the thermobaric instability.
中文摘要:
      Study of oceanic circulation and climate requires models which can simulate tracer eddy diffusion and advection accurately. It is shown that the traditional Eulerian coordinates can introduce large artificial horizontal diffusivity/viscosity due to the incorrect alignment of the axis. Therefore, such models can smear sharp fronts and introduce other numerical artifacts. For simulation with relatively low resolution, large lateral diffusion was explicitly used in models;therefore, such numerical diffusion may not be a problem. However, with the increase of horizontal resolution, the artificial diffusivity/viscosity associated with horizontal advection in the commonly used Eulerian coordinates may become one of the most challenging obstacles for modeling the ocean circulation accurately. Isopycnal eddy diffusion (mixing) has been widely used in numerical models. The common wisdom is that mixing along isopycnal is energy free. However, a careful examination reveals that this is not the case. In fact, eddy diffusion can be conceptually separated into two steps: stirring and subscale diffusion. Due to the thermobaric effect, stirring, or exchanging water masses, along isopycnal surface is associated with the change of GPE in the mean state. This is a new type of instability, called the thermobaric instability. In addition, due to cabbeling subscale diffusion of water parcels always leads to the release of GPE. The release of GPE due to isopycnal stirring and subscale diffusion may lead to the thermobaric instability.
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