The dynamical balance, transport and circulation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

By D. Olbers, D. Borowski, Christoph Völker, Jörg-Olaf Wolff. Antarctic Science, 2004

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The physical elements of the circulation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) are reviewed. A picture of the circulation is sketched by means of recent observations from the WOCE decade. We present and discuss the role of forcing functions (wind stress, surface buoyancy flux) in the dynamical balance of the flow and in the meridional circulation and study their relation to the ACC transport. The physics of form stress at tilted isopycnals and at the ocean bottom are elucidated as central mechanisms in the momentum balance. We explain the failure of the Sverdrup balance in the ACC circulation and highlight the role of geostrophic contours in the balance of vorticity. Emphasis is on the interrelation of the zonal momentum balance and the meridional circulation, the importance of diapycnal mixing and eddy processes. Finally, new model concepts are described: a model of the ACC transport dependence on wind stress and buoyancy flux, based on linear wave theory; and a model of the meridional overturning and the mean density structure of the Southern Ocean, based on zonally averaged dynamics and thermodynamics with eddy parametrization.

Subfields: Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/201e87ea9aa3aedefa8193657b7d47613ac9be35

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Citations in the corpus

Eddy stirring in the Southern Ocean (2011, background): “, Olbers et al. [2004]), our observation of leaky jet segments hosting both high values of and large isopycnal PV gradients NAVEIRA GARABATO ET AL.”
Evaluation of CNRM Earth System Model, CNRM‐ESM2‐1: Role of Earth System Processes in Present‐Day and Future Climate (2019, background): “Both models display high AOD in northern Africa due to mineral dust aerosols, in eastern Asia due to anthropogenic emissions, and over the Southern Ocean because of strong winds generating primary sea‐salt particles.”
Estimates and Implications of Surface Eddy Diffusivity in the Southern Ocean Derived from Tracer Transport (2006, background): “…Ocean poleward of 30°S. Knowledge of surface diffusivities in the Southern Ocean is of great importance to understanding its dynamics and the role of eddy fluxes therein [see, e.g., Rintoul et al. (2001), Karsten and Marshall (2002), Marshall and Radko (2003), Olbers et al. (2004), and section 4a].”
Radiation and Dissipation of Internal Waves Generated by Geostrophic Motions Impinging on Small-Scale Topography: Application to the Southern Ocean (2010, background): “Theories suggest that the upper cell is driven by atmospheric forcing at the surface with an adiabatic return flow at depth (Rintoul et al. 2001; Marshall and Radko 2003; Olbers et al. 2004).”
The Dependence of Southern Ocean Meridional Overturning on Wind Stress (2011, background): “…theories of the Southern Ocean circulation, capturing the essential physics of the system and providing insight into important mechanisms (Munk and Palmén 1951; McWilliams et al. 1978; Marshall 1981; Johnson and Bryden 1989; Marshall 1997; Olbers et al. 2004; Marshall and Radko 2006, among many).”
Climate Change and Invasibility of the Antarctic Benthos (2007, background): “The detail now available from satellite imagery reveals a highly variable and dynamic structure, including eddies over a wide range of scales (Glorioso et al. 2005, Olbers et al. 2004).”