Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1124
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1124
01 Jun 2023
 | 01 Jun 2023

Ocean 2D eddy energy fluxes from small mesoscale processes with SWOT

Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault

Abstract. We investigate ocean dynamics at different scales in the Agulhas current system, a region of important interocean exchange of heat and energy. While ocean observations and some of the most advanced climate models capture the larger mesoscale dynamics (>100 km), the smaller-scale fronts and eddies are underrepresented. The recently launched NASA-CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath altimeter mission observes the smaller ocean geostrophic scales down to 15 km in wavelength globally. Here we will analyze different eddy diagnostics in the Agulhas Current region and quantify the contributions from the larger mesoscales observable today, and the smaller scales to be observed with SWOT. Surface geostrophic diagnostics of eddy kinetic energy, strain, and energy cascades are estimated from modelled sea surface height fields of the MITGCM / LLC4320 simulation subsampled at 1/10°. In this region, the smaller scales (<150 km) have a strong signature on the horizontal geostrophic strain rate, and for all eddy diagnostics in the western boundary current and along the meandering Agulhas Extension. We investigate the horizontal cascade of energy using a coarse-graining technique, and we observe that the wavelength range where the inverse cascade occurs is biased towards larger mesoscale wavelengths with today’s altimetric sampling. We also calculate the projected sampling of the eddy diagnostics under the SWOT swaths built with the CNES-NASA simulator to include the satellite position and realistic noise. For the swaths, a neural network noise mitigation method is implemented to reduce the residual SWOT random error before calculating eddy diagnostics. In terms of sea surface height (SSH), observable wavelengths of 15 to 20 km are retrieved after neural network noise mitigation, as opposed to wavelengths larger than 40 km before the noise reduction.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

06 Oct 2023
Ocean 2D eddy energy fluxes from small mesoscale processes with SWOT
Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault
Ocean Sci., 19, 1413–1435, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1413-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1413-2023, 2023
Short summary
Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Zhiwei Zhang, 25 Jun 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Anonymous Referee #1, 04 Jul 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Jul 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Zhiwei Zhang, 25 Jun 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Anonymous Referee #1, 04 Jul 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1124', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Jul 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Elisa Carli, 11 Aug 2023

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Elisa Carli on behalf of the Authors (11 Aug 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (16 Aug 2023) by Meric Srokosz
AR by Elisa Carli on behalf of the Authors (17 Aug 2023)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

06 Oct 2023
Ocean 2D eddy energy fluxes from small mesoscale processes with SWOT
Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault
Ocean Sci., 19, 1413–1435, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1413-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1413-2023, 2023
Short summary
Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault
Elisa Carli, Rosemary Morrow, Oscar Vergara, Robin Chevrier, and Lionel Renault

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Short summary
Oceanic eddies are the structures carrying most of the energy in our oceans. They play an essential role in climate regulation and nutrient transport. This paper prepares for the SWOT mission, studying eddy dynamics in the region south of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, leveraging models and simulated satellite data. SWOT will provide insights into the structures smaller than what is currently observable, which appear to greatly contribute to eddy kinetic energy and strain.