Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-310
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-310
28 Feb 2023
 | 28 Feb 2023
Status: this preprint is open for discussion.

The Mixed Layer Depth in the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP): Impact of Resolving Mesoscale Eddies

Anne Marie Treguier, Clement de Boyer Montégut, Alexandra Bozec, Eric P. Chassignet, Baylor Fox-Kemper, Andy McC. Hogg, Doroteacino Iovino, Andrew E. Kiss, Julien Le Sommer, Yiwen Li, Pengfei Lin, Camille Lique, Hailong Liu, Guillaume Serazin, Dmitry Sidorenko, Qiang Wang, Xiaobio Xu, and Steve Yeager

Abstract. The ocean mixed layer is the interface between the ocean interior and the atmosphere or sea ice, and plays a key role in climate variability. It is thus critical that numerical models used in climate studies are capable of a good representation of the mixed layer, especially its depth. Here we evaluate the mixed layer depth (MLD) in six pairs of non-eddying (1° resolution) and eddy-rich (up to 1/16°) models from the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP), forced by a common atmospheric state. For model validation, we use an updated MLD dataset computed from observations using the OMIP protocol (a constant density threshold). In winter, low resolution models exhibit large biases in the deep water formation regions. These biases are reduced in eddy-rich models but not uniformly across models and regions. The improvement is most noticeable in the mode water formation regions of the northern hemisphere. Results in the Southern Ocean are more contrasted, with biases of either sign remaining at high resolution. In eddy-rich models, mesoscale eddies control the spatial variability of MLD in winter. Contrary to a hypothesis that the deepening of the mixed layer in anticyclones would make the MLD larger globally, eddy-rich models tend to have a shallower mixed layer at most latitudes than coarser models do. In addition, our study highlights the sensitivity of the MLD computation to the choice of a reference level and the spatio-temporal sampling, which motivates new recommendations for MLD computation in future model intercomparison projects.

Anne Marie Treguier et al.

Status: open (until 25 Apr 2023)

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  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-310', Stephen M. Griffies, 05 Mar 2023 reply

Anne Marie Treguier et al.

Anne Marie Treguier et al.

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Short summary
The ocean mixed layer is the interface between the ocean interior and the atmosphere, and plays a key role in climate variability. We evaluate the performance of the new generation of ocean models for climate studies, designed to resolve "ocean eddies", which are the largest source of ocean variability and modulate the mixed layer properties. We find that the mixed layer depth is better represented in eddy-rich models, but unfortunately, not uniformly across the globe and not in all models.