Effects of horizontal mixing on the upper ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

作     者：HUANG Chuanjiang QIAO Fangli 

作者机构：First Institute of OceanographyState Oceanic AdministrationQingdao 266061China 

出 版 物：《Acta Oceanologica Sinica》 (海洋学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2012年第31卷第1期

页      面：16-23页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 0707[理学-海洋科学] 070602[理学-大气物理学与大气环境] 0706[理学-大气科学] 

基　　金：The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 40806017 and 40730842 the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China under contract No.2010CB950500 

主　　题：horizontal mixing thermal structure equatorial Pacific Ocean 

摘      要：The influence of horizontal mixing on the thermal structure of the equatorial Pacific Ocean is examined based on a sigma coordinate model. In general, the distributions of the temperature and currents simulated by the sigma coordinate model are very close to the climatology. However, the simulated thermocline along the equator is slightly diffusive so that there is a cold bias above the main thermocline, while there is a warm bias under the main thermocline. Both horizontal diffusivity and viscosity have important effects on the upper thermal structure in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, while their detailed dynamics are different. Horizontal diffusivity affects the thermal structure in the upper ocean mainly through regulating the vertical diffusivity, while the horizontal viscosity does mainly through regulating directly the circulate system. A large horizontal diffusivity or a small horizontal viscosity can be in favor of simulating a more realistically thermal structure in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.