Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies
Abstract The upper‐ocean relative vorticity has been found to be cyclonically skewed, but altimetry observations indicate that long‐lifespan mesoscale eddies tend to be anticyclonic. We are thus interested in whether cyclonic or anticyclonic eddies are more unstable under similar circumstances. Here...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106853 |
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| author | Weian Shi Hongyang Lin Qiang Deng Jianyu Hu |
| author_facet | Weian Shi Hongyang Lin Qiang Deng Jianyu Hu |
| author_sort | Weian Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The upper‐ocean relative vorticity has been found to be cyclonically skewed, but altimetry observations indicate that long‐lifespan mesoscale eddies tend to be anticyclonic. We are thus interested in whether cyclonic or anticyclonic eddies are more unstable under similar circumstances. Here we use submesoscale‐resolving simulations of idealized mesoscale eddies, incorporating theoretical analyses, to investigate asymmetries of submesoscale instabilities within the anticyclones and cyclones. It is found that submesoscale filaments initiate at regions with the largest horizontal buoyancy gradients for both anticyclones and cyclones, but these filaments subsequently rotate outward in anticyclones while inward in cyclones. Hence submesoscales are more vigorous at anticyclone peripheries and the cyclone center. Such differing distributions and evolutions of submesoscale processes are primarily caused by changes in the background stratification associated with the decaying of mesoscale eddies. The active submesoscales near the cyclone center eventually distort its core structure radically, whereas the anticyclone remains largely unaffected. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-28ec17d012c14f3e851fd2cc3b3a1607 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-28ec17d012c14f3e851fd2cc3b3a16072025-08-20T03:52:32ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-01-01512n/an/a10.1029/2023GL106853Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic EddiesWeian Shi0Hongyang Lin1Qiang Deng2Jianyu Hu3State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science Department of Physical Oceanography College of Ocean and Earth Sciences Xiamen University Xiamen ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science Department of Physical Oceanography College of Ocean and Earth Sciences Xiamen University Xiamen ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science Department of Physical Oceanography College of Ocean and Earth Sciences Xiamen University Xiamen ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science Department of Physical Oceanography College of Ocean and Earth Sciences Xiamen University Xiamen ChinaAbstract The upper‐ocean relative vorticity has been found to be cyclonically skewed, but altimetry observations indicate that long‐lifespan mesoscale eddies tend to be anticyclonic. We are thus interested in whether cyclonic or anticyclonic eddies are more unstable under similar circumstances. Here we use submesoscale‐resolving simulations of idealized mesoscale eddies, incorporating theoretical analyses, to investigate asymmetries of submesoscale instabilities within the anticyclones and cyclones. It is found that submesoscale filaments initiate at regions with the largest horizontal buoyancy gradients for both anticyclones and cyclones, but these filaments subsequently rotate outward in anticyclones while inward in cyclones. Hence submesoscales are more vigorous at anticyclone peripheries and the cyclone center. Such differing distributions and evolutions of submesoscale processes are primarily caused by changes in the background stratification associated with the decaying of mesoscale eddies. The active submesoscales near the cyclone center eventually distort its core structure radically, whereas the anticyclone remains largely unaffected.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106853submesoscale instabilitiesasymmetrymesoscale eddies |
| spellingShingle | Weian Shi Hongyang Lin Qiang Deng Jianyu Hu Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies Geophysical Research Letters submesoscale instabilities asymmetry mesoscale eddies |
| title | Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies |
| title_full | Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies |
| title_fullStr | Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies |
| title_short | Asymmetry of Submesoscale Instabilities in Anticyclonic and Cyclonic Eddies |
| title_sort | asymmetry of submesoscale instabilities in anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies |
| topic | submesoscale instabilities asymmetry mesoscale eddies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106853 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT weianshi asymmetryofsubmesoscaleinstabilitiesinanticyclonicandcycloniceddies AT hongyanglin asymmetryofsubmesoscaleinstabilitiesinanticyclonicandcycloniceddies AT qiangdeng asymmetryofsubmesoscaleinstabilitiesinanticyclonicandcycloniceddies AT jianyuhu asymmetryofsubmesoscaleinstabilitiesinanticyclonicandcycloniceddies |