Submesoscale inverse energy cascade enhances Southern Ocean eddy heat transport

Zhiwei Zhang (), Yuelin Liu, Bo Qiu, Yiyong Luo, Wenju Cai, Qingguo Yuan, Yinxing Liu, Hong Zhang, Hailong Liu, Mingfang Miao, Jinchao Zhang, Wei Zhao () and Jiwei Tian ()
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Zhiwei Zhang: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Yuelin Liu: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Bo Qiu: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Yiyong Luo: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Wenju Cai: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Qingguo Yuan: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Yinxing Liu: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Hong Zhang: University of California
Hailong Liu: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mingfang Miao: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Jinchao Zhang: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Wei Zhao: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Jiwei Tian: Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Oceanic eddy-induced meridional heat transport (EHT) is an important process in the Southern Ocean heat budget, the variability of which significantly modulates global meridional overturning circulation (MOC) and Antarctic sea-ice extent. Although it is recognized that mesoscale eddies with scales of ~40–300 km greatly contribute to the EHT, the role of submesoscale eddies with scales of ~1–40 km remains unclear. Here, using two state-of-the-art high-resolution simulations (resolutions of 1/48° and 1/24°), we find that submesoscale eddies significantly enhance the total poleward EHT in the Southern Ocean with an enhancement percentage reaching 19–48% in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current band. By comparing the eddy energy budgets between the two simulations, we detect that the primary role of submesoscale eddies is to strengthen mesoscale eddies (and thus their heat transport capability) through inverse energy cascade rather than directly through submesoscale heat fluxes. Due to the submesoscale-mediated enhancement of mesoscale eddies in the 1/48° simulation, the clockwise upper cell and anti-clockwise lower cell of the residual-mean MOC in the Southern Ocean are weakened and strengthened, respectively. This finding identifies a potential route to improve the mesoscale parameterization in climate models for more accurate simulations of the MOC and sea ice variability in the Southern Ocean.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36991-2

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