The Global Distribution of Diapycnal Mixing and Mixing Coefficient Tensor in the Upper 2000m Ocean from Argo Observations

Abstract

Diapycnal Mixing (DM) within the upper 2000m of the global ocean is calculated by a fine-scale parameterization using the multiyear-mean density gridded product that created by employing all the Argo float observations to date through the recently published equation of seawater TEOS-10. The geographic distribution of Argo-derived DM derived in this study is spatial-dependent and varies with latitude and depth. The magnitude and pattern of DM is favorably validated by comparisons with previous studies. Furthermore, the mixing coefficient tensor K is calculated and analyzed. Components of the tensor fitting for the geopotential coordinate models are also presented. It is found that the tensor components in horizontal direction, K_xx and K_yy, have similar magnitude and distribution pattern. In the vertical, K_zz is enhanced over regions with rough topography and strong wind (e.g., Westerly region), suggesting agreement with previous estimates. This work presents a scheme to estimate the DM and mixing coefficient tensor using Argo observations, and offers a useful Argo-based mixing product for the purpose of promoting the study and modeling of ocean circulation and other processes.

Keywords:

• Diapycnal mixing
• Argo
• mixing coefficient tensor