Applied Physics Laboratory and School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105-6698, USA.
Science. 2011 Apr 15;332(6027):318-22. doi: 10.1126/science.1201515. Epub 2011 Mar 10.
The ocean surface boundary layer mediates air-sea exchange. In the classical paradigm and in current climate models, its turbulence is driven by atmospheric forcing. Observations at a 1-kilometer-wide front within the Kuroshio Current indicate that the rate of energy dissipation within the boundary layer is enhanced by one to two orders of magnitude, suggesting that the front, rather than the atmospheric forcing, supplied the energy for the turbulence. The data quantitatively support the hypothesis that winds aligned with the frontal velocity catalyzed a release of energy from the front to the turbulence. The resulting boundary layer is stratified in contrast to the classically well-mixed layer. These effects will be strongest at the intense fronts found in the Kuroshio Current, the Gulf Stream, and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, all of which are key players in the climate system.
海洋表面边界层调节着气海交换。在经典范例和当前气候模型中，其湍流是由大气强迫驱动的。在黑潮内部的一个 1 公里宽的锋面的观测表明，边界层内的能量耗散率增强了一到两个数量级，这表明是锋面而不是大气强迫为湍流提供了能量。这些数据定量地支持了这样一种假设，即与锋面速度一致的风促使能量从锋面释放到湍流中。由此产生的边界层呈层状结构，与经典的充分混合层形成对比。这些影响在黑潮、墨西哥湾流和南极环极流中发现的强锋面最强，它们都是气候系统的关键参与者。
