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Impact of Mesoscale Circulations on Near-Inertial Wave Energy Flux in the Kuroshio Extension
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  • Albert Joocheul Noh,
  • Dong Guk Kim,
  • SungHyun Nam,
  • Seongbong Seo,
  • Young-Gyu Park
Albert Joocheul Noh
Seoul National University
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Dong Guk Kim
Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
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SungHyun Nam
Seoul National University
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Seongbong Seo
Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
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Young-Gyu Park
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

This study uses mooring data from two years (November 2017 to October 2019) to estimate downward energy flux (Fz) of near-inertial waves (NIWs) in the Kuroshio Extension. By dividing the data into 11-day segments, the temporal variability of the effective near-inertial frequency and group velocity due to background mesoscale motions (BMMs) was considered. During winter when NIWs were active, on average in anticyclonic circulations, Fz increased by 50%, while in cyclonic circulations, Fz decreased by 45% when the BMMs were considered. Since cyclonic circulations are twice as frequent, Fz decreased by approximately 17%, or 0.37 x 10-3 W m-2. This amount is approximately 1.8 times greater than that in the northeastern Pacific and accounts for approximately 28% of the wind work rate, similar to high-resolution numerical model results. Thus, the Kuroshio Extension is an important area for NIWs energy transfer, and BMMs should be considered for accurate NIWs energetics.
08 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
08 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive