Physical and biogeochemical spatial scales of variability in the East Australian Current separation from shelf glider measurements
In contrast to physical processes, biogeochemical processes are inherently patchy in the ocean, which affects both the observational sampling strategy and the representativeness of sparse measurements in data assimilating models. In situ observations from multiple glider deployments are analysed to...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1967/2016/bg-13-1967-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | In contrast to physical processes, biogeochemical processes are inherently
patchy in the ocean, which affects both the observational sampling strategy
and the representativeness of sparse measurements in data assimilating
models. In situ observations from multiple glider deployments are analysed to
characterize spatial scales of variability in both physical and
biogeochemical properties, using an empirical statistical model. We find that
decorrelation ranges are strongly dependent on the balance between local
dynamics and mesoscale forcing. The shortest horizontal (5–10 km) and
vertical (45 m) decorrelation ranges are for chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorescence, whereas those variables that are a function of regional ocean and atmosphere
dynamics (temperature and dissolved oxygen) result in anisotropic patterns
with longer ranges along (28–37 km) than across the shelf (8–19 km).
Variables affected by coastal processes (salinity and coloured dissolved
organic matter) have an isotropic range similar to the baroclinic Rossby
radius (10–15 km). |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |