A two-dimensional model for eddy saturation and frictional control in the Southern Ocean

TL;DR

This paper introduces an idealised two-dimensional model that explains eddy saturation and frictional control in the Southern Ocean, highlighting intrinsic oscillations and the impact of stochastic wind forcing on eddy energy.

Contribution

It develops a novel two-component dynamical system model that captures eddy saturation and oscillatory behavior in the Southern Ocean, integrating surface wind stress and eddy energy dynamics.

Findings

The model predicts intrinsic oscillations in eddy energy.

Stochastic wind forcing can cause large eddy energy excursions.

The model links mean shear erosion and eddy energy generation.

Abstract

The reduced sensitivity of mean Southern Ocean zonal transport with respect to surface wind stress magnitude changes, known as eddy saturation, is studied in an idealised analytical model. The model is based on the assumption of a balance between surface wind stress forcing and bottom dissipation in the planetary geostrophic limit, coupled to the GEOMETRIC form of the Gent--McWilliams eddy parameterisation. The assumption of a linear stratification, together with an equation for the parameterised domain integrated total eddy energy, enables the formulation of a two component dynamical system, which reduces to the non-linear oscillator of Ambaum and Novak (Q. J. R. Meteorolog. Soc. 140(685), 2680--2684, 2014) in a Hamiltonian limit. The model suggests an intrinsic oscillatory time scale for the Southern Ocean, associated with a combination of mean shear erosion by eddies and eddy energy generation by the mean shear. For Southern Ocean parameters the model suggests that perturbing the system via stochastic wind forcing may lead to relatively large excursions in eddy energy.