Linear stability of an oceanic front at finite Rossby number

TL;DR

This study investigates how finite Rossby numbers influence the linear stability of oceanic fronts, revealing a transition from baroclinic to inertia-critical layer instabilities and emphasizing the importance of shear production in mixed layer dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a systematic linear stability analysis of oceanic fronts across a range of Rossby numbers, highlighting the changing dominant instability mechanisms.

Findings

At low Rossby numbers, baroclinic instability dominates.

As Rossby number increases, inertia-critical layer instability becomes prevalent.

Shear production becomes significant and should be included in models.

Abstract

Submesoscale currents in the ocean's mixed layer (ML), consisting of fronts, eddies, and filaments, are characterized by order one Rossby (Ro) and Richardson (Ri) numbers. These currents play a crucial role in mediating vertical exchange between the surface and ocean interior and in facilitating cross-scale energy transfers. Despite a growing understanding of their generation mechanisms and energy pathways, two fundamental questions remain unresolved - how does a finite Ro modify the dynamics of ML instabilities, and what mechanisms are responsible for ML frontal arrest when Ro is order one. In this study, we address these questions through a linear stability analysis of a two-dimensional, geostrophically adjusted oceanic front based on the analytical model of Ou(1984), which allows systematic exploration across a range of Ro. In the low Ro, order one Ri regime, the most unstable mode is that of baroclinic instability, with the buoyancy flux serving as the primary source of perturbation kinetic energy. As Ro increases, the dominant instability becomes an inertia-critical layer type, characterized by a resonant interaction between a Rossby wave and an inertia-gravity wave. In the order one Ro regime, the shear production terms become comparable to the buoyancy flux term and even dominate in the region where the adjusted front is strongest. Our results suggest that shear production should be included in parameterizations of ML instabilities.minate in the region where the adjusted front is strongest. Our results suggest that shear production should be included in parameterizations of ML instabilities.