Submesoscale air-sea interactions: atmospheric response and impacts on the ocean dynamics

Current Feedback (CFB) and Thermal Feedback (TFB) strongly influence atmospheric and oceanic dynamics at the oceanic mesoscale (O(10-250) km). At smaller scales, oceanic submesoscale currents (O(0.1-10 km)) play a major role in the ocean's energy budget, variability, and ecosystems. However, air-sea interactions at the submesoscale are not well understood due to observational and modeling limitations related to their scales. 

 

This talk addresses this gap by using submesoscale coupled ocean-atmosphere models.  These models are implemented over diverse regions characterized by distinct physical properties. The findings provide compelling evidence that submesoscale modulation affects both the atmosphere and oceanic dynamics. Both TFB and CFB significantly modulate low-level wind curl and divergence as well as momentum and heat fluxes between the ocean and the atmosphere, with a direct impact on the oceanic submesoscale energy budget.