- 1University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, Dartmouth, MA; United States of America
- 2NorthWest Research Associates, Seattle, WA; United States of America
Submesoscale lateral dispersion in the ocean’s stratified interior is examined numerically in the context of linear internal-wave-driven processes vs. those associated with nonlinear waves and vortical mode. Simulations using a fully nonlinear three-dimensional Boussinesq model are initialized with a Garrett and Munk (GM) internal-wave spectrum, which, through nonlinear interactions, small-scale dissipation and wave breaking, leads to the formation of vortical mode. Lagrangian tracer and particles tracked in the model are used to diagnose isopycnal diffusivity at scales ranging from 1.0-10 km for GM background wave energy levels ranging from 0.01 to 1 times the canonical GM energy level observed in the mid-ocean pycnocline. Dispersion examined as a function of wave and vortical-mode energy level suggest that vortical mode, despite having much lower energy levels than internal waves in the ocean, is nearly as effective at lateral dispersion as internal waves. Furthermore, internal wave and vortical-mode driven dispersion appear to scale differently with energy level.
How to cite: Sundermeyer, M., Lelong, M.-P., Early, J., and Wortham, C.: Internal Waves, Vortical Mode and their Effects on Submesoscale Dispersion, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20538, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20538, 2025.