1. TURBULENT MIXING IN THE MIXED LAYER/THERMOCLINE TRANSITION LAYER
Bryan Rahter and Louis St. Laurent
Florida State University
Thanks to:
Support from NSF PO
Photo of Storm over St. George Island
by Russel Grace

2. Turbulence in the transition layer
Alford (2003)
QuikSCAT winds
Wind energy input in the inertial band is generally regarded as a direct source of near inertial internal waves to the ocean interior.
This is assumed to support turbulent mixing in the thermocline.
Our study is aimed at quantifying the levels of turbulence occurring specifically in the transition layer between the mixed-layer and thermocline.

3. Turbulence in the transition layer
T(z)
N2(z)
Many studies focus on turbulence occurring in the mixed layer:
Examples from microstructure studies:
Oakey (1985), Smyth et al. (1996), Anis & Moum (1992), Mickett (2008).
Many other studies focus on the energy transfer to internal waves in the thermocline.
Examples:
D’Asaro (1985, 1995), Alford (2001; 2003).
mixed layer Ef
Note the various types of mixing depicted in the diagram (wave boundary layer, convective mixing).
The internal waves transmitted into the thermocline a near-inertial.
The energy transferred to the thermocline is important, because it provides mechanical power available for turbulence and mixing in the deep ocean interior.
thermocline

4. Turbulence in the transition layer
However, shear driven mixing in the transition layer inhibits the near-inertial energy transfer to waves.
[Plueddemann and Farrar (2006) ]
The specific properties of this layer are often ignored in models and observations.
T(z)
N2(z)
mixed layer
transition
layer uz
Note specifically transition layer, and that shear driven mixing is favored there.
thermocline Ef

5. Data used in our study FLX91 (FLUX STATS)
We seek:
time-series turbulence data
spanning mixed layer to thermocline
documenting open-ocean conditions.
FLX91 (FLUX STATS)
Mid-latitude eastern N. Pacific
April 1991, 6-day time series
OSU CHAMELEON (Moum)
Ref: Hebert and Moum (1994)
NATRE (N. Atlantic Tracer Release)
Mid-latitude eastern N. Atlantic
April 1992, 25-day timeseries*
WHOI HRP (Schmitt and Toole)
Ref. St. Laurent and Schmitt (1999)

6. Data used in our study
FLX91
NATRE

7. FLX91 time series

8. NATRE time series

9. NATRE time series

10. Analysis procedure
We examined between 150 (Natre) and 350 (Flx91) profiler casts, spanning the length of each timeseries.
Mixed Layer Base:
- Temp. change > 0.1oC (from surface)
- Density change > kg/m3
Transition Layer Base:
- Based on peak in N2 and
average N2 for thermocline
Thermocline:
- 100-m thick layer beneath the transition layer
The dissipation rate ( ) was averaged by layer.
The diffusivity was also calculated:
N2(z)
T(z)
mixed layer
Note the various types of mixing depicted in the diagram (wave boundary layer, convective mixing).
The internal waves transmitted into the thermocline a near-inertial.
The energy transferred to the thermocline is important, because it provides mechanical power available for turbulence and mixing in the deep ocean interior.
thermocline

11. FLX91 dissipation rate (W/kg)

12. NATRE dissipation rate (W/kg)

13. Analysis results Mean diffusivities for the layers: (cm2/s)
mixed layer transition layer thermocline
FLX91 150*
NATRE 37*
Ratio of average dissipation between layers with thermocline
(equivalent to buoyancy flux ratio)
mixed layer transition layer
FLX
NATRE
Why is FLX91 higher?
Exceptional wind events during FLX91 had twice the energy of those during NATRE

14. Conclusions
Transition layer dissipation rates are consistently elevated above thermocline values (by a factor of 4 to 8).
It appears that the larger dissipation levels of FLX91 relative to NATRE were correlated to the peak wind events, rather than mean wind levels which were comparable.
Why is this Significant?:
- The enhanced dissipation rates in the transition layer represent
an energy loss term to near inertial waves emitting from the
mixed-layer base.
- This implies a reduction in energy available for turbulent mixing in
the thermocline.