Origins of mesoscale mixed-layer depth variability in the Southern Ocean

Gao, Yu; Kamenkovich, Igor; Perlin, Natalie

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-615-2023

Articles | Volume 19, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-615-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-615-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 3

Research article

|

11 May 2023

Research article |

| 11 May 2023

Origins of mesoscale mixed-layer depth variability in the Southern Ocean

Yu Gao, Igor Kamenkovich, and Natalie Perlin

Data sets

Data for Origins of Mixed Layer Depth Variability in the Southern Ocean Yu Gao, Igor Kamenkovich, and Natalie Perlin https://doi.org/10.17604/0BKF-P943

Short summary

The mixed-layer depth (MLD) in the Southern Ocean varies significantly with time and location. We found that, while the wind forcing and surface heating induce the mesoscale MLD variability, the oceanic currents counteract the atmospheric effects. The role of oceanic currents also changes seasonally. This study emphasises the importance of ocean currents in driving mesoscale MLD variability and demonstrates how MLD modulates the effects of intrinsic oceanic variability.