Ocean Science
Ocean Science
OS
Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
Research article
 | 
24 Jan 2023
Research article |  | 24 Jan 2023

Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and associated fluxes in the western tropical Atlantic estimated from ocean glider observations

Peter M. F. Sheehan, Gillian M. Damerell, Philip J. Leadbitter, Karen J. Heywood, and Rob A. Hall

Data sets

Physical and biogeochemical data from three Seagliders on a combination transect and virtual mooring deployment, NE of Barbados Jan-Feb 2020 C. Rollo https://doi.org/10.5285/c596cdd7-c709-461a-e053-6c86abc0c127

Estimates of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate in the western tropical Atlantic, NE of Barbados from Seaglider temperature microstructure observations (January and February 2020) C. Rollo, E. Siddle, G. A. Lee, M. Cobas-Garcia, P. M. F. Sheehan, P. Leadbitter, G. Damerell, R. A. Hall and K. J. Heywood https://doi.org/10.5285/f173b9c1-bb50-0b75-e053-6c86abc02a4a

Model code and software

Measuring the dissipation rate of turbulence kinetic energy in strongly stratified, low-energy environments: a case study from the Arctic Ocean (https://github.com/bscheife/turbulence_temperature) B. Scheifele, S. Waterman, L. Merckelbach, and J. R. Carpenter https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JC013731

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Short summary
We calculate the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, i.e. the mixing driven by small-scale ocean turbulence, in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean via two methods. We find good agreement between the results of both. A region of elevated mixing is found between 200 and 500 m, and we calculate the associated heat and salt fluxes. We find that double-diffusive mixing in salt fingers, a common feature of the tropical oceans, drives larger heat and salt fluxes than the turbulent mixing.
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