Subduction of Pacific Antarctic Intermediate Water in an eddy-resolving model

Abstract

The subduction process of Pacific Antarctic Intermediate Water (PAAIW) in the Pacific is investigated using output from an eddy-resolving ocean model. Focus is on contribution of eddies to the subduction process. To separate the subduction rate into contributions by eddies and mean flows, the temporal residual mean (TRM) velocity is used. In the mean subduction rate, lateral induction caused by the strong eastward flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is dominant. The largest rate is located in the Drake Passage. The estimated eddy-induced subduction rate is comparable with the mean subduction rate, and it tends to cancel the vertical mean component in many regions. In the west of the Drake Passage, however, the eddy-induced subduction is larger than the vertical mean component, and this eddy-induced subduction was not detected in previous studies using the thickness diffusion parameterization and an eddy-permitting model. Results of idealized sensitivity studies to model resolution suggest that the subduction rate would be larger using a model with higher vertical resolution. Therefore, the vertical resolution should be paid more attention in model studies investigating eddy-induced subduction, and not just the horizontal resolution.