Scaling laws for parametrizations of subgrid interactions in simulations of oceanic circulations

Abstract

Parametrizations of the subgrid eddy-eddy and eddy-meanfield interactions are developed for the simulation of baroclinic ocean circulations representative of an idealized Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Benchmark simulations are generated using a spectral spherical harmonic quasi-geostrophic model with maximum truncation wavenumber of T =504, which is equivalent to a resolution of 0.24? globally. A stochastic parametrization is used for the eddy-eddy interactions, and a linear deterministic parametrization for the eddy-meanfield interactions. The parametrization coefficients are determined from the statistics of benchmark simulations truncated back to the large eddy simulation (LES) truncation wavenumber, TR