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High-resolution modeling of the mean flow and meso-scale eddy variability around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland

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Abstract

The mean flow and meso-scale eddy variability in the region around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (GBN) are quantified by analyzing surface drifter observations, mean dynamic topography (MDT), along-track satellite altimeter observations, and the solutions of two high-resolution ocean models. By increasing the horizontal resolution from 6.5 km (CREG12) to 2.2 km (GBN36), the modeled mean kinetic energy (MKE) decreases and the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) increases in the study area. GBN36 obtains the MKE of surface geostrophic currents and total currents similar to that derived from MDT and drifter data, whereas CREG12 overestimates these quantities by 40–53 %. CREG12 and GBN36 underestimate the EKE of surface geostrophic currents by 46 and 30 %, respectively, with respect to the EKE derived from along-track altimeter data. The models do not reproduce the strong eddy activity in the Gulf Stream and its downstream region, possibly related to a northward shift of the Gulf Stream position by 0.5° in latitude compared with observations. Both models obtain wavenumber spectra of sea level anomaly in close agreement with the spectrum derived from along-track altimeter data, with a slope of −5 at wavelengths near 100 km on logarithmic spectral density scales.

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Acknowledgments

This work is funded by the Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF). We acknowledge the Canadian government CONCEPTS program in facilitating the collaborations among government departments and with Mercator-Ocean of France, and the MEOPAR network for supporting the development of high-resolution ocean models based on NEMO. The altimeter products were produced by Ssalto/Duacs and distributed by Aviso, with support from Cnes (http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/duacs/). MDT_CNES-CLS09 was produced by CLS Space Oceanography Division and distributed by Aviso, with support from Cnes (http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/). We thank Ji Lei for help with setting up the GBN36 model, Augustine van der Baaren for constructive discussions on spectral analysis, and Zeliang Wang and Jean-Philippe Paquin for their helpful reviews of the manuscript. Two anonymous reviewers provided insightful and constructive reviews that help to improve the original manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada

    Li Zhai, Youyu Lu & Simon Higginson

  2. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X1, Canada

    Fraser Davidson

  3. Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada, 2121 TransCanada Highway, Dorval, QC, H9P 1J3, Canada

    Frédéric Dupont

  4. Meteorological Research Division, Environment Canada, 2121 TransCanada Highway, Dorval, QC, H9P 1J3, Canada

    François Roy & Gregory C. Smith

  5. Mercator-Ocean, Parc Technologique du Canal, Ramonville St-Agne, France

    Jérôme Chanut

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  1. Li Zhai
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Correspondence to Li Zhai.

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Responsible Editor: Jinyu Sheng

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics: A Scientific Workshop to Celebrate Professor Dr. Richard Greatbatch’s 60th Birthday, Liverpool, UK, 10–11 April 2014

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Zhai, L., Lu, Y., Higginson, S. et al. High-resolution modeling of the mean flow and meso-scale eddy variability around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Ocean Dynamics 65, 877–887 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0839-5

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