2000/03/02 by Alberto Alvarez, Emilio Hernandez-Garcia, Joaquin Tintore
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.ao-ph
published as Geophysical Research Letters 27, 739-742 (2000) · 14 pages, 1 GIF file, uses the agums.sty style file(included). To appear in Geophysical Research Letters. Related material available from http://www.imedea.uib.es/Nonlinear/research_topics/GeoPhys/geo.html
arxiv created 2000/03/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Small-scale oceanic motions, in combination with bottom topography, induce mean large-scale along-isobaths flows. The direction of these mean flows is usually found to be anticyclonic (cyclonic) over bumps (depressions). Here we employ a quasigeostrophic model to show that the current direction of these topographically induced large-scale flows can be reversed by the small-scale variability. This result addresses the existence of a new bulk effect from the small-scale activity that could have strong consequences on the circulation of the world's ocean.