Energetics of Seamount Wakes. Part I: Energy Exchange

Abstract

AbstractSeamounts have been theorized to act as “stirring rods,” converting barotropic flow into an unsteady wake, turbulence, and diapycnal mixing. The energetics of these processes are not well understood, but they may have implications for basin-scale mixing calculations. This study presents the results of a series of simulations for idealized seamounts in steady barotropic flow, with varying degrees of stratification and rotation. The kinetic energy within each simulation domain is decomposed into the mean kinetic energy, unsteady eddy energy, and turbulent kinetic energy; evolution equations are derived for each. Within the evolution equations, energy exchange terms arise, which relate the various forms of kinetic energy and potential energy. Key exchange terms, such as the rate at which the mean flow is converted into eddy energy, are compared across the Froude–Rossby parameter space. It is shown that the conversion terms associated with mesoscale motions are a function of the Burger number, which is consistent with a quasigeostrophic flow regime. Conversely, conversion terms associated with turbulent processes scale with the product of the Froude and Rossby number. The amount of energy extracted from the mean flows suggests that wake effects may be significant for the parameter range and model assumptions studied. These results suggest that some seamounts may indeed act as oceanic stirring rods.