Diagnostic of the diurnal cycle of turbulence of the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean upper boundary layer

Abstract

This work is an attempt to diagnose the turbu-lence field of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean dur-ing the dry period when the mixed layer is more highly developed using the General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM). A relaxation scheme assimilates the vertical profiles of in situ ob-servations (current velocity, sea temperature and salinity) during simulations. In the absence of direct turbulence observations and modeling studies of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, the results are compared qualitatively to observed and simulated results for the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Similarities are noted between the At-lantic simulation and previous studies per-formed in the Pacific Ocean. The mechanism of nocturnal turbulence production, namely deep- cycle turbulence, is well captured by GOTM si-mulations. This deep nocturnal turbulence ap-pears rather suddenly during the night in the simulations and consequently seems to be un-related to surface wind and radiation forcing.