What is it about?
The Leeuwin Current is a unique eastern boundary current in that it is poleward, downwelling, warm, and nutrient poor, unlike many other eastern boundary currents. This study uses process-oriented modelling to show the importance of buoyancy forcing and topography trapping the eastern boundary current near the coast. The roles of mixing, advection, and bottom friction are shown to contribute to its shelfbreak-intensified jet structure and the emergence of an undercurrent at depth.
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Why is it important?
This study indicates the importance of buoyancy forcing and topography in ocean models to represent the Leeuwin Current, which flows against the winds. The Leeuwin Current transports heat southward and generates eddies which propagate westward. By understanding the mechanisms which control its flow, we can improve our predictions for how the current intensifies or weakens from changes in the winds or circulation patterns in the Pacific and Indian Ocean.
Perspectives
This study was a joint collaboration between researchers at CSIRO, University of Tasmania, and University of Hawai'i. Process-oriented ocean modelling offers a powerful way to test hypotheses on what mechanisms are important for ocean currents. In future studies, we seek to improve the understanding of the equatorward Leeuwin Undercurrent and how eddies control the Leeuwin Current.
Dr Jessica A. Benthuysen
Australian Institute of Marine Science
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Dynamics of the Leeuwin Current: Part 2. Impacts of mixing, friction, and advection on a buoyancy-driven eastern boundary current over a shelf, Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, March 2014, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2013.10.004.
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