Numerical Investigation of Diapycnal Mixing in the Kitikmeot Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Date
2022-09
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Abstract
The Kitikmeot Sea, located in the southern Canadian Arctic Archipelago, has particular features distinguishing it from the northern parts of the Archipelago. Substantial ice-free period, massive freshwater input from rivers, limited water exchange due to its surrounding narrow straits and shallow sills, can influence the local ocean dynamics, in particular, the mixing and transport in this sea. In this thesis, diapycnal mixing is investigated by analyzing the output data from a numerical simulation of the Kitikmeot Sea, with 1/12◦ horizontal resolution, during years 2003 to 2019. Mixing strength has been quantified in terms of diapycnal diffusivity values derived from a volume-averaged advection-diffusion equation for fluid density. Spatial and temporal variability of mixing in the Kitikmeot Sea is investigated. Furthermore, the contributions from a number of energy sources to the mixing process have been estimated in order to identify the main driving mechanism for mixing. Investigation of the temporal variability in diffusivity reveals seasonal patterns which can be attributed to the annual cycle of sea-ice coverage. It was found that wind stirring and convection due to sea-ice forming and sea-surface cooling make significant energy contributions to mixing in the Kitikmeot Sea.
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Keywords
Diapycnal mixing, Numerical simulation, Ocean models, Mixing energetics
Citation
Afsharipour, Y. (2022). Numerical investigation of diapycnal mixing in the Kitikmeot Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.