Influence of Turbulent Mixing on the Intrusion Interleaving
in the Central Part of the Equatorial Pacific

N. P. Kuz’mina¹ and J. H. Lee²

¹ Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

² Korean Institute of Oceanological Research, Seoul, South Korea

Received July 2, 2003

Abstract—We analyzed CTD data of high spatial resolution in order to study the equatorial interleaving in the
central part of the Pacific Ocean. The CTD section across the equator (from 2 S to 1 N along 17616 W)
showed the existence of highly-correlated intrusion layers; the correlation was distorted in the region of 012 N–
015 N. In the central part of the region, virtually no intrusion interleaving was observed. At the boundaries of
the region, distortions of the coherence were accompanied by an increase in their vertical scales and by a
decrease in the intensity of the anomalies in the vertical profiles. A suggestion was put forward that the effect
recorded is caused by the mixing in the turbulent wake beyond Baker Island, which is located 10 nautical miles
west of the study region. In order to describe the particularities of the intrusive interleaving, we considered a
model of interleaving on a -plane with account for double diffusion, turbulent mixing, and horizontal shear of
the zonal flow. The theoretical results obtained were used to explain the recorded particularities of the intrusive
interleaving.

Pleiades Publishing home page | journal home page | top

If you have any problems with this server, contact webmaster.