Tidal Modulation of Energy Dissipation Routes in the Gulf Stream

Abstract

Abstract The Gulf Stream (GS) is a powerful ocean current that is instrumental in regulating the global climate. While a correct reproduction of GS dynamics is contingent on an appropriate representation of energy dissipation, the specific role of tides in dissipation pathways of the wind‐driven circulation is not well understood. Here, we present evidence, using high‐resolution ocean simulations (∼2 km grid spacing), that ocean tides, by generating internal gravity waves, increase the forward cascade of energy in the GS region. This effect is greatest in summer, when the intensity of internal tides increases. However, the dissipation route associated with the forward energy cascade remains an order of magnitude weaker than frictional dissipation near the surface and bottom boundaries.

Keywords

• energy dissipation
• ocean models
• tides