Synoptic upper-ocean mixing events in the tropical Atlantic for evaluating Earth system models@en

Observational and modelling studies of the mixed layer heat balance in the tropical Atlantic have demonstrated the importance of vertical turbulent mixing for generating seasonal cooling of sea surface temperature (SST) (e.g. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00206). Progress has been made identifying processes responsible for the seasonal cycle of vertical turbulent mixing such as shear from the background currents, intraseasonal variability and wind-driven waves. Here, we used an extensive observational mixing data base from the tropical Atlantic to compile average synoptic scale upper-ocean mixing events and associated heat and momentum fluxes as well as oceanic background parameters. It provides the vertical distribution of upper-ocean turbulence during three separable physical processes that are known to play a key role in controlling the sea surface temperatures in the tropical oceans […]