The Ocean Mesoscale Regime of the Reduced-Gravity Quasigeostrophic Model

A statistical-equilibrium, geostrophic-turbulence regime of the stochastically forced, one-layer, reduced-gravity, quasigeostrophic model is identified in which the numerical solutions are representative of global mean, midlatitude, open-ocean mesoscale variability. Solutions are forced near the internal deformation wavenumber and damped linearly and by high-wavenumber enstrophy dissipation. The results partially rationalize a recent...