Abstract

Submesoscale lateral transport of Lagrangian particles in ocean pycnocline conditions is investigated by means of idealized numerical simulations with reduced-interaction models. Using a projection technique, the models are formulated in terms of wave-mode and vortical-mode nonlinear interactions, and they range in complexity from full Boussinesq to waves-only and vortical-modes-only (QG) models. We find that, on these scales, most of the dispersion is done by vortical motions, but waves cannot be discounted because they play an important, albeit indirect, role. In particular, we show that waves are instrumental in filling out the spectra of vortical-mode energy at smaller scales through nonresonant vortex–wave–wave triad interactions. We demonstrate that a richer spectrum of vortical modes in the presence of waves enhancesthe effective lateral diffusivity, relative to QG. Waves also transfer energy upscale to vertically sheared horizontal flows that are a key ingredient for internal-wave shear dispersion. In the waves-only model, the dispersion rate is an order of magnitude smaller and is attributed entirely to internal-wave shear dispersion.