Global variability of the wavenumber spectrum of oceanic mesoscale turbulence

The wavenumber spectra of sea surface height from the Jason-1 satellite observations have revealed complex spatial variability and significant departure from the predictions of existing theories over many parts of the world oceans. Near the edge of the core regions of high eddy energy, agreement is observed with the prediction of the surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) turbulence theory which has fundamental differences from that of the traditional quasi-geostrophic (QG) turbulence theory. In the core regions of high eddy energy, the spectra are consistent with frontogenesis that is not fully accounted for by the SQG theory. However, the observations in the vast ocean interior of low eddy energy exhibit substantial differences from the predictions of existing theories of oceanic mesoscale turbulence. The observations presented in this work serve as a test bed for new theories and ocean general circulation models.