Bottom and Deep water formation due to the interaction of convective and baroclinic instabilities

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To investigate the interaction of convective and baroclinic instabilities, 3-D model experiments have been executed using a nonhydrostatic equation system. The baroclinic flow becomes unstable to develop into pairs of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies in the convective mixed layer after cooling sets on. Properties of anticyclonic eddies resemble those of submesoscale coherent vortices(SCVs) which have been often observed in polar oceans. The downward transport associated with the eddies increases with background slope of isopycnals. It is needed to take into account the effects of diabatic processes(convection) for better parameterization of the eddy transport in a general circulation model.