Thermobaric control of gravitational potential energy generation by diapycnal mixing in the deep ocean

Sources and sinks of gravitational potential energy (GPE) play a rate‐limiting role in the large‐scale ocean circulation. A key source is turbulent diapycnal mixing, whereby irreversible mixing across isoneutral surfaces is enhanced by turbulent straining of these surfaces. This has motivated international observational efforts to map diapycnal mixing in the global ocean. However, in order to accurately relate the GPE supplied to the large‐scale circulation by diapycnal mixing to the mixing energy source, it is first necessary to determine the ratio, ξ, of the GPE generation rate to the available potential energy dissipation rate associated with turbulent mixing. Here the link between GPE and hydrostatic pressure is used to derive the GPE budget for a compressible ocean with a nonlinear equation of state. The role of diapycnal mixing is isolated and from this a global climatological distribution of ξ is calculated. It is shown that, for a given source of mixing energy, typically three times as much GPE is generated if the mixing takes place in bottom waters rather than in the pycnocline. This is due to GPE destruction by cabbelling in the pycnocline, as opposed to thermobaric enhancement of GPE generation by diapycnal mixing in the deep ocean. Key Points Equation of state is leading order control on GPE generation by diapycnal mixing Thermobaricity dominates over cabbelling in the GPE budget of abyssal waters GPE‐generation/mixing‐energy ratio 3 times greater in abyss than in pycnocline