A state variable for characterizing water masses and their diffusive stability: spiciness
P. Flament
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
A state variable ( ,s) most sensitive to isopycnal thermohaline variations and least correlated with the density field is proposed. is constructed so that its diapycnal gradient d is related to the density gradient ratio R :d (1+R )/(1-R ). It is simultaneously a tracer conserved by isentropic motions, and an indicator of diffusive stability. It is useful for the combined description of interleaving and double-diffusive processes at the boundary between water masses.
Author Keywords: Equation of state; Double diffusion;
Tracer
Function to compute spiciness, in matlab