Observational evidence of salt finger in the diurnal thermocline

Due to strong turbulent mixing, the ocean surface boundary layer region is generally not conducive to double diffusion. However, vertical microstructure profiles observations in the northeastern Arabian Sea during May 2019 imply the formation of salt fingers in the diurnal thermocline (DT) region during the daytime. In the DT layer, conditions are favorable for salt fingering: Turner angle values are between 50 and 55 degrees with both temperature and salinity decreasing with depth; shear-driven mixing is weak with a turbulent Reynolds number of about 30. The presence of salt fingering in the DT is confirmed by the presence of staircase-like structures with step sizes larger than the Ozmidov length and by the dissipation ratio that is larger than the mixing coefficient. The unusual daytime salinity maximum in the mixed layer that supports salt fingering is primarily due to a daytime reduction in vertical entrainment of fresh water along with minor contributions from evaporation and horizontal advection and a significant contribution from detrainment processes.

Automated summary

Vertical microstructure profile observations in the northeastern Arabian Sea indicate the formation of salt fingers in the diurnal thermocline region during the daytime. The conditions in the diurnal thermocline layer, such as favorable Turner angle values and weak shear-driven mixing, contribute to the presence of salt fingers. The unusual daytime salinity maximum in the mixed layer is primarily attributed to a reduction in vertical entrainment of fresh water and other contributing factors.