Similarities of the Deacon cell in the Southern Ocean and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere

Abstract

The meridional circulation in the ocean and the atmosphere, when averaged over longitude and time at constant height, shows a number of cells. Most of these appear as direct circulations, with ascent in response to forcing which reduces the density. There are several indirect circulations, particularly the Deacon cell in the Southern Ocean and the Ferrel cells in the mid-latitude atmosphere, which appear to act against the mean density-gradient in regions of no apparent mean density-forcing. When the zonal-mean circulation is calculated in density coordinates, both the Deacon cell and the Ferrel cells disappear. A transformation of the zonal-mean circulation as a function of height is used t..