Estimating Geostrophic Shear from Seismic Images of Oceanic Structure*
Estimating Geostrophic Shear from Seismic Images of Oceanic Structure*
It is shown that geostrophic vertical shear estimates can be recovered from seismic (i.e., acoustic) images of thermohaline structure. In the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current forms a loop within the Falkland Trough before it flows northward into the Argentine Basin. Seismic profiles that cross this loop show the detailed structure of different water masses with a horizontal resolution of O(10 m). Coherent seismic reflections are tilted in response to current flow around the Falkland Trough. Average slopes were measured on length scales that are large enough to ensure that the geostrophic approximation is valid (i.e., with a Rossby number <0.1). By combining shear estimates with satellite altimetric measurements and acoustic Doppler current profiles, geostrophic velocities can be calculated throughout the data volume. This technique for estimating geostrophic vertical shear from legacy seismic images yields useful information about the spatial and temporal variation of mesoscale circulation.
South Atlantic Ocean, Baroclinic flows, Currents, Ocean dynamics, Diapycnal mixing, Acoustic measurements/effects
1149-1154
Sheen, Katy L.
68e5eb70-6a29-48a4-a26a-227407f88df5
White, Nicky
e2df0d62-aa85-491e-bb99-ec0aff13b94e
Caulfield, C.P.
f042ddf3-3bae-4c90-b124-f304cb528f26
Hobbs, Richard W.
b70bcdad-7457-463f-9bd1-0fbe703a94cb
September 2011
Sheen, Katy L.
68e5eb70-6a29-48a4-a26a-227407f88df5
White, Nicky
e2df0d62-aa85-491e-bb99-ec0aff13b94e
Caulfield, C.P.
f042ddf3-3bae-4c90-b124-f304cb528f26
Hobbs, Richard W.
b70bcdad-7457-463f-9bd1-0fbe703a94cb
Sheen, Katy L., White, Nicky, Caulfield, C.P. and Hobbs, Richard W.
(2011)
Estimating Geostrophic Shear from Seismic Images of Oceanic Structure*.
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 28 (9), .
(doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-10-05012.1).
Abstract
It is shown that geostrophic vertical shear estimates can be recovered from seismic (i.e., acoustic) images of thermohaline structure. In the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current forms a loop within the Falkland Trough before it flows northward into the Argentine Basin. Seismic profiles that cross this loop show the detailed structure of different water masses with a horizontal resolution of O(10 m). Coherent seismic reflections are tilted in response to current flow around the Falkland Trough. Average slopes were measured on length scales that are large enough to ensure that the geostrophic approximation is valid (i.e., with a Rossby number <0.1). By combining shear estimates with satellite altimetric measurements and acoustic Doppler current profiles, geostrophic velocities can be calculated throughout the data volume. This technique for estimating geostrophic vertical shear from legacy seismic images yields useful information about the spatial and temporal variation of mesoscale circulation.
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Published date: September 2011
Keywords:
South Atlantic Ocean, Baroclinic flows, Currents, Ocean dynamics, Diapycnal mixing, Acoustic measurements/effects
Organisations:
Physical Oceanography
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 201407
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/201407
ISSN: 0739-0572
PURE UUID: 9bb9ac81-d319-4cb0-87c4-586bdaf4e747
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Date deposited: 27 Oct 2011 10:58
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 04:22
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Contributors
Author:
Katy L. Sheen
Author:
Nicky White
Author:
C.P. Caulfield
Author:
Richard W. Hobbs
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