Sea surface height observations of the 34N 'waveguide' in the North Atlantic.
Sea surface height observations of the 34N 'waveguide' in the North Atlantic.
We present a study of the energetic zonal band at 34oN in the North Atlantic using a wavelet analysis of
more than 8 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data. It is already well-established in the literature
that this zonal ‘waveguide’ is dominated by large-scale propagating features. The wavelet analysis yields
sea surface height variance at a range of periods and wavelengths, allowing us to observe and quantify
evolution of the features in space and time. Signal variance west of the mid-Atlantic ridge at 34oN is
larger than to the east of the ridge: by a factor of ~2 in the period band 0.5-0.9 years, in which baroclinic
Rossby waves and eddies propagate. The period of the peak energy is reduced crossing the ridge from ~1
year to ~7-9 months, before rising again to the annual cycle on the other side. There is also evidence of
energy peaks at periods of ~2-4 years in the Gulf Stream region and east of the ridge.
3705-3708
Cromwell, D.
29efcc84-7f42-4fec-921c-18115a22be9a
2001
Cromwell, D.
29efcc84-7f42-4fec-921c-18115a22be9a
Cromwell, D.
(2001)
Sea surface height observations of the 34N 'waveguide' in the North Atlantic.
Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (19), .
Abstract
We present a study of the energetic zonal band at 34oN in the North Atlantic using a wavelet analysis of
more than 8 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data. It is already well-established in the literature
that this zonal ‘waveguide’ is dominated by large-scale propagating features. The wavelet analysis yields
sea surface height variance at a range of periods and wavelengths, allowing us to observe and quantify
evolution of the features in space and time. Signal variance west of the mid-Atlantic ridge at 34oN is
larger than to the east of the ridge: by a factor of ~2 in the period band 0.5-0.9 years, in which baroclinic
Rossby waves and eddies propagate. The period of the peak energy is reduced crossing the ridge from ~1
year to ~7-9 months, before rising again to the annual cycle on the other side. There is also evidence of
energy peaks at periods of ~2-4 years in the Gulf Stream region and east of the ridge.
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Published date: 2001
Organisations:
National Oceanography Centre,Southampton
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Local EPrints ID: 202
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/202
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 1716b527-c19e-4a1f-ac6c-71a52ace6338
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Date deposited: 31 Oct 2003
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:37
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D. Cromwell
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