Geostrophic circulation between the Costa Rica Dome and Central America

Brenes, Carlos Luis; Lavín, Miguel F.; Mascarenhas, A.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2008.02.005

Cited by 15 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…For summer, Trasviña and Barton [2008] used satellite‐tracked surface drifters and satellite altimetry to show that mesoscale eddies dominated the circulation in and west of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, while the MCC was apparently absent. Farther south, between the Costa Rica Dome and Central America, Brenes et al [2008] found that the Costa Rica Coastal Current is strongly affected by the presence of mesoscale eddies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circulation at the entrance of the Gulf of California from satellite altimeter and hydrographic observations

Godínez¹,

Beier²,

Lavín³

et al. 2010

J. Geophys. Res.

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The surface circulation around the entrance to the Gulf of California is described from satellite altimetry supported by 10 conductivity‐temperature‐depth (CTD) surveys. The sea surface height calculated from the 1/4° World Ocean Database 2001 climatology plus the Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic altimeter data (October 1992 to January 2008) were RMS adjusted to the dynamic height calculated from CTD data; the 27.0 kg m−3 isopycnal provided the optimum reference. In the mean, the surface circulation shows a branch of the California Current heading landward toward the Gulf of California entrance, where it splits into two subbranches; these are separated by a cyclonic circulation attached to the coast south of Cabo Corrientes. This feature is produced by Sverdrup dynamics and is the first observational indication that the Mexican Coastal Current is generated locally by the wind stress curl, as previously suggested by numerical models. The global variance of the surface circulation can be separated into seasonal (explained variance 35%), interannual (explained variance 35%), and mesoscale (explained variance 30%) components. The seasonal signal, which shows the interplay of the poleward Mexican Coastal Current and the equatorward branch of the California Current, can be explained by a long Rossby wave model forced by the annual wind and by radiation from the coast. The interannual component is dominated by the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, which induces in the gulf entrance an anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation during El Niño (La Niña); this circulation includes a poleward‐flowing branch (during El Niño) parallel to the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula. The mesoscale variability is caused by intense eddy activity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circulation at the entrance of the Gulf of California from satellite altimeter and hydrographic observations

Godínez¹,

Beier²,

Lavín³

et al. 2010

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…It is remarkable that the observed buoyancy-driven coastal westward current was a persistent feature during the two surveys, exhibiting temperature, salinity and geostrophic characteristics consistent with the concept of the CRCC, just as Brenes et al (2008) identified it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Consistent with temperature, salinity and geostrophic flow characteristics typical of the CRCC (cf. Wyrtki (1967)) and in seasonal consistency with Kessler (2006), Brenes et al (2008) observed a poleward flow between the CRD and Central America during SepOct 1993 andFeb-Mar 1994. Observations within the Gulf of Tehuantepec made in both summer (Jun-Aug 2000; Trasviña and Barton (2008)) and winter (Jan-Feb 1988 andFeb 1996;Barton et al (2009)) do not totally agree with the concept of the CRCC as a clearly identifiable poleward flow, bound to the coast.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

The Costa Rica Coastal Current, eddies and wind forcing in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Southern Mexican Pacific

Reyes-Hernández

Ahumada-Sempoal

Durazo³

2016

Continental Shelf Research

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“…This is mainly because the Tehuantepec wind has a stronger seasonal cycle than the Papagayo wind, and the strength of the TB and the CRD highly correlates with the seasonal strength of the wind jets over the respective gulfs, respectively. In winter, there are two anticyclonic cells off the coast of the central America, one north [ Brenes et al , 2008] and one south [ Chaigneau et al , 2006] of the CRD. All these features are captured in runs S5CD and SCSC (Figure 3).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesoscale variability in the northeastern tropical Pacific: Forcing mechanisms and eddy properties

Liang¹,

McWilliams²,

Kurian³

et al. 2012

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] The generation mechanisms and properties of the mesoscale eddies in the northeastern tropical Pacific (NETP) are studied using a series of numerical solutions and satellite observations. The spatial and temporal resolution of mountain wind jets over the Gulfs of Tehuantepec and Papagayo are essential for an accurate modeling of the regional mesoscale variability. Three previously proposed eddy generation mechanisms are the local transient wind forcing, the combined low-frequency wind and boundary forcing, and the remote equatorial Kelvin wave forcing. In our model, the transient wind-forcing was represented by wind fields with synoptic variability, and the remote equatorial Kelvin wave forcing by 5-day open boundary conditions with interannual variability. Solutions with and without high-frequency forcings are contrasted to evaluate the contributions of the three mechanisms. The combined low-frequency wind and boundary forcing is the primary eddy forcing mechanism in the NETP. In the Tehuantepec region, the high-frequency wind-forcing contributes more to the mesoscale variability than the remote equatorial Kelvin wave forcing, while in the Papagayo region, their contributions are comparable. Eddies in the Tehuantepec and Papagayo regions are larger in both amplitude and size, and are more likely to deflect equatorward than eddies in the rest of the NETP. The maximum temperature anomaly of eddies is at around 50 m depth. Eddies with lifetimes >6 weeks are more likely anticyclonic, while eddies with lifetimes <6 weeks are more likely cyclonic. The anticyclone-dominance for large-amplitude long-lived eddies is the combined consequence of wind-driven asymmetric dipole spin-up and the evolutionary fragility of large-amplitude cyclones.

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Geostrophic circulation between the Costa Rica Dome and Central America

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

Circulation at the entrance of the Gulf of California from satellite altimeter and hydrographic observations

Circulation at the entrance of the Gulf of California from satellite altimeter and hydrographic observations

The Costa Rica Coastal Current, eddies and wind forcing in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Southern Mexican Pacific

Mesoscale variability in the northeastern tropical Pacific: Forcing mechanisms and eddy properties

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