Ocean bottom pressure waves predicted in the tropical Pacific

Song, Y. Tony; Zlotnicki, Victor

doi:10.1029/2003gl018980

Cited by 14 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…3 and 4 bear a close resemblance to fields shown in the GCM studies of Cox (1980) and Song and Zlotnicki (2004), which showed the barotropic streamfunction with similar filtering and ocean bottom pressure, respectively. Cox (1980) made clear that the variability seen at higher latitudes in his model was a result of the TIWs and that the signal was barotropic.…”

Section: B Interpretation As Barotropic Rossby Wavesmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…This result was presaged, remarkably, by the first general circulation model (GCM) study of TIWs (Fig. 12 of Cox 1980), and similar variability was also seen in the GCM study of Song and Zlotnicki (2004). Proehl (1996) performed a linear stability analysis for an equatorial zonal-channel model with boundaries at 108N and 108S, and he found unstable modes that included barotropic variability on 78-108N and 78-108S, near the poleward edge of the model domain (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The velocity amplitude of the barotropic variability in Cox's model was 1-2 cm s 21 at latitudes 108-158 off the equator, about the same as the values inferred from application of the geostrophic relation to the filtered SSH field (not shown). Song and Zlotnicki (2004) referred to the signal in their model as an ''ocean bottom pressure wave,'' but the presence of a wavelike signal in ocean bottom pressure is certainly suggestive of barotropic waves. Cox (1980) interpreted the signal in his model as poleward radiation of barotropic Rossby waves from the region of instability.…”

Section: B Interpretation As Barotropic Rossby Wavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12 of Cox 1980) and ocean bottom pressure (Fig. 2b of Song and Zlotnicki 2004); both of these quantities are expected to effectively ''filter out'' baroclinic variability. Remarkably, these fields do not show a meridional phase jump near 108N (especially see Song and Zlotnicki 2004).…”

Section: Fig 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The waves discussed here are arguably the first example in the satellite altimetry record of free barotropic Rossby waves resembling plane waves and obeying the classical barotropic Rossby wave dispersion relation. Second, as discussed by Song and Zlotnicki (2004), barotropic waves at 30-day periods can introduce sampling errors in satellite measurements intended to map the earth's geoid. Third, with the constellation of satellite altimeters being one of the most extensive global observing networks for ocean dynamics, it is important to understand the extent to which different types of motions (e.g., baroclinic versus barotropic) contribute to SSH variability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barotropic Rossby Waves Radiating from Tropical Instability Waves in the Pacific Ocean

Farrar

2011

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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Tropical instability waves are triggered by instabilities of the equatorial current systems, and their sea level signal, with peak amplitude near 58N, is one of the most prominent features of the dynamic topography of the tropics. Cross-spectral analysis of satellite altimetry observations shows that there is sea level variability in the Pacific Ocean as far north as Hawaii (i.e., 208N) that is coherent with the sea level variability near 58N associated with tropical instability waves. Within the uncertainty of the analysis, this off-equatorial variability obeys the dispersion relation for nondivergent, barotropic Rossby waves over a fairly broad range of periods (26-38 days) and zonal wavelengths (98-238 of longitude) that are associated with tropical instability waves. The dispersion relation and observed wave properties further suggest that the waves are carrying energy away from the instabilities toward the North Pacific subtropical gyre, which, together with the observed coherence of the sea level signal of the barotropic waves with that of the tropical instability waves, suggests that the barotropic Rossby waves are being radiated from the tropical instability waves. The poleward transport of kinetic energy and westward momentum by these barotropic Rossby waves may influence the circulation in the subtropics.

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Section: B Interpretation As Barotropic Rossby Wavesmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: B Interpretation As Barotropic Rossby Wavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fig 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barotropic Rossby Waves Radiating from Tropical Instability Waves in the Pacific Ocean

Farrar

2011

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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Dynamics of satellite-derived interannual ocean bottom pressure variability in the western tropical North Pacific

Piecuch

2013

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

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[1] Ocean bottom pressure variability, derived from Release-05 Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment time-variable gravity coefficients over the ocean, is investigated along the tropical North Pacific for the case of long time scales (>1 yr) and large space scales (>750 km). To interpret the observations, a linear model of the bottom pressure response to interior wind stress curl is derived on the basis of normal vertical modes; the adjustment comprises contributions from barotropic Sverdrup dynamics as well as first baroclinic mode Rossby waves. Model solutions are evaluated numerically using time-mean ocean stratification from the Ocean Comprehensible Atlas and time-varying surface wind stress from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA-Interim reanalysis. In the western tropical North Pacific, model and data compare favorably; simulated and observed time series are significantly correlated, and the model generally explains more than half of the data variance; the good correspondence between model and data speaks to the good quality of the satellite-derived fields. In the central and eastern tropical North Pacific, findings are more ambiguous; model and data time series are mostly not significantly correlated, and simulations generally explain less than half of the data variance; discrepancies between model and data could point to physics absent from the model, for example, signals generated at the eastern boundary. Results provide observational demonstration that baroclinic contributions to bottom pressure changes can be important at low latitudes and low frequencies ; findings hint at a basin-scale influence of tropical climate modes on the ocean bottom pressure field.

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Time-Variable Gravity from Satellites

Wahr¹

2015

Treatise on Geophysics

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Ocean bottom pressure waves predicted in the tropical Pacific

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Barotropic Rossby Waves Radiating from Tropical Instability Waves in the Pacific Ocean

Barotropic Rossby Waves Radiating from Tropical Instability Waves in the Pacific Ocean

Dynamics of satellite-derived interannual ocean bottom pressure variability in the western tropical North Pacific

Time-Variable Gravity from Satellites

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