Velocity Statistics Inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon-Jason-1 Tandem Mission Data

Stammer, Detlef; Theiss, J.

doi:10.1080/01490410490902052

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The tandem phase lasted about 3 years, during which T/P was shifted westward to cover a new track interleaving its previous track, which was continued by Jason‐1. Stammer and Theiss [2004] already demonstrated the usefulness of the parallel track velocity approach based on data from the first months of the mission. With 3 complete years of data now available from the entire Jason‐1‐TOPEX/Poseidon (JTP) tandem mission, those data need to be used for more detailed studies of the ocean flow field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variations of the large‐scale geostrophic flow field and eddy kinetic energy inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason‐1 tandem mission data

Scharffenberg

Stammer

2010

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Geostrophic surface velocity anomalies are used to analyze the annual variations of the large-scale geostrophic currents and of the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) field of the ocean circulation. The underlying geostrophic currents were estimated from the Jason-1-TOPEX/Poseidon (JTP) tandem altimetric sea surface height data using the ''parallel track approach'' with a 10 km along-track resolution; however, because of the given separation of the tracks of the two satellites only large mesoscale eddies are resolved by the tandem measurements. The analysis covers the entire 3 year period of the tandem mission (109 repeat cycles) from September 2002 to September 2005. The analysis of the seasonal flow changes reveals annual changes of all major current systems, but especially of the zonal flow field in low latitudes, leading to zonal jets on the annual cycle in the southern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. In middle and high latitudes, indications of a seasonally modulated strength of the Sverdrup circulation emerge from the analysis. The EKE field also shows changes in its amplitude on the annual period. In low latitudes, those can be rationalized as resulting from seasonally modulated currents. In middle and high latitudes, changes in the wind-driven barotropic circulation loom large, which are not represented in other altimetric velocity products. Results shown suggest that velocity time series of the JTP tandem mission should be continued through similar constellations, e.g., of Jason-1 and Jason-2.Citation: Scharffenberg, M. G., and D. Stammer (2010), Seasonal variations of the large-scale geostrophic flow field and eddy kinetic energy inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 tandem mission data,

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variations of the large‐scale geostrophic flow field and eddy kinetic energy inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason‐1 tandem mission data

Scharffenberg

Stammer

2010

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…Correspondingly, elevated eddy kinetic energy (EKE) is also evident in this interfrontal zone in Drake Passage, with values around 600-800 cm 2 s À2 in the surface layer (Lenn et al, 2007) and $ 200 cm 2 s À2 at depth . Furthermore, the vertical divergence of the eddy heat flux was only a magnitude more than the eddy momentum forcing, suggesting that this latter effect is not entirely negligible in the balance as historically assumed (Bryden and Heath, 1985;Morrow et al, 2004;Stammer and Theiss, 2004). The near-surface-observed eddy heat fluxes (Lenn et al, 2011) were poleward, surface intensified and large (-290 kW m À2 )-an order of magnitude larger than the poleward eddy heat fluxes determined from ISOS moored observations deeper in the water column (Johnson and Bryden, 1989).…”

Section: Drake Passagementioning

confidence: 80%

Interocean and Interbasin Exchanges

Sprintall

Siedler

Mercier³

2013

International Geophysics

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“…To assess these uncertainties we use satellite altimetry, which via geostrophy gives us accurate information on the variability of surface currents, especially on scales greater than O(50) km. Stammer and Theiss (2004) found fair agreement between sea surface height (SSH)-estimated velocities during the JasonOcean Topography Experiment (TOPEX) tandem mission coincident in time and space with Oleander velocities. Notably, Oleander velocity variance was greater than altimeter-derived velocity variance by about 25%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Notably, Oleander velocity variance was greater than altimeter-derived velocity variance by about 25%. Stammer and Theiss (2004) were unable to determine the relative contributions of different spatial and temporally sampling of the two measurement systems and the influence of ageostrophic signals. For an excellent overview of the early development and applications of satellite altimetry, the reader is referred to Fu and Cazenave (2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A Comparison of Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler and Satellite Altimeter Estimates of Sea Surface Height and Transports between New Jersey and Bermuda along the CMV Oleander Route

Worst

Donohue

Rossby

2014

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

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In recent years the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) has found increasing use on commercial vessels to measure currents and their variability along selected routes in the ocean. One such dataset, in operation since late 1992, is the ADCP record from the Container Motor Vessel (CMV) Oleander, which operates between New Jersey and Bermuda. Because the Oleander ADCP system measures upper-ocean currents of O(10 22 ) m s 21 accuracy every 2.5 km, it provides excellent coverage of the mesoscale and submesoscale velocity field, and also of transport. The question addressed here is how well do estimates of fluxes between the continental shelf break and Bermuda compare with corresponding geostrophic estimates derived from satellite altimeter measurements of sea level extracted from weekly mapped fields along the same route. The Oleander route spans three distinct deep-sea regions: the Slope Sea, the Gulf Stream, and the Sargasso Sea. Agreement in sea surface height variability depends principally upon the length of the section being compared, and not upon eddy kinetic energy levels. Thus, yearly averages for short subsections such as across the quiet Slope Sea and energetic Gulf Stream both have correlation coefficients in excess of 0.9, whereas across the longer Sargasso Sea the correlation coefficient drops to 0.64 and to 0.58 for the 950-km-long SlopeBermuda section. The principal cause of decrease in correlation with increasing distance appears to be due to ageostrophic flow, principally the Ekman layer and inertial motion, measured by the ADCP but not represented in the altimeter-derived geostrophic fluxes.

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Velocity Statistics Inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon-Jason-1 Tandem Mission Data

Cited by 15 publications

References 19 publications

Seasonal variations of the large‐scale geostrophic flow field and eddy kinetic energy inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason‐1 tandem mission data

Seasonal variations of the large‐scale geostrophic flow field and eddy kinetic energy inferred from the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason‐1 tandem mission data

Interocean and Interbasin Exchanges

A Comparison of Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler and Satellite Altimeter Estimates of Sea Surface Height and Transports between New Jersey and Bermuda along the CMV Oleander Route

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