The response of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean to westerly wind bursts during November 1989 to January 1990 (original) (raw)

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Response of Equatorial Pacific Mean Temperature Field to Intraseasonal Wind Forcing

2000

The effects of intra-seasonal wind forcing on the mean field of the tropical Pacific Ocean has been studied using an ocean general circulation model (GCM). Idealized intra-seasonal zonal wind forcing with zero mean, which propagates eastward, in- duces net eastward jets at the equator that shift the warm water pool to the east. The mean temperature of the upper 200 m of the ocean increases off the equator and decreases at the equator. The change is independent of the propagation speed of the intra-seasonal wind forcing. The magnitude of the change depends on the amplitude and the period of the forcing, and the ocean structure, while the spatial pattern is independent of these parameters. A simple shallow water model is used to explain these changes. It is found that the term responsible for the enhanced eastward Equa- torial jet is the Reynolds stress term, which arises from a phase shift of the zonal current due to friction. The resultant convergence of eastward momentum on the equ...

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The response of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean to westerly wind bursts during November 1989 to January 1990 (original) (raw)

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