Evidence for Rossby wave control of tropical instability waves in the Pacific Ocean
Tropical instability waves north and south of the equator play an important role in the transport of mass and heat in the tropical Pacific ocean. Using data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and the Tropical Atmosphere‐Ocean buoy array, we present important observational evidence that Rossby waves m...
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Published in | Geophysical research letters Vol. 27; no. 15; pp. 2257 - 2260 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Washington, DC
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.08.2000
American Geophysical Union |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Tropical instability waves north and south of the equator play an important role in the transport of mass and heat in the tropical Pacific ocean. Using data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and the Tropical Atmosphere‐Ocean buoy array, we present important observational evidence that Rossby waves modify the phase of tropical instability waves, supporting a recent hypothesis on interactions between these waves. A marked increase in the correlation coefficient between the northern and southern instability wave fields when Rossby waves are present indicates an increased phase correspondence between the fields. There is also an associated amplification of the southern instability wave field. A comparison with buoy data indicates that the satellite is able to determine the phase of instability waves accurately. This application of satellite and in situ data marks a new approach in the identification and analysis of coupling mechanisms between important dynamical processes in the equatorial Pacific. |
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Bibliography: | ArticleID:1999GL002363 ark:/67375/WNG-L36LV44L-2 istex:2F07D90ABC1FB89895A1D0B9187EA156CC12E7E4 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
DOI: | 10.1029/1999GL002363 |