Simulation of the annual and interannual variation of the tropical Pacific Ocean
In: Journal of Marine Systems. Elsevier: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; Amsterdam. ISSN 0924-7963; e-ISSN 1879-1573, more Also appears in:Nihoul, J.C.J. (Ed.) (1990). Coupled ocean-atmosphere modeling: proceedings of the 21th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Hydrodynamics, Liège, May 8-12, 1989. Journal of Marine Systems, 1(1-3). Elsevier Scientific: Amsterdam. 313 pp., more |  |
| Abstract | The annual and interannual variation of the Tropical Pacific is studied with an ocean general circulation model. The dynamic height variation is successfully simulated. Study of annual heat content variation shows that the positive anomaly is generated in the western equatorial region and propagates eastward in the northern hemisphere's winter time. Formation of this anomaly is considered to be related, not to the off-equatorial westward propagating anomaly, but to the westerly wind anomaly prevailing over the western Pacific. For interannual variation, drastic zonal and meridional redistribution of the heat content variation during the El Nino, as pointed out by the previous numerical studies, is also confirmed in the present study. Decrease of the equatorial heat content is compensated by the increase of the off-equatorial heat content in the northern hemisphere. It is found that the interannual variation of the heat content in the western Pacific is independent of latitude. |
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