Abstract
GlobCurrent provides a variety of datasets aiming to describe global ocean circulation, especially when dealing with large-scale phenomena. It includes surface Stokes drift and geostrophic, Ekman, and total (geostrophic plus Ekman) currents. GlobCurrent uses the CNES-CLS13 mean dynamic topography estimation as well as data from sea surface drifters and wind reanalysis to improve the computation of ocean currents from altimetry data, which represents a significant advance in describing the total ocean current. The aim of this work is to compare the surface GlobCurrent estimates with a coupled ocean–wave numerical simulation (POLCOMS-WAM), drifting buoys, and altimeter observations when dealing with a Tehuano event, i.e., intense (larger than 20 m s \(^{-1}\)) and short duration (around 3–5 days) low-level winds blowing over the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. There is a good agreement between the wind-driven currents (Ekman currents plus Stokes drift) field from GlobCurrent and that estimated by POLCOMS–WAM, with the largest magnitudes \(\sim \)0.8 m s\(^{-1}\) in the region influenced by the highest winds’ speed. The geostrophic circulation patterns in the Gulf of Tehuantepec are similarly reproduced by GlobCurrent and POLCOMS-WAM. However, some differences were observed in the presence of an anticyclonic eddy located in the western part of the study area. Numerical results exhibit a more symmetrical eddy with geostrophic current speeds that, in agreement with along-track observations, exceed the 1 m s\(^{-1}\). Instead, the geostrophic eddy in GlobCurrent shows velocities of about 0.8 m s\(^{-1}\). As observed through drifting buoys in 2000, numerical results show that the anticyclonic eddy west of the GoT has strong ageostrophic currents related to a cyclogeostrophic balance, which is not included in GlobCurrent. This regional case study provides a guideline for future improvements of GlobCurrent products, in particular for the estimation of geostrophic and total currents.
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Acknowledgements
This is a contribution of CONACYT–FOINS project 219582 through Mexico-Belgium bilateral co-operation. Special thanks to L.A. Julieta Castro for her support in logistics and administrative procedures throughout the project. Special thanks to Fernando Niño and Fabien Blarel for their help in providing the CTOH data. Support from Basic Science–CONACYT projects 155793, 168173, and 255377 are also acknowledged. Aimie Moulin was funded by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology - Mexican Ministry of Energy - Hydrocarbon Fund, project 201441 (CIGoM).
Funding
This is a contribution of CONACYT–FOINS project 219582 through Mexico–Belgium bilateral co-operation. Support from Basic Science–CONACYT projects 155793, 168173, and 255377. Aimie Moulin was funded by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology - Mexican Ministry of Energy - Hydrocarbon Fund, project 201441 (CIGoM).
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Larrañaga, M., Osuna, P., Esquivel–Trava, B. et al. Comparing GlobCurrent dataset with numerical results from a high-resolution implementation of the POLCOMS-WAM coupled system under a strong gap wind over the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Meteorol Atmos Phys 135, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-023-00967-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-023-00967-0