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Analysis of STCC eddies using the Okubo–Weiss parameter on model and satellite data

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Abstract

The North Pacific Subtropical Counter Current (STCC) is a weak zonal current comprising of a weak eastward flow near the surface (with speeds of less than 0.1 m/s and a thickness of approximately 50–100 m) and westward flow (the North Equatorial Current) beneath. Previous studies (e.g., Qiu J Phys Oceanogr 29: 2471–2486, 1999) have shown that the STCC is baroclinically unstable. Therefore, despite its weak mean speeds, nonlinear STCC eddies with diameters ~300 km or larger and rotational speeds exceeding the eddy propagation speeds develop (Samelson J Phys Oceanogr 27: 2645–2662, 1997; Chelton et al. Prog Oceanogr 91: 167–216, 2011). In this study, the authors present numerical experiments to describe and explain the instability and eddy-generation processes of the STCC and the seasonal variation. Emphasis is on finite-amplitude eddies which are analyzed based on the parameter of Okubo (Deep-Sea Res 17: 445–454, 1970) and Weiss (Physica D 48: 273–294, 1991). The temperature and salinity distribution in March and April offer the favorable condition for eddies to grow, while September and October are unfavorable seasons for the generation of eddies. STCC is maintained not only by subsurface front but also by the sea surface temperature (SST) front. The seasonal variation of the vertical shear is dominated by the seasonal surface STCC velocity. The SST front enhances the instability and lead to the faster growth of STCC eddies in winter and spring. The near-surface processes are therefore crucial for the STCC system.

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Acknowledgments

YLC is supported by the National Science Council under fund NSC 102-2611-M-003-003-MY3. National Taiwan Normal University’s startup fund is acknowledged. Supports from Taiwan’s Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship, the National Science Council under fund NSC 100-2119-M-008-036-MY3, and the National Central University for LYO are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yu-Lin Chang

  2. National Central University, Jhongli City, Taiwan

    Lie-Yauw Oey

  3. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Lie-Yauw Oey

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  1. Yu-Lin Chang
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  2. Lie-Yauw Oey
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Correspondence to Yu-Lin Chang.

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Responsible Editor: Richard John Greatbatch

This article is part of the Topical Collection on the 5th International Workshop on Modelling the Ocean (IWMO) in Bergen, Norway 17-20 June 2013

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Chang, YL., Oey, LY. Analysis of STCC eddies using the Okubo–Weiss parameter on model and satellite data. Ocean Dynamics 64, 259–271 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-013-0680-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-013-0680-7

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