Pathways of eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean revealed from satellite altimeter observations
Author:
- 22 July 2006
- journal article
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Geophysical Research Letters
- Vol. 33 (14)
Abstract
The majority of the kinetic energy of ocean currents is contained in the mesoscale eddies. The pathways of ocean eddies, which are the “weather” of ocean circulation, are mapped from space using a decade‐long record of sea surface height measured by two simultaneously flying satellite radar altimeters. The speed and direction of the propagation of eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean are presented in the paper. The patterns of the eddy propagation velocity reveal the effects of the interaction between mean flow and eddies with strong influence of bottom topography. The information describes a unique property of the ocean general circulation and serves as a basis for testing ocean models.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Divergent pathways of cyclonic and anti‐cyclonic ocean eddiesGeophysical Research Letters, 2004
- Mesoscale variability from a high‐resolution model and from altimeter data in the North Atlantic OceanJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2004
- Dynamically balanced absolute sea level of the global ocean derived from near‐surface velocity observationsGeophysical Research Letters, 2003
- Mesoscale characteristicsJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2001
- Global high‐resolution mapping of ocean circulation from TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS‐1 and ‐2Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2000
- On the dynamics of the Zapiola AnticycloneJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 1999
- Global Characteristics of Ocean Variability Estimated from Regional TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter MeasurementsJournal of Physical Oceanography, 1997
- On the meridional extent and fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar CurrentDeep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 1995
- Bottom Currents Derived from a Shipborne ADCP on WOCE Cruise A11 in the South AtlanticJournal of Physical Oceanography, 1995
- The Application of Linear Quasigeostrophic Dynamics to Gulf Stream RingsJournal of Physical Oceanography, 1977