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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 109,
C08003,
doi:10.1029/2003JC002243,
2004
Seasonal variability of the South Equatorial Countercurrent
Shuiming Chen
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Bo Qiu
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Abstract
Using the 1.5-layer long Rossby wave model forced by the seasonal European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellite scatterometer wind,
we demonstrate that the seasonal variability of the South Equatorial Countercurrent (SECC) is due to the interplay of two
types of forced Rossby waves: the resonantly forced Rossby waves north of 10°S and the locally forced Rossby waves south of
10°S. The resonantly forced Rossby waves north of 10°S are due to the annually varying tropical Pacific wind, and the locally
forced Rossby waves south of 10°S in the western basin are associated with the Western Pacific Monsoon. Both types of waves
are intensified westward in the SECC region but have different phases across the SECC; this latitudinal phase jump results
in the seasonal variability of the SECC, which reaches its maximum in March and its minimum in August. Favorable agreement
between the seasonal SECC signals from the model and from the satellite sea surface height measurements confirms this new
insight about the seasonal modulation of the SECC.
Received 11
December
2003;
accepted 9
June
2004;
published 5
August
2004.
Keywords: SECC;
seasonal variability;
Rossby waves.
Index Terms: 4231 Oceanography: General: Equatorial oceanography; 4227 Oceanography: General: Diurnal, seasonal, and annual cycles; 4512 Oceanography: Physical: Currents.
Read Full Article (file size: 946060 bytes) Cited by
Citation: Chen, S., and B. Qiu
(2004),
Seasonal variability of the South Equatorial Countercurrent,
J. Geophys. Res.,
109,
C08003,
doi:10.1029/2003JC002243.
Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.
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