Abstract
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 114,
C06014,
16 PP., 2009
doi:10.1029/2008JC004976
Seasonal variability of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 10°W as inferred from recent in situ observations
LEGOS, OMP-PCA, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
LEGOS, IRD, Plouzané, France
LEGOS, OMP-PCA, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
LEGOS, IRD, CRHOB, Cotonou, Benin
LEGOS, OMP-PCA, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
LEGOS, IRD, Toulouse, France
US191, IRD, Plouzané, France
LEGOS, OMP-PCA, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
LEGOS, IRD, Toulouse, France
Eighteen cross-equatorial shipboard current profiling sections along 10°W with conductivity-temperature-depth measurements
taken between 1997 and 2007 are used to analyze the mean meridional structure and the seasonal variability of the Equatorial
Undercurrent (EUC) at 10°W. Our analysis suggests a seasonal cycle for the EUC transport at 10°W, with a well-defined annual
harmonic and some indication of a semiannual component, with a first maximum in January and a second stronger maximum from
June to September. The mean EUC transport at 10°W is estimated to be 12.1 Sv and, compared to earlier estimates farther in
the west, at 35°W (20.9 Sv) and 26°W (13.8 Sv). The eastward flow transport exhibits a strong variability at 10°W (with a
total range of transports from 7.1 Sv to more than 31.7 Sv). The seasonal amplitude of the eastward flow variability is ±8.9
Sv, from a minimum of 8.2 Sv in November to 25.9 Sv in August. The eastward flows within the thermocline are divided in two
parts: a permanent part within the σ
Received 18 June 2008; accepted 6 April 2009; published 16 June 2009.
Citation: (2009), Seasonal variability of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 10°W as inferred from recent in situ observations, J. Geophys. Res., 114, C06014, doi:10.1029/2008JC004976.
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