Semiannual variability of the California Undercurrent along the Southern California Current System a tropical generated phenomenon
We used a high-resolution numerical model implementation to analyze the California Undercurrent (CU) dynamics along the Southern California Current System. In agreement with reported observations, the modeled CU was stronger during June-July and December-January, when it flowed continuously along Baja California and Southern California reaching long-term averages up to 6 cm s21. Previous research has associated the biannual CU intensification to the local dynamics off Southern California. Our results evidenced, however, that the passage of remote Semiannual Coastal-Trapped Waves (SCTW) primarily explained the semiannual CU variability. The CU was stronger 2-3 months after the passage of the upwelling SCTW phase, when the offshore propagation of Rossby waves, brought about by the SCTW transit, induced an energetic cross-shore pressure gradient that strengthened the subsurface poleward circulation along the continental slope. The SCTW were independent of the local wind; they corresponded to the northward extension of semiannual equatorial Kelvin waves that have been observed along the northeastern tropical Pacific.
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Circulación oceánica, Variación estacional, Climatología, |
| Online Access: | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JC012350/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|