TY - JOUR
T1 - The seasonal cycle and its modulation in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean
AU - Gu, Daifang
AU - Philander, S. G.H.
AU - Mcphaden, Michael J.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1997/10
Y1 - 1997/10
N2 - Data for the period from 1985 to 1993 from TAO moorings along 110°W (5°S-5°N) and 140°W (2°S-9°N) describe the vertical, meridional, and temporal structure of the seasonal cycle of several variables. The results have a number of interesting features. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle is relatively constant in the surface layers but varies considerably at the depth of the equatorial thermocline where it was small before 1989, large thereafter. Also, vertical seasonal movements of the thermocline have little effect on sea surface temperatures. These seasonal variations are consistent with a westward propagating coupled ocean-atmosphere mode in the surface layers. Conversely, the low-frequency modulation of the seasonal cycle in the thermocline is associated with changes in the seasonal cycle of the zonal wind in the central and western tropical Pacific and might be attributable to equatorial Kelvin waves forced resonantly by the surface winds.
AB - Data for the period from 1985 to 1993 from TAO moorings along 110°W (5°S-5°N) and 140°W (2°S-9°N) describe the vertical, meridional, and temporal structure of the seasonal cycle of several variables. The results have a number of interesting features. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle is relatively constant in the surface layers but varies considerably at the depth of the equatorial thermocline where it was small before 1989, large thereafter. Also, vertical seasonal movements of the thermocline have little effect on sea surface temperatures. These seasonal variations are consistent with a westward propagating coupled ocean-atmosphere mode in the surface layers. Conversely, the low-frequency modulation of the seasonal cycle in the thermocline is associated with changes in the seasonal cycle of the zonal wind in the central and western tropical Pacific and might be attributable to equatorial Kelvin waves forced resonantly by the surface winds.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0008062023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0008062023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<2209:TSCAIM>2.0.CO;2
DO - 10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<2209:TSCAIM>2.0.CO;2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0008062023
SN - 0022-3670
VL - 27
SP - 2209
EP - 2218
JO - Journal of Physical Oceanography
JF - Journal of Physical Oceanography
IS - 10
ER -