Marine Science Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-1990
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1990)020<1813:ALAOEA>2.0.CO;2
Abstract
Observed variations in the Atlantic Ocean's equatorial thermocline are compared at four locations with simultations using an analytical reduced-gravity model. The comparison shows the essential features of the seasonal wind-forced thermocline response to be accounted for by a linear superposition of equatorial long waves, evolving basinwide, tending to bring the zonal pressure gradient into balance with the wind stress. A frequency response function is derived whose properties provide a basis for discussing the large scale features of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean's seasonal cycle-for example, its evolution along the equator, the maximum upwelling region observed in the Gulf of Guinea and the secondary upwelling season also observed there. Clarification is also given to the issue of remote versus local forcing for these features.
Rights Information
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Physical Oceanography, v. 20, no. 12, p. 1813-1825
© Copyright 1990 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. All AMS journals and monograph publications are registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (http://www.copyright.com). Questions about permission to use materials for which AMS holds the copyright can also be directed to permissions@ametsoc.org. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement, available on the AMS website (http://www.ametsoc.org/CopyrightInformation).
Scholar Commons Citation
Weisberg, Robert H. and Tang, T. Y., "A Linear Analysis of Equatorial Atlantic Ocean Thermocline Variability" (1990). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 142.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/142
