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Evolution of Subduction Planetary Waves with Application to North Pacific Decadal Thermocline Variability

Evolution of Subduction Planetary Waves with Application to North Pacific Decadal Thermocline... The evolution of decadal subduction temperature anomalies in the subtropical North Pacific is studied using a simple and a complex ocean model. It is found that the amplitude of the temperature anomaly decays faster than a passive tracer by about 30%%––50%%. The faster decay is caused by the divergence of group velocity of the subduction planetary wave, which is contributed to, significantly, by the divergent Sverdrup flow in the subtropical gyre. The temperature anomaly also seems to propagate southward slower than the passive tracer, or mean ventilation flow. This occurs because the mean potential vorticity gradient in the ventilated zone is directed eastward; the associated general beta effect produces a northward propagation for the temperature anomaly, partially canceling the southward advection by the ventilation flow. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Physical Oceanography American Meteorological Society

Evolution of Subduction Planetary Waves with Application to North Pacific Decadal Thermocline Variability

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Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 American Meteorological Society
ISSN
1520-0485
DOI
10.1175/1520-0485(2001)031<1733:EOSPWW>2.0.CO;2
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The evolution of decadal subduction temperature anomalies in the subtropical North Pacific is studied using a simple and a complex ocean model. It is found that the amplitude of the temperature anomaly decays faster than a passive tracer by about 30%%––50%%. The faster decay is caused by the divergence of group velocity of the subduction planetary wave, which is contributed to, significantly, by the divergent Sverdrup flow in the subtropical gyre. The temperature anomaly also seems to propagate southward slower than the passive tracer, or mean ventilation flow. This occurs because the mean potential vorticity gradient in the ventilated zone is directed eastward; the associated general beta effect produces a northward propagation for the temperature anomaly, partially canceling the southward advection by the ventilation flow.

Journal

Journal of Physical OceanographyAmerican Meteorological Society

Published: Dec 20, 1999

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