Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5764398 | Continental Shelf Research | 2017 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
The connection and the relevant dynamical processes between oceanic eddies in the North Pacific Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC) region and the atmospheric Western-Pacific (WP) teleconnection is investigated on interannual timescales. North of the STCC region, the local northerly surface wind anomalies cool the ocean surface during negative phases of the WP teleconnection. The local surface cooling modifies the meridional gradient of sea surface temperature (SST), strengthening the SST front at its south. In the STCC region, we show the meridional gradient of surface-heat-flux forcing caused by the local surface cooling is the same order as the Ekman-convergence forcing. The strengthened SST front then leads to the pycnocline shoaling in the STCC region, which can also enhance the growth of baroclinic instability to produce more oceanic eddies, in addition to the enhanced STCC proposed previously. These dynamics are reversed during the positive phases of WP teleconnection.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Geology
Authors
Chun Hoe Chow, Yu-heng Tseng, Huang-Hsiung Hsu, Chih-Chieh Young,