Temporal Variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Observed from Satellite Altimetry

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Fu, Lee-Lueng, Chelton, Dudley B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1984
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.226.4672.343; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.226.4672.343

Sea level measurements by the Seasat altimeter were used to study the temporal variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current between July and October 1978. Large-scale zonal coherence in the cross-stream sea level difference was observed, indicating a general increase in the surface geostrophic velocity of the current around the Southern Ocean. The result demonstrates the power of satellite altimetry to monitor the variability of large-scale ocean currents.