Zonal intermediate currents in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Acoustic float data collected near 800 m depth, are used to map zonal mean currents within the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) tongue in the equatorial Atlantic. Alternating zonal jets of 2° latitudinal width are revealed between 6°S and 6°N. Displacements from profiling floats drifting near 100...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Ollitrault, Michel, Lankhorst, Matthias, Fratantoni, David, Richardson, Philip, Zenk, Walter
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union 2006
Subjects:
Seasonal fluctuations
Float data
Zonal current
Antarctic intermediate Water
Equatorial Atlantic ocean
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Online Access:https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-1112.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL025368
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1112/
Description
Summary:Acoustic float data collected near 800 m depth, are used to map zonal mean currents within the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) tongue in the equatorial Atlantic. Alternating zonal jets of 2° latitudinal width are revealed between 6°S and 6°N. Displacements from profiling floats drifting near 1000 m depth, also reveal similar zonal jets at the base of the AAIW layer. The strongest jets (15 cm s−1 peak) are found at 4°S, 2°S, 0°, 2°N and 4°N. They are coherent longitudinally over order of 3000 km and, poleward of 1°S and 1°N, generally coherent vertically between 800 m and 1000 m. Large seasonal fluctuations exist at both levels: within 1° of equator, AAIW at 800 m flows westward (8 cm s−1 mean) in boreal summer and fall but eastward (3 cm s−1 mean) in winter, whereas the flow at 1000 m is eastward in late fall and winter.

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