Comparison of a NLOM data assimilation product to direct measurements in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone: a case study

• Main Authors: Losch, M., Schukay, R., Strass, V., Cisewski, B.
• Other Authors: Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung = Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research = Institut Alfred-Wegener pour la recherche polaire et marine (AWI), Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association, Universität Bremen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2006
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00317908; https://hal.science/hal-00317908/document; https://hal.science/hal-00317908/file/angeo-24-3-2006.pdf

International audience A comparison of the Naval Research Lab Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) nowcast fields with independent in-situ observations from a cruise in the Polar Frontal Zone of the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean is presented. NLOM sea surface temperature fields can be used to determine the position of fronts and individual eddies, whereas the analyzed sea surface height appears to be out of phase. It is suggested that this dynamical inconsistency is caused by a low data coverage for assimilation at the time of the cruise in combination with the data assimilation technique, that treats sea surface height and sea surface temperature data independently.