Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current
This investigation of the physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean will carry out two parallel efforts during the years preceding the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON. First, the Geosat data will be used to develop a preliminary descriptive picture of the mesoscale and large-scale, low-frequency surface...
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ftnasantrs:oai:casi.ntrs.nasa.gov:19930005781 2023-05-15T14:04:19+02:00 Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current Chelton, Dudley B. Bennett, A. F. Deszoeke, R. A. Miller, R. N. Fu, Lee-Lueng Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available Sep 1, 1991 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930005781 unknown http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930005781 Accession ID: 93N14970 No Copyright CASI 48 JPL, TOPEX(Poseidon Science Investigation Plan; p 36-39 1991 ftnasantrs 2012-02-15T19:45:38Z This investigation of the physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean will carry out two parallel efforts during the years preceding the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON. First, the Geosat data will be used to develop a preliminary descriptive picture of the mesoscale and large-scale, low-frequency surface circulation of the Southern Ocean. Some of this analysis of Geosat data has already begun. For example, as a measure of the geographical distribution of mesoscale variability, a color-coded map of the standard deviation of sea level from two years of Geosat data is shown. Efforts are presently under way to investigate the seasonal and year-to-year variability of this mesoscale energy. The data are also being used to generate low-pass filtered fields of sea level from which the temporal evolution of large-scale variability in the Southern Ocean may be investigated. The second parallel effort is the development and test of modeling and data assimilation techniques that will later be applied to TOPEX/POSEIDON data during the postlaunch phase. One objective of the modeling and data assimilation is to investigate the relation between mesoscale sea level variations and eddy flux in the Southern Ocean. Uncertainties in present estimates of the various components of meridional oceanic heat transport are large. The evidence presented indicates that the very energetic mesoscale variability in the ACC apparently accounts for much of the estimated 0.45x10(exp 15) watts of poleward heat transport across the ACC required to balance the heat budget. Eddy variability is strongly coherent vertically in the ACC, at least in the vicinity of Drake Passage where nearly all of the historical in situ data have been collected. Other/Unknown Material Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Drake Passage |
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48 Chelton, Dudley B. Bennett, A. F. Deszoeke, R. A. Miller, R. N. Fu, Lee-Lueng Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
topic_facet |
48 |
description |
This investigation of the physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean will carry out two parallel efforts during the years preceding the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON. First, the Geosat data will be used to develop a preliminary descriptive picture of the mesoscale and large-scale, low-frequency surface circulation of the Southern Ocean. Some of this analysis of Geosat data has already begun. For example, as a measure of the geographical distribution of mesoscale variability, a color-coded map of the standard deviation of sea level from two years of Geosat data is shown. Efforts are presently under way to investigate the seasonal and year-to-year variability of this mesoscale energy. The data are also being used to generate low-pass filtered fields of sea level from which the temporal evolution of large-scale variability in the Southern Ocean may be investigated. The second parallel effort is the development and test of modeling and data assimilation techniques that will later be applied to TOPEX/POSEIDON data during the postlaunch phase. One objective of the modeling and data assimilation is to investigate the relation between mesoscale sea level variations and eddy flux in the Southern Ocean. Uncertainties in present estimates of the various components of meridional oceanic heat transport are large. The evidence presented indicates that the very energetic mesoscale variability in the ACC apparently accounts for much of the estimated 0.45x10(exp 15) watts of poleward heat transport across the ACC required to balance the heat budget. Eddy variability is strongly coherent vertically in the ACC, at least in the vicinity of Drake Passage where nearly all of the historical in situ data have been collected. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Chelton, Dudley B. Bennett, A. F. Deszoeke, R. A. Miller, R. N. Fu, Lee-Lueng |
author_facet |
Chelton, Dudley B. Bennett, A. F. Deszoeke, R. A. Miller, R. N. Fu, Lee-Lueng |
author_sort |
Chelton, Dudley B. |
title |
Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
title_short |
Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
title_full |
Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
title_fullStr |
Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mesoscale and large-scale variability of the Antarctic circumpolar current |
title_sort |
mesoscale and large-scale variability of the antarctic circumpolar current |
publishDate |
1991 |
url |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930005781 |
op_coverage |
Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Drake Passage |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Drake Passage |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Drake Passage Southern Ocean |
op_source |
CASI |
op_relation |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930005781 Accession ID: 93N14970 |
op_rights |
No Copyright |
_version_ |
1766275349823356928 |