Five years’ central pacific sea level from in situ array, satellite altimeter and numerical model: Research note

Authors

Kathleen A. Donohue, University of Rhode Island
Mark Wimbush, University of Rhode Island
Xiaoli Zhu, University of Rhode Island
Stephen M. Chiswell, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Roger Lukas, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Harley E. Hurlburt, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

6-1-1994

Abstract

Temporal and spatial features of central equatorial Pacific Ocean sea‐level variation appear similar, in measurements from two very different systems (one in the ocean and one carried on a satellite), and in results from a numerical model of the region. In particular, there is an interannual cycle: during El Nino, Kelvin waves appear at the equator, and the sea‐surface ridge associated with the equatorial current system shifts southward; in non‐El Nino years, instability waves appear at 6°N (strongest around the end of each calendar year), and the ridge shifts to the north. This three‐way comparison gives support to both measurement systems and to the numerical model. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Atmosphere - Ocean

Volume

32

Issue

2

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Donohue, Kathleen A., Mark Wimbush, Xiaoli Zhu, Stephen M. Chiswell, Roger Lukas, and Harley E. Hurlburt. "Five years’ central pacific sea level from in situ array, satellite altimeter and numerical model: Research note." Atmosphere - Ocean 32, 2 (1994). doi: 10.1080/07055900.1994.9649509.