Long waves in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Authors

George Philander, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
David Halpern, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Donald Hansen, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Richard Legeckis, Data Information Service
Laury Miller, University of Rhode Island
Randolph Watts, University of Rhode Island
Randolph Watts, University of Rhode Island
Mark Wimbush, University of Rhode Island
Carl Paul, University of Miami
Robert Weisberg, NC State University

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-1-1985

Abstract

Westward traveling waves, with a period of 3 weeks and a wavelength of ∼1000 km, are observed intermittently in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (see cover). The waves were first detected in 1975 in satellite measurements of the sea surface temperature [Legeckis, 1977]. Since then, additional measurements (under the auspices of the NOAA program Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Studies (EPOCS)) with a variety of instruments—drifting buoys, current meters and temperature sensors on moorings, and inverted echo sounders—have provided considerable information about these waves and have confirmed the hypothesis that they are caused by instabilities associated primarily with the latitudinal shear of the surface currents near the equator [Philander, 1978a; Cox, 1980]. ©1985. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union

Volume

66

Issue

14

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Philander, George, David Halpern, Donald Hansen, Richard Legeckis, Laury Miller, Randolph Watts, Randolph Watts, Mark Wimbush, Carl Paul, and Robert Weisberg. "Long waves in the equatorial Pacific Ocean." Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union 66, 14 (1985). doi: 10.1029/EO066i014p00154.