eddy energyand shelf interactions（涡流和货架的相互作用）.docVIP

Eddy Energy and Shelf Interactions in the Gulf of Mexico J. Carter Ohlmann and P. Peter Niiler Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego Chad A. Fox and Robert R. Leben Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado, Boulder Submitted to: JGR Oceans Revision #1 July 5, 2000 Abstract Sea-surface height anomaly data from satellite are continuously available for the entire Gulf of Mexico. Surface current velocities derived from these remotely sensed data are compared with surface velocities from drifting buoys. The comparison shows that satellite altimetry does an excellent job resolving Gulf eddies over the shelf-rise (depths between ~200 and 2000 m) if the proper length scale is used. Correlations between altimeter and drifter derived velocities are statistically significant (r 0.5) when the surface slope is computed over 125 km, indicating that remotely sensed sea-surface height anomaly data can be used to aid the understanding of circulation over the shelf-rise. Velocity variance over the shelf-rise from the altimetry data shows regions of pronounced eddy energy south of the Mississippi outflow, south of the Texas-Louisiana shelf, and in the northwest and northeast corners of the Gulf. These are the same locations where surface drifters are most likely to cross the shelf-rise, suggesting Gulf eddies promote cross-shore flows. This is clearly exemplified with both warm and cold eddies. Finally, the contribution of Gulf eddies and wind stress to changes in the mean circulation are compared. Results indicate that the eddy generated vorticity flux to the mean flow is greater than the contribution from the surface wind stress curl, especially in the region of the Loop current and along the shelf-rise base in the western Gulf. Future modeling efforts must not neglect the role of eddies in driving Gulf circulation over the shelf-rise. 1. Introduction A predictive understanding of ocean circul