altimeterwavenumberspectra-ifremer.docVIP

Do altimeter wavenumber spectra agree with interior or surface quasi-geostrophic theory ? P.Y. Le Traon*, P. Klein*, Bach Lien Hua* and G. Dibarboure** *Ifremer, Centre de Brest, 29280 Plouzané, France **CLS Space Oceanography Division, 8-10 rue Hermès, 31526 Ramonville St Agne, France Submitted as a note to Journal of Physical Oceanography June 19, 2007 Revised July 10, 2007 and September 15, 2007 Abstract: In high eddy energy regions, it is generally assumed that sea level wavenumber spectra compare well with quasi-geostrophic (QG) turbulence models and that spectral slopes are close to the expected k-5 law. This issue is revisited here. Sea level wavenumber spectra in Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and Agulhas regions are estimated using the most recent altimeter data sets (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, ENVISAT and GEOSAT Follow On). We show that spectral slopes in the mesoscale band are significantly different from a k-5 law in disagreement with QG turbulence theory. However, they very closely follow a k-11/3 slope, which indicate that the surface quasi-geostrophic theory (SQG) is a much better dynamical framework than the QG turbulence theory to describe the ocean surface dynamics. Because of the specific properties of the SQG theory, these results offer new perspectives for the analysis and interpretation of satellite data. 1. Introduction Over the past 15 years, five different altimeter missions have been providing high resolution along-track sea surface height (SSH) (i.e. sea level) measurements: ERS-1/2 (1991-2003), TOPEX/Poseidon (1992-2005), GEOSAT Follow On (2000-2006), ENVISAT and Jason-1 (2002-2006). The along-track resolution of altimeter measurements (for 1 second average) is approximately 7 km but the altimeter noise level (2 to 3 cm rms) limits the ability to observe along-track wavelengths smaller than approximately 30 to 70 km (the exact value depends on geographical area and the altimeter mission) (e.g. Zanife et al., 2003; Faugère et al.,