Equatorial ocean circulation
243
(a)
(b)
Figure 11.1. Annual mean (a) zonal and (b) meridional wind stress over the Tropical Oceans
from Trenberth et al. (1989) in units of dyn/cm
2 (1 dyn/cm
2 =0.1 Pa).
currents with maximum positive zonal velocities of 40 cm s −1 at about 5 ◦ N. At
about 100 m depth between the latitudes 2 ◦ Nand2 ◦ S, there is a strong eastward
current, the Equatorial Under Current, with maximum velocities of about 1 ms −1 .
Ex. 11.1
The physics of the Equatorial Counter Current is the first motivating problem of
this chapter.
The annual mean sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific (Fig. 11.4) indicates that there is a strong asymmetry between the relatively warm western part
of the basin (the so-called Warm Pool) and the cooler eastern basin (the so-called
Cold Tongue). The Cold Tongue has a mean temperature of about 24 ◦ C while the
Warm Pool temperature is about 29 ◦ C giving a zonal temperature difference over
243
(a)
(b)
Figure 11.1. Annual mean (a) zonal and (b) meridional wind stress over the Tropical Oceans
from Trenberth et al. (1989) in units of dyn/cm
2 (1 dyn/cm
2 =0.1 Pa).
currents with maximum positive zonal velocities of 40 cm s −1 at about 5 ◦ N. At
about 100 m depth between the latitudes 2 ◦ Nand2 ◦ S, there is a strong eastward
current, the Equatorial Under Current, with maximum velocities of about 1 ms −1 .
Ex. 11.1
The physics of the Equatorial Counter Current is the first motivating problem of
this chapter.
The annual mean sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific (Fig. 11.4) indicates that there is a strong asymmetry between the relatively warm western part
of the basin (the so-called Warm Pool) and the cooler eastern basin (the so-called
Cold Tongue). The Cold Tongue has a mean temperature of about 24 ◦ C while the
Warm Pool temperature is about 29 ◦ C giving a zonal temperature difference over