Summary
Analysis of the output of high-resolution ocean models reveals the presence of a class of flow structures that is intermediate in scale between the large-scale circulation and the geostrophic eddy field. These structures are coherent over considerably long zonal distances and have a relatively small meridional scale of 300–500km. They take the form of either quasipersistent multiple jets or long-crested Rossby waves with high-meridional and low-zonal wavenumbers. Here we discuss the properties of these features in the Pacific Ocean, possible mechanisms for their formation, and the potential impact on the transport of tracers.
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Richards, K., Sasaki, H., Bryan, F. (2008). Jets and Waves in the Pacific Ocean. In: Hamilton, K., Ohfuchi, W. (eds) High Resolution Numerical Modelling of the Atmosphere and Ocean. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-49791-4_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-49791-4_11
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