Evidence of Subarctic Water Mass Intrusions at Ocean Weather Station November.
Abstract
A divergent heat budget equation which included the effects of surface heat flux, horizontal and vertical advection, and horizontal divergence on the near-surface heat content was used to examine the role of thermal advection in the upper 250m of the water column at Ocean Weather Station NOVEMBER. This station is located on the southern boundary of the transition zone separating the Subarctic water mass from the Subtropic water mass. Values for horizontal thermal advection changes were computed over the period 1962-1970. This term was correlated with salinity fluctuations over the period 1968-1970. Pulse-like periods of cool advection were associated with periods of reduced salinities suggesting these were intrusions of Subarctic water. Over the nine-year period of analysis, these intrusions had a periodicity of 7 to 8 months with a duration of 3 to 4.5 months. It is suggested these wave-like intrusions along the Subtropic front are the result of the passage of non-dispersive baroclinic Rossby waves. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA032057
Entities
People
- John Francis Pfeiffer
- Robert H. Bourke
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School