Surface Circulation and Kinetic Energy Distributions in the Southern Hemisphere Oceans from FGGE Drifting Buoys

Abstract

Dep. Oceanogr., Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843, USA J (Journal-Article) M (Marine) Trajectories of approximately 300 satellite-tracked drifting buoys deployed throughout the Southern Hemisphere oceans during the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE) have been analyzed to infer the mean surface circulation and kinetic energy distributions of the surface flow. The resulting picture of mean surface circulation is consistent with expectations based on compilations of historical observations of currents and the density field. The results presented here compare favorably with earlier studies. The good agreement between the distribution of eddy kinetic energy and the variability in sea surface height suggests that most eddy kinetic energy is due to variations in the geostrophic currents Ocean Technology, Policy and Non Living Resources (Q2) 1035932 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- R...