Stability of the Sargasso Sea subtropical frontal zone

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that eddy properties are significantly influenced by the mean current shear associated with the western Sargasso Sea subtropical frontal zone (SFZ). Classical linear as well as more recent nonlinear stability theories predict that the mean SFZ flow should be unstable. The linear eigenvalue problem suggests that the most unstable perturbations have wavelengths between 150 and 200 km. Analysis of a channel version of the Miami isopycnic-coordinate primitive equation numerical model verified these predictions and also characterized the further nonlinear evolution of the eddy field. -from Authors