Data assimilation in a simple tropical ocean model with wind stress errors

Abstract

A reduced-gravity shallow-water model has been used. The geometry of the basin is rectangular and symmetric about the equator, and the long-wave approximation is applied. Three types of wind stress errors are considered: errors of timing only, as well as persistent errors, systematic or stochastic. The relative usefulness of thermocline depth and current observations, and the effect of data distribution on state estimation are examined. The role of equatorial ocean waves in the process of data assimilation is also studied. -from Authors