Seasonal eddy kinetic energy modulations along the North Equatorial Countercurrent in the western Pacific

Abstract

Seasonal eddy kinetic energy (EKE) variability and its associated eddy energy conversion processes in the western tropical Pacific are investigated using satellite altimeter observations and a global, eddy-resolving, ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Both the altimeter-observed sea surface height anomalies and the OGCM simulation show an area with enhanced EKE east of the Mindanao Island centered around 133°E and 5°N. This enhanced EKE area corresponds to the location of the quasi-stationary meander of the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) and is bordered to the south by the Halmahera Eddy. The mesoscale EKE in this area exhibits a clear seasonality, strong in summer (July-August) and weak in winter (November-January), and much of this seasonality is confined to the upper 200 m layer. An investigation into the upper ocean eddy energetics based on the OGCM simulation reveals that the areal barotropic eddy energy conversion rate has an annual cycle similar to the EKE variations, while the areal baroclinic eddy energy conversion is found to be much smaller that the barotropic conversion rate and exhibits no clear seasonal changes. This indicates that the EKE variations are largely controlled by barotropic conversion of the seasonally varying regional circulation. By examining the seasonal background circulation changes, we find that the amplification of the barotropic eddy energy conversion rate in July-August is related to the seasonal evolution of the Mindanao Current and the New Guinea Coastal Current that amplifies the curvature and amplitude of the quasi-stationary meander of the NECC and results in an elevated EKE level through increased regional barotropic conversion.