Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2017, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (4): 1-9.doi: 10.11978/2017001CSTR: 32234.14.2017001

• Orginal Article •     Next Articles

Mid-depth zonal jets and their characteristics in the tropical Pacific Ocean derived from Argo trajectory

Yifan XIA1,2(), Yan DU1,2(), Tianyu WANG1,2, Qiang XIE1,3   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Guangzhou 510301, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China;
  • Received:2017-01-02 Revised:2017-02-24 Online:2017-07-20 Published:2017-07-26
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China (41525019, 41521005);“Global Changes and Air-sea Interaction” of State Oceanic Administration (GASI-IPOVAI-02);Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA11010000)

Abstract:

The characteristics and variation of mid-depth zonal jets in the tropical Pacific Ocean are examined using the trajectory of Argo floats. The method to estimate zonal intermediate currents based on Argo trajectory data is more appropriate in the equatorial region because it is free of the restrictions imposed by the methods based on the referenced velocity and Coriolis force. The results indicate that in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, the mid-layer (1000 dbar) zonal jets have a symmetric band-like structure in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The strong jets are centered near the equatorial regions, whereas there are several eastward zonal jets in the off-equatorial ocean (9°N, 13°N, 18°N). In addition, the characteristics of temporal variability are relatively complex. In the near-equatorial area, seasonal scale is the major and most important component, while in the off-equatorial region multiple time scale processes dominate. The Rossby wave dynamics and local response probably contribute to this difference.

Key words: tropical Pacific Ocean, mid-depth current, zonal jet, Argo float, seasonal variability

CLC Number: 

  • P731.21