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Improved global maps and 54‐year history of wind‐work on ocean inertial motions
Author(s) -
Alford Matthew H.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl016614
Subject(s) - extratropical cyclone , slab , inertial frame of reference , climatology , meteorology , environmental science , latitude , energy flux , inertial wave , geology , middle latitudes , atmospheric sciences , physics , geodesy , geophysics , wave propagation , mechanical wave , longitudinal wave , quantum mechanics , astronomy
The global distribution and 54‐year time dependence of the energy‐flux from the wind to near‐inertial motions is computed by driving a slab mixed‐layer model with NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis winds, improving upon previous estimates [ Alford , 2001; Watanabe and Hibiya , 2002]. The slab model is solved spectrally with frequency‐dependent damping. The resulting solutions are more physically sensible than the previous, and more skillful at high latitudes, where the inertial frequency approaches the 4×‐daily sampling of the Reanalysis winds. This enables Alford's calculation, whose domain was limited to ±50°, to be extended to the poles. The high‐latitude reliability is demonstrated by direct comparison with a high‐resolution regional model (REMO) in the NE Atlantic. The total power input, 0.47 TW, has increased by 25% since 1948, paralleling observed increases in extratropical cyclone frequency and intensity. If believable, the trend may have important consequences for modulation of the meridional overturning circulation.