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Large‐scale Rossby wave in the mid‐latitude South Pacific from altimetry data
Author(s) -
Wang L.,
Koblinsky C.,
Howden S.,
Beckley B.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/97gl03567
Subject(s) - rossby wave , altimeter , rossby radius of deformation , amplitude , wavelength , latitude , geology , climatology , scale (ratio) , geodesy , physics , optics , quantum mechanics
We present observations of large‐scale Rossby wave propagation in the mid‐latitude South Pacific (25°S) from analyzing 4 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry data. Using wavelet transform we separate phase propagation from amplitude modulation. The dominant Rossby wave has a wavelength of about 40° with a period close to 2 years (phase speed ∼6.4 cm/s). Its amplitude modulates both interannually and intraannually. In addition, we also found a shorter‐scale Rossby wave with a wavelength of about 16° and a period close to 9 months.