Seasonal Changes in the Tropical Atlantic Circulation: Observation and Simulation of the Guinea Dome.

Siedler, Gerold, Zangenberg, Norbert, Onken, Reiner and Morlière, Alain (1992) Seasonal Changes in the Tropical Atlantic Circulation: Observation and Simulation of the Guinea Dome. Open Access Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 97 (C1). pp. 703-715. DOI 10.1029/91JC02501.

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Abstract

The Guinea Dome is a permanent, quasi-stationary feature on the eastern side of the thermal ridge extending zonally across the tropical North Atlantic. The dome is a part of the large-scale near-surface flow fields associated with the North Equatorial Current, the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the North Equatorial Undercurrent. In the present study, historical and recently obtained hydrographic data are combined to investigate the thermohaline structure and geostrophic flow field in the vicinity of the dome. It is shown that the Guinea Dome exists throughout the year both in subthermocline and thermocline layers, that it has a corresponding cyclonic geostrophic flow, and that seasonal changes occur with respect to its vertical structure, horizontal extent, and position. The observational results are then compared with simulations from a general circulation model of the tropical Atlantic. A seven-year simulation forced by observed monthly winds is run to compute a monthly climatology. The model adequately simulates the Guinea Dome with respect to its structure, flow field, and seasonal variability.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: EQUATORIAL SUBSURFACE COUNTERCURRENTS; NORTH-ATLANTIC; ANNUAL CYCLE; WIND STRESS; WORLD OCEAN; MODEL; PACIFIC; VARIABILITY; WATER; TEMPERATURE
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-PO Physical Oceanography
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: AGU (American Geophysical Union)
Projects: SFB133, ORSTOM
Date Deposited: 25 Sep 2012 12:52
Last Modified: 26 Sep 2017 12:38
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/15392

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