An Empirical Tropical Instability Wave-induced Wind Stress Model in the Equatorial Pacific and its Incorporation into the Ocean Model. Issue 5 (20th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wei, Yanzhou; Kang, Xianbiao; Pei, Yuhua
• Is Part Of: Atmosphere-ocean. Volume 56:Issue 5(2018)
• Page Start: 350
• Page End: 361
• Publication Date: 2018-10-20
• Subjects: tropical instability waves -- empirical relationship -- inverse method -- wind stress feedback -- ROMS; Ocean-atmosphere interaction -- Canada -- Periodicals; Ocean-atmosphere interaction -- Periodicals; Oceanography -- Canada -- Periodicals; Oceanography -- Periodicals; Meteorology -- Canada -- Periodicals; Meteorology -- Periodicals; 551.5246
• DOI: 10.1080/07055900.2018.1549016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0705-5900

Abstract

Abstract: Satellite observations revealed that there is a close relationship between perturbations of sea surface temperature (SST) and wind stress (τ ) induced by tropical instability waves (TIWs; SSTTIW andτ TIW ). Using the empirical relationship observed between TIW-induced wind stress divergence (curl) and downwind (crosswind) SST gradients, this study establishes a TIW-induced wind stress field perturbation modelτ TIW = F (SST). This empirical model solvesτ TIW from the TIW-induced wind stress divergence and curl, which are estimated from the downwind and crosswind SST gradients. This empiricalτ TIW = F (SST) model can be incorporated into the ocean model to take into account the effect ofτ TIW . By comparing two experiments with and without theτ TIW effect, this study demonstrates thatτ TIW has a substantial effect on the equatorial Pacific heat budget and induces the long-term mean SST to exhibit a 0.2°C difference, which is consistent with previous studies.