A Multidimensional Spectral Description of Ocean Variability

作者：Wortham Cimarron^*; Wunsch Carl

来源：Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2014, 44(3): 944-966.

DOI：10.1175/JPO-D-13-0113.1

• Circulation
• Dynamics
• Rossby waves
• Physical Meteorology and Climatology
• Kinetic energy
• Observational techniques and algorithms
• Altimetry
• Mathematical and statistical techniques
• Spectral analysis
• models
• distribution
• Variability
• Oceanic variability

An updated empirical, analytical model for the frequency and wavenumber distribution of balanced motion in the ocean is presented. The spectrum model spans periods longer than the inertial but shorter than a decade and wavelengths between 100 and 10 000 km. Assuming geostrophic dynamics, a spectrum model for the streamfunction is constructed to be consistent with a range of observations, including sea surface height from satellite altimetry, velocity from moored and shipboard instruments, and temperature from moorings. First-order characteristics of the observed spectra, including amplitude and spectral moments, vary slowly geographically. The spectrum model is horizontally anisotropic, accommodating observations that zonal wavenumber-frequency spectra are dominated by a nondispersive line. Qualitative and quantitative agreement is found with one-dimensional frequency and wavenumber spectra and observed vertical profiles of variance. Illustrative application is made of the model spectrum to observing-system design, data mapping, and uncertainty estimation for trends.

• 出版日期2014-3