Satellite observations of an annual cycle in the Agulhas Current

Type Article
Date 2012-08
Language English
Author(s) Krug M.1, 2, 3, Tournadre Jean4
Affiliation(s) 1 : CSIR, Ecosyst Earth Observat, ZA-7700 Cape Town, South Africa.
2 : Univ Cape Town, Dept Oceanog, Mare Inst, ZA-7925 Cape Town, South Africa.
3 : Univ Cape Town, Nansen Tutu Ctr Marine Environm Res, ZA-7925 Cape Town, South Africa.
4 : IFREMER, Lab Oceanog Spatiale, Plouzane, France.
Source Geophysical Research Letters (0094-8276) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2012-08 , Vol. 39 , N. L15607 , P. 6 p.
DOI 10.1029/2012GL052335
WOS© Times Cited 30
Abstract Ocean models show an annual cycle in the Agulhas Current transport which has not yet been confirmed in analyses of in-situ or satellite observations. A cross-stream coordinate approach is used to study the variability of the Agulhas Current from 18 years of along-track altimetry and merged altimetry and close to 7 years of high frequency Sea Surface Temperature (SST) observations. While the position and width of the Agulhas Current's dynamical core do not display an annual cycle, the geostrophic current speed at the current's core exhibits distinct seasonal variations, with a stronger flow observed in austral summer. The annual cycle dominates the frequency spectra of the current's core geostrophic velocities. Citation: Krug, M., and J. Tournadre (2012), Satellite observations of an annual cycle in the Agulhas Current, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L15607, doi:10.1029/2012GL052335.
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