Westward propagating Gaussian eddies with statistical characteristics estimated from altimeter observations but with purely random starting locations and times produce striated features in time-averaged maps of zonal velocity. The striations in these simulations have magnitudes and meridional scales comparable to those reported from time-averaged altimeter observations and model output in...
High-resolution mesoscale model sea surface temperature (SST) analyses and surface wind stress forecasts off the U.S. West Coast are analyzed on monthly time scales for robust signatures of air–sea interaction as the surface winds encounter ocean surface features such as SST fronts, filaments, and eddies. This interaction is manifest by...
Satellite observations of wind stress and sea surface temperature (SST) are analyzed to investigate ocean–atmosphere interaction in the California Current System (CCS). As in regions of strong SST fronts elsewhere in the World Ocean, SST in the CCS region is positively correlated with surface wind stress when SST fronts are...
Ten years of sea-surface height (SSH) fields constructed from the merged TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) and ERS-1/2 altimeter datasets are analyzed to investigate mesoscale variability in the global ocean. The higher resolution of the merged dataset reveals that more than 50% of the variability over much of the World Ocean is accounted...
Global 1° × 1° climatologies of the first baroclinic gravity-wave phase speed c¹ and the Rossby radius of deformation λ1 are computed from climatological average temperature and salinity profiles. These new atlases are compared with previously published 5° × 5° coarse resolution maps of λ₁ for the Northern Hemisphere and...
Satellite measurements of sea-surface temperature (SST) by the TRMM Microwave Imager reveal previously unreported features of tropical instability waves (TIWs). In the Pacific, TIW-related variability is observed from the eastern boundary to at least 160°E. Cusp-shaped distortions of SST fronts and associated trains of anticyclonic vortices both north and south...
A two-scale approach for the turbulent mixing of momentum in an unstable stratified boundary layer is proposed in an attempt to eliminate existing inconsistencies between parameterized mixing of heat and momentum. The parameterization of the large eddy stress is suitable for simple boundary layer models where computational efficiency is important....
Recent observational programs to understand the coastal ocean, like the Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System (OrCOOS) are under development (www.orcoos.org). A challenge in facing observing systems is achieving spatial and temporal coverage at scales that are useful for ocean modeling. Observational buoys are relatively few and towed arrays and gliders...
The leasing of submerged and submersible lands is emerging as a new marine conservation method. Using a geographic information system, this study: (1) examines the suitability of estuary tideland sites for conservation leasing in Lincoln County, Oregon, and (2) explores the relationship between adjacent terrestrial land use zones and the...
Over the last three decades Oregonians have been engaged in a protracted discussion about Marine Spatial Planning. In the last twenty years the discussion has centered on the protection of Oregon’s natural marine resources and has taken on various labels such as marine gardens, conservation areas, marine sanctuary, and marine...