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Deviation of Long-Period Tides from Equilibrium: Kinematics and Geostrophy

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  • New empirical estimates of the long-period fortnightly (Mf) tide obtained from TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter data confirm significant basin-scale deviations from equilibrium. Elevations in the low-latitude Pacific have reduced amplitude and lag those in the Atlantic by 308 or more. These interbasin amplitude and phase variations are robust features that are reproduced by numerical solutions of the shallow-water equations, even for a constant-depth ocean with schematic interconnected rectangular basins. A simplified analytical model for cooscillating connected basins also reproduces the principal features observed in the empirical solutions. This simple model is largely kinematic. Zonally averaged elevations within a simple closed basin would be nearly in equilibrium with the gravitational potential, except for a constant offset required to conserve mass. With connected basins these offsets are mostly eliminated by interbasin mass flux. Because of rotation, this flux occurs mostly in a narrow boundary layer across the mouth and at the western edge of each basin, and geostrophic balance in this zone supports small residual offsets (and phase shifts) between basins. The simple model predicts that this effect should decrease roughly linearly with frequency, a result that is confirmed by numerical modeling and empirical T/P estimates of the monthly (Mm) tidal constituent. This model also explains some aspects of the anomalous nonisostatic response of the ocean to atmospheric pressure forcing at periods of around 5 days.
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  • Egbert, Gary D., Richard D. Ray, 2003: Deviation of Long-Period Tides from Equilibrium: Kinematics and Geostrophy. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 33, 822–839.
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  • 33
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  • 4
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  • This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation (Grants OCE-9633527 and OCE-9819518 to GDE), and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 projects.
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