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Tropical Instability Waves as a Resonance between Equatorial Rossby Waves

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  • To understand the characteristics of sea surface height signatures of tropical instability waves (TIWs), a linearized model of the central Pacific Ocean was developed in which the vertical structures of the state variables are projected onto a set of orthogonal baroclinic eigenvectors. In lieu of in situ current measurements with adequate spatial and temporal resolution, the mean current structure used in the model was obtained from the Parallel Ocean Climate Model (POCM). The TIWs in the linear model have cross-equatorial structure and wavenumber–frequency content similar to the TIWs in POCM, even when the vertical structures of the state variables are projected onto only the first two orthogonal baroclinic eigenvectors. Because this model is able to reproduce TIWs with relatively simple vertical structure, it is possible to examine the mechanism for the formation of TIWs. TIWs are shown to form from a resonance between two equatorial Rossby waves as the strength of the background currents is slowly increased.
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  • Lyman, John M., Dudley B. Chelton, Roland A. deSzoeke, Roger M. Samelson, 2005: Tropical Instability Waves as a Resonance between Equatorial Rossby Waves*. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 35, 232–254.
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  • 35
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  • 2
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  • The research summarized in this manuscript was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under contracts 1206715 and 1217722 from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Roger M. Samelson was supported by NSF Grant oce- 990784. John M. Lyman gratefully acknowledges support from National Research Council during this research; additional support was provided by the NOAA offices of Ocean and Atmospheric Research and the NOAA Office of Global Programs during preparation of this manuscript.
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