Observational evidence for atmospheric modulation of the Loop Current migrations

doi:10.1007/s11707-015-0537-0

Front. Earth Sci.

2015, Vol. 9

Issue (4) : 683-690 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-015-0537-0

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Observational evidence for atmospheric modulation of the Loop Current migrations

D. Lindo-Atichati^1,^*(

),P. Sangrà²

1. Department of Engineering Science & Physics, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
2. Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global (IOCAG), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

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Abstract

Recent modeling studies on the shedding of Loop Current rings suggest that the intensification of the dominant zonal wind field delays the detachment of rings and affects the Loop Current migrations. The atmospheric modulation of the Loop Current migrations is analyzed here using reanalysis winds and altimetry-derived observations. A newly developed methodology is applied to locate the Loop Current front, and a wavelet-based semblance analysis is used to explore correlations with atmospheric forcing. The results show that weakening (intensification) of the zonal wind stress in the eastern Gulf of Mexico is related with the Loop Current excursions to the north (south). Semblance analyses confirm negative correlations between the zonal wind stress and the Loop Current migrations during the past 20 years. The intrusions of the Loop Current might involve an increase of the Yucatan Transport, which would balance the westward Rossby wave speed of a growing loop and delay the ring shedding. The results of this study have consequences for the interpretation of the chaotic processes of ring detachment and Loop Current intrusions, which might be modulated by wind stress.

Keywords Loop Current wind stress wavelet analysis altimetry air-sea interactions Gulf of Mexico

Corresponding Author(s): D. Lindo-Atichati

Just Accepted Date: 17 June 2015 Online First Date: 08 July 2015 Issue Date: 30 October 2015

Cite this article:

D. Lindo-Atichati,P. Sangrà. Observational evidence for atmospheric modulation of the Loop Current migrations[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2015, 9(4): 683-690.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-015-0537-0
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2015/V9/I4/683

Fig.1 Bottom topography of the Gulf of Mexico. Data retrieved from ETOPO1 1-minute Global Relief. The map illustrates the section A?B used to estimate differences in mean sea level pressure and differences in mean wind stress. Main geographical features and generalized flow of the Loop Current are marked.

Fig.2 Fields of altimetry-derived Sea Surface Height gradient [cm·deg⁻¹] and Sea Surface Height contours [cm] in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Fields illustrate the detected LC front (grey contour) when the LC is located in (a) the northern and (b) the southern GoM. The northernmost and westernmost locations of the LC front are tagged with a square in both panels.

Fig.3 (a) Time series of monthly Loop Current Migration Anomalies (LCMA, black curve) and time series of monthly Sea Level Pressure Gradient (SLPG, grey curve) determined from the pressure difference between the mean northernmost and southernmost locations of the Loop Current front, from January 1993 to December 2012. (b) Real part of the complex Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) of LCMA time series. Bright red indicates large positive amplitude and dark blue indicates large negative amplitude. (c) Real part of the complex CWT of SLPG time series. Bright red indicates large positive amplitude and dark blue indicates large negative amplitude. (d) Semblance index, S. Bright red corresponds to a positive semblance and dark blue to a negative semblance. Wavelength ranges from zero to 36 weeks. Grey dashed lines highlight the periods of 12 weeks and 24 weeks, which are clear examples of periods with significant moderate to strong negative correlations.

Fig.4 (a) Time series of monthly Loop Current Migration Anomalies (LCMA) and time series of the monthly Wind Stress Gradient (WSG) averaged between northernmost and southernmost locations Loop Current, from January 1993 to December 2012. (b) Real part of the complex Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) of the LCMA time series. (c) Real part of the complex CWT of the WSG time series (d) Semblance index, S. Grey dashed lines highlight the periods of 12 weeks and 24 weeks, which are clear examples of periods with significant moderate to strong negative correlations.

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