1. Introduction and background

This is the first of a two-part analysis of temporal variability of the NE Pacific Ocean’s surface circulation, as measured by satellite altimeters. Here we examine the seasonal variability. In Part 2 (Strub & James, 2002) we analyze the non-seasonal anomalies of the surface circulation over the 1993–1998 period, during which the 1997–1998 El Niño creates the largest signal. Formation of the seasonal cycles discussed here is the first step in creating the non-seasonal anomalies. The seasonal cycles themselves, however, provide new information on the response of the NE Pacific to strong seasonal forcing, on scales not previously addressed. This analysis quantifies the degree of connection, on seasonal time scales, between the boundary currents in the eastern subarctic and subtropical gyres, as well as the connection between the boundaries and the interior NE Pacific. It further shows a connection to the equatorial current system.Numerous papers describe aspects of the seasonal cycles for certain parameters in subregions of our larger domain. Chapters in Robinson and Brink (1998) review some of the past results from the coastal ocean in the regions between the Equator and the Alaska Gyre ( Badan; Hickey and Royer). Fig. 1 presents the climatological surface dynamic height field (relative to 500 m) in the NE Pacific, calculated from the long-term mean climatological temperature and salinity data of Levitus and Gelfeld (1992). The 500 m reference level is used to concentrate on the surface flow seen by altimeters. Although this climatology is overly smooth, it shows the major currents in the area. The broad, eastward North Pacific Current (also called the West Wind Drift) splits into the counterclockwise Alaska Gyre and the equatorward California Current. South of 20°N in summer, the California Current turns westward and flows into the North Equatorial Current, while in winter–spring, part of it continues along the Mexican mainland before turning westward ( Badan; Fiedler and Fiedler). The long-term climatology shows both paths. The North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) flows eastward between 5° –10°N to approximately 120°W, but is only weakly seen in the annual climatology from there to the cyclonic flow around the Costa Rica Dome near 8°N, 92°W. The NECC is a shallow current (found in the upper 200 m) and might appear more strongly if a shallower reference were used, but it is also seasonally intermittent. When the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is in its northern location near 10°N (summer), surface divergences and upwelling create a zonal trough in surface height, driving the NECC along the southern side of the trough. When the ITCZ moves south in winter, the NECC weakens or reverses.  相似文献