On non-Gaussian SST variability in the Gulf Stream and other strong currents |
| |
| Authors: | Philip Sura |
| |
| Institution: | (1) Department of Meteorology, Florida State University, 1017 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the physics of observed non-Gaussian sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly variability in the Gulf Stream
system in a recently developed stochastic framework. It is first shown from a new high-resolution observational data set that
the Gulf Stream system is very clearly visible as a band of negative skewness all the way from Florida, over Cape Hatteras,
to the central North Atlantic. To get an idea about the detailed non-Gaussian variability along the Gulf Stream, probability
density functions are calculated at several locations. One important observational result of this study is that the non-Gaussian
tails of SST variability in the Gulf Stream system follow a power-law distribution. The study then shows that the observed
non-Gaussianity is consistent with stochastic advection of SST anomalies in an idealized zonal current. In addition, stochastic
advection is compatible with the observed northward eddy heat flux in the Gulf Stream, providing a new dynamical view at the
heat balance in strong currents. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
