HR: 1340h
AN: OS13A-1001    [Abstracts]
TI: Rossby waves detected in HYCOM sea surface salinity in the Indian Ocean
AU: * Subrahmanyam, B
EM: sbulusu@geol.sc.edu
AF: Marine Science Program & Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 701 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States
AU: Heffner, D M
EM: dheffner@geol.sc.edu
AF: Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 701 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States
AU: Shriver, J F
EM: shriver@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, MS 39529, United States
AB: We demonstrate for the first time the detectability of Rossby waves in sea surface salinity in the Indian Ocean by using simulations of the 1/12° global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). HYCOM results compared favorably to SSS data provided by Argo floats in selected grid boxes in the Indian Ocean. Hovmöller diagrams of HYCOM SSS anomalies and gradient show the distinct westward propagating signature of Rossby waves, with a steeper slope in longitude/time plots further from the equator. The propagation speeds, calculated from a 2D Radon Transform are comparable with new theoretical speeds for Rossby waves. Annual westward propagating signals in the SSS simulations at most of the latitudes in the Indian Ocean coincide with previous studies. We hope that future studies of Rossby waves in SSS using model results and eventually satellite measurements of salinity data from Aquarius and SMOS will allow a better understanding of Rossby wave dynamics.
DE: 4504 Air/sea interactions (0312, 3339)
DE: 4554 Planetary waves
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 9340 Indian Ocean
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting