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Ocean eddies, fronts, and air-sea exchanges: Observations and high resolution simulations
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Wind-driven SST fronts and its seasonal variability in the southeast Brazil
P-P4-03-S
Huanhuan chen* , Yuntao Wang
Presenter Email: chenhh@hhu.edu.cn |
| Fourteen years (Sep. 2002-Aug. 2016) satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) data are used to describe the frontal pattern and frontogenesis in the southeast continental shelf of Brazil. The SST frontal probabilities are obtained from SST observations by using an edge-detection algorithm. High SST frontal probabilities mainly distribute along the coast, decrease with distance from coastline. Results from empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decompositions reveal strong seasonal variability of SST frontal probabilities, with maximum (minimum) in astral summer (winter). Wind plays an important role in driving the SST fronts, high SST frontal probability is accompanied with strong alongshore wind stress and wind stress curl. This is particularly true for summer when the total transport induced by alongshore component of upwelling-favorable winds and wind stress curl reaches annual maximum. The fronts are influenced by multiple factors other than wind forcing, e.g. the orientation of coastline, bottom topography and mender of Brazil Current. As a result, there is slight difference between the seasonality of SST fronts and wind. Large coupling coefficients are found between the crosswind (downwind) SST gradients and wind stress curl (divergence), which indicates the difference of SST at both sides of front can significantly modify the wind pattern. Thus, the analysis between SST fronts and wind leads to a better understanding of the front and frontogenesis off Brazil, and the results can be used to instruct the development of air-sea coupled model at regional level. |
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