Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N
Abstract The surface-intensified, poleward-flowing Gulf Stream (GS) encounters the equatorward-flowing Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) at 36° N off Cape Hatteras. In this study, daily output from a data-assimilative, high-resolution (800 m), regional ocean reanalysis was examined to quantify va...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45889-4 |
| _version_ | 1797636922004209664 |
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| author | Shun Mao Ruoying He Magdalena Andres |
| author_facet | Shun Mao Ruoying He Magdalena Andres |
| author_sort | Shun Mao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The surface-intensified, poleward-flowing Gulf Stream (GS) encounters the equatorward-flowing Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) at 36° N off Cape Hatteras. In this study, daily output from a data-assimilative, high-resolution (800 m), regional ocean reanalysis was examined to quantify variability in the velocity structure of the GS and DWBC during 2017–2018. The validity of this reanalysis was confirmed with independent observations of ocean velocity and density that demonstrate a high level of realism in the model’s representation of the regional circulation. The model’s daily velocity time series across a transect off Cape Hatteras was examined using rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis, and analysis suggests three leading modes that characterize the variability of the western boundary currents throughout the water column. The first mode, related to meandering of the GS current, accounts for 55.3% of the variance, followed by a “wind-forced mode”, which accounts for 12.5% of the variance. The third mode, influenced by the DWBC and upper-ocean eddies, accounts for 7.1% of the variance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:42:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b7ed5380e13446aa8750e6a561b40b80 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:42:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-b7ed5380e13446aa8750e6a561b40b802023-11-05T12:17:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-45889-4Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° NShun Mao0Ruoying He1Magdalena Andres2North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionAbstract The surface-intensified, poleward-flowing Gulf Stream (GS) encounters the equatorward-flowing Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) at 36° N off Cape Hatteras. In this study, daily output from a data-assimilative, high-resolution (800 m), regional ocean reanalysis was examined to quantify variability in the velocity structure of the GS and DWBC during 2017–2018. The validity of this reanalysis was confirmed with independent observations of ocean velocity and density that demonstrate a high level of realism in the model’s representation of the regional circulation. The model’s daily velocity time series across a transect off Cape Hatteras was examined using rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis, and analysis suggests three leading modes that characterize the variability of the western boundary currents throughout the water column. The first mode, related to meandering of the GS current, accounts for 55.3% of the variance, followed by a “wind-forced mode”, which accounts for 12.5% of the variance. The third mode, influenced by the DWBC and upper-ocean eddies, accounts for 7.1% of the variance.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45889-4 |
| spellingShingle | Shun Mao Ruoying He Magdalena Andres Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N Scientific Reports |
| title | Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N |
| title_full | Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N |
| title_fullStr | Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N |
| title_short | Modes of North Atlantic Western boundary current variability at 36° N |
| title_sort | modes of north atlantic western boundary current variability at 36° n |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45889-4 |
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