The Oceanic Variability Spectrum and Transport Trends

Abstract

Oceanic meridional transports evaluated over the width of the Pacific Ocean from altimetric observations become incoherent surprisingly rapidly with meridional separation. Even with 15 years of data, surface slopes show no significant coherence beyond 5◦ of latitude separation at any frequency. An analysis of the frequency/zonal-wavenumber spectral density shows a broad continuum of motions at all time and space scales, with a significant excess of energy along a “non-dispersive” line extending between the simple barotropic and first baroclinic mode Rossby waves. It is speculated that much of that excess energy lies with coupled barotropic and first mode Rossby waves. The statistical significance of apparent oceanic transport trends depends upon the existence of a reliable frequency/wavenumber spectrum and for which only a few observational elements now exist.