Winds

Other relevant pages:

Main E Pacific page

Rossby model

Sverdrup Balance

Unless noted, these figures show FSU winds.

Mean winds and curl: FSU: NE Pacific    To 25°N    Curl SW of Central America
ERS blended scat winds: NE Pacific   SWCA
Quikscat winds (whole Pacific): Curl  Curl(Tau/f)
Mean Tau-x along 110°W: TAO, FSU and COADS
RMS of ERS winds in bands: Tau-x Tau-y
RMS of the annual cycle of Curl(tau)
RMS of ERS curl in components (Annual cycle): Curl(tau) Curl(tau/f) Components of Curl(Tau/f) Variance fractions 8.5°N,89.5°W
Curl partitioned into Annual, Interannual and Higher-frequency parts: FSU NCEP
Compare FSU curl from 4° and 2° derivatives: Mean February and August
Curl terms from 4x1x30 Quikscat:
    Wind components  Overlay vectors
    Curl terms: Plain  1/f
    Curl terms: Curl and Tau-x terms  3-way split  3-way split+total
    Curl and winds (squeezed)
Quarterly annual cycles:
     FSU Winds: Vector winds    Taux    Tauy    Curl    Curl (overlaid vectors)
     Anomalies: Vector winds    Taux    Tauy    Curl    Curl (overlaid vectors)
     As above but for larger region:Annual cycle of vector winds    Vector wind anomalies
     Extended to 180°: Vectors    Vector anomalies    Curl (overlaid vectors)    Anomalies
     ERS blended scat winds (1991-97): Vectors  Taux  Tauy  Curl
     ERS anomalies:   Vectors  Taux  Tauy  Curl anomalies
     ERS details near CR dome: Curl  Anomalies  Curl(Tau/f)  Anomalies
Bimonthly annual cycles: Vector winds Vector wind anomalies Taux anomalies Tauy anomalies
Annual cycle of winds and curl: 96°W 110°W 125°W 155°W 95°W - 155°W
Colored curl: 90°W 96°W 155°W 95°W - 155°W 95°W - 155°W (demeaned)
Meridional profiles at several longitudes: Tau-x Curl Z20
Variance ellipses: ((1) have ellipse at vector head; (2) at vector base):
(1) FSU Monthly: Pacific  NE Pacific  SWCA  Annual cycle: Pacific  NE Pacific  SWCA  Interannual: Pacific  NE Pacific  SWCA  All three: NE Pacific  SWCA
(2) FSU Monthly: Pacific  NE Pacific  Annual cycle: Pacific  NE Pacific  Interannual: Pacific  NE Pacific  All three: NE Pacific  SWCA
Total FSU variance measured by ellipses: one way  another way
FSU Steadiness: Pacific  NE Pacific
NSCAT daily: Pacific  NE Pacific  SWCA
NSCAT Steadiness: Pacific  NE Pacific  (Overlay mean vectors)  SCWA  (Overlay mean vectors)
ECMWF 12-hourly winds: 1985-99: Pacific  SWCA  NSCAT period (Nov 96-Jun 97): Pacific  SWCA
ECMWF 12-hourly stresses: 1985-99: Pacific  SWCA  SWCA (Overlay Z20)  NSCAT period: SWCA
ERS blended weekly scat winds (8/91-2/98) Pacific  SWCA  Gulf of Panama  GoP annual cycle
Windspeed (the Costa Rica dome):
  ECMWF 12-hr winds:
     Mean wind: SWCA (overlay Z20)  Warmpool
     Mean windspeed: Pacific  SWCA  SCWA (overlay Z20)  Warmpool1  Warmpool2
     Steadiness: Pacific  SWCA  SWCA (overlay Z20)
     PDFs of windspeed: 10°N: 92.5°W  90°W  87.5°W   7.5°N: 92.5°W  90°W  87.5°W
        Trades and warmpool: 15°N,150°W  0°,150°E
        Combined plots: 7.5°N,90°W - 0°,150°E  7.5°N,90°W - 0°,150°E - 15°N,150°W
  ERS weekly blended scat winds: Pacific  SWCA  Overlay Z20
  Quikscat windspeed and curl: Map  Along 8.5°N
ERS stress in the Gulf of Panama and along the coast:
   Region  x=sbx:3  Along coast (based on x=sbx:3)  Extend to 11°S  Overlay Z20
   Phase of Curl along coast: Phase of Curl(Tau/f)  Overlay Curl(Tau)  Extend to 12°S  SWCA region
   Coastal gridpoints of Z20 and ERS Tau: Overlay  Separated   (File: z20-n-erstau-harm2.cdf)  Various file blanking
FSU winds along the coast (from coastal-bc-fsu2.f): Coastal points  Mean alongshore winds
   Compare trapezoidal rule vs simple sum integration along coast (FSU): Time series  Mean
Linear trend in FSU winds: Trend Reconstructed change over 1961-99
Annual harmonics of winds:
Vector displays:
     1 and 2 cpy zonal wind stress variations SW of C.A.
     1 cpy variations of FSU winds over the Pacific    2 cpy
     Curl 1 and 2 cpy: SWCA   NE Pacific

     1st harmonic of curl (overlay phase and amplitude)
     Annual 1 and 2 cpy amplitude of wind stress curl (tropical Pacific)
     Annual 1 and 2 cpy phase of wind stress curl (tropical Pacific)
     Annual 1 cpy amp and phase of wind stress curl (SW of C.A.)
     Annual 2 cpy amp and phase of wind stress curl (SW of C.A.)

     Curl(Tau/f) 1 cpy Mean/Amp/Phase/VarFrac: FSU  ERS
Comparison FSU curl to other wind products: FSU vs ECMWF FSU vs ERS FSU vs Large+Trenberth (ECMWF)
Compare the curls to mean DH: FSU ECMWF ERS
Curl(Tau/f). FSU vs ERS. Harmonic vectors Phase difference
Compare FSU and Hellerman/Rosenstein winds:
Vectors over Pacific: Vectors overlaid    Vector differences
Components over Pacific: FSU TauX   H&R TauX   FSU TauY   H&R TauY
Curls over Pacific: FSU Curl   H&R Curl
Central American region: Vector difference   With overlaid curl
Compare FSU to NSCAT:
Oct 96-Mar 97 average: Vector Tau: Full resolution  2° resolution  Overlay   Curl: Curl
Tau-x/y, Curl differences (Regridded both ways): Taux  Tauy  Curl
Monthly curls: Oct-Dec 96  Jan-Mar 97  Apr-Jun 97
Meridional profiles of curl at 115°-100°W
NSCAT work for Sverdrup calculation:
    Defining the coast  NSCAT blanks
    Sverdrup thermocline NSCAT and FSU for Oct 96-Mar 97
    FSU Sverdrup thermocline 1961-96 vs Oct 96-Mar 97: Contours as NSCAT comparison  Finer contours
    FSU curl 1961-96 vs Oct 96-Mar 97: Contours as NSCAT comparison  Finer contours
Compare FSU and Quikscat winds:
FSU 1961-99, FSU during Quikscat, Quikscat 1 cpy harmonics:
    Tau-x  Mean  Amplitude  Phase
    Curl  Mean  Amplitude  Phase  Larger region: Amplitude and Phase  Variance fraction
    Curl(Tau/f)  Mean  Amplitude  Phase  Amplitude and Phase
Check harmonic fits (1,2,3 cpy) to Quikscat:
    Curl(Tau/f)  95.875°W, 15.125°N  100°W, 5°N  112°W, 14.5°N  92°W, 8.5°N  88°W, 6.5°N  90.5°W, 11°N
    Curl(Tau) (1 cpy only)  95.875°W, 15.125°N  94.125°W, 15.125°N  100°W, 5°N  100°W, 10°N
    Compare the fitted (harmonic) and simple mean (Quikscat curl) Estimate July Curl  Estimate July Curl anomalies
    FSU winds during Quikscat: Mean Aug 99 - June 00
Global Curl(Tau/f):
ECMWF: Global Tau Global Curl Global Overlay Global Tropics Tropical Pacific
ERS (blended scat winds): Tropical Pacific
Simple curl balances and thermocline depth:
    Terms of Sverdrup integration (Curl(Tau) and Tau-x): Tropical Pacific  SWCA  SWCA (overlay vectors)
    Curl terms from ECMWF: Mean  Annual cycle  Annual cycle anonymous
    Curl(Tau/f) components: Mean: SWCA   Pacific    1 cpy harmonic: Stack    Overlay    Detail SWCA

    Compare transports: Ekman vs XBT Geostrophic    Sverdrup, Ekman, Geostrophic (all from winds)   Magnitudes
    Ekman pumping:Annual cycle correlation: d(Z20)/dt vs Curl    Statistics of the Ekman pumping balance terms
    Compare Curl to d(Z20)/dt harmonics (vectors): Curl(Tau) and d(Z20)/dt Curl(Tau/f) and d(Z20)/dt
    Same comparison from K90 XBTs: SWCA Whole N tropical Pacific
    d(Z20)/dt as a fn of (x,t) at different latitudes (pos = downwelling)    Compare Curl(Tau)/(f*rho)
    Compare Curl and Z20 as a fn of (y,t) at 100°-94°W

    Mean thermocline from winds and Sverdrup balance (Entirely within Ferret: jnl 95 -> 97)
     Compare damping times for Sverdrup balance (Obs Z20 vs from winds):    FSU winds.    H&R winds.
-> Link to Sverdrup calculation page
-> Link to Rossby wave model page

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