Direct Measurements of Upper Ocean Horizontal Velocity and Vertical Shear in the Tropical North Atlantic at 4°Ν, 23°W
Perez, R. C., Foltz, G. R., Lumpkin, R., & Schmid, C. (2019). Direct measurements of upper ocean horizontal velocity and vertical shear in the tropical North Atlantic at 4 Ν, 23 W. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(6), 4133-4151.
Abstract: The Tropical Atlantic Current Observations Study measured upper ocean horizontal velocity from a mooring at 4°N, 23°W, at discrete depths between 7 and 87 m, in order to observe the temporal and vertical structure of the currents. Between March 2017 and March 2018, mean zonal velocity and vertical shear were strongest between 32 and 37 m. Near‐surface mean eastward currents during this period were weaker than the long‐term mean but within the range of previously observed values given the high interannual variability. Interannual variability of the zonal velocity exceeded that of the meridional velocity, was primarily geostrophically driven, and was strongly influenced by the large‐scale currents. Energetic tropical instability waves (TIWs) were observed in early summer and late fall of 2017…
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