Structure and variability of the mesoscale circulation in the Caribbean Sea as deduced from satellite altimetry
By:  Luis Pibernat
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Number of pages: 74
Description: Four years of Topex/Poseidon (TIP) and European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS) altimetry data in the  Caribbean Sea are used to describe the structure and variability of the mesoscale circulation in this area. These  results are compared with satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and drifter trajectories for the same period of time. Contour maps of sea surface height anomalies made for each 10-day period (TIP data) reveal the formation and evolution of anticyclonic and cyclonicmesoscale features in the central part of the Caribbean Sea during the entire period studied. These features move westward at average speeds between 10 and 15 cm/s, growing in amplitude up to 25 Cm. Also, a quasi-permanent gyre is detected in the Golfo de los Mosquitos (coast of Panarna and Colombia). The sense of rotation of this gyre is shown to be modulated seasonally. Enhanced relative clockwise and counterclockwise rotation are observed during the rainy season (June-October) and the dry/windy season (January-April), respectively. No strong mesoscale anomalies are      detected in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea where they are expected. A seasonal cycle is found in the sea level anomaly (SLA) derived from TIP and ERS-1 data due to steric effects. Upwelling is observed near the      coast of Venezuela during the dry season. A comparison of SLA with SST is made and good correlation is observed at some locations. Drifter trajectories contemporaneous with SLA data agree well with the sense of      rotation of strong features, but the drifter speeds are twice the absolute geostrophic currents calculated from SLA.
Notes: Thesis advisor(s): Pierre-Marie Poulain.

"June 1998."

Thesis (M.S. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-71).

"Approved for public release, distribution unlimited"--Cover.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

Venezuelan Navy author.

dk/dk cc:9116 9/28/98