The Impact of Thermocline Depth on EKE Variation in Mindanao Dome Region
TAN Yu
JIA Yinglai
CHEN Longying
WANG Nanyu
Abstract：Using satellite altimetry observations and the global assimilation data from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model(HYCOM),the variation characteristic of Eddy Kinetic Energy (EKE) and the mechanisms that influence the temporal variation of EKE in the Mindanao Dome(MD)region during 2004-2008 are investigated.The results show that the variation of EKE and the thermocline depth are closely related.The thermocline deepened in the MD region during 2004-2008,causing the decrease of meridional gradient of background flow,which in turn resulted in weakened EKE in the southern region of the MD.It is shown that both the meridional gradient of background zonal flow and the density dominate the variation of EKE in the southern region of the MD,while the meridional gradient of zonal flow has greater influence on EKE and the effect of meridional gradient of density mainly exists in the subsurface.The ENSO and the local wind stress curl have little influence on EKE in the MD region,for they do not change the meridional gradient of background flow obviously.
Keywords：Mindanao dome regionEddy kinetic energyThermoclineBarotropic instabilityBaroclinic instability
Publication Date：2017-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2026-05-22(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 23-32 )