Miller, A. J., 1996:
Recent advances in California Current modeling:
Decadal and interannual thermocline variations
California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports,
37, 69-79.
Abstract.
Some recent advances in large-scale modeling
of the California Current and its interaction with basin-scale
circulation and forcing are summarized.
The discussion concentrates
on a decadal-scale change and
interannual-scale variations
identified in the thermocline off the California Coast.
The western-intensified decadal-scale change is part of
a basin-wide change in the North Pacific thermocline
from the early 1970s to the early 1980s
which has been observed and modeled.
The decadal change is driven by a basin-scale change in wind-stress
curl (Ekman pumping) and
is associated with a deepening of the
thermocline off California but no significant change in the
strength of the California Current.
Interannual variations of the thermocline off the California
Coast which tend to be associated with ENSO
have also been observed and modeled.
High resolution models often exhibit a coastal-trapped
Kelvin-like wave arriving from the equatorial zone
but even a coarse resolution model
can capture aspects of the
midlatitude wind-forced thermocline signals
that propagate westward on ENSO time scales.
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