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Origins of biweekly sea surface temperature variability in the eastern equatorial Pacific and Atlantic
  • Gaopeng Xu,
  • Ping Chang,
  • Qiuying Zhang
Gaopeng Xu
Texas A&M University

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Ping Chang
TAMU
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Qiuying Zhang
Texas A&M University
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Abstract

Biweekly sea surface temperature (SST) variability significantly contributes to over 50% of the intraseasonal variability in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) and Atlantic (EEA). Our study investigates this biweekly variability, employing a blend of in-situ and reanalysis datasets. The research identifies biweekly signals in SST, meridional wind, and ocean currents, notably in September-November in EEP and June-August in EEA. Biweekly southerly (northerly) drives simultaneous northward (southward) ocean currents in EEP, but with a 1-2-day phase delay in EEA. Consequently, these currents lead to SST anomalies with a 3-4-day lag in both EEP and EEA due to the presence of the cold tongue. The study reveals the origin of biweekly wind fluctuations in the western Pacific for EEP and the subpolar Pacific for EEA, connected by Rossby waves validated through a linearized non-divergent barotropic model. This research affirms the influence of subtropical and subpolar atmospheric forcing on equatorial SST.
18 Nov 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
22 Nov 2023Published in ESS Open Archive