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Abstract
Results from the ECCO-SIO global ocean state estimate, available over the 11- year period 1992 through 2002, are compared with independent observations available at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. The comparison shows that, at this position, the estimated temporal variability has some skill in simulating observed ocean variability, but also that the quality of future syntheses could benefit from additional information available from the ARGO network and from the time series observations themselves. On a decadal timescale, the influence radius of the Station ALOHA T - S timeseries covers large parts of the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean and reaches even into the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian Throughflow.
Estimated changes in sea surface height (SSH) result largely from thermosteric changes; however, non-steric (barotropic) variations on the order of 1-2 cm also contribute to SSH changes at station ALOHA. Moreover, changes of similar magnitude can be caused by changes in the salinity field due to a quasi-biennial oscillation in the horizontal flow structure and heaving of the mean salinity structure on seasonal and interannual time scales.
The adjoint modeling framework confirms westward propagating Rossby waves (due to wind forcing) and subduction of water mass anomalies (due to surface buoyancy forcing) as the primary mechanisms leading to observed changes of T -S structures at Station ALOHA. Specifically, the analysis identifies surface freshwater fluxes along the wintertime outcrop of intermediate waters as a primary cause for salinity changes at Station ALOHA and wind stress forcing east of the station position as another forcing mechanism of salinity variations around the Hawaiian Archipelago.
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