03.08.11: Vertical velocity field in HYCOM

In the following, we compare the Rossby number R (ratio of vertical component of relative vorticity and Coriolis parameter) to the vertical component of velocity w: at the surface for R and 30 m for w (Figs. 1 and 2) and both along 23°N (Figs. 3 and 4), all for one day, Jan. 15, 2010. The w field is complicated but its large-scale structure is correlated with that of R. As for R, the submesoscale component of w is confined to the upper 100 m.

Figure 1: R at the surface on Jan. 15, 2010.

Figure 2: w at 30 m depth on Jan. 15, 2010.

Figure 3: R along 23°N on Jan. 15, 2010.

Figure 4: w along 23°N on Jan. 15, 2010.

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