Mean sea-level variability along the northeast American Atlantic coast and the roles of the wind and the overturning circulation

Woodworth, Philip L, Maqueda, Miguel A Morales, Roussenov, Vassil M ORCID: 0000-0003-4128-9712, Williams, Richard G ORCID: 0000-0002-3180-7558 and Hughes, Chris W ORCID: 0000-0002-9355-0233 (2014) Mean sea-level variability along the northeast American Atlantic coast and the roles of the wind and the overturning circulation. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS, 119 (12). pp. 8916-8935.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014jc010520

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The variability in mean sea level (MSL) during 1950–2009 along the northeast American Atlantic coast north of Cape Hatteras has been studied, using data from tide gauges and satellite altimetry and information from the Liverpool/Hadley Centre (LHC) ocean model, thereby providing new insights into the spatial and temporal scales of the variability. Although a relationship between sea level and the overturning circulation can be identified (an increase of approximately 1.5 cm in MSL for a decrease of 1 Sv in overturning transport), it is the effect of the nearshore wind forcing on the shelf that is found to dominate the interannual sea‐level variability. In particular, winds are found to be capable of producing low‐frequency changes in MSL (“accelerations”) in a narrow coastal band, comparable to those observed by the tide gauges. Evidence is presented supporting the idea of a “'common mode” of spatially coherent low‐frequency MSL variability, both to the north and south of Cape Hatteras and throughout the northwest Atlantic, which is associated with large spatial‐scale density changes from year to year.</jats:p>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sea-level variability, wind forcing, shelf circulation, meridional overturning circulation
Subjects:	?? GC ?? ?? QC ??
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	22 Jul 2015 10:36
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2023 00:50
DOI:	10.1002/2014JC010520
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2017090