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Estimation of the barrier layer thickness in the Indian Ocean using Aquarius Salinity.

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Estimation of the barrier layer thickness in the Indian Ocean using Aquarius Salinity.
 
Creator Felton, C.S.
Subrahmanyam, B.
Murty, V.S.N
Shriver, J.F.
 
Subject barrier layer
surface salinity
surface temperature
 
Description Monthly barrier layer thickness (BLT) estimates are derived from satellite measurements using a multilinear regression model (MRM) within the Indian Ocean. Sea surface salinity (SSS) from the recently launched Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Aquarius SAC-D salinity missions are utilized to estimate the BLT. The MRM relates BLT to sea surface salinity (SSS), sea surface temperature (SST), and sea surface height anomalies (SSHA). Three regions where the BLT variability is most rigorous are selected to evaluate the performance of the MRM for 2012; the Southeast Arabian Sea (SEAS), Bay of Bengal (BoB), and Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO). The MRM derived BLT estimates are compared to gridded Argo and Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) BLTs. It is shown that different mechanisms are important for sustaining the BLT variability in each of the selected regions. Sensitivity tests show that SSS is the primary driver of the BLT within the MRM. Results suggest that salinity measurements obtained from Aquarius and SMOS can be useful for tracking and predicting the BLT in the Indian Ocean. Largest MRM errors occur along coastlines and near islands where land contamination skews the satellite SSS retrievals. The BLT evolution during 2012, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the current model are discussed. BLT estimations using HYCOM simulations display large errors that are related to model layer structure and the selected BLT methodology.
 
Date 2014-10-09T12:41:13Z
2014-10-09T12:41:13Z
2014
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Journal of Geophysical Research (C: Oceans), vol.119(7); 2014; 4200-4213.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/4625
 
Language en
 
Rights An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright [2012] AGU. To view the published open abstract, go to http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2013JC009759
 
Publisher American Geophysical Union