Posted by Tammy Townsend on December 05, 2001 at 07:32:00:
In Reply to: questions about townsend poster posted by markus jochum on November 29, 2001 at 08:28:04:
A direct path all the way from 4N into the
Caribbean Sea does not appear consistently
in the surface layer during those months when
the NBC is not retroflecting. When it is present
it does not necessarily hug the western boundary.
Instead it usually meanders significantly. Also,
as shown in the poster, the model produces eddies
along this path rather than a direct current when
the NBC is not retroflecting. These eddies probably
have some different characteristics than those
that are pinched off by the retroflection. I plan
to compare them. Also plan to look more closely at
the details of the more "direct" pathway in the
model.
Since the model without data assimilation realistically
simulates NBC rings, the main difference due to
the assimilation of data is that the individual
mesoscale fronts and eddies occur in the model
at the observed location and time. The realism
of the model without data assimilation makes it
possible for the model with data assimilation to
depict the evolution of these individual mesoscale
features.
Yes sometimes there are cyclones together with the
NBC rings.