1) Monthly Averaged Subtidal Fields
This is enlarged view of the GoM model results focused on GB. The 1995-2006 monthly-averaged fields of subtidal currents, temperature and salinity were constructed by averaging the model-predicted subtidal flow field over each month. This approach differs from the monthly climatologic flow field. In a traditional climatological field, the currents are predicted by forcing the model with the monthly averaged wind stresses under the tidal environment. The temporal/spatial variability of wind stress and heat fluxes as well as SST data assimilation were taken into account in the monthly-averaged fields shown here, so it resolves both seasonal and inter-annual variability of the subtidal circulation in the GoM/GB.
Significant differences were found between the monthly-averaged and monthly climatologic flow fields demonstrate that the climatologic flow fields predicted in previous studies do not present the realistic flow field condition of the GoM/GB region due to significant seasonal and interannual variability. These model results were written up into papers by C. Chen, G. Cowles, R. C. Beardsley, Q. Xu and Song Hu.
Click each box below to view the animation for monthly averaged fields of current plus temperature and salinity. T: temperature, U: subtidal currents and S: salinity |
