The Large-Scale Environment of the Poleward-Flowing Leeuwin Current, Western Australia: Longshore Steric Height Gradients, Wind Stresses and Geostrophic Flow
Steric heights have been estimated using T–S relationships for all available XBTs within 10–40°S, 105–130°E to 1980, and merged with steric heights from hydrology data. These data were subdivided into bins following the Western Australian coast, and a two-harmonic best fit to the seasonal cycle obtained in each bin. Seasonal departures from the annual mean of surface steric height are combined with similar departures of pressure-corrected coastal tide gage data to obtain maps of seasonal departure in geostrophic flow, both on and off the continental shelf. These are added to annual mean patterns to give total seasonal flows, for comparisons with earlier work. Wind stress vectors, wind stress curls and longshore wind stress components are also obtained, using data from a marine climate altas. The results give an improved picture of the broad-scale environment surrounding the Leeuwin Current (a narrow, rapid poleward current along the Western Australian continental shelf edge) and of the wind stres... Abstract Steric heights have been estimated using T–S relationships for all available XBTs within 10–40°S, 105–130°E to 1980, and merged with steric heights from hydrology data. These data were subdivided into bins following the Western Australian coast, and a two-harmonic best fit to the seasonal cycle obtained in each bin. Seasonal departures from the annual mean of surface steric height are combined with similar departures of pressure-corrected coastal tide gage data to obtain maps of seasonal departure in geostrophic flow, both on and off the continental shelf. These are added to annual mean patterns to give total seasonal flows, for comparisons with earlier work. Wind stress vectors, wind stress curls and longshore wind stress components are also obtained, using data from a marine climate altas. The results give an improved picture of the broad-scale environment surrounding the Leeuwin Current (a narrow, rapid poleward current along the Western Australian continental shelf edge) and of the wind stres...