KATE QIAN ZHANG*

ABSTRACT

A 3D tropical upper-ocean circulation model is employed to study the generation mechanism for subsurface reversing currents forced by strong westerly wind bursts in the western equatorial Pacific. The westerly wind bursts last from a few days to a few weeks and reverse the surface current from westward to eastward, setting up a zonal pressure gradient that generates a westward subsurface current. Although less affected by the local wind, the eastward Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) decelerates. The authors verified the hypothesis that the subsurface reversal is a local response to westerly wind bursts. However, the model response is very sensitive to the wind ...

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