Dynamics of a Quasi-Stationary Jet along the Subarctic Front in the North Pacific Ocean (the Western Isoguchi Jet): An Ideal Two-Layer Model

The dynamics of a quasi-stationary jet along the Subarctic Front in the North Pacific Ocean (the Western Isoguchi Jet) were investigated using an idealized two-layer model. The experiments suggested that a seafloor topography, which is 500m high, produces a jet along its eastern flank. The formation mechanism of the jet can be explained via baroclinic Rossby wave characteristics. Baroclinic Rossby waves propagate along characteristic curves, which are significantly distorted by anticyclonic barotropic flow on the seafloor topography. A baroclinic surface jet is formed where a characteristic curve originating in the subtropical gyre and one originating in the subpolar gyre meet because the pycnocline depth varies discontinuously at this location. The barotropic flow on the seafloor topography is induced by eddies.