Abstract
In a recent paper, Webb (2000) presented evidence for shallow zonal jets in the South Equatorial Current in the Southwest Pacific. This was based on numerical model results from the high-resolution Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modelling (OCCAM) model driven by ECMWF wind stress. Model resolution was sufficient to indicate that the current was broken up into a series of zonal jets by the extensive shallow topography associated with islands and reefs. These jets were prominent near the northern and southern extremities of the major island groups—Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. The model defined the broad-scale structure of the jets and their effect on the temperature and salinity fields. Webb (2000) states that ‘‘Such features are relatively unknown and unstudied, so these results should provide a strong incentive for further detailed experimental and theoretical research in the region.’’ This statement reminded the present authors of oceanographic data collected south of Fiji in 1992, which appeared to show such a zonal jet, and these results are presented here.
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