Influence of Loop Current and eddy shedding on subseasonal sea level variability along the western Gulf Coast

Abstract

Mechanisms that generate subseasonal (1-2 months) events of sea level rise along the western Gulf Coast are investigated using the data collected by a dense tide gauge network: Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON) and National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), satellite altimetry, and high-resolution (0.08°) ocean reanalysis product. In particular, the role of Loop Current and eddy shedding in generating the extreme sea level rise along the coast is emphasized. The time series of sea level anomalies along the western portion of the Gulf Coast derived from the TCOON and NWLON tide gauge data indicate that a subseasonal sea level rise which exceeds 15 cm is observed once in every 2-5 years. Based on the analysis of satellite altimetry data and high-resolution ocean reanalysis product, it is found that most of such extreme subseasonal events are originated from the anti-cyclonic (warm-core) eddy separated from the Loop Current which propagates westward. A prominent sea level rise is generated when the eddy reaches the western Gulf Coast, which occurs about 6-8 months after the formation of strong anti-cyclonic eddy in the central Gulf of Mexico. The results demonstrate that the accurate prediction of subseasonal sea level rise events along the Gulf Coast with the lead time of several months require a full description of large-scale ocean dynamical processes in the entire Gulf of Mexico including the characteristics of eddies separated from the Loop Current.