TOPEX/Poseidon observations of Kelvin, Rossby and tropical instability waves in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Observations of a Kelvin wave event, a coincident excitation of a Rossby wave and tropical instability waves are reported for the equatorial Pacific using data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, illustrating ocean features visible with this system. The instability wave spectra are studied with two-dimensional (spatial and temporal) Fourier transforms, from which phase speeds and wavelengths are obtained. Simple graphical analysis of the Kelvin and Rossby waves is performed to give their spatial widths and phase speeds.