Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent Research Articles

Improving Equatorial Upper Ocean Vertical Mixing in the NOAA/GFDL OM4 Model

AbstractDeficiencies in upper ocean vertical mixing parameterizations contribute to tropical upper ocean biases in global coupled general circulation models, affecting their simulated ocean heat uptake and ENSO variability. To better understand these deficiencies, we develop a suite of ocean model experiments including both idealized single column models and realistic global simulations. The vertical mixing parameterizations are first evaluated using large eddy simulations as a baseline to assess uncertainties and evaluate their implied turbulent mixing. Global models are then developed following NOAA/GFDL's 0.25° nominal horizontal grid spacing OM4 (uncoupled) configuration of the MOM6 ocean model, with various modifications that target biases in the original model. We test several enhancements to the existing mixing schemes and evaluate them against observational constraints from Tropical Atmosphere Ocean moorings and Argo floats. In particular, we find that we can improve the diurnal variability of mixing in OM4 via modifications to its surface boundary layer mixing scheme, and can improve the net mixing in the upper thermocline by reducing the background vertical viscosity, allowing for more realistic, less diffuse currents. The improved OM4 model better represents the mixing, leading to improved diurnal deep‐cycle variability, a more realistic time‐mean tropical thermocline structure, and a better Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent.

Comparison of ADCP and ECCOv4r4 Currents in the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent

Abstract The Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) flows eastward across the Pacific at the equator in the thermocline. Its variability is related to El Niño. Moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements recorded at four widely separated sites along the equator in the EUC were compared to currents generated by version 4 release 4 of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCOv4r4) global model–data synthesis product. We are interested to learn how well ECCOv4r4 currents could complement sparse in situ current measurements. ADCP measurements were not assimilated in ECCOv4r4. Comparisons occurred at 5-m depth intervals at 165°E, 170°W, 140°W, and 110°W over time intervals of 10–14 years from 1995 to 2010. Hourly values of ECCOv4r4 and ADCP EUC core speeds were strongly correlated, similar for the EUC transport per unit width (TPUW). Correlations were substantially weaker at 110°W. Although we expected means and standard deviations of ECCOv4r4 currents to be smaller than ADCP values because of ECCOv4r4’s grid representation error, the large differences were unforeseen. The appearance of ECCOv4r4 diurnal-period current oscillations was surprising. As the EUC moved eastward from 170° to 140°W, the ECCOv4r4 TPUW exhibited a much smaller increase compared to the ADCP TPUW. A consequence of smaller ECCOv4r4 EUC core speeds was significantly fewer instances of gradient Richardson number (Ri) less than 1/4 above and below the depth of the core speed compared to Ri computed with ADCP observations. We present linear regression analyses to use monthly-mean ECCOv4r4 EUC core speeds and TPUWs as proxies for ADCP measurements. Significance Statement Hundreds of scientific papers have used ECCO data products generated with a continually evolving state-of-the-art ocean-model–data synthesis system. We ask, How representative is the latest version of ECCO equatorial ocean currents? We use independent in situ current measurements as the reference dataset to establish the accuracy of ECCO currents in the tropical Pacific. Attention is focused on the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) because it contributes to the formation of El Niño and La Niña events. ECCO EUC core speeds were smaller in magnitude and less variable in time compared to observations. As a consequence, ECCO currents generated smaller vertical mixing in the EUC compared to that inferred from current measurements. We developed a linear regression model to improve representation of monthly-mean ECCO currents.

Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent: Mean state, sources, and future changes across models

The Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) stretches across the Pacific, transporting cool waters rich in oxygen and nutrients eastward to one of the most productive regions in the ocean. As an intricate part of the global climate system, EUC dynamics are essential to understanding future climate change but are poorly represented in global coupled climate models. This study examines EUC representation and future changes in the latest generations of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6 and CMIP5) and an eddy-permitting ocean model. We also examine historical and projected changes in EUC source waters, including the Mindanao Current (MC), New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent (NGCU), and interior thermocline convergence. The circulation features in the models are broadly consistent with observations and ocean reanalyses, but improvements from CMIP5 to CMIP6 are limited. In the future projections, the EUC is enhanced in the western Pacific, with less prominent changes in CMIP6, but more so in the eddy-permitting model. The western Pacific EUC enhancement is likely associated with a wind-driven redirection of waters south of the equator, in which the NGCU boundary flow increases while the interior thermocline convergence decreases. This is superimposed on an overall weakening of the North Pacific subtropical overturning cell, including the MC, interior thermocline convergence, and Ekman divergence. As EUC heat and nutrient composition is linked to its sources, these projected changes have implications for the EUC's role in air–sea feedbacks, nutrient replenishment, and oxygen minimum zone ventilation in the eastern Pacific.

Potential Vorticity and Instability in the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent West of the Galápagos Archipelago

Abstract The Galápagos Archipelago lies on the equator in the path of the eastward flowing Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). When the EUC reaches the archipelago, it upwells and bifurcates into a north and south branch around the archipelago at a latitude determined by topography. Since the Coriolis parameter (f) equals zero at the equator, strong velocity gradients associated with the EUC can result in Ertel potential vorticity (Q) having sign opposite that of planetary vorticity near the equator. Observations collected by underwater gliders deployed just west of the Galápagos Archipelago during 2013–16 are used to estimate Q and to diagnose associated instabilities that may impact the Galápagos Cold Pool. Estimates of Q are qualitatively conserved along streamlines, consistent with the 2.5-layer, inertial model of the EUC by Pedlosky. The Q with sign opposite of f is advected south of the Galápagos Archipelago when the EUC core is located south of the bifurcation latitude. The horizontal gradient of Q suggests that the region between 2°S and 2°N above 100 m is barotropically unstable, while limited regions are baroclinically unstable. Conditions conducive to symmetric instability are observed between the EUC core and the equator and within the southern branch of the undercurrent. Using 2-month and 3-yr averages, e-folding time scales are 2–11 days, suggesting that symmetric instability can persist on those time scales. Significance Statement The Pacific Ocean contains fast-moving currents near the equator and below the surface that result in instabilities and mixing. The Galápagos Archipelago lies directly in the path of the eastward-flowing Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent. There are few observations of what happens to the current when it reaches the Galápagos Archipelago, so theories and models of the instabilities and mixing resulting from these strong currents have not been well verified. The Repeat Observations by Gliders in the Equatorial Region (ROGER) project deployed autonomous underwater gliders to observe the current system in this region. The results show that a range of instabilities may be responsible for the cold sea surface temperature of the Galápagos Cold Pool and the generation of tropical instability waves.

Wind-Driven Mechanisms for the Variations of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent Based on Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis

The maintenance and variation of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) are thought to be controlled by the zonal pressure gradient force (ZPGF). However, a recent study found that a large-scale circulation associated with Rossby waves can also lead to EUC variation, implying that the structures and timing of the influential winds and the underlying wind-driven mechanisms need to be revisited. Here, we use the adjoint-sensitivity method to obtain the crucial winds that can most efficiently influence EUC variations. The obtained adjoint sensitivities (denoting the sensitive winds) are confined to 15°S–15°N and exhibit a funnel-shaped pattern with high symmetry about the equator. The remote winds, which occur 4 to 11 months prior, can lead to EUC variations at the basin scale; in contrast, the near-term winds (occurring not earlier than 4 months) lead only to local EUC variations. Accordingly, we find that wind-initiated equatorial Kelvin waves, equatorial Rossby waves, and the reflected waves at both the western and eastern boundaries superimpose onto each other to result in EUC variations. Specifically, when the travel time is longer than 4 months, the waves can form a negative-positive-negative sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) pattern between 15°S and 15°N in the central-eastern tropical Pacific, indicating the joint effect of both types of waves; they also form a positive SSHA in the western equatorial Pacific, indicating the dominance of the Kelvin wave therein. These mechanisms are complementary to the canonical ZPGF mechanism, which provide a clear theoretical basis for EUC variation studies.

The Improvements of the Upper Zonal Currents by SST Assimilation Over the Tropical Pacific in a Coupled Climate Model

The upper zonal oceanic circulations in the tropical Pacific play a crucial role in modulating weather and climate in the tropical Pacific Ocean. However, they are poorly simulated in state-of-the-art climate models. We apply a simple bias correction scheme by only assimilating observed sea surface temperature (SST) data into a coupled earth system model, named the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model version 2 (CAS-ESM 2.0), to better reproduce the upper zonal currents in tropical oceans. There are mainly two reasons for this usage of SST assimilating method: 1) SST has dominant effects on the air–sea interactions over the tropical region; 2) The lack of effective and long-term ocean-current observation data currently. Our results show that the SST assimilation can significantly improve the strength of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) and the South Equatorial Current (SEC) through reducing biases in the air–sea turbulence flux. Nevertheless, the SST assimilation has limited effects on improving the simulation of the spatial structure of these zonal currents in the tropical Pacific. The improvement of the wind stress curl over the tropical Pacific region mainly contributes to the improved simulated strength of the Pacific EUC, the NECC and the SEC. It also connects to the reduced biases in atmospheric convective precipitation and sea-level pressure induced by the reduction of the SST bias.

The Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent in Three Generations of Global Climate Models and Glider Observations

AbstractThe Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) is a vital component of the coupled ocean‐atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific. The details of its termination near the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific have an outsized importance to regional circulation and ecosystems. Subject to diverse physical processes, the EUC is also a rigorous benchmark for global climate models (GCMs). Simulations of the EUC in three generations of GCMs are evaluated relative to recent underwater glider observations along 93°W. Simulations of the EUC have improved, but a slow bias of ~36% remains in the eastern Pacific, along with a dependence on resolution. Additionally, the westward surface current is too slow, and stratification is too strong (weak) by ~50% above (within) the EUC. These biases have implications for mixing in the equatorial cold tongue. Downstream lies the Galápagos, now resolved to varying degrees by GCMs. Properly representing the Galápagos is necessary to avoid new biases as the EUC improves.

The Equatorial Undercurrent and Its Origin in the Region Between Mindanao and New Guinea

AbstractHerein, the spatial characteristics of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) in the region between Mindanao and New Guinea and the origins of the EUC and the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) were investigated using a combination of high‐resolution Argo hydrographic data and numerical modeling. The Mindanao Current (MC) results in the formation of a strong EUC‐depth eastward current that splits into two branches near the Halmahera Eddy west of 132°E, with one branch directly flowing eastward without experiencing the Halmahera Eddy rotation effect, and the other branch flowing southwestward and then turning northeastward. The EUC and NECC were difficult to distinguish between 132°E and 136°E, since the former combined with the latter to form a continuous equator‐tilted current. At ~137°E, the EUC axis started turning toward the equator, and an isolated EUC core was observed at 143°E and ~200‐m depth. The Pacific EUC was shown to originate at ~130°E, where it featured an isolated current core with a maximum velocity of 5–10 cm/s at ~1°N and 200‐ to 400‐m depth. The EUC and NECC in the western tropical Pacific were found to have the same water sources, namely, the MC and the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent, with the shallow parts (centered at ~100‐m depth) of MC and New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent finally reaching the NECC and their deeper parts (centered at ~200‐m depth) finally reaching the EUC.

Origins and Pathways of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent Identified by a Simulated Adjoint Tracer

AbstractThe origins and pathways of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) are investigated using a simulated adjoint tracer of the consortium Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean. The main source waters of the EUC, as well as their transit time and contributions, are identified. The zonal variability of the EUC water composition and the contributions from different pathways are also estimated. Results show that the ratio of the EUC water coming from the tropics to that from extratropics is relatively stable (1 vs. 4) along the equator, except in the western Pacific where extratropical water is more dominant. The main body of extratropical water within the EUC is transported through the western boundary pathways, while the percent transported via the interior pathways gradually increases toward the east. Tropical water merges into the EUC mainly through the tropical cells with a larger portion through the northern side of the equator.

Some numerical investigations into a nonlinear three-dimensional model of the Pacific equatorial ocean flows

This study focusses on some numerical investigations into a recently developed nonlinear, three-dimensional Pacific equatorial undercurrent model. The development of the model has been motivated by observations and the model is able to capture some essential properties of the flow in Pacific equatorial region. The present investigation verifies some of the results related to single and multiple cellular flow structures obtained from the theoretical model by carrying out numerical investigations and further explores additional features that may be present. In addition to streamlines, to examine the flow behavior, velocity amplitude maps have also been obtained. The maps assess the relative strength of the flow in the individual cells. Numerical results indicate that the flow configuration evolves along the line of the Equator as evidenced from streamlines and velocity maps.

Relationship between a function of the northward pressure gradient and the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent

The Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) plays an important role in ocean circulation and global climate change. Near the equator, as the Coriolis parameter goes to 0, equatorial currents cannot be described by geostrophy in which the pressure gradient force term is balanced by the Coriolis force term. Many previous studies focus on the relationships between the EUC and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the thermocline, sea surface topography, the distribution of equatorial wind stress and other atmosphere-ocean factors. However, little attention has been paid to the northward pressure gradient (NGT), which may also be important to the EUC. The pressure can be regarded as a complex nonlinear function of terms including temperature, salinity and density. This study attempts to reveal the connection between a function of the northward pressure gradient (FNP) and the EUC. The connection is derived from primitive equations, by simplifying the equations with using scaling analysis, and shows that the beta effect may be the main reason why the FNP is important to the EUC. The vertical structure of the EUC can be partially described by the FNP. The NGT has an obvious influence on the EUC while the eastward pressure gradient has a relatively smaller effect.

Application of the ideas and techniques of classical fluid mechanics to some problems in physical oceanography.

This review makes a case for describing many of the flows observed in our oceans, simply based on the Euler equation, with (piecewise) constant density and with suitable boundary conditions. The analyses start from the Euler and mass conservation equations, expressed in a rotating, spherical coordinate system (but the f-plane and β-plane approximations are also mentioned); five examples are discussed. For three of them, a suitable non-dimensionalization is introduced, and a single small parameter is identified in each case. These three examples lead straightforwardly and directly to new results for: waves on the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) with a thermocline (in the f-plane); a nonlinear, three-dimensional model for EUC-type flows (in the β-plane); and a detailed model for large gyres. The other two examples are exact solutions of the complete system: a flow which corresponds to the underlying structure of the Pacific EUC; and a flow based on the necessary requirement to use a non-conservative body force, which produces the type of flow observed in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. (All these examples have been discussed in detail in the references cited.) This review concludes with a few comments on how these solutions can be extended and expanded.This article is part of the theme issue 'Nonlinear water waves'.

Seasonality of Deep Cycle Turbulence in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

AbstractThe seasonal cycles of the various oceanic and atmospheric factors influencing the deep cycle of turbulence in the eastern Pacific cold tongue are explored. Moored observations at 140°W have shown seasonal variability in the stratification, velocity shear, and turbulence above the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). In boreal spring, the thermocline and EUC shoal and turbulence decreases. Marginal instability (clustering of the local gradient Richardson number around the critical value of 1/4), evident throughout the rest of the year, has not been detected during spring. While the daily averaged turbulent energy dissipation in the EUC is weakest during the spring, it is not clear whether the diurnal fluctuations that define the deep cycle cease. Large-eddy simulations are performed using climatological initial and boundary conditions representative of January, April, July, and October. Deep cycle turbulence is evident in all cases; the mechanism remains the same, and the maximum turbulence levels are similar. In the April simulation, however, the deep cycle is confined to the uppermost ~30 m, explaining why it has not been detected in moored microstructure observations.

A nonlinear, three-dimensional model for ocean flows, motivated by some observations of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent and thermocline

Using the salient properties of the flow observed in the equatorial Pacific as a guide, an asymptotic procedure is applied to the Euler equation written in a suitable rotating frame. Starting from the single overarching assumption of slow variations in the azimuthal direction in a two-layer, steady flow that is symmetric about the equator, a tractable, fully nonlinear, and three-dimensional system of model equations is derived, with the Coriolis terms consistent with the β-plane approximation retained. It is shown that this asymptotic system of equations can be solved exactly. The ability of this dynamical model to capture simultaneously fundamental oceanic phenomena, which are closely inter-related (such as upwelling/downwelling, zonal depth-dependent currents with flow reversal, and poleward divergence along the equator), is a novel and compelling feature that has hitherto been elusive. While details are presented for the equatorial flow in the Pacific, the analysis demonstrates that other flow configurations can be accommodated within the framework of this approach, depending on the choice of the underlying velocity profile and of the various parameters; the method is therefore applicable to a range of ocean flows with a similar three-dimensional structure.

Iron sources and pathways into the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent

AbstractUsing a novel observationally constrained Lagrangian iron model forced by outputs from an eddy‐resolving biogeochemical ocean model, we examine the sensitivity of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) iron distribution to EUC source region iron concentrations. We find that elevated iron concentrations derived from New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent (NGCU) alone is insufficient to explain the high concentrations observed in the EUC. In addition, due to the spread in transit times, interannual NGCU iron pulses are scavenged, diluted, or eroded, before reaching the eastern equatorial Pacific. With an additional iron source from the nearby New Ireland Coastal Undercurrent, EUC iron concentrations become consistent with observations. Furthermore, as both the New Guinea and New Ireland Coastal Undercurrents strengthen during El Niño, increased iron input into the EUC can enhance the iron supply into the eastern equatorial Pacific. Notably, during the 1997/1998 El Niño, this causes a simulated 30% iron increase at a 13 month lag.

Impact of different solar penetration depths on climate simulations

Three different estimates of shortwave attenuation depth (SWAD) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) derived from remotely sensed ocean colour data have been tested in an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) forced with interannual atmospheric forcings. Two estimates (referred to as and ) are calculated from different algorithms based on the diffusive attenuation coefficient at 490 nm and the third one () is just an average of and . is larger than almost everywhere in the tropical oceans. Our results show that the OGCM with produces warmer sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Pacific and Atlantic and leads to reduce a cold bias in the equatorial cold tongue regions. It has warmer subsurface temperatures in the low latitude, a slower meridional velocity and Pacific equatorial undercurrent (EUC) than the model with . These results are similar to previous studies, although we use a different model and different methods. This study has further analysis and firstly reveals that slower EUC and meridional velocity in the model with are mainly related to the changes of the acceleration due to zonal density gradient. This acceleration driving the EUC eastward in the subsurface becomes smaller in the subsurface along the equatorial Pacific. However, near the sea surface, the zonally averaged accelerations over the different ocean basins are larger in the model with than that with , which pushes back the poleward meridional transport. The interannual variability in the model with is generally weaker than that in the experiment with due to a deeper mixed layer depth. The vertical temperature errors averaged horizontally within the domain of 30°S to 30°N in the experiment with are almost in the middle of errors of the other two experiments. This indicates that the effect of the SWAD on the simulation of the vertical temperature profile is largely linear.

Interannual Modality of Upper-Ocean Temperature: 4D Structure Revealed by Argo Data

Abstract Using the newly available decade-long Argo data for the period 2004–13, a detailed study is carried out on deriving four-dimensional (4D) modality of sea temperature in the upper ocean with emphasis on its interannual variability in terms of amplitude, phase, and periodicity. Three principal modes with central periodicities at 19.2, 33.8, and 50.3 months have been identified, and their relationship with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is investigated, yielding a number of useful results and conclusions: 1) A striking tick-shaped pipe-like feature of interannual variability maxima, which is named the “Niño pipe” in this paper, has been revealed within the 10°S–10°N upper Pacific Ocean. 2) The pipe core extends downward from ~50 m at 130°E to ~250 m near the date line before tilting upward to the sea surface at about 275°E, coinciding nicely with the pathway of the Pacific equatorial undercurrent (EUC). 3) The double-peak zonal modality pattern of the Niño pipe in the upper Pacific is echoed in the subsurface Atlantic and Indian Oceans through Walker circulation, while its single-peak meridional modality pattern is mirrored in the subsurface North and South Pacific through Hadley circulation. 4) A coherent three-peak modal structure implies a strong coupling between sea level variability at the surface and sea temperature variability around the thermocline. Accumulating evidence suggests that Rossby/Kelvin wave dynamics in tandem with EUC-based thermocline dynamics are the main mechanisms of the three-mode Niño pipe in ENSO cycles.

Variability in the origins and pathways of Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent water

AbstractThe Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) transports water originating from a number of distinct source regions, eastward across the Pacific Ocean. It is responsible for supplying nutrients to the productive eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean. Of particular importance is the transport of iron by the EUC; the limiting nutrient in that region. Although the mean circulation and sources of EUC water are reasonably well understood, it is unclear how the contribution of water from these sources to the EUC vary on seasonal to interannual timescales. Here a Lagrangian analysis is applied to the eddy‐resolving OFAM3 ocean simulation in order to identity variability in the makeup of the EUC over an 18 year period (1993–2010). While ENSO has an influence on the variability of source transport contributions to the EUC, the signal of increased (decreased) transport of water from the LLWBCs during El Niño (La Niña) periods does not translate to substantial changes in the makeup of the EUC between 165°E and 140°W. It is hypothesized that this is due to the large spread in travel times of water parcels as they travel from the source regions into the EUC. The consequent erosion of transport anomalies generated at the different western boundary source regions associated with ENSO may help explain why previous studies found little relationship between variability in iron fluxes off Papua New Guinea shelves and the chlorophyll response in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Strengthening of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent in the SODA Reanalysis: Mechanisms, Ocean Dynamics, and Implications

AbstractSeveral recent studies utilizing global climate models predict that the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) will strengthen over the twenty-first century. Here, historical changes in the tropical Pacific are investigated using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis toward understanding the dynamics and mechanisms that may dictate such a change. Although SODA does not assimilate velocity observations, the seasonal-to-interannual variability of the EUC estimated by SODA corresponds well with moored observations over a ~20-yr common period. Long-term trends in SODA indicate that the EUC core velocity has increased by 16% century−1 and as much as 47% century−1 at fixed locations since the mid-1800s. Diagnosis of the zonal momentum budget in the equatorial Pacific reveals two distinct seasonal mechanisms that explain the EUC strengthening. The first is characterized by strengthening of the western Pacific trade winds and hence oceanic zonal pressure gradient during boreal spring. The second entails weakening of eastern Pacific trade winds during boreal summer, which weakens the surface current and reduces EUC deceleration through vertical friction. EUC strengthening has important ecological implications as upwelling affects the thermal and biogeochemical environment. Furthermore, given the potential large-scale influence of EUC strength and depth on the heat budget in the eastern Pacific, the seasonal strengthening of the EUC may help reconcile paradoxical observations of Walker circulation slowdown and zonal SST gradient strengthening. Such a process would represent a new dynamical “thermostat” on CO2-forced warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, emphasizing the importance of ocean dynamics and seasonality in understanding climate change projections.

Stokes Drift in Internal Equatorial Kelvin Waves: Continuous Stratification versus Two-Layer Models

Abstract The Stokes drift in long internal equatorial Kelvin waves is investigated theoretically for an inviscid fluid of constant depth. While the Stokes drift in irrotational waves is positive everywhere in the fluid, that is, directed along the phase velocity, this is not always the case for internal Kelvin waves, which possess vorticity. For constant Brunt–Väisälä frequency, the Stokes drift in such waves is sinusoidal in the vertical with a negative value in the middle of the layer for the first baroclinic mode. For a pycnocline that is typical of the equatorial Pacific, this study finds for the first mode that the largest negative Stokes drift velocity occurs near the depth where the Brunt–Väisälä frequency has its maximum. Here, estimated drift values are found to be on the same order of magnitude as those observed in the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent at the same level. In contrast, a two-layer model with constant density in each layer yields a positive Stokes drift in both layers. This contradicts the fact that, as shown in this paper, the vertically integrated Stokes drift (the Stokes flux) must be zero for arbitrary Brunt–Väisälä frequency.