Dipole-wind interactions under gap wind jet conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico: A surface drifter and satellite database analysis
Fig 5
Four-day average of the wind (black vectors), geostrophic current (gray vectors), and Ekman pumping velocity (Wtot) fields (red-blue scale) for 24 days covering the triggering and evolution of the third dipole. The variability ellipses were computed from the standard deviation of the wind velocity components. (A) Under stronger Tehuano wind conditions (~12 m s-1), the dipole is fully developed. (B-C) Tehuano winds are persistent, and the vortices are strengthened and propagated. (D) With minimum wind speeds, the anticyclonic eddy is located to the southwest of the GT while the cyclonic eddy covers most of the GT. (E) The wind re-intensifies, and closed cyclonic circulation breaks down. (F) After which, only the anticyclonic eddy persists. (G) Wind speed along of a section of the GT (~94–95°W, 15°N). Tehuano wind events (shading) and vertical dashed lines indicate periods corresponding to the panels (A-F). The drifter speed is shown in m s-1.