%0 Journal Article
%T Structure of ocean circulation between the Gal¨¢pagos Islands and Ecuador
%A C. Collins
%A A. Mascarenhas
%A R. Martinez
%J Advances in Geosciences (ADGEO)
%D 2013
%I Copernicus Publications
%X From 27 March to 5 April 2009, upper ocean velocities between the Gal¨¢pagos Islands and Ecuador were measured using a vessel mounted ADCP. A region of possible strong cross-hemisphere exchange was observed immediately to the east of the Gal¨¢pagos, where a shallow (200 m) 300 km wide northeastward surface flow transported 7¨C11 Sv. Underlying this strong northeastward surface current, a southward flowing undercurrent was observed which was at least 600 m thick, 100 km wide, and had an observed transport of 7¨C8 Sv. Next to the Ecuador coast, the shallow (< 200 m) Ecuador Coastal Current was observed to extend offshore 100 km with strongest flow, 0.33 m s 1, near the surface. Immediately to the west of the Ecuador Coastal Current, flow was directed eastward and southward into the beginnings of the Peru-Chile Countercurrent. The integral of the surface currents between the Gal¨¢pagos and Ecuador agreed well with observed sea level differences. Although the correlation of the sea level differences with large scale climate indices (Ni o3 and the Southern Oscillation Index) was significant, more than half of the sea level variability was not explained. Seasonal variability of the sea level difference indicated that sea level was 2 cm higher at the Gal¨¢pagos during late winter and early spring, which could be associated with the pattern of northward surface flows observed by R/V Knorr.
%U http://www.adv-geosci.net/33/3/2013/adgeo-33-3-2013.html