Wind Forcing of Eddies and Jets in the California Current System

A high-resolution, multi-level, primitive equation ocean model is used to examine the response to wind forcing of an idealized flatbottomed oceanic regime along an eastern ocean boundary. A band of steady winds, either with or without a curl, is used as forcing on both an f-plane and a beta-plane. In addition, a stability analysis is made to determine if the necessary and sufficient conditions for instability processes to occur are satisfied. It is seen that when the wind driven coastal jet and undercurrent are unstable which occurs in the cases of wind with no curl, eddies and jets are generated. In the case of wind with curl, since the Davidson Current develops rather than the coastal jet and undercurrent, no eddies develop. A comparison of model results with available observations shows that both the time-averaged and instantaneous model simulations of the coastal jet, undercurrent and eddies are consistent with available observational data. Study results support the hypothesis that wind forcing can be an important eddy generation mechanism for the California Current System.