Auad, G., A. J. Miller, J. O. Roads, D. R. Cayan, 2001:

Pacific Ocean wind stresses and surface heat fluxes from the NCEP Reanalysis and observations:
Cross-statistics and ocean model responses.


Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans,106, 22,249-22,265.

Abstract. Wind stresses and surface heat fluxes of the Pacific Ocean from the COADS and NCEP data sets are compared in their statistics and in the response that they induce in SST and heat storage when used to force an ocean model. In general, the stresses and heat fluxes are better correlated outside the tropics, especially in the northern hemisphere, which shows higher correlations than the southern one. The amplitudes of the variations are similar in midlatitudes but in the tropics NCEP wind stresses are smaller than COADS. A frequency domain analysis (periods from 3 months to 10 years) shows that the geographical areas where COADS and NCEP wind stresses and heat fluxes agree do not depend on frequency. Correlations between model and observations of SST and heat storages are significant in the tropics and in some extratropical areas, mainly on the eastern side of the basin. The spatial and temporal sampling rate of the COADS observations are a controlling factor affecting these correlations.

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