Studies of ocean-atmosphere-solid earth interactions using satellite remote sensing data

Ocean, atmosphere and solid Earth are interacting in wide spectra of spatial and temporal scales. This study uses remote sensing data to study the interaction between ocean, atmosphere and solid Earth. Atmospheric Convergence Zones (ACZs), which are areas of significant ocean-atmosphere interactions, are studied using the wind measurements by satellite scatterometers for the period from August 1992 to August 1999. Sea surface temperature redistribution by the warm phase of the Southern Oscillation El Niño (ENSO) results in ACZs migration. This migration of the ACZs during El Niño dramatically influences the rainfall distribution in the equatorial region. A new method of extracting the data principal component has been introduced and applied to the scatterometer derived wind divergence at the sea level. The method is based on the Neural Networks (NNs), which simulate the human brain function such as memory and recognition. Neural Network Principal Components Analysis (NNPCA) isolates orthogonal modes that have been physically interpreted as the annual, semi-annual and interannual variations. A torque approach has been used to study the coupling between the atmosphere and the solid Earth. The inertial torque of the atmosphere that is due to the variation in Earth's rotation is relatively small compared to other torques and has negligible affect on the torque budget. Earth's inertial torque and the atmospheric angular momentum time rate show similar characteristics in both temporal and spectral domains. However, the total atmospheric torque calculated from the outputs of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-1) general circulation atmospheric model is characterized by a strong annual cycle.