SUMMARY
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Tomographic measurements and T/P altimetry compare better
in the Kuroshio Extension front region than
in the Kuroshio Extension recirculation region.
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The discrepency between the two measurement systems
in the recirculation gyre exists because the
acoustic tomography is able to
measure signals associated with the seasonal thermocline
(sea surface layer) and permanent thermocline (subsurface layer)
changes, while the altimeter mainly picks up the signal associated
with variations occurring above the seasonal thermocline.
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Temperature variations in
the surface and subsurface layer have been successfully separated and
quantified by a proposed approach from the acoustic data.
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Tomographic measurements show that the contribution of horizontal eddy
advection to the heat budget is dominant in the recirculation region,
rather the one-dimensional local forcing.
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Barotropic current determined from acoustic travel time
compares well with the geostrophic current derived from T/P SSHA
indicating that the zonal flow is largely barotropic.
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A more northerly the Kuroshio
Extension tends to correspond to a stronger surface
geostrophic current and barotropic current in the recirculation
region.
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Acoustic tomography complements altimetry.
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