SELF-SIMILARITY OF PRINCIPAL THERMOCLINE IN THE TRADE WIND DRIFT ZONE

Abstract

The present paper discusses the vertical structure of the principal thermocline in another important dynamic zone, a zonally-oriented large-scale jet stream. The zone of the Trade Wind Drift is a typical example of such a dynamic zone. From a system of equations based on the nonlinear theory of the principal thermocline, simplified to allow for the characteristics of the Trade Wind Drift zone. An analytical equation relating temperature to depth and four physical properties, is derived. It is then demonstrated that a linear transformation of the variables T and z can be used to convert equations in dimensionless self-similar variables T*, ζ in which the dependence on the above properties vanishes. The vertical temperature profiles from different Trade Wind zones of the ocean can be represented by a single curve. The equation for this curve and the formulas for conversion of the variables are a quantitative expression of the similarity of these profiles and enable a reconstruction of individual profiles in the principal thermocline of the Trade Wind Drift zone from the vertical temperature gradient at the upper boundary and the temperatures of the upper and lower boundaries of the principal thermocline.