Comparison of retrospective analyses of the global ocean heat content

• Published in: Dynamics of atmospheres and oceans 1999-07, Vol.29 (2), p.119-145
• Main Authors: Chepurin, Gennady A, Carton, James A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Earth, ocean, space; El Niño; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Marine; Ocean; Physics of the oceans; Retrospective analyses; Thermohaline structure and circulation. Turbulence and diffusion
• ISSN: 0377-0265; 1872-6879
• DOI: 10.1016/S0377-0265(99)00004-4

In this study, we compare seven retrospective analyses of basin- to global-scale upper ocean temperature. The analyses span a minimum of 10 years during the 50-year period since World War II. Three of the analyses (WOA-94, WHITE, BMRC) are based on objective analysis and thus, do not rely on a numerical forecast model. The remaining four (NCEP, WAJSOWICZ, ROSATI, SODA) are based on data assimilation in which the numerical forecast is provided by some form of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Modular Ocean Model driven by historical winds. The comparison presented here is limited to heat content in the upper 250 m, information that is available for all analyses. The results are presented in three frequency bands: seasonal, interannual (periods of 1–5 years), and decadal (periods of 5–25 years). At seasonal frequencies, all of the analyses are quite similar. Otherwise, the differences among analyses are limited to the regions of the western boundary currents, and some regions in the Southern Hemisphere. At interannual frequencies, significant differences appear between the objective analyses and the data assimilation analyses. Along the equator in the Pacific, where variability is dominated by El Niño, the objective analyses have somewhat noisier fields, as well as reduced variance prior to 1980 due to lack of observations. Still, the correlation among analyses generally exceeds 80% in this region. Along the equator in the Atlantic, the correlation is lower (30–60%) although inspection of the time series shows that the same biennial progression of warm and cool events appears in all analyses since 1980. In the midlatitude Pacific agreement among objective analyses and data assimilation analyses is good. The analysis of Rosati et al. [Rosati, A., Gudgel, R., Miyakoda, K., 1995. Decadal analysis produced from an ocean assimilation system. Mon. Weather Rev., 123, 2, 206.] differs somewhat from the others apparently because in this analysis, the forecast model is weighted more heavily relative to the observations. The analysis of Levitus et al. [Levitus, S., Boyer, T.P., Antonov, J., 1994. Interannual variability of upper ocean thermal structure. World Ocean Atlas, 1994, Vol. 5. Natl. Env. Satell. Data and Int. Serv., Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Admin. Atlas series, Washington, DC, 176 pp.] has a much different spatial distribution of variability in the interannual band than the others. Partly, this results from the yearly time-averaging of this analysis. T