Dynamic Mechanism of Interannual Sea Surface Height Variability in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

In this study, the dynamic mechanisms of interannual sea surface height (SSH) variability are investigated based on the first-mode baroclinic Rossby wave model, with a focus on the effects of different levels of wind stress curl (WSC). Maximum covariance analysis (MCA) of WSC and SSH anomalies displays a mode with significant WSC anomalies located primarily in the mid-latitude eastern North Pacific and central tropical Pacific with corresponding SSH anomalies located to the west. This leading mode can be attributed to Ekman pumping induced by local wind stress and the westward-propagating Rossby wave driven by large-scale wind stress. It is further found that in the middle latitudes, the SSH anomalies are largely determined by WSC variations associated with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), rather than the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The sensitivity of the predictive skill of the linear first-mode baroclinic model to different wind products is also examined.