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Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach
Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-132).
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| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Oceanography
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613162903175168 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Rouault, Marjolaine |
| author2 | Shillington, Frank |
| author_browse | Rouault, Marjolaine Shillington, Frank |
| author_facet | Shillington, Frank Rouault, Marjolaine |
| author_sort | Rouault, Marjolaine |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-132). |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8500 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:45.395Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | Department of Oceanography |
| publisherStr | Department of Oceanography |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8500 Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach Rouault, Marjolaine Shillington, Frank Oceanography Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-132). Satellite remote sensing datasets including more than 6 years of high frequency Sea Surface Temperature (SST) imagery as well as surface current observations derived from 18 years of merged-altimetry and over 2 years of Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) observations are combined to study the variability of the Agulhas Current. The newly available rangedirected surface currents velocities from ASAR, which rely on the careful analysis of the measured Doppler shift, show strong promise for monitoring the meso to sub-mesoscale features of the surface circulation. While the accuracy of ASAR surface current velocities suffers from occasional bias due to our current inability to systematically account for the wind-induced contribution to the Doppler shift signal, the ASAR surface current velocities are able to consistently highlight regions of strong current and shear. The synaptic nature and relatively high resolution of ASAR acquisitions make the ASAR derived current velocities a good complement to altimetry for the study of sub-mesoscale processes and western boundary current dynamics. Time-averaged range-directed surface currents derived from ASAR provide an improved map of the mean Agulhas Current flow, clearly showing the location of the Agulhas Current core over the 1000 m isobath and identifying the region at the shelf edge of the north-eastern Agulhas Bank as one of the most variable within the Agulhas Current. To determine the variability of the Agulhas Current, an algorithm to track the position of the current is developed and applied to the longer merged-altimetry and SST records. Limitations associated with altimetry near the coast favour the use of the SST dataset to track the position of the Agulhas Current in its northern region. In the southern Agulhas, where the current lies further from the coast, altimetry is suited to monitoring the position of the Agulhas Current. The front detection analysis conducted on the SST dataset in the northern Agulhas reveals the complex nature of Natal Pulses. The downstream passage of the Natal Pulses is associated with the generation of secondary offshore meanders at the inshore edge of the current. Perturbations formed during the passage of Natal Pulses evolve rapidly to either dissipate, re-merge with the initial Natal Pulse or in some rare occasion, detach from the Agulhas Current. 2014-10-17T07:35:20Z 2014-10-17T07:35:20Z 2011 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8500 eng application/pdf Department of Oceanography Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Oceanography Rouault, Marjolaine Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| title_full | Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| title_fullStr | Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| title_short | Agulhas current variability determined from space : a multi-sensor approach |
| title_sort | agulhas current variability determined from space a multi sensor approach |
| topic | Oceanography |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8500 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rouaultmarjolaine agulhascurrentvariabilitydeterminedfromspaceamultisensorapproach |