Submesoscale variability of the current and wind fields in the coastal region of Sochi

Abstract

The results of direct high temporal resolution (10 min) measurements of the surface and bottom currents and wind stress in the coastal zone of Sochi in May 2009 are presented. An analysis of the mesoscale and submesoscale variability of the current velocity and wind stress is performed on the basis of these measurements, and their correlation is studied. The principal high-frequency and low-frequency components of the current velocity variability are identified. In the majority of the observation cases, the coastal currents reveal no significant correlation with the mean wind over the studied region. However, the correlations between the currents and the spatial variability of wind are explained well by the local topography.