Sources and Sinks of Interannual Steric Sea Level Variability

Understanding the mechanisms of regional steric sea level variability is fundamental to understand recorded by satellite altimetry for years and insure that future projections made climate models are realistic. Here, we first develop a novel method based on variance budget allows detect sources sinks variability. Using “Estimating Circulation Climate Ocean” (ECCO V4) state estimate, then show interannual mainly sustained fluctuating winds via Ekman transport almost everywhere. The damping both net heat flux from atmosphere, largely dominates atmospheric freshwater fluxes, parametrized effect eddies. It also found diffusion weak in most regions that, although globally weak, fluctuations fluxes source close Equator Pacific Ocean.