Subtropical Countercurrent
The subtropical countercurrent (STCC) is a narrow eastward
North Pacific Ocean (20–30°N) where the Sverdrup theory predicts a broad westward flow. It originates in the western North Pacific around 20°N, and flows eastward against the northeast trade winds and stretches northeastward to the north of Hawaii
.
It is accompanied by a subsurface temperature and density front called the
gyre
.
On the weather timescale, positive wind curls are related to low-pressure systems of a subsynoptic scale in space, energized by surface baroclinicity and latent heat release along the STF front. The SST front also anchors a meridional maximum in column-integrated water vapor, indicating a deep structure of the atmosphere response.
References
- Xu, Lixiao; . Retrieved April 19, 2017.