Investigation of Wind Influence on The South Equatorial Current Bifurcation Through Numerical Ocean Modeling

1 - Carvalho, G. V.;2 - Soares, F. L. M.;3 - Fragoso, M. R.;
4 - Garção, H. F.

1,2,3,4 - PROOCEANO Serviço Oceanográfico e Ambiental, Av. Rio Branco, 311, Sl. 1205. Rio de Janeiro - RJ

1 - gabriel@prooceano.com.br,2- felipe@prooceano.com.br,
3 - mauricio@prooceano.com.br, 4 - henery@prooceano.com.br


The South Equatorial Current (SEC) bifurcates into the Brazil Current (BC) flowing south and the North Brazil Undercurrent (NBUC), which flows northward. This bifurcation occurs generally between 10ºS and 20ºS. Its seasonal variation greatly influences the circulation on the eastern Brazilian margin. This region covers large areas of oil exploration and production activities with high environmental impact. A good representation of the SEC bifurcation and its seasonal variability are very important to oil spill modeling, managing, and decision making in emergency situations. To investigate the wind influence on the SEC bifurcation, two simulations were carried out. One considering wind forcing, and other without winds. In these applications, ROMS was forced by NCEP-DOE Reanalysis II and boundary conditions were obtained by the ECCO (Estimating the Circulation & Climate of the Ocean) assimilative (Kalman Filter) 1993 to present simulation.