Seasonal and interannual variations are found to be as large as, or even larger than, the long-term mean. The Ekman and geostrophic transport oppose each other, and their small difference in magnitude gives rise to the net meridional heat transport, resulting in transport away from the equator for the southern hemisphere and north of 6°N, while for the band between 6°N and the equator an equatorward transport is present. The combined Ekman and geostrophic heat transport can account for the net meridional heat transport, except near the equator, where continuity requirements dictate. This points to the dominant role played by the adiabatic process, the only heat transport mechanism present in this study, in the heat balance for the equatorial Pacific.
The long-term mean heat transport estimated in this study is similar to the estimates based on heat balance and radiation considerations and on complex numerical models that account for thermodynamics as well. Meridional heat transport in the tropical Pacific is estimated using a linear numerical model with realistic boundaries and forced by 18 years of observed wind, covering the period from January 1962 to December 1979.
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