| Based on 9 years (1993-2001) of Sea Level Anomaly measurements from TP/ERS altimeters, we characterize the mesoscale structures of the eastern South Pacific (10-35°S, 70-100°W). Integral zonal, meridional, and temporal scales of the mesoscale activity are described geographically in the study region. The length scales increase toward the north in agreement with the increase of the Rossby radius, whereas timescales show higher values in the south of the domain. Typical values of (Lx, Ly) are around 50 km at 35°S and 80-90 km at 10°S with elongation in the zonal direction revealing the anisotropic nature of the mesoscale structures. Timescales are in the range 15-45 days. We also estimate a space-varying eddy transfer coefficient K which parameterize the... |
