Intraseasonal Variability in the tropical Atlantic

Tropical Insrtability Waves are produced along the interface between the eastward North Equatorial Coountercurrent and the complex strongly sheared equatorial currents. The TIW are associated with strong upwelling and thus are visible in ocean color as well as sea level and SST. In some cases imagery reveals that the waves are able to form closed circulations that transport southern hemisphere water north and westward into the western boundary current system. Here we provide an overview of recent observational and modelling studies of these phenomena and their role in interhemispheric transport.