Abstract
We investigated the barotropic response of the North Pacific using various types of wind data
sets viz: model analysis data (EGMWF data), ocean observation data (COADS), and satellite
wind data (Geosat and SSM/I). The yearly-averaged circulation patterns show similar features for
each experiment. However, the quantitative results depend considerably on the temporal resolu
tion, the averaging method, and the type of data. Assuming high-resolution data to be true, a
sampling method is recommended to average original observation data. The difference in the
results are more remarkable for the instantaneous field than the averaging field. Stream function
fields obtained from the present model show quite similar patterns to the ocean surface-current
streamlines derived from ship-drift data. This suggests an important contribution of barotropic
currents to the ocean surface circulation.
