Assimilation of Topex/Poseidon altimeter data into a circulation model of the North Atlantic

Assimilation experiments were conducted using the first twelve months of Topex/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter measurements in a multi-layered quasigeostrophic model of the North Atlantic between 20°N and 60°N. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using T/P data to control a basin-scale circulation model by means of an assimilation procedure. Moreover, they allow the authors to recreate the 4-dimensional behaviour of the North Atlantic Ocean during the year October 1992-September 1993, and to improve their knowledge and understanding of such circulation patterns