Response of equatorial oceans to periodic forcing

Oscillating wind with a period P induce variability with the following characteristics in the upper few hundred meters of the equatorial zone (5°N to 5°S) of the ocean. (1) P 150 days: The amplitude of variability is almost independent of frequency. An equilibrium response which is in phase with the forcing and which corresponds to a succession of steady states is approached asymtotically. These time scales are for a basin 5000 km wide. If the width of the basin exceeds 5000 km, then the 150 daytime scale increases. In the deep ocean below the thermocline, motion corresponds to propagating waves generated by the divergence of the nonlinear currents in the upper ocean.