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Abstract:
Large-scale westward propagating waves, so-called "Legeckis" or "Tropical Instabil-
ity Waves", are a prominent feature of sea surface temperature images of the equatorial
Pacific. Our analyses of satellite altimetry data and long-term moorings reveals that the
Legeckis waves can be interpreted as a superposition of two distinct wave modes, a first
equatorial Rossby wave and a Rossby-gravity wave. We present evidence that the energy
sources for both waves are the mean currents. Our results imply that Legeckis waves can
be explained within the framework of linear equatorial waves.
