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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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1995

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Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

Model

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

On The Interpentadal Variability Of The North Atlantic Ocean: Model Simulated Changes In Transport, Meridional Heat Flux And Coastal Sea Level Between 1955-1959 And 1970-1974, Tal Ezer, George L. Mellor, Richard J. Greatbatch Jun 1995

On The Interpentadal Variability Of The North Atlantic Ocean: Model Simulated Changes In Transport, Meridional Heat Flux And Coastal Sea Level Between 1955-1959 And 1970-1974, Tal Ezer, George L. Mellor, Richard J. Greatbatch

CCPO Publications

Previous studies by Greatbatch et al. (1991) indicate significant changes in the North Atlantic thermohaline structure and circulation between the pentads 1955–1959 and 1970–1974, using data analyzed by Levitus (1989a,b,c) and a simple diagnostic model by Mellor et al. (1982). In this paper these changes are modeled using a three-dimensional, free surface, coastal ocean model. Diagnostic and short-term prognostic calculations are used to infer the dynamically adjusted fields corresponding to the observed hydrographic and wind stress climatology of each pentad. While the results agree with earlier studies indicating that the Gulf Stream was considerably weaker (by about 30 Sv) during …


The Evolution Of Density-Driven Circulation Over Sloping Bottom Topography, G. H. Wheless, J. M. Klinck May 1995

The Evolution Of Density-Driven Circulation Over Sloping Bottom Topography, G. H. Wheless, J. M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

The short timescale temporal evolution of buoyancy-driven coastal flow over sloping bottom topography is examined using a two-dimensional, vertically averaged numerical model. Winter shelf circulation driven by a coastal ''point source'' buoyancy flux is modeled by initiating a coastal outflow with density anomaly epsilon into well-mixed shelf water. The nonlinear interaction between the time-varying velocity and density field is represented by an advection-diffusion equation. Three cases are discussed: that of a buoyant (epsilon < 0) outflow, a neutral (epsilon = 0) outflow, and a dense (epsilon > 0) outflow. Results are similar to observations from well-mixed shelf areas and show that density-topography interactions are capable of substantially influencing coastal circulation. A negative (buoyant) coastal …