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Small Viscosity Behavior Of A Homogeneous, Quasi-Geostrophic, Ocean Circulation Mode, Robert B. Scott, David N. Straub Jan 1998

Small Viscosity Behavior Of A Homogeneous, Quasi-Geostrophic, Ocean Circulation Mode, Robert B. Scott, David N. Straub

Journal of Marine Research

Insensitivity to turbulent closure in the wind-driven nonlinear Stommel-Munk model is addressed theoretically and numerically. The QG energy equation is used to show that, with the assumption that the maximum velocities occur at inertial length scales or smaller, a Sverdrup interior is consistent with the small Rossby number assumption only when the frictional parameters exceed critical values. For frictional parameters smaller than these values, valid solutions must decrease the energy source. This is possible for non-Sverdrup solutions since the energy source is dependent on the solution. The steady-state behavior of the model was investigated via a pseudo-arclength continuation algorithm. Dependence …

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Larval Settlement In Turbulent Pipe Flows, James E. Eckman, David O. Duggins Jan 1998

Larval Settlement In Turbulent Pipe Flows, James E. Eckman, David O. Duggins

Journal of Marine Research

In two experiments, larval settlement was studied within a series of pipes, each containing steady, turbulent, flowing seawater. The study was designed to determine effects of flow (speed, turbulence intensity and wall shear stress) and surface orientation on rates of settlement of larvae of various taxa, and to relate variability in patterns of settlement among orientations and flows to the concomitant variability expected in rates of larval supply or delivery to the pipe walls. Patterns of settlement of all five taxa (the barnacle Balanus spp., the mussel Mytilus trossulus, the serpulid polychaete Pseudochitinopoma occidentalis, the cyclostome bryozoan Tubulipora sp., …

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A Streamtube Model Of Rotating Turbidity Currents, P. W. Emms Jan 1998

A Streamtube Model Of Rotating Turbidity Currents, P. W. Emms

Journal of Marine Research

A rotating turbidity current is modeled as a steady tube of sediment-laden water traversing along and down a uniform slope representing the continental shelf. The model includes parameterizations of erosion of sediment from the seabed into the plume, deposition onto the seafloor, bottom friction, and turbulent entrainment of the overlying ambient seawater. The purpose of the work is to study how these parameterizations affect the path the current takes on the slope and to determine criteria which affect the qualitative behavior of the model solutions. It is found that there are three possible final states to the model. The first …

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The Salt Finger Amplitude In Unbounded T-S Gradient Layers, Melvin E. Stern, Timour Radko Jan 1998

The Salt Finger Amplitude In Unbounded T-S Gradient Layers, Melvin E. Stern, Timour Radko

Journal of Marine Research

Finite amplitude numerical calculations are made for a completely unbounded salt finger domain whose overall vertical "property" gradients (Tz and Sz) are uniform and remain unaltered in time. For diffusivity ratio τ = κS/κT = O (1), Prandtl number ν/κT >> 1, and density ratio R = Tz/Sz > 1 this regime corresponds to a "double gradient" sugar (S)—salt (T) experiment. Two-dimensional pseudo-spectral calculations are made in the vicinity of the minimum critical condition for salt finger instability, viz., small ε ≡ (Rτ)-1 …

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Simulation Of Primary Production And Export Fluxes In The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, Marina Lévy, Laurent Mémery, Jean-Michel André Jan 1998

Simulation Of Primary Production And Export Fluxes In The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, Marina Lévy, Laurent Mémery, Jean-Michel André

Journal of Marine Research

A biogeochemical model, BIOMELL (BIOgeochemical Model of the Euphotic Layer of Lodyc), has been developed to simulate the temporal evolution of the main nitrogen stocks and fluxes at the DyFAMed station (Dynamique des Flux Atmospheriques en Mediterranée), located in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. This mainly oligotrophic region is characterized by a strong seasonal cycle, and a significant export of dissolved organic matter compared to the particulate export measured by sediment traps. Validation of the model is made using temperature, nitrate and chlorophyll profiles acquired at DyFAMed approximately every month in 1991. Extended datasets from specific years are also used to …

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On The Parameterization Of Eddy Transfer, Part Ii: Tests With A Channel Model, Peter D. Killworth Jan 1998

On The Parameterization Of Eddy Transfer, Part Ii: Tests With A Channel Model, Peter D. Killworth

Journal of Marine Research

In Part I of this paper (Killworth, 1997), a new eddy parameterization scheme was presented. Here, the scheme is tested by comparing its predictions with those of multi-year averages from an eddy-resolving channel model. Its accuracy is similar to that of a tuned version of previous schemes. However, a tuned version of the new parameterization can reproduce both the long-term average of the eddy-resolving solution as well as the initial slumping of a narrow front. Both tuned schemes reproduced the bolus transport well. The new parameterization reproduces the observed feature that the diffusivity is maximal at mid-depth and minimal at …

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Does The Sverdrup Critical Depth Model Explain Bloom Dynamics In Estuaries?, Lisa V. Lucas, James E. Cloern, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, Janet K. Thompson Jan 1998

Does The Sverdrup Critical Depth Model Explain Bloom Dynamics In Estuaries?, Lisa V. Lucas, James E. Cloern, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, Janet K. Thompson

Journal of Marine Research

In this paper we use numerical models of coupled biological-hydrodynamic processes to search for general principles of bloom regulation in estuarine waters. We address three questions: What are the dynamics of stratification in coastal systems as influenced by variable freshwater input and tidal stirring? How does phytoplankton growth respond to these dynamics? Can the classical Sverdrup Critical Depth Model (SCDM) be used to predict the timing of bloom events in shallow coastal domains such as estuaries? We present results of simulation experiments which assume that vertical transport and net phytoplankton growth rates are horizontally homogeneous. In the present approach the …

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The Prime Eddy, Adrian P. Martin, Ian P. Wade, Kelvin J. Richards, Karen J. Heywood Jan 1998

The Prime Eddy, Adrian P. Martin, Ian P. Wade, Kelvin J. Richards, Karen J. Heywood

Journal of Marine Research

An intrathermocline lens with strong anticyclonic circulation and cold surface temperature anomaly (–1°C) is reported in the Iceland Basin at 59.1N 20W. The lens is 1000 m thick, 120 km wide and centered on the 27.45 σ0 isopycnal at 700 m. Its influence, through distortion of density surfaces, is felt throughout the 2800 m water column. At the surface this leads to a shallower mixed layer within the eddy which will have an impact on the local planktonic ecology. At a depth of 700 m and a radius of 40 km the eddy circulation has an azimuthal velocity of …

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The Tidal And Subtidal Variations In The Transverse Salinity And Current Distributions Across A Coastal Plain Estuary, Kuo-Chuin Wong, Joy E. Moses-Hall Jan 1998

The Tidal And Subtidal Variations In The Transverse Salinity And Current Distributions Across A Coastal Plain Estuary, Kuo-Chuin Wong, Joy E. Moses-Hall

Journal of Marine Research

The transverse structure in the current and salinity distributions across the mouth of Delaware Bay are examined over the tidal and subtidal time scales. Results show that the across-estuary variation in bathymetry, in the form of a channel-shoal configuration, has a very significant impact on the characteristics of transverse variability. The mean current over the channel is characterized by a strong outflow of low salinity water in the upper layer and a strong inflow of high salinity water in the lower layer, consistent with the density-induced gravitational circulation. The mean flow pattern in the shallow waters over the shoals is …

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Detailed Observations Of The Phytoplankton Spring Bloom In The Stratifying Central North Sea, Hans Van Haren, David K. Mills, Lambertus P. M. J. Wetsteyn Jan 1998

Detailed Observations Of The Phytoplankton Spring Bloom In The Stratifying Central North Sea, Hans Van Haren, David K. Mills, Lambertus P. M. J. Wetsteyn

Journal of Marine Research

Analysis of detailed time series of bio-optical and temperature data from the North Sea supports the view that a minimum level of turbulence is a prerequisite for the onset and maintenance of the phytoplankton spring bloom in shelf seas, which distinguishes these seas from the open ocean. The start of the spring bloom, primarily diatoms, is controlled by the light regime, while its progress is predominantly dependent upon episodic turbulence input following short periods of stratification, which allow the resuspension of a fast sinking (50-200 m day-1) phytoplankton community from the bottom mixing layer. A relationship between turbulence …

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Influences Of Physical Oceanographic Processes On Chlorophyll Distributions In Coastal And Estuarine Waters Of The South Atlantic Bight, P. G. Verity, J. O. Blanton, J. Amft, C. Barans, D. Knott, B. Stender, E. Wenner Jan 1998

Influences Of Physical Oceanographic Processes On Chlorophyll Distributions In Coastal And Estuarine Waters Of The South Atlantic Bight, P. G. Verity, J. O. Blanton, J. Amft, C. Barans, D. Knott, B. Stender, E. Wenner

Journal of Marine Research

Coastal and estuarine waters of the South Atlantic Bight are highly productive, with primary production of 600-700 gC/m2/y. While controls and fate of this production are conceptually well understood, the importance of meteorology and physical circulation processes on phytoplankton has not received equivalent attention. Here, we describe the effects of wind stress and tidal currents on temporal and spatial distributions of phytoplankton biomass represented as chlorophyll a (chl a). Moored instruments were deployed and shipboard sampling was conducted in the North Edisto estuary (South Carolina) and adjacent inner shelf waters during four, two-week field studies in May …

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On The Barotropic Ocean With Bottom Friction, Victor Barcilon Jan 1998

On The Barotropic Ocean With Bottom Friction, Victor Barcilon

Journal of Marine Research

The mathematical problem governing the circulation of a barotropic ocean with bottom friction is re-examined by a procedure which allows us to systematically span the entire region of the parameter space R, ε << 1, where R and ε are the Rossby and 'friction' numbers. The procedure consists in first identifying three dynamically distinct sectors in parameter space. Next, single variable asymptotic expansions are carried out along the boundaries of these sectors. In addition to affording us the opportunity to study the regimes in both of the adjoining sectors, this procedure avoids the possibility of the series becoming disordered. The sector R …

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Generalized Inverse With Shipboard Current Measurements: Tidal And Nontidal Flows In Long Island Sound, Philip S. Bogden, James O'Donnell Jan 1998

Generalized Inverse With Shipboard Current Measurements: Tidal And Nontidal Flows In Long Island Sound, Philip S. Bogden, James O'Donnell

Journal of Marine Research

A simple linear shallow-water model forced by tidal boundary conditions can capture most of the tide height variability in Long Island Sound. In this sense, the tides are easy to model. The modeled tidal currents can be subtracted from measurements in order to obtain estimates of subtidal circulation. But linear shallow-water dynamics is not accurate enough for this purpose. Allowing for dynamical errors with a generalized inverse model leads to improved estimates of tidal and nontidal flow. The analysis provides expected errors for the prior (before inversion) and posterior (after inversion) tidal velocity field. Estimates of the flow field in …

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Seasonal Patterns Of Carbonate Diagenesis In Nearshore Terrigenous Muds: Relation To Spring Phytoplankton Bloom And Temperature, Mark A. Green, Robert C. Aller Jan 1998

Seasonal Patterns Of Carbonate Diagenesis In Nearshore Terrigenous Muds: Relation To Spring Phytoplankton Bloom And Temperature, Mark A. Green, Robert C. Aller

Journal of Marine Research

Pore water saturation state with respect to calcite and aragonite minerals in Long Island Sound sediments fluctuates from saturated and near saturated conditions during late fall, to undersaturated during winter, before slowly changing to supersaturated conditions during late spring. Undersaturation occurs during cold, winter periods when lower rates of ΣCO2 production (low rates of heterotrophic metabolism) and oxidation of reduced minerals such as FeS lower calcium carbonate saturation states. Direct evidence that dissolution of both calcites and aragonite are occurring during this season comes from the simultaneous increases in excess pore water carbonate dissolution products Ca2+, F …

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Intermediate Water Circulation And Ventilation Of The Indian Ocean Derived From Water-Mass Contributions, Yuzhu You Jan 1998

Intermediate Water Circulation And Ventilation Of The Indian Ocean Derived From Water-Mass Contributions, Yuzhu You

Journal of Marine Research

The intermediate water circulation and ventilation of the Indian Ocean is somewhat unique among the world oceans (in terms of the source waters). This has been studied with historical and recently obtained hydrographic data including potential temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and silicate in a mixing model of applying optimum multiparameter analysis (OMP). The mixing model comprises three source water masses, Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) (applied the transformed AAIW north of the Antarctic frontal zone and central South Indian Ocean), Indonesian Intermediate Water (IIW) and Red Sea Intermediate Water (RSIW) (including the influence of Persian Gulf Intermediate Water). A possible …

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Comparative Diagenesis At Three Sites On The Canadian Continental Margin, Bernard P. Boudreau, Alfonso Mucci, Bjorn Sundby, George W. Lunther, Norman Silverberg Jan 1998

Comparative Diagenesis At Three Sites On The Canadian Continental Margin, Bernard P. Boudreau, Alfonso Mucci, Bjorn Sundby, George W. Lunther, Norman Silverberg

Journal of Marine Research

Diagenesis of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and manganese at three sites on the Canadian continental margin is quantitatively compared and contrasted using results from a computer code (CANDI) published by Boudreau (1996a). The data at Station 3 (Cabot Strait) are well explained by the steady state output from CANDI, assuming a porewater balance created by diffusion and reaction only, whereas the data from Stations 4 (Emerald Basin-Scotia Shelf) and 5 (Scotia Slope) are not consistent, in one way or another, with this simple model. The deviations between model and data at Station 4 are best explained by nonsteady-state diagenesis. Model fits …

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Linear Theory Of The Effect Of A Sloping Boundary On Circulation In A Homogeneous Laboratory Model, Ross W. Griffiths, George Veronis Jan 1998

Linear Theory Of The Effect Of A Sloping Boundary On Circulation In A Homogeneous Laboratory Model, Ross W. Griffiths, George Veronis

Journal of Marine Research

Griffiths and Veronis (1997) reported observations of the effect of a sloping boundary on the circulation in a sliced-cylinder model of wind-driven circulation in which the flow is driven by the relative rotation of the top lid. A summary of observations for the nearly linear case is given here along with the linear analysis based on the theory of a rotating homogeneous fluid. Good agreement between the two is obtained, and the (straightforward) physics of the system is described.

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Topography And Barotropic Transport Control By Bottom Friction, William K. Dewar Jan 1998

Topography And Barotropic Transport Control By Bottom Friction, William K. Dewar

Journal of Marine Research

The problem of the stratified general circulation in the presence of topography is revisited. The novel effect examined here is that of localized, but large-scale, topographic anomalies on the wind-driven circulation, a problem whose relevance is found in the occurrence of many such features in the open ocean. Using the classical methods of homogenization theory, it is argued that the barotropic transport near topography can come under the direct control of bottom friction. This result differs substantively from either the well-known Sverdrup constraint (which applies to a flatbottomed ocean, or to one with a resting deep layer) or its recent …

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Transports Of The Brazil And Malvinas Currents At Their Confluence, K. Maamaatuaiahutapu, V. Garçon, C. Provost, H. Mercier Jan 1998

Transports Of The Brazil And Malvinas Currents At Their Confluence, K. Maamaatuaiahutapu, V. Garçon, C. Provost, H. Mercier

Journal of Marine Research

Geostrophic transports of the western boundary currents at the Brazil/Malvinas Confluence in the South Atlantic Ocean are estimated from the data set of the Confluence 3 cruise (February 1990) with a nonlinear inverse model which takes into consideration density, current meter and wind data, and dynamical (planetary vorticity, Ekman, mass conservation) constraints. Inversions are carried out with two initial different levels of no motion at 1500 m (Case A) and at 3000 m (Case B). Consistencies of the water volume transports provided by both inversions are analyzed and compared to previous estimates. Current meter constraints are applied in the Malvinas …

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Assessing Organic Matter Mineralization, Degradability And Mixing Rate In An Ocean Margin Sediment (Northeast Atlantic) By Diagenetic Modeling, Karline Soetaert, Peter M. J. Herman, Jack J. Middelburg, Carlo Heip Jan 1998

Assessing Organic Matter Mineralization, Degradability And Mixing Rate In An Ocean Margin Sediment (Northeast Atlantic) By Diagenetic Modeling, Karline Soetaert, Peter M. J. Herman, Jack J. Middelburg, Carlo Heip

Journal of Marine Research

We test whether organic matter degradability, mixing activity, and total sediment mineralization can be estimated by inversion of a coupled nonlinear numerical steady-state diagenetic model. We use a single data set comprising oxygen, nitrate, ammonium and organic carbon versus depth profiles from a slope station in the Goban Spur area (1034 m, Northeast Atlantic). Based on an extensive sensitivity analysis, it appears that (1) when using all data, the total mineralization rates can be determined with reasonable precision; bioturbation and degradability are less well constrained and (2) total mineralization rates can be determined based on nitrate and oxygen profiles only; …

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Comments On ‘‘The Non-Wavelike Response Of A Continental Shelf To Wind’’ By G. T. Csanady, K. H. Brink, J. S. Allen Jan 1998

Comments On ‘‘The Non-Wavelike Response Of A Continental Shelf To Wind’’ By G. T. Csanady, K. H. Brink, J. S. Allen

Journal of Marine Research

Csanady (1998) presents solutions for time-dependent wind-driven flow in a barotropic coastal ocean. We disagree with two of his three boundary condition options and wish to clarify the origin of the non-wavelike aspect of the flow.

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The Effect Of A Cyclonic Eddy On The Distribution Of Lithogenic Particles In The Southern East China Sea, Shih-Chieh Hsu, Fei-Jan Lin, Woei-Lih Jeng, Tswen Yung Tang Jan 1998

The Effect Of A Cyclonic Eddy On The Distribution Of Lithogenic Particles In The Southern East China Sea, Shih-Chieh Hsu, Fei-Jan Lin, Woei-Lih Jeng, Tswen Yung Tang

Journal of Marine Research

Off northeastern Taiwan, the collision between the Kuroshio Current (KC) and the East China Sea (ECS) shelf forms a branch current (Kuroshio Branch Current) on the shelf, and the counterclockwise deflection of the subsurface Kuroshio water annually generates a cyclonic eddy, about 70 km in diameter, over the shelf-slope in summer. In this study, the total suspended matter collected from varying water depths over the eddy during August 1994 has been analyzed for Al, which is used as an indicator element to trace lithogenic particle transport. Simultaneously, the measurements of current field, using the Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, and …

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The Effect Of Biogenic Irrigation Intensity And Solute Exchange On Diagenetic Reaction Rates In Marine Sediments, Robert C. Aller, Josephine Y. Aller Jan 1998

The Effect Of Biogenic Irrigation Intensity And Solute Exchange On Diagenetic Reaction Rates In Marine Sediments, Robert C. Aller, Josephine Y. Aller

Journal of Marine Research

The activities of infaunal macrobenthos strongly influence the pathways, rates, and extent of organic matter remineralization and associated reactions in marine sediments. Solute transport during irrigation is a particularly important process that stimulates microbial activity and net remineralization, both within and adjacent to the bioturbated zone. Part of the stimulation proximal to the bioturbated zone is due to redox oscillation and oxidant supply during transport, but part of both the near and far-field effects are a result of other factors. Experiments designed to simulate different degrees of diffusive exchange, and thus infaunal abundances or activity, demonstrate a regular and strong …

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Diel Vertical Migration In Stratified Tidal Flows: Implications For Plankton Dispersal, A. E. Hill Jan 1998

Diel Vertical Migration In Stratified Tidal Flows: Implications For Plankton Dispersal, A. E. Hill

Journal of Marine Research

This paper examines the kinematics of the horizontal motion induced in marine plankton which undergo diel vertical migration (DVM) in oscillatory tidal currents with depth varying amplitude and phase. Particular attention is paid to the transport-producing effects of DVM in shallow, stratified seas where frictional decoupling associated with a reduction in the vertical eddy viscosity in the pycnocline can cause abrupt changes in tidal phase across the pycnocline. In M2-period tidal currents, horizontal displacements of up to 5 upper layer tidal excursions can be produced over a 15-day cycle and in S2-period currents, net unidirectional horizontal …

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Energetics Of Linear Geostrophic Adjustment In Stratified Rotating Fluids, Roger H. J. Grimshaw, Andrew J. Willmott, Peter D. Killworth Jan 1998

Energetics Of Linear Geostrophic Adjustment In Stratified Rotating Fluids, Roger H. J. Grimshaw, Andrew J. Willmott, Peter D. Killworth

Journal of Marine Research

The energy conversion ratio, γ, is shown to be bounded below by 0 and above by 1/2 in the two-dimensional linear geostrophic adjustment of a continuously stably stratified, incompressible, inviscid non-Boussinesq fluid. ''Two-dimensional'' refers to problems in which the initial isopycnal displacement field is an arbitrary function of the vertical (parallel to the rotation axis) and a single horizontal coordinate. By using Fourier analysis techniques, the paper also identified classes of initial isopycnal displacement profiles for which the adjustment process leads to γ > 1/3. Finally, an expression for γ is derived when the initial isopycnal displacement profile is three dimensional.

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Stratification And Circulation Produced By Heating And Evaporation On A Shelf, J. S. Turner Jan 1998

Stratification And Circulation Produced By Heating And Evaporation On A Shelf, J. S. Turner

Journal of Marine Research

A series of exploratory laboratory experiments has been carried out to model an 'inverse estuary,' in which density differences and outflows were generated by heating and evaporation on a shallow shelf. This shelf was connected to a deep, long region of uniform depth through a steep slope. The experimental tank was filled with homogeneous salt solution, and the shelf region heated with infrared lamps to produce temperature and salinity anomalies; fresh water was added at the far end of the tank to keep the depth (and the mean salinity) constant. The emphasis in these experiments was on the influence in …

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The Steady Flow Between Reservoirs With Different Density And Level Through A Contraction, A. Odulo, J. C. Swanson, D. Mendelsohn Jan 1997

The Steady Flow Between Reservoirs With Different Density And Level Through A Contraction, A. Odulo, J. C. Swanson, D. Mendelsohn

Journal of Marine Research

This paper presents a complete analytical solution of steady gravity flow between two reservoirs connected by a channel of slowly varying breadth and containing fluids of different densities and levels. The hydrostatic approximation is used and dissipation is neglected. It is shown that seven different regimes are possible depending on the value of the parameter δ = γ/ε, which is the ratio of relative lighter and denser reservoir level difference, γ, to positive relative density difference, ε. The exact solution of the problem is obtained for all these regimes. If the level of the heavier fluid reservoir is higher than …

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Large-Scale Processes In The Upper Layers Of The Indian Ocean Inferred From Temperature Climatology, A. S. Unnikrishnan, S. Prasanna Kumar, G. S. Navelkar Jan 1997

Large-Scale Processes In The Upper Layers Of The Indian Ocean Inferred From Temperature Climatology, A. S. Unnikrishnan, S. Prasanna Kumar, G. S. Navelkar

Journal of Marine Research

Determination of amplitudes and phases for the annual and semi-annual cycle of the temperature in the Indian Ocean north of 20S from Levitus temperature climatology (1982) gives maximum amplitudes of the seasonal cycle at 100 m with the dominance of semi-annual cycle in the equatorial region and annual cycle elsewhere in the domain. The Bay of Bengal shows characteristics of the westward-propagating Rossby waves of annual period, while the Arabian Sea shows the dominance of Ekman pumping in the central region and westward-propagating features in the eastern region. Qualitative evidences obtained from the distribution of depth of 20°C isotherm and …

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Eigenanalysis Of The Two-Dimensional Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation Problem, V. A. Sheremet, G. R. Ierley, V. M. Kamenkovich Jan 1997

Eigenanalysis Of The Two-Dimensional Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation Problem, V. A. Sheremet, G. R. Ierley, V. M. Kamenkovich

Journal of Marine Research

A barotropic model of the wind-driven circulation in the subtropical region of the ocean is considered. A no-slip condition is specified at the coasts and slip at the fluid boundaries. Solutions are governed by two parameters: inertial boundary-layer width; and viscous boundary-layer width. Numerical computations indicate the existence of a wedge-shaped region in this two-dimensional parameter space, where three steady solutions coexist. The structure of the steady solution can be of three types: boundary-layer, recirculation and basin-filling-gyre. Compared to the case with slip conditions (Ierley and Sheremet, 1995) in the no-slip case the wedge-shaped region is displaced to higher Reynolds …

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Eddy Formation On A Continental Slope, Janet M. Becker, Rick Salmon Jan 1997

Eddy Formation On A Continental Slope, Janet M. Becker, Rick Salmon

Journal of Marine Research

We consider a uniform-density ocean in which the depth-independent horizontal velocity is driven by a two-gyre wind. Numerical solutions of the governing vorticity equation reveal that the solutions with a flat ocean bottom differ greatly from those in which a continental shelf and slope are present along the western boundary. In the ocean basin with a western continental shelf, steady inertial circulations readily lose stability to unsteady inertial circulations that spawn eddies. However, eddies do not form in the corresponding solutions for the flat-bottom ocean. Reducing the friction leads to flat-bottom solutions that shed eddies far offshore, but still differ …

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