A numerical model of the wind-Driven ocean circulation in a circular basin

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The governing vorticity equation for the two-dimensional flow of a viscous homogeneous fluid on a β-plane is integrated numerically, and steady state results are presented for several values for the Reynolds number. The model and numerical techniques are similar to those used by Bryan (1963) with the important exception that we consider here a circular basin. The interior flow is forced by a negative uniform wind stress curl and the intense western boundary current is adequately resolved by means of variable grid spacing. For the highly non-linear case of Re = 20, the western boundary current undergoes distinct separation from the boundary before the end of the western boundary is reached. A strong vortex with intense recirculation develops in the northwest quadrant of the basin with damped stationary Rossby waves occurring in the transition region between boundary current and interior. The numerical solutions are then compared with streak photographs obtained with the sliced-cylinder laboratory model. The dynamics of the laboratory model are reviewed and found to be approximately analogous to the β-plane flow in most but not all of the basin. The observed similarity and differences in streamline patterns are discussed.