The embedment of a 1.5 turbulence closure model in an ocean general circulation model of the equatorial Atlantic is presented. The eddy viscosity and diffusivity involved in the vertical mixing are defined as the product of a characteristic turbulent velocity—the root square of the turbulent kinetic energy—and a characteristic mixing length. The turbulent kinetic energy is defined through a prognostic equation while the turbulent length scales are defined by a diagnostic formulation. The results of an experiment that includes this closure scheme are compared to the results issued from another experiment that includes a Richardson number-dependent parameterization of the mixing coefficients. The two simulations were performed over the tropical Atlantic during the 1982–1984 period, which allows direct comparisons with data from the FOCAL and SEQUAL experiments. Obvious contrasts between the two experiments on the sea surface temperature and on the dynamics indicate that the turbulent vertical diffu... Abstract The embedment of a 1.5 turbulence closure model in an ocean general circulation model of the equatorial Atlantic is presented. The eddy viscosity and diffusivity involved in the vertical mixing are defined as the product of a characteristic turbulent velocity—the root square of the turbulent kinetic energy—and a characteristic mixing length. The turbulent kinetic energy is defined through a prognostic equation while the turbulent length scales are defined by a diagnostic formulation. The results of an experiment that includes this closure scheme are compared to the results issued from another experiment that includes a Richardson number-dependent parameterization of the mixing coefficients. The two simulations were performed over the tropical Atlantic during the 1982–1984 period, which allows direct comparisons with data from the FOCAL and SEQUAL experiments. Obvious contrasts between the two experiments on the sea surface temperature and on the dynamics indicate that the turbulent vertical diffu...