A model simulation of circulation in the northeast Atlantic shelves and seas

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Abstract
A three‐dimensional, primitive‐equation simulation of the circulation in the northeast Atlantic shelves and seas, defined by 51°–76°N latitudes and 20°W–22°E longitudes, has been conducted for the period February‐March 1988. The simulation was initialized from a 585‐day quasi‐equilibrium calculation and included realistic meteorological forcing, inflows/outflows across the open boundaries (inflow of the North Atlantic warm water in particular), tides, coastal and Baltic discharges, and relaxation to wintertime climatology for model depths > 500 m. The calculation is the first part of an overall effort to nest a high‐resolution region for simulation of eddies and fronts in the Norwegian Coastal Current (NCC). This paper presents detailed simulation strategies and discusses results from the coarse‐grid region to study the larger‐scale model response induced by atmospheric forcing, so that its effects on flow dynamics in the nested grid can be better understood. The mean and variability of the simulated flow field are compared, whenever possible, with published observations. In particular, we examine in detail the simulated wind‐induced response in the Skagerrak transport, which produces blocking and outbreak of the Skagerrak and North Sea waters. These transport variabilities can be expected to be important in the development of the NCC meanders and eddies further north.

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