scholarly journals Stability of the Global Ocean Circulation: Basic Bifurcation Diagrams

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 933-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk A. Dijkstra ◽  
Wilbert Weijer
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Multiple Equilibria ◽  
Stable Solution ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Freshwater Flux ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
Global Ocean Circulation

Abstract A study of the stability of the global ocean circulation is performed within a coarse-resolution general circulation model. Using techniques of numerical bifurcation theory, steady states of the global ocean circulation are explicitly calculated as parameters are varied. Under a freshwater flux forcing that is diagnosed from a reference circulation with Levitus surface salinity fields, the global ocean circulation has no multiple equilibria. It is shown how this unique-state regime transforms into a regime with multiple equilibria as the pattern of the freshwater flux is changed in the northern North Atlantic Ocean. In the multiple-equilibria regime, there are two branches of stable steady solutions: one with a strong northern overturning in the Atlantic and one with hardly any northern overturning. Along the unstable branch that connects both stable solution branches (here for the first time computed for a global ocean model), the strength of the southern sinking in the South Atlantic changes substantially. The existence of the multiple-equilibria regime critically depends on the spatial pattern of the freshwater flux field and explains the hysteresis behavior as found in many previous modeling studies.

scholarly journals A nested Atlantic-Mediterranean Sea general circulation model for operational forecasting

Ocean Science ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Oddo ◽  
M. Adani ◽  
N. Pinardi ◽  
C. Fratianni ◽  
M. Tonani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
General Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Lateral Boundary ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. A new numerical general circulation ocean model for the Mediterranean Sea has been implemented nested within an Atlantic general circulation model within the framework of the Marine Environment and Security for the European Area project (MERSEA, Desaubies, 2006). A 4-year twin experiment was carried out from January 2004 to December 2007 with two different models to evaluate the impact on the Mediterranean Sea circulation of open lateral boundary conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. One model considers a closed lateral boundary in a large Atlantic box and the other is nested in the same box in a global ocean circulation model. Impact was observed comparing the two simulations with independent observations: ARGO for temperature and salinity profiles and tide gauges and along-track satellite observations for the sea surface height. The improvement in the nested Atlantic-Mediterranean model with respect to the closed one is particularly evident in the salinity characteristics of the Modified Atlantic Water and in the Mediterranean sea level seasonal variability.

scholarly journals The Global Ocean Mass Budget in 1993–2003 Estimated from Sea Level Change

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Wenzel ◽  
Jens Schröter
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Mass Budget ◽  
Ocean Mass ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract The mass budget of the ocean in the period 1993–2003 is studied with a general circulation model. The model has a free surface and conserves mass rather than volume; that is, freshwater is exchanged with the atmosphere via precipitation and evaporation and inflow from land is taken into account. The mass is redistributed by the ocean circulation. Furthermore, the ocean’s volume changes by steric expansion with changing temperature and salinity. To estimate the mass changes, the ocean model is constrained by sea level measurements from the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon mission as well as by hydrographic data. The modeled ocean mass change within the years 2002–03 compares favorably to measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and the evolution of the global mean sea level for the period 1993–2003 with annual and interannual variations can be reproduced to a 0.15-cm rms difference. Its trend has been measured as 3.37 mm yr−1 while the constrained model gives 3.34 mm yr−1 considering only the area covered by measurements (3.25 mm yr−1 for the total ocean). A steric rise of 2.50 mm yr−1 is estimated in this period, as is a gain in the ocean mass that is equivalent to an eustatic rise of 0.74 mm yr−1. The amplitude and phase (day of maximum value since 1 January) of the superimposed eustatic annual cycle are also estimated to be 4.6 mm and 278°, respectively. The corresponding values for the semiannual cycle are 0.42 mm and 120°. The trends in the eustatic sea level are not equally distributed. In the Atlantic Ocean (80°S–67°N) the eustatic sea level rises by 1.8 mm yr−1 and in the Indian Ocean (80°S–30°N) it rises by 1.4 mm yr−1, but it falls by −0.20 mm yr−1 in the Pacific Ocean (80°S–67°N). The latter is mainly caused by a loss of mass through transport divergence in the Pacific sector of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (−0.42 Sv; Sv ≡ 109 kg s−1) that is not balanced by the net surface water supply. The consequence of this uneven eustatic rise is a shift of the oceanic center of mass toward the Atlantic Ocean and to the north.

scholarly journals Geographical Distribution of Diurnal and Semidiurnal Parametric Subharmonic Instability in a Global Ocean Circulation Model

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1409-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. Ansong ◽  
Brian K. Arbic ◽  
Harper L. Simmons ◽  
Matthew H. Alford ◽  
Maarten C. Buijsman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean General Circulation Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation Model ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Global Ocean Circulation ◽  
Parametric Subharmonic Instability

AbstractThe evidence for, baroclinic energetics of, and geographic distribution of parametric subharmonic instability (PSI) arising from both diurnal and semidiurnal tides in a global ocean general circulation model is investigated using 1/12.5° and 1/25° simulations that are forced by both atmospheric analysis fields and the astronomical tidal potential. The paper examines whether PSI occurs in the model, and whether it accounts for a significant fraction of the tidal baroclinic energy loss. Using energy transfer calculations and bispectral analyses, evidence is found for PSI around the critical latitudes of the tides. The intensity of both diurnal and semidiurnal PSI in the simulations is greatest in the upper ocean, consistent with previous results from idealized simulations, and quickly drops off about 5° from the critical latitudes. The sign of energy transfer depends on location; the transfer is positive (from the tides to subharmonic waves) in some locations and negative in others. The net globally integrated energy transfer is positive in all simulations and is 0.5%–10% of the amount of energy required to close the baroclinic energy budget in the model. The net amount of energy transfer is about an order of magnitude larger in the 1/25° semidiurnal simulation than the 1/12.5° one, implying the dependence of the rate of energy transfer on model resolution.

scholarly journals A nested Atlantic-Mediterranean Sea general circulation model for operational forecasting

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1093-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Oddo ◽  
M. Adani ◽  
N. Pinardi ◽  
C. Fratianni ◽  
M. Tonani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
General Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Lateral Boundary ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. A new numerical general circulation ocean model for the Mediterranean Sea has been implemented nested within an Atlantic general circulation model within the framework of the Marine Environment and Security for the European Area project (MERSEA, Desaubies, 2006). A 4-year twin experiment was carried out from January 2004 to December 2007 with two different models to evaluate the impact on the Mediterranean Sea circulation of open lateral boundary conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. One model considers a closed lateral boundary in a large Atlantic box and the other is nested in the same box in a global ocean circulation model. Impact was observed comparing the two simulations with independent observations: ARGO for temperature and salinity profiles and tide gauges and along-track satellite observations for the sea surface height. The improvement in the nested Atlantic-Mediterranean model with respect to the closed one is particularly evident in the salinity characteristics of the Modified Atlantic Water and in the Mediterranean sea level seasonal variability.

scholarly journals On the Total, Mean, and Eddy Heat and Freshwater Transports in the Southern Hemisphere of a ⅛° × ⅛° Global Ocean Model

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Meijers ◽  
N. L. Bindoff ◽  
J. L. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Drake Passage ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Eddy Transport

Abstract The large-scale volume, heat, and freshwater ocean transports in the Southern Hemisphere are investigated using time-averaged output from a seasonless, high-resolution general circulation model. The ocean circulation is realistic, and property transports are comparable to observations. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) carries 144 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of water eastward across Drake Passage, increasing to 155 Sv south of Australia because of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). There is a clear Indo-Pacific gyre around Australia exchanging −10 Sv, 0.9 PW of heat, and 0.2 Sv of freshwater through the ITF, and there is a 9-Sv leakage from the Tasman Sea to the Indian Ocean. The transport of heat and freshwater by eddies is localized to the upper 1000 m of the water column and specific regions, such as western boundary currents, confluences, and the subantarctic front (SAF). Eddy transport of heat and freshwater is negligible in gyre interiors and south of the SAF but is vital across the northern edge of the ACC, in particular at the Agulhas Retroflection where eddies accomplish almost 100% of the net ocean heat and 60% of the southward freshwater transport. The eddy transport is almost zero across the latitude of Drake Passage while in a quasi-Lagrangian frame eddy transports are significant across the ACC but surprisingly are still smaller than the mean transport of heat. Mean and eddy property transport divergences are found to be strongly compensating in areas of high eddy activity. This is caused by increased baroclinic instability in strong mean flows, which induces an opposing eddy transport. This relationship is observed to be stronger in the case of horizontal heat transport than in corresponding horizontal freshwater transports.

On the impact of sea ice in a global ocean circulation model

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 111-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achim Stössel
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Convective Activity ◽  
The Impact

This paper investigates the long-term impact of sea ice on global climate using a global sea-ice–ocean general circulation model (OGCM). The sea-ice component involves state-of-the-art dynamics; the ocean component consists of a 3.5° × 3.5° × 11 layer primitive-equation model. Depending on the physical description of sea ice, significant changes are detected in the convective activity, in the hydrographic properties and in the thermohaline circulation of the ocean model. Most of these changes originate in the Southern Ocean, emphasizing the crucial role of sea ice in this marginally stably stratified region of the world's oceans. Specifically, if the effect of brine release is neglected, the deep layers of the Southern Ocean warm up considerably; this is associated with a weakening of the Southern Hemisphere overturning cell. The removal of the commonly used “salinity enhancement” leads to a similar effect. The deep-ocean salinity is almost unaffected in both experiments. Introducing explicit new-ice thickness growth in partially ice-covered gridcells leads to a substantial increase in convective activity, especially in the Southern Ocean, with a concomitant significant cooling and salinification of the deep ocean. Possible mechanisms for the resulting interactions between sea-ice processes and deep-ocean characteristics are suggested.

scholarly journals Impact of partial steps and momentum advection schemes in a global ocean circulation model at eddy-permitting resolution

2006 ◽  
Vol 56 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 543-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barnier Bernard ◽  
Gurvan Madec ◽  
Thierry Penduff ◽  
Jean-Marc Molines ◽  
Anne-Marie Treguier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation Model ◽  
Advection Schemes ◽  
Global Ocean Circulation
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