ON THE WIND-DRIVEN OCEAN CIRCULATION.

Abstract

NONLINEAR SOLUTIONS TO THE BAROTROPIC VORTICITY EQUATION, FORCED BY STEADY ZONAL WINDS AND DAMPED WITH A LINEAR FRICTION LAW, ARE DESCRIBED. SINGLE AND DOUBLE GYRE BASINS AND WINDSTRESS PATTERNS ARE USED. WIND AND FRICTIONAL PARAMETERS ARE CHOSEN TO GIVE RESULTS WITH QUASI-OCEANIC FLOW SCALES. EACH CASE REACHES A STEADY EQUILIBRIUM STATE, AND THE STEADY FLOW CHARACTERISTICS ARE DESCRIBED AS FUNCTIONS OF THE MODEL EXTERNAL PARAMETERS.