The Circulation of the World Ocean: A Numerical Study. Part I, A Homogeneous Model

Abstract

Calculations are carried out for a homogeneous model of the World Ocean. Solutions for the large-scale, wind-driven circulation are obtained by numerical integration with respect to time of a numerical model. The model includes 9 levels in the vertical and has a horizontal resolution of 2掳脳2掳 in latitude and longitude. Subgrid-scale motions are included implicitly through the eddy viscosity hypothesis. The level of viscosity is adjusted so that only scales of motion large enough to be resolved by the numerical model will have appreciable amplitude. Compared with available observations, the model with uniform depth tends to underpredict the strength of the transport in the Northern Hemisphere boundary currents, but overpredict the strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the East Australian Current. When bottom topography is taken into account, the Northern Hemisphere transport patterns are not greatly altered, but transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the East Australian Current are drastically reduced.