On the transport and angular momentum balance of channel models of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Abstract

Particular emphasis is placed on the close relationship between the angular momentum balance and the meridional circulation. It is found that topographic form drag is established very early in the integration, whereas interfacial form drag can take much longer to develop. Restrictions on the geostrophic portion of the meridional circulation imposed by zonally reconnecting potential vorticity contours in the upper ocean allow derivation of an estimate for the steady-state transport. The implications of the results for the total transport through Drake Passage are discussed. -from Author