A numerical study of the circulation of the Bering Sea basin and exchange with the North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

A limited-area, primitive equation, three-layer hydrodynamic model is used to investigate the circulation of the Bering Sea basin and the adjacent North Pacific Ocean. The westward flowing Alaskan Stream to the south of the Aleutian Island chain is specified as a boundary condition at inflow and outflow ports with a constant throughput of 15 Sv (Sv identical to 1 X 10"SUP 6" m"SUP 3" s"SUP -1" ). The model is spun up over 50 years and the statistics of the final decade are described. The model predicts seasonal reversals in the Bering slope current that are not clearly evident in the temporally sparse observational database. The numerical study demonstrates that flow instabilities contribute to substantial interannual variability in the circulation of the Bering Sea and adjacent northwest Pacific Ocean. (from Authors)