Baroclinic and topographic influences on the transport in western boundary currents
Baroclinic and topographic influences on the transport in western boundary currents
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DOI：
10.1080/03091927208236095
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发表时间：
1973
影响因子：
1.3
通讯作者：
W. R. Holland
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
W. R. Holland
大尺度海洋环流尚未解决的核心理论问题之一是如何解释在墨西哥湾流和黑潮等西部边界流中测量到的非常大的输送量。到目前为止，唯一能解释这些输运大小的理论是非线性再环流理论，其中动量方程中的平流项在靠近西部边界处变得很重要。本文提出了另一种解释。当考虑了海底地形和斜压效应时，即使忽略非线性平流项，西边界流的输运也比由风应力分布预测的输运量大。其原因在于与底部地形有关的压力力矩的存在，与风应力旋度相同，它有助于涡度平衡。我们进行了三个数值实验来探讨这一性质。
Abstract One of the central unsolved theoretical problems of the large scale ocean circulation is concerned with explaining the very large transports measured in western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio. The only theory up to now that can explain the size of these transports is that of non-linear recirculation in which the advective terms in the momentum equations became important near the western boundary. In this paper an alternative explanation is suggested. When bottom topography and baroclinic effects are included in a wind-driven ocean model it is shown that the western boundary current can have a transport larger than that predicted from the wind stress distribution even when the nonlinear advective terms are ignored. The explanation lies in the presence of pressure torques associated with bottom topography which can contribute to the vorticity balance in the same sense as the wind stress curl. Three numerical experiments have been carried out to explore the nature of this...