Wind-Driven Circulation Around Islands

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9520302 Pratt A numerical and analytical study will be undertaken of wind-driven circulation around islands, including evaluation of the validity of the 'Island Rule'. Classical ocean circulation theory based on homogeneous models has provided insight into certain striking features of wind-driven currents such as westward intensification. When the calculations are done in a domain closed to the north, such as in models of the North Atlantic or North Pacific, the interior circulation is joined to a western boundary layer whose transport is determined by the condition of zero net meridional transport across the entire basin. When a large island is present, it may also create a western boundary layer (along its eastern coastline). The main goals of the this research is to systematically determine the qualitative, wind-driven circulation schemes near islands, to diagnose the associated dynamics, to assess the general applicability of the Island Rule, and to perform a limited number of qualitative case studies. It is anticipated that the Island Rule will provide a good approximation to the true transport under a wide variety of conditions.