Abstract
Behavior of warm water flowing into a model ocean with flat bottom filled with cold water is investigated numerically with a three-dimensional level model in a rotating system.
The warm water which flows through the southern opening into the ocean is found to progress in two directions. The east front of the warm water progresses along the east coast and reaches the northern opening. And an eastern boundary current associated with this density structure is formed. The west front progresses along the west coast with the speed much less than that of the eastside front. However, the progression of the west front slows down remarkably half way between the southern and northern boundaries due toβ-effect, and a baroclinic western boundary current system is formed. Unstable waves whose scales are 200–400 km are found in the region of the eastern boundary current and propagate toward the west. These waves seem to be caused by the baroclinic instability.
The boundary currents obtained in the present model are considered to represent some characteristics of the Tsushima Current system in the Japan Sea.
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Yoon, JH., Suginohara, N. Behavior of warm water flowing into a cold ocean. Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan 33, 272–282 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109646
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109646