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Nonlinear Dynamical Analysis of Bifurcation and Confluence of the Pacific Western Boundary Currents

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Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the bifurcation and the confluence of the Pacific western boundary currents by an analytical approach. Applying the conservation law, the geostrophic balance relation and the Bernoulli integral to a reduced gravity model, we get a quantitative relation for the outflow and the inflow, and establish the related formulae for the width and the veering angle of offshore currents under the inflow condition. Furthermore, a comparison between the volume transport based on the observation data and the analytical value for the Pacific western boundary currents is presented, which validates the theoretical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LCP Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing, 100088, China

    Guo-xi Ni, Song Jiang, Qiang-chang Ju & Ling-hai Kong

Authors
  1. Guo-xi Ni
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  2. Song Jiang
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  3. Qiang-chang Ju
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  4. Ling-hai Kong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guo-xi Ni.

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40890154, 10971016, 91130020).

Biography: NI Guo-xi (1967-), Male, Ph. D., Professor

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Ni, Gx., Jiang, S., Ju, Qc. et al. Nonlinear Dynamical Analysis of Bifurcation and Confluence of the Pacific Western Boundary Currents. J Hydrodyn 24, 383–390 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(11)60259-X

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(11)60259-X

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