Abstract
The simulation of the general circulation of the ocean requires a physically-based, comprehensive model of the ocean. The formulation and testing of such an ocean general circulation model is described in this chapter, and is illustrated with a baroclinic six-layer global ocean model. This model has been tested by simulating the seasonal cycle of the oceanic general circulation subject to prescribed atmospheric boundary conditions comprised of the climatological surface wind stress and atmosphere-ocean heat flux. In comparison with observations the model has realistically simulated the large-scale features of the annual mean and seasonal variation of temperature and currents, although the relatively narrow equatorial and western boundary currents are underestimated due to the model’s coarse resolution. The meridional heat transport in the Northern Hemisphere simulated by the model is somewhat less than that observed, while the model’s southern hemisphere transports agree reasonably well with observational estimates.
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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Han, YJ. (1988). Modelling and Simulation of the General Circulation of the Ocean. In: Schlesinger, M.E. (eds) Physically-Based Modelling and Simulation of Climate and Climatic Change. NATO ASI Series, vol 243. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3041-4_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3041-4_11
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