Skip to main content

Physics of the ocean circulation

  • Lecturers
  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Satellite Altimetry in Geodesy and Oceanography

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences ((LNEARTH,volume 50))

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bainbridge, A. E., 1980. GEOSECS Atlantic Expedition. Vol. 2, Sections and Profiles. National Science Foundation, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 198 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, D. J., jr., 1981. Ocean instruments and experiment design. in Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, The MIT Press, Cambridge, 396–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • E. I. Balazs and B. C. Douglas, 1979. Geodetic leveling and the sealevel slope along the California coast. J. Geophys. REs., 84, 6195–6206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, T. P., 1990. Low frequency changes in sealevel and their possible causes. in, The Sea, Vol. 9, B. B. L. LeMehaute and D. M. Hanes, eds, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 841–867.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, J. and J. D. Woods, 1984. Isopycnic Atlas of the North Atlantic Ocean. Tech. Rept. No. 132, Institut for Meereskunde und der Christian-Albrechts Universitat, Kiel, 173 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner, A. and E. Reichel, 1975. The World Water Balance. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 179 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, W. H. and L. D. Labeyrie, eds., 1987. Abrupt Climate Change. Evidence and Implications. NATO ASI Series, Vol 216. Reidel, Dordrecht, 425 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Born, G. H., B. D. Tapley, J. C. Ries and R. H. Stewart, 1986. Accurate measurement of mean sea level changes by altimetric satellites. J. Geophys. Res., 91, 11, 775–11, 782.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, E. A., 1990. Quaternary deepwater paleoceanography. Science, 249, 863–870.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broecker, W. S. D. Peteet and D. Rind, 1985. Does the ocean-atmosphere system have more than one stable mode of operation? Nature, 315, 21–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broecker, W. S., T. Takahashi and Y.-H. Li, 1976. Hydrography of the central Atlantic-I. The two-degree discontinuity. Deep-Sea Res., 23, 1083–1104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan, F. O. and W. R. Holland, 1989. A high resolution simulation of the wind-and thermohaline-driven circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean. in, Parameterization of Small Scale Processes, Proceedings’ Aha Huliko'a, Hawaiian Winter Workshop, U. of Hawaii at Manoa, January 17–20, 1989, Hawaii Inst. of Geophys. Spec. Pub., P. Müller and D. Henderson, eds., 99–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryden, H. L., D. H. Roemmich, and J. A. Church, 1991. Oceanic heat transport across 24oN in the Pacific. Deep-Sea Res., 37, 297–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryden, H. L., 1977. Geostrophic comparisons from moored measurements of current and temperature during the Mid-Ocean Dynamics Experiment. Deep-Sea Res., 24, 667–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryden, H. L., 1980. Geostrophic vorticity balance in midocean. J. Geophys. Res., 85, 2825–2828.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappellaz, J. M., D. Raynaud, Y. S. Korotkevich, and C. Lorios, 1990. Ice-core record of atmospheric methane over the past 160,000 years. Nature, 345, 127–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, R. E., 1978. Estimating velocity from hydrographic data. J. Geophys. Res. 83, 5507–5509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deacon, M., 1979. Scientists and the Sea. 1650–1900. A Study of Marine Science 445 pp., Academic, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Defant, A., 1961. Physical Oceanography, Vol. 1. Pergamon, N.Y., 598 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, B. C., 1991. Global sea level rise. J. Geophys. Res., 96, 6981–6992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drake, C. L., J. Imbrie, J. A. Knauss, and K. K. Turekian, 1978. Oceanography. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 447 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, V. W., 1905. On the influence of the earth's rotation on ocean-currents. Arkiv for Matematik, Astronomi och Fysik 2(11), 52 pp.

    Google Scholar 

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery, K. O. and D. G. Aubrey, 1991. Sealevels, land levels and tide gauges. Springer-Verlag, New York, 237 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu, L., 1986. Mass, heat and freshwater fluxes in the South Indian Ocean. J. Phys. Oc., 16, 1683–1693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukumori, I. and C. Wunsch, 1991. Efficient representation of the North Atlantic hydrographic and chemical distributions. Prog. in Oceanog., 27, 111–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukumori, I., F. Martel and C. Wunsch, 1991. The hydrography of the North Atlantic in the early 1980's. An atlas. Prog. in Oceanog., 27, 1–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, A. E., 1982. Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics. Academic Press, New York, 662 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, M. M. and H. L. Bryden, 1982. Direct estimates and mechanisms of ocean heat transport. Deep-Sea Res., 29, 339–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamann, I. M. and J. H. Swift, 1991. A consistent inventory of water mass factors in the intermediate and deep Pacific Ocean derived from conservative tracers. Deep-Sea Res., 38 (Supplement. J. L. Reid Volume), S129–S170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hastenrath, S., 1984. On meridional heat transports in the world ocean. J. Phys. Oc., 12, 922–927.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinmiller, R. H., 1983. Instruments and methods. in, Eddies in Marine Science, A. R. Robinson, ed., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 542–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helland-Hansen, B. and F. Nansen, 1920. Temperature variations in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the atmosphere. Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 70: 4, 408pp.

    Google Scholar 

    Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, G., 1986. Eddies, waves, circulation and mixing: statistical geofluid mechanics. Ann. Revs. Fl. Mech., 18, 91–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isemer, H.-J. and L. Hasse, 1985. The Bunker Climate Atlas of the North Atlantic Ocean. Vol 1. Observations. Vol 2 Air-Sea Interactions. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 218pp and 252pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isemer, H. J. Willebrand and L. Hasse, 1989. Fine adjustment of large scale air-sea energy flux parameterizations by direct estimates of ocean heat transport. J. Climate, 2, 1173–1184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawase, M. and J. L. Sarmiento, 1986. Circulation and nutrients in middepth Atlantic waters. J. Geophys. Res., 91 9749–9770.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, G. P. and H. Stommel, 1985. Hydrographic Data from R/V Oceanus Cruse 129. WHOI 85-38, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Technical Report, Woods Hole, MA, 107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambeck, K., 1988. Geophysical Geodesy. Oxford U. Press, New York, 718 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levitus, S., 1982. Climatological Atlas of the World Ocean. NOAA Professional Paper 13, 173 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longuet-Higgins, M. S., 1964. Planetary waves on a rotating sphere. Proc. Roy. Soc. A., 279, 446–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackas, D. L. K. L. Denman, and A. F. Bennett, 1987. Least squares multiple tracer analysis of water mass composition. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 2907–2918.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martel, F. and C. Wunsch, 1992. Combined inversion of hydrography, current meter data and altimetric elevations for the North Atlantic circulation. unpublished document.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martel, F. and C. Wunsch, 1993. The North Atlantic circulation in the early 1980's—an estimate from inversion of a finite difference model. J. Phys. Oc., in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maury, M. F., 1855. The Physical Geography of the Sea and Its Meteorology. Harper and Bros., New York. (reprinted by Harvard University Press, J. Leighly ed., 1963), 432pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams, J. C. and G. R. Flierl, 1976. Optimal, quasi-goestrophic wave analysis of MODE array data. Deep-Sea Res., 23, 285–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meir, M. F., 1984. Contribution of small glaciers to global sea level. Science, 226, 1418–1421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millero, F. J., C.-T. Tung, A. Bradshaw and K. Schleicher, 1980. A new high pressure equation of state for seawater. Deep-Sea Res., 27A, 255–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MODE Group, The 1978. The Mid-ocean dynamics experiment. Deep-Sea Res. 25, 859–910.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munk, W., 1950. On the wind-driven ocean circulation. J. of Meteor., 7, 79–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munk, W., 1981. Internal waves and small-scale processes. in Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, eds, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Ma, 264–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munk, W. H. and G. F. Carrier, 1950. The wind-driven circulation in ocean basins of various shapes. Tellus, 2, 158–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needler, G. T., 1978. The absolute velocity as a function of conserved measurable quantities. Prog. Oceanog., 14, 421–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nerem, R. S., B. D. Tapley and C. K. Shum, 1990. Determination of the ocean circulation using Geosat altimetry. J. Geophys. Res., 95, 3163–3180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oort, A. H. and T. H. Vonder Haar, 1976. On the observed annual cycle in the ocean-atmosphere heat balance over the northern hemisphere. J. Phys. Oc., 6, 781–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owens, B., 1991. A statistical description of the mean circulation and eddy variability in the Northwestern Atlantic using SOFAR floats. Prog. Oceanog., 28, 257–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pedlosky, J., 1987. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Second edition. Springer-Verlag, 710 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Philander, S. G., 1990. El Niño, La Niña, and the Southern Oscillation. Academic, San Diego, 289 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, N. A., 1963. Geostrophic motion. Revs. Geophys., 1, 123–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, N. A., 1966. The equations of motion for a shallow rotating atmosphere and the “traditional approximation” J. Atm. Scis., 23, 626–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickard G. L. and W. Emery, 1982. Descriptive Physical Oceanography. An Introduction. 4th Edition. Pergamon, Oxford, 249 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pond, S. and G. L. Pickard, 1983. Introductory Dynamical Oceanography, second edition. Pergamon, Oxford, 329pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, J. L., 1965. Intermediate Waters of the Pacific Ocean. Johns Hopkins Oceanographic Studies No. 2, Johns Hopkins U. Press, Baltimore, 85 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, J. L., 1989. On the geostrophic circulation of the South Atlantic Ocean: flow patterns, tracers, and transports. Progress in Oceanog., 23, 149–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rintoul, S., 1990. South Atlantic interbasin exchange. J. Geophys. Res., 96, 2675–2692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, A. R., ed, 1983. Eddies in Marine Science. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 609 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roemmich, D., 1980. Estimation of meridional heat flux in the North Atlantic by inverse methods. J. Phys. Oc., 10, 1972–1983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roemmich, D. and C. Wunsch, 1985. Two transatlantic sections: Meridional circulation and heat flux in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. 32, 619–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, R., P. Bogden, and C. E. Dorman, 1989. Evaporation minus precipitation and density fluxes for the North Atlantic. J. Phys. Oc., 19, 1208–1221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, W. J. Jr. and J. R. Luyten, 1991. Spectral time scales for mid-latitude eddies. J. Mar. Res., 49, 75–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schott, F. and H. Stommel, 1978. Beta spirals and absolute velocities in different oceans. Deep-Sea Res., 25, 961–1010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shum, C. K., R. A. Werner, D. T. Sandwell, B. H. Zhang, R. S. Nerem and B. D. Tapley, 1990. Variations of global mesoscale eddy energy observed from Geosat. J. Geophys. Res., 95, 17,865–17,876.

    Google Scholar 

  • Starr, V. P., 1968. Physics of Negative Viscosity Phenomena. Mc-Graw Hill, New York, 256 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H., 1948. The westward intensification of wind-driven ocean currents. Trans. Am. Geophys. Un., 29, 202–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H., 1957. A survey of ocean current theory. Deep-Sea Res., 4, 149–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H., 1965. The Gulf Stream: A Physical and Dynamical Description, 2nd ed. U. Calif. Press, Berkeley, 248pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H., 1984. The delicate interplay between wind-stress and buoyancy input in ocean circulation: the Goldsbrough variations. Tellus, 36A, 111–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H. and F. Schott, 1977. The beta spiral and the determination of the absolute velocity field from hydrographic station data. Deep-Sea Res., 24, 325–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stommel, H., P. Niiler and D. Anati, 1978. Dynamic topography and recirculation of the North Atlantic Ocean. J. Mar. Res., 36, 449–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sturges, W., 1974. Sea level slope along continental boundaries. J. Geophys. Res., 79, 825–830.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sverdrup, H. U., M. W. Johnson and R. H. Fleming, 1942. The Oceans. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1087 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trenberth, K., J. G. Olson, and W. G. Large, 1989. A global ocean wind stress climatology based on ECMWF analysis. NCAR/TN-338TSTR, Aug. 1989, 93pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tushingham, A. M. and W. R. Peltier, 1991. Ice-3G: A new global model of late Pleistocene deglaciation based upon geophysical prediction aof post-glacial relative sealevel change. JGR, 96B, 4497–4523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veronis, G., 1981, Dynamics of large-scale ocean circulation, in Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, eds., The MIT Press, Cambridge, Ma, 140–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, R. F., J. L. Bullister, R. H. Gammon and M. J. Warner, 1985. Atmospheric chlorofluoromethanes in the deep equatorial Atlantic. Nature 314, 608–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, P. K., 1968. The role of the oceanis in climatic change: a theory of the ice ages. Meteor. Monographs, 8, 37–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woods, J. D., 1984. The upper ocean and air-sea interaction in global climate. in, The Global Climate, J. T. Houghton, ed., Cambridge U. Press, 141–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worthington, L. V., 1981. The water masses of the world ocean: some results of a fine-scale census, in, Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, eds., The MIT Press, Cambridge, 42–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., 1977. Determining the general circulation of the oceans: A preliminary discussion. Science, 196, 871–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., 1978. The North Atlantic general circulation west of 50oW determined by inverse methods. Revs. Geophys. and Space Phys., 16, 583–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., 1980. Meridional heat flux of the North Atlantic Ocean. Proc. Nat. Acad. Scis., USA, 77, 5043–5047.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., 1981. Low frequency variability of the sea. in Evolution of Physical Oceanography: Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, eds., The MIT Press, Cambridge, 342–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., 1989. Tracer inverse problems, in, Oceanic Circulation Models: Combining Data and Dynamics, D. L. T. Anderson and J. Willebrand, eds., Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C. and B. Grant, 1982. Towards the general circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean. Prog. in Oceanog., 11, 1–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch, C., D.-X. Hu, and B. Grant, 1983. Mass, heat, salt and nutrient fluxes in the South Pacific Ocean, J. Phys. Oc., 13, 725–753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wüst, G., 1935. Schichtung und Zirkulation des Atlantischen Ozeans. Die Stratosphare. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Atlantischen Expedition auf dem Forschungs-und Vermessungsschiff “Meteor” 1925–1927, 6: 1st Part,2, 180 pp. (reprinted as The Stratosphere of the Atlantic Ocean, W. J. Emery, ed., 1978, Amerind, New Delhi 112 pp)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Reiner Rummel Fernando Sansò

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer-Verlag

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wunsch, C. (1993). Physics of the ocean circulation. In: Rummel, R., Sansò, F. (eds) Satellite Altimetry in Geodesy and Oceanography. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 50. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0117926

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0117926

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56818-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47758-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics