The effects of climatological and transient wind forcing on eddy generation in the California current system
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Authors
Edson, Robert W.
Subjects
primitive equation model
eddies
jets
filaments
wind forcing
coastal jet and undercurrent
wind stress curl
California Current System
eddies
jets
filaments
wind forcing
coastal jet and undercurrent
wind stress curl
California Current System
Advisors
Batteen, Mary L.
Date of Issue
1989-09
Date
September 1989
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
A high-resolution, multi-level, primitive equation ocean model is used to examine the response to transient and climatological wind forcing of an idealized, flat-bottomed oceanic regime on a β-place, along an eastern boundary. An annually periodic wind forcing function with zonal variability is used as transient forcing in several experiments using both winter and summer initializations. When the curl component of the forcing is stronger than the stress, as in the wintertime, a surface poleward flow develops in the nearshore region with a equatorward flow offshore. When wind stress dominates the forcing, as in the summertime, a coastal jet develops with an undercurrent. In other experiments, spatially varying one degree and two tenths degree steady wind stress data are used as the climatological forcing. The one degree climatological wind stress data has positive curl at the coast which causes a poleward surface flow to develop. When two tenths degree wind stress data is used in the nearshore area, both positive and negative curl in the coastal region result in the formation of poleward and equatorward currents, respectively. As a result of convergence in the surface flow, eddies and a well defined cold filament develop. These results show that the interaction of diverse coastal currents driven by an equally diverse wind field can play an important role in the production of cold filaments and eddies.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Meteorology
Oceanography
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
NPS 68-89-008
Sponsors
O&MN, Direct Funding
Funder
O&MN, Direct Funding
Format
139 p.: ill.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.