An Unfiltered Primitive-Equation Model of the Upper Layers of the Pacific Ocean,
Abstract
This is a resumption of work begun by Crowley to construct a model of stratified ocean circulations based on the unfiltered (or free-surface) primitive equations of motion. In the present study, the circulation and temperature distribution in the upper layers of the Pacific Ocean are simulated by a two-level model with a horizontal bottom at 300 m depth. The motion is driven by prescribed distributions of surface heating and wind stress, and is retarded by frictional stresses at the bottom and at the coasts. Solutions for temperature and velocity are sought to an initial value problem using an explicit, leapfrog, numerical scheme. This introduces the problem of initialization of the unfiltered primitive equations for oceanic predictions, which represents a novel feature of the present study. Representative results from an initialization and a 15-day prediction using climatological January initial and boundary data are presented. It is found that specification of geostrophic and nondivergent initial data for prescribed temperature, followed by spinup after the method of Sarkisyan, is adequate to initialize the model without introducing unrealistic gravity-inertial oscillations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA019342
Entities
People
- R. C. Alexander
Organizations
- RAND Corporation