Diagnostic Initialization Generated Extremely Strong Thermohaline Sources and Sinks in the South China Sea
Abstract
Ocean modeling is usually constrained by the lack of observed velocity data for the initial condition. Diagnostic initialization is widely used to generate velocity data as an initial condition for ocean modeling. Diagnostic initialization integrates the model from known temperature, salinity, and zero velocity fields and holds temperature and salinity unchanged. After a period of the diagnostic run, the velocity field is established, and the temperature, salinity, and velocity fields are treated as the initial conditions for numerical modeling. During the diagnostic initialization period, the heat and salt "source/sink" terms are generated at each time step. In this thesis, the Princeton Ocean Model was applied to the South China Sea. The study demonstrated extremely strong thermohaline sources and sinks generated by the diagnostic initialization. Such extremely strong and spatially nonuniform initial heating/cooling (salting/freshening) rates in the ocean model may cause drastic change in thermohaline and velocity fields initially (after the diagnostic run). There is a need to overcome such problems or find alternative methods as diagnostic initialization is extensively used. (54 figures, 6 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA415166
Entities
People
- Ahchuan Ong
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School