Impact of Data Assimilation And Resolution On Modeling The Gulf Stream Pathway

Abstract

In this paper, we study, in detail, one important aspect of our ongoing work on global ocean prediction. Modeling the behavior of western boundary currents, like the Gulf Stream, has been a long-standing issue. Recent modeling results suggest that the abyssal currents play an important role in determining the pathway of the Gulf Stream. The present-generation ocean prediction model fails to adequately reproduce the Gulf Stream pathway, and does not generate a vigorous abyssal circulation. Here we use twin simulations, at different horizontal resolutions and with and without data assimilation, to study their effects on modeling the observed Gulf Stream pathway. Increasing the resolution of the model improves the strength of the abyssal circulation, but still fails to predict the Gulf Stream pathway.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 18, 2011
Accession Number
ADA553616

Entities

People

  • Alan Wallcraft
  • Edward Joseph Metzger
  • Harley Hurlburt
  • James G. Richman
  • Jay F. Shriver
  • Ole Martin Smedstad

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assimilation
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Boundaries
  • Cape Hatteras
  • Continental Shelves
  • Data Analysis
  • Dynamics
  • Gulf Stream
  • Labrador Sea
  • Military Research
  • New England
  • North America
  • North Atlantic Ocean
  • Oceanography
  • Oceans
  • Sea Water
  • Simulations

Readers

  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers
  • Oceanography.
  • Systems Analysis and Design