Impact of Remote Forcing, Model Resolution and Bathymetry on Predictions of Currents on the Shelf

Abstract

Impacts of remote forcing, model resolution and bathymetry on current predictions at two moorings located on the shelf of the Monterey Bay area are investigated. We consider three Monterey Bay model configurations which differ in resolution and bathymetry representation, and we specify open boundary conditions for these three configurations from two larger scale models, which have different accuracy in the representation of the remote forcing (in the form of poleward propagating along the coast coastally-trapped Kelvin type waves). Comparisons of correlations between observed and model currents as well as visual comparisons show that the most critical element in reproducing currents on the shelf is accurate representation of the remote forcing. Our results also show that accurate representation of bathymetry is the second most critical factor in reproducing observed currents.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA577684

Entities

People

  • Edward Joseph Metzger
  • Igor G. Shulman
  • Peter Sakalaukus
  • Stephanie C. Anderson
  • Steven R. Ramp

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assimilation
  • Bathymetry
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • California
  • Continental Shelves
  • Geography
  • Grids
  • Layers
  • Military Research
  • North America
  • Oceans
  • Scale Models
  • Sea Level
  • Three Dimensional
  • Underwater Acoustics
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers