Numerical Modeling Studies of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea Using theBryan-Cox Model

摘要

A numerical model of the Gulf Stream formation region has been developed, basedon the Bryan-Cox-Semtner, or 'GFDL,' primitive equation formulation. It is fully nonlinear with 12 levels and has realistic topography in each level. It includes the western north Atlantic from the mid-Atlantic ridge into the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the east coast of the United States to Cape Hatteras. A new feature of the model is the manner of forcing along the boundary. The vertical shear is set by the historical (observed) mean density field at the eastern boundary, and the total transport by the curl of the wind stress, extending previous work of Holland. The model was initialized with the mean density field and is forced by mean winds. The following seven years of model runs are the basis of the work reported here, when the model appears to have reached statistical equilibrium and the flow in the Straits of Florida is no longer increasing.