Premium
Influence of assimilated eddies on the large‐scale circulation in a model of the northwest Atlantic Ocean
Author(s) -
Greatbatch Richard J.,
Zhai Xiaoming
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl025139
Subject(s) - ocean gyre , eddy , circulation (fluid dynamics) , geology , climatology , ridge , ocean current , gulf stream , oceanography , general circulation model , scale (ratio) , meteorology , geography , climate change , turbulence , subtropics , mechanics , physics , paleontology , fishery , biology , cartography
In this letter, we apply a novel technique (the “semidiagnostic method”) to assimilate the eddy field from a model with constrained large‐scale circulation into a model version with an unconstrained large‐scale circulation. Assimilation of the eddies (i) drives an anomalous circulation corresponding to the northern recirculation gyre of the Gulf Stream, but of insufficient strength to appear in the mean field and (ii) leads to a much enhanced circulation in the northwest corner, east of Newfoundland. We argue that the blocking of f/H contours from the east by the mid‐Atlantic Ridge is a major influence on the dynamics of the northwest corner, and that the dynamics of the eddy‐driven northern recirculation and the northwest corner are fundamentally similar.