On the Dynamics of the Slope Current System Along the West European Margin. Part I: Analytical Calculations and Numerical Simulations With Steady-State Forcing. - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Physical Oceanography Année : 2008

On the Dynamics of the Slope Current System Along the West European Margin. Part I: Analytical Calculations and Numerical Simulations With Steady-State Forcing.

Résumé

The dynamics of the baroclinic slope current system along the western European margin in the Bay of Biscay and along the northern Iberian Peninsula are investigated in two different models, one analytical and one numerical. We investigate here the hypothesis that the steady-state slope current system is driven by the large-scale meridional density gradients. An analysis of the observed density fields evidences a 4-layer structure with meridional gradients of alternate signs, which is also found in the numerical model. The linear analytical model of the continental margin shows that such a density structure is enough to obtain a steady-state 4-layer slope current system comparable to the observed annual mean circulation. The slope currents result from a balance between bottom friction and meridional density gradients. The numerical simulation with an Ocean General Circulation Model forced only by the large-scale density gradients at the lateral boundaries presents a 4-layer slope current system similar to the circulation obtained in the analytical model. The study confirms that the large-scale meridional density gradients are the main driving mechanism for the steady-state slope current system; the large seasonality of these currents, however, requires a more extended model that is discussed in a companion paper.

Dates et versions

hal-00308914 , version 1 (04-08-2008)

Identifiants

Citer

Yann Friocourt, Sybren Drijfhout, Bruno Blanke. On the Dynamics of the Slope Current System Along the West European Margin. Part I: Analytical Calculations and Numerical Simulations With Steady-State Forcing.. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2008, 38 (12), pp.2597-2618. ⟨10.1175/2008JPO3744.1⟩. ⟨hal-00308914⟩
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