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An eddy-permitting model of the Atlantic circulation: evaluating open boundary conditions

An eddy-permitting model of the Atlantic circulation: evaluating open boundary conditions
An eddy-permitting model of the Atlantic circulation: evaluating open boundary conditions
As part of the French CLIPPER project, an eddy permitting model of the Atlantic circulation has been run for 22 years. The domain has open boundaries at Drake passage and at 30°E, from Africa to Antarctica. The simulated mean circulation, as well as the eddy activity, is satisfactory for a 1/3° model resolution, and the meridional heat transport at 30°S is within the range estimated from observations. We use the “mixed” open boundary algorithm of Barnier et al. [1998], which has both a radiation condition and a relaxation to climatology. The climatological boundary forcing strongly constrains the solution in the whole domain. The model heat balance adjusts through the surface (heat flux retroaction term) more than the open boundaries. The radiation phase velocities calculated within the algorithm are analyzed. This shows, quite surprisingly, that both the eastern and western boundaries have a similar behavior, regardless of the preferred directions for advection (mainly eastward) and wave propagation (mainly westward). Our results confirm that open boundary algorithms behave differently according to the dynamics of the region considered. The passive boundary condition that Penduff et al. [2000] applied successfully in the north eastern Atlantic does not work in the present South Atlantic model. We emphasize the need for a careful prescription of the climatology at the open boundary, for which a new approach based on synoptic sections is implemented.
0148-0227
22115-22129
Treguier, A.M.
bb921a5f-42da-4c8c-9d0b-1af3b5254a33
Barnier, B.
0179fa7c-ed1b-45df-9e81-5a959268d99b
de Miranda, A.P.
294e8789-601e-462b-ade5-4168b08131ff
Molines, J.M.
d3ef07f2-dd14-433f-9ef2-d16a9f1a0d60
Grima, N.
0d135ffa-e58f-448c-a925-4a924bae7aeb
Imbard, M.
5e82b2b4-c370-4335-bfe7-ab321573cdd4
Madec, G.
7e2ec04b-896a-4861-b2d0-b74f39d748c2
Messager, C.
6574a8e7-97d5-4fd3-ad3e-d79ec5a5c1fb
Reynaud, T.
52556565-5dc4-4bed-aaab-82c516d03dd8
Michel, S.
c71eb11e-322d-4ff3-99b7-fe8c7f0674f8
Treguier, A.M.
bb921a5f-42da-4c8c-9d0b-1af3b5254a33
Barnier, B.
0179fa7c-ed1b-45df-9e81-5a959268d99b
de Miranda, A.P.
294e8789-601e-462b-ade5-4168b08131ff
Molines, J.M.
d3ef07f2-dd14-433f-9ef2-d16a9f1a0d60
Grima, N.
0d135ffa-e58f-448c-a925-4a924bae7aeb
Imbard, M.
5e82b2b4-c370-4335-bfe7-ab321573cdd4
Madec, G.
7e2ec04b-896a-4861-b2d0-b74f39d748c2
Messager, C.
6574a8e7-97d5-4fd3-ad3e-d79ec5a5c1fb
Reynaud, T.
52556565-5dc4-4bed-aaab-82c516d03dd8
Michel, S.
c71eb11e-322d-4ff3-99b7-fe8c7f0674f8

Treguier, A.M., Barnier, B., de Miranda, A.P., Molines, J.M., Grima, N., Imbard, M., Madec, G., Messager, C., Reynaud, T. and Michel, S. (2001) An eddy-permitting model of the Atlantic circulation: evaluating open boundary conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106 (C10), 22115-22129.

Record type: Article

Abstract

As part of the French CLIPPER project, an eddy permitting model of the Atlantic circulation has been run for 22 years. The domain has open boundaries at Drake passage and at 30°E, from Africa to Antarctica. The simulated mean circulation, as well as the eddy activity, is satisfactory for a 1/3° model resolution, and the meridional heat transport at 30°S is within the range estimated from observations. We use the “mixed” open boundary algorithm of Barnier et al. [1998], which has both a radiation condition and a relaxation to climatology. The climatological boundary forcing strongly constrains the solution in the whole domain. The model heat balance adjusts through the surface (heat flux retroaction term) more than the open boundaries. The radiation phase velocities calculated within the algorithm are analyzed. This shows, quite surprisingly, that both the eastern and western boundaries have a similar behavior, regardless of the preferred directions for advection (mainly eastward) and wave propagation (mainly westward). Our results confirm that open boundary algorithms behave differently according to the dynamics of the region considered. The passive boundary condition that Penduff et al. [2000] applied successfully in the north eastern Atlantic does not work in the present South Atlantic model. We emphasize the need for a careful prescription of the climatology at the open boundary, for which a new approach based on synoptic sections is implemented.

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Published date: 2001

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 64837
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/64837
ISSN: 0148-0227
PURE UUID: b9747064-2f5f-40f0-9226-a7e24529d006

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Date deposited: 16 Jan 2009
Last modified: 08 Jan 2022 19:08

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Contributors

Author: A.M. Treguier
Author: B. Barnier
Author: A.P. de Miranda
Author: J.M. Molines
Author: N. Grima
Author: M. Imbard
Author: G. Madec
Author: C. Messager
Author: T. Reynaud
Author: S. Michel

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