The largescale time mean ocean circulation in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean estimated from simpli

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The large-scale time mean ocean circulation in
the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean estimated from
simplified dynamics

• Ole Anders Nøst
• and
• Pål Erik Isachsen
• Norwegian Polar Institute

Journal of Marine Research, 61, 175-210, 2003
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Topography (colours) and f/H contours for the
Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean. Note that of
the f/H contours plotted in this figure only
three extend into the North Atlantic. The others
are closed within the Nordic Seas and Arctic
Ocean.
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The dynamics within closed f/H contours
Example Forcing is constant in space 10-6 m/s.
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Resulting bottom geostrophic velocities
The subgyre recirculations in the Nordic Seas,
and the Canadian and Eurasian basins as well as
the Norwegian Atlantic Current, the East
Greenland Current and the Arctic Circumpolar
Boundary Current seems to be well reproduced by
the model.
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Resulting bottom geostrophic velocities for the
Nordic Seas together with near bottom current
measurements (red arrows)
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Comparison between model and drifter
data. Surface geostrophic velocities estimated by
adding the geostrophic shear (from hydrographic
data) to the modelled bottom velocities shown in
the left figure. Velocity field from surface
drifters (Jakobsen et al., 2003) in the right
figure.
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Comparison between modelled bottom geostrophic
velosities in the Arctic Ocean with near bottom
current measurements (red arrows) and Aagaards
(1989) synthesis of the Arctic Ocean circulation.
Figure to the right is from Aagaard (1989).
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Dynamics of the baroclinic currents