A Numerical Investigation of the Dynamics of the Subsurface Countercurrents

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

OCE-0241871 Subsurface Counter Currents (SSCs) are narrow currents that flow eastward along the poleward edges of equatorial thermocline waters in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Recent theoretical studies have suggested several different mechanisms to describe their dynamics. The project will use numerical investigations to explore these different hypotheses and to explore how sensitive the currents are to mixing parameterizations within general circulation models of the ocean. SSCs are major components of the tropical ocean circulation and may form a branch of the meridional overturning circulation. Therefore, an understanding of their dynamics and their variability will aid our understanding of climate variability. An exploration of how best to simulate them in ocean circulation models will aid in climate prediction.