Parameter sensitivity study of the saline circulation

Saline circulation forced by fresh water alone is studied for a broad region of parameter space by varying the amplitude and profile of evaporation minus precipitation, the vertical and horizontal mixing of salt, vertical and horizontal dissipation of momentum, and the horizontal resolution. The mod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climate dynamics 1994-06, Vol.9 (8), p.391-409
Main Authors: Xin Huang, Rui, Ling Chou, Ru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Marine
Physics of the oceans
Thermohaline structure and circulation. Turbulence and diffusion
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Summary:Saline circulation forced by fresh water alone is studied for a broad region of parameter space by varying the amplitude and profile of evaporation minus precipitation, the vertical and horizontal mixing of salt, vertical and horizontal dissipation of momentum, and the horizontal resolution. The model is a modified Bryan-Cox model with a freshwater flux as the natural boundary condition for the salinity balance. One set of numerical experiments forced by a cosine shape of freshwater flux reveals the transition from a state of single period oscillation to period doubling, period quadrupling, and a state of chaotic oscillation. Simple scaling analysis and numerical experiments indicate that the strength of the meridional overturning increases with the square-root of the vertical mixing and the one fourth power of the freshwater flux. The mean sea surface salinity (deviation from 35 psu) increases with the 3/4 power of the freshwater flux and decreases with the one half power of the vertical salt mixing.
ISSN:0930-7575
1432-0894
DOI:10.1007/BF00207934