Passive tracers in a general circulation model of the Southern Ocean

Passive tracers are used in an off-line version of the United Kingdom Fine Resolution Antarctic Model (FRAM) to highlight features of the circulation and provide information on the inter-ocean exchange of water masses. The use of passive tracers allows a picture to be built up of the deep circulatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annales Geophysicae
Main Authors: I. G. Stevens, D. P. Stevens
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 1999
Subjects:
Science
Q
Physics
QC1-999
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Antarctic
Southern Ocean
Antarc*
North Atlantic Deep Water
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00585-999-0971-y
https://doaj.org/article/e0389317b18740ae93ea33988a25daac
Description
Summary:Passive tracers are used in an off-line version of the United Kingdom Fine Resolution Antarctic Model (FRAM) to highlight features of the circulation and provide information on the inter-ocean exchange of water masses. The use of passive tracers allows a picture to be built up of the deep circulation which is not readily apparent from examination of the velocity or density fields. Comparison of observations with FRAM results gives good agreement for many features of the Southern Ocean circulation. Tracer distributions are consistent with the concept of a global "conveyor belt" with a return path via the Agulhas retroflection region for the replenishment of North Atlantic Deep Water. Key words. Oceanography: general (numerical modeling; water masses) · Oceanography: physical (general circulation)

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