An Analytic Model of Observed Small Scale Baroclinic Currents in the Arctic Ocean.

• Main Author: Itkin,Richard Ivan
• Other Authors: NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1973
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; (*Ocean currents; *Arctic Ocean); Mathematical models; Convection; Stratification; Pressure; Density; Sea ice; Salinity; Boundary value problems; Theses; Baroclinicity; Boussinesq equations; Arctic; Arctic Ocean
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0769407; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0769407

An analytic model is developed of baroclinic currents measured by several investigators under the Arctic Ocean ice cover. A time-dependent, Boussinesq, quasi-geostrophic vorticity equation is developed to describe the flow. Separable normal mode solutions are found which show stationary current patterns qualitatively consistent with observed data. An initial value problem is then formulated using density perturbations at a newly forming lead as a forcing function. (Author)