The Entrainment and Homogenization of Tracers within the Cyclonic Gulf Stream Recirculation Gyre.

The distributions of tracer associated with the Northern Recirculation Gyre of the Gulf Stream (NRG) are studied to try to obtain information about the flow. An advective-diffusive numerical model is used whose streamlines consist of a gyre situated alongside a boundary current which inputs tracer i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pickart,Robert S
Other Authors: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION MA
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1987
Subjects:
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
Fluid Mechanics
*OCEAN CURRENTS
*GULF STREAM
*EDDIES(FLUID MECHANICS)
BOUNDARIES
COUPLING(INTERACTION)
MODELS
DEEP OCEANS
FLUORINATED HYDROCARBONS
RECIRCULATION
OXYGEN
COMPARISON
CYCLONES
FLOW
NORTH(DIRECTION)
ADVECTION
DIFFUSIVITY
OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ENTRAINMENT
HOMOGENEITY
TRACER STUDIES
WATER FLOW
SEA WATER
NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
SALINITY
THESES
STEADY STATE
MIXING
VERTICAL ORIENTATION
Cyclonic recirculation gyres
Freon
NRG(North Recirculation Gyres)
Deep Western Boundary Current
Ocean circulation
Gyre circulation
WUNR083400
WUNR083004
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA182341
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA182341
Description
Summary:The distributions of tracer associated with the Northern Recirculation Gyre of the Gulf Stream (NRG) are studied to try to obtain information about the flow. An advective-diffusive numerical model is used whose streamlines consist of a gyre situated alongside a boundary current which inputs tracer into the domain. This is meant to simulate the lateral transfer of properties from the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) to the NRG. Tracer is entrained into the model gyre as a plume which spirals across the streamlines, the characteristics of which depend on the flow parameters. Homogenization occurs at steady state, consistent with recently collected tracer data. The presence of vertical mixing is considered in an attempt to explain a difference between salinity and oxygen observed in the data. Comparison of the model results to the oxygen data is favorable, and leads to an estimate of the lateral and vertical diffusivity. The time dependent nature of freon is addressed using a coupled model of the deep water overflow process, advection-mixing in the DWBC, and subsequent entrainment into the NRG. Comparison with the data shows that very little freon has accumulated in the NRG, and that these processes effect the freon-11:freon-12 ratio as well. Keywords: Gulf Stream recirculation. (Theses). Prepared in cooperation with Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, Contract N00014-85-C-0001 and Grant NSF-OCE82-14925.

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