A Two-Level Model for the Wind- and Buoyancy-forced Circulation

Abstract

The classic theory of deep circulation by Stommel and Arons is extended to a two-level model. Instead of specifying the interfacial upwelling a priori, it is calculated as part of the solution. The model shows strong upwelling along the southern and eastern boundaries, while the upwelling in the interior ocean is much weaker. With a medium rate of Ekman pumping, the basin is separated into western and eastern regions by critical characteristics. It is shown that across the boundary between the different regions temperature and velocity are continuous, but vorticity (or some higher-order quantity) is discontinuous.