Realistic representation of the surface freshwater flux in an ice–ocean general circulation model
(2001) Ocean Modelling — Vol. 3, p. 95-108 (2001)
Files
2001_Tartinville_et_al_OM.pdf
Restricted Access - Adobe PDF
- 295.03 KB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Ocean general circulation models usually use an equivalent salt-flux in order to represent the freshwater surface inflow/outflow. This unphysical approach has numerous shortcomings, especially for climate studies. A more physical representation has been originally proposed by R.X. Huang [Journal of Physical Oceanography 23 (1993) 2428-2446] for ocean models. It consists in taking into account the vertical velocity at the sea surface. Here this formulation is introduced in a coupled ice-ocean general circulation model designed for climate studies. The treatment of the ice-ocean exchanges needs special care in order to conserve salt and freshwater masses, and to correctly represent the physics involved. This formulation allows to simulate the Goldsbrough-Stommel circulation and the meridional pathway of the freshwater at the ocean surface. Furthermore, the meridional freshwater transport diagnosed using such an approach is more directly comparable to the atmospheric water-vapor transport. Nevertheless, it produces only small changes in the ocean general circulation
- Affiliations
Citations
Tartinville, B., Campin, J.-M., Fichefet, T., & Goosse, H. (2001). Realistic representation of the surface freshwater flux in an ice–ocean general circulation model. Ocean Modelling, 3, 95-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1463-5003(01)00003-8 (Original work published 2001)