Modeling the coupled ocean-katabatic wind systems of the Antarctic

Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Antarctic Journal of the United States

OSTI ID:181802

McNider, R T; Goodrick, S L ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville, AL (United States)

The wind stress distribution along the periphery of the antarctic continent is like no other place on Earth. A large easterly component near the coast is evidently attributable to the geostrophic adjustment of the katabatic winds driven by the cold antarctic plateau. The large curl between these topographically driven easterlies and the strong Southern Hemispheric westerlies may have a significant role in the upwelling and associated biological productivity of the southern oceans. The direct downslope databatic flows and their alongshore adjustment may have also have significance to polynya development, bottom-water formation, and the maintenance of the coastal currents including the East Wind Drift. This paper reports on preliminary model studies of the coupling between antarctic katabatic flows and the coastal ocean. Although considerable past work in coupling large-scale and low-order ocean/atmosphere models has been done, relatively less work on coupling true mesoscale multidimensional models containing high-resolution boundary layers has been under taken. The following describes a coupled atmosphere/ocean model which has been developed by McNider from the frameworks of a mesoscale atmospheric model and a coastal ocean model. 9 refs., 3 figs.

• OSTI ID: 181802
• Journal Information: Antarctic Journal of the United States, Journal Name: Antarctic Journal of the United States Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 29; ISSN AJUSAF; ISSN 0003-5335
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANTARCTICA
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
BOUNDARY LAYERS
COASTAL REGIONS
COUPLING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OCEANIC CIRCULATION
WIND