Last update : Thursday, 18. July 1996
by Thomas Pohlmann 1996
(Institut für Meereskunde Hamburg; Troplowitzstr. 7; D-22529 Hamburg; Germany; e-mail : pohlmann@ifm.uni-hamburg.de)
Results of a three dimensional model are presented, that allows the prognostic simulation of the temperature in the North Sea. A second order closure scheme to determine the vertical eddy diffusion and eddy viscosity was applied for the surface and bottom mixed layer. The simulations were carried out with a time step of 20 minutes
The boundary conditions are climatological salinity distributions and three hourly surface wind stress and air pressure fields. At the sea surface observed temperatures are prescribed (Dirichlet's boundary condition). They contain the effect of all components determining the heat flux in the surface layer. This includes besides all advective and diffusive heat fluxes in the surface layer also the net-heat flux through the sea surface. By this means it is possible to circumvent the uncertainties in the determination of the heat flux through the interface atmosphere-sea.
A calibration and verification of the model has been carried out by comparing the model results first with a time series of actual temperature profiles and second with a climatological monthly mean of the bottom water temperature.
Pohlmann, T. 1996: "Predicting the Thermocline in a circulation model of the North Sea --Part I: Model Description, Calibration and Verification". Continental Shelf Research, 16, pp. 131-146.
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