A time-dependent baroclinic model on NEC bifurcation

作者：Wang Fujun; Hu Dunxin^*

来源：Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2012, 30(1): 186-191.

DOI：10.1007/s00343-012-1213-9

• North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation
• time-dependent
• baroclinic

As it is well-known, the North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcates into the Kuroshio flowing northward and the equatorward Mindanao Current, which is well depicted by Munk's theory in 1950 in terms of its climatology. However, Munk's theory is unable to tell the NEC bifurcation variability with time. In the present paper, a time-dependent baroclinic model forced by wind, in which temporal and baroclinic terms are added to Munk's equation, is proposed to examine the seasonal variability of the NEC bifurcation latitude. An analytical solution is obtained, with which the seasonal variability can be well described: NEC bifurcation reaches its northernmost position in December and its southernmost position in June with a range of about 1 degrees in latitude, consistent with previous results with observations. The present solution will degenerate to Munk's one in the case of steady and barotropic state.

• 出版日期2012-1
• 单位中国科学院海洋研究所