(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2008-09)
Sugimura, Peter Joseph
The mid-to-deep Arctic Ocean is generally characterized by a cyclonic circulation,
contained along shelves and ridges. Here we analyze the general Arctic circulation
using an idealized numerical model consisting of a circular basin with two channels
acting as inflow and outflow. We analyze the circulation (direction, strength and
sensitivity) for wind forcing with and without bathymetry (ridges), and with and
without stratification. We find that the circulation is modified drastically by both
bathymetry and wind direction, where an altered wind field can change both the
direction of the horizontal basin circulation as well as the strength of the inflow
and outflow. The idealized circulations imply that the Arctic circulation, and the
associated export of freshwater, can easily switch states in a changing climate.
