Production and analysis of a Southern Ocean state estimate
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1282Location
Southern OceanDOI
10.1575/1912/1282Keyword
Ocean circulationAbstract
A modern general circulation model of the Southern Ocean with one-sixth of a degree
resolution is optimized to the observed ocean in a weighted least squares sense. Convergence toward the state estimate solution is carried out by systematically adjusting the control variables (prescribed atmospheric state, initial conditions, and open northern boundary at 24.7°S) using the adjoint method. A cost function compares
the model state to data from CTD synoptic sections, hydrographic climatology, satellite
altimetry, and XBTs. Costs attributed to control variable perturbations ensure
a physically realistic solution. An optimized solution is determined by the weights
placed on the cost function terms. The state estimation procedure, along with the
weights used, is described. A significant result is that the adjoint method is shown to
work at eddy-permitting resolution in the highly-energetic Southern Ocean. At the
time of the writing of this thesis the state estimate was not fully consistent with the
observations. An analysis of the remaining misfit, as well as the mass transport in
the preliminary state, is presented.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Physical Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2006
Collections
Suggested Citation
Thesis: Mazloff, Matthew R., "Production and analysis of a Southern Ocean state estimate", 2006-09, DOI:10.1575/1912/1282, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1282Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Understanding the ocean carbon and sulfur cycles in the context of a variable ocean : a study of anthropogenic carbon storage and dimethylsulfide production in the Atlantic Ocean
Levine, Naomi M. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2010-02)Anthropogenic activity is rapidly changing the global climate through the emission of carbon dioxide. Ocean carbon and sulfur cycles have the potential to impact global climate directly and through feedback loops. Numerical ... -
Near-inertial and thermal upper ocean response to atmospheric forcing in the North Atlantic Ocean
Silverthorne, Katherine E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2010-06)Observational and modeling techniques are employed to investigate the thermal and inertial upper ocean response to wind and buoyancy forcing in the North Atlantic Ocean. First, the seasonal kinetic energy variability of ... -
A study of ocean wave statistical properties using nonlinear, directional, phase-resolved ocean wave-field simulations
Henry, Legena Albertha (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2010-02)In the present work, we study the statistics of wavefields obtained from non-linear phase-resolved simulations. The numerical model used to generate the waves models wave-wave interactions based on the fully non-linear ...