Journal of
Oceanography and Marine Science

  • Abbreviation: J. Oceanogr. Mar. Sci.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2294
  • DOI: 10.5897/JOMS
  • Start Year: 2010
  • Published Articles: 62

Full Length Research Paper

Impacts of surface wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing on the upper ocean circulation

Zengan Deng1,2*, Guijun Han1,2, Xuefeng Zhang1,2 and Kejian Wu3
1Key Lab of Marine Environmental Information Technology, SOA, Tianjin 300171, China.  2National Marine Data and Information Service, Tianjin 300171, China.  3Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.   
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 09 April 2011
  •  Published: 30 April 2011

Abstract

Using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), six experiments configured for three different domains: Global Ocean, South China Sea (SCS) and Western North Atlantic Ocean (WNA), are designed to investigate the effects of wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing (CSF) on ocean surface phenomena including circulation, temperature and mixing processes. CSF calculated using wave parameters simulated by the WaveWatch III (WW3) model, which is used as a part of the driving force for HYCOM. The results indicated that: 1) CSF does not fundamentally change the circulation pattern in the upper ocean mixed-layer (ML), 2) over most of the global ocean, the direction of Stokes transports (TS) is different from that of the changes in depth-integrated current transports (Tc) caused by CSF, 3) the monthly-mean TcD in the ML varies from month to month in both direction and magnitude, and the CSF plays a more significant role in regions of intensive gyre, such as the area near Yucatan Channel, than in regions of weak currents, 4) both Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Mixed-Layer Depth (MLD) are noticeably influenced by the CSF. 
 
Key words: Coriolis-Stokes forcing, upper ocean mixed layer, currents, stokes transport.