T. Aukrust et Jm. Oberhuber, MODELING OF THE GREENLAND, ICELAND, AND NORWEGIAN SEAS WITH A COUPLEDSEA-ICE MIXED-LAYER ISOPYCNIC OCEAN MODEL, J GEO RES-O, 100(C3), 1995, pp. 4771-4789
A coupled sea ice - mixed layer - isopycnal ocean model is used to sim
ulate the circulation in the Greenland, Iceland, and Norwegian (GIN) S
eas. The model domain consists of the North Atlantic, including the GI
N Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is bounded meridionally
at about 10 degrees S, and in the Arctic the Bering Strait is closed.
In order to obtain sufficient resolution of the current system in the
GIN Sea, the horizontal resolution increases from 2 degrees x 2 degre
es near the equator and in the Pacific sector of the Arctic to less th
an 30 km x 30 km in the GIN Sea. As initial conditions, observed annua
l mean temperature and salinity are used. The surface-forcing fields a
re determined from monthly mean atmospheric quantities. The surface sa
linity is prescribed (with a weak Newtonian relaxation coupling) as an
annual mean. Except for the deep ocean, the GIN Sea adjusts to its ow
n physics after a few years. Longer timescales are introduced owing to
the interactions with the North Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans. The s
alinity in the GIN Sea has become slightly lower than the initial data
. The general convection depth is consistent with observations during
the 1980s; Ice fluxes and the fluxes in the upper ocean are consistent
with previous estimates. The outflow of intermediate and deep water i
nto the North Atlantic is underestimated. However, the model reproduce
s the main features of the ice-ocean circulation in the GIN Sea and th
e adjacent basins.