NUMERICAL STUDY OF BAROTROPIC AND BAROCLINIC BEHAVIOR OF A NONLINEAR 2-LAYER MODEL

The fluid motion in a strongly stratified lake can be described by a s et of nonlinear dispersive partial differential equations derived from the equations of motion. These model equations are solved numerically by an implicit finite difference scheme. Variable topography and the influence of the free surface are taken into account as well as nonlin ear and dispersive terms. The numerical solutions that a re obtained a re stable and in good agreement with experimental results. In the cas e of wind forcing, they show the typical transition from barotropic to baroclinic motion. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.