THE GOLDSBROUGH-STOMMEL CIRCULATION OF THE WORLD OCEANS

Goldsbrough first showed how the mass flux at the ocean surface due to the difference between evaporation and precipitation could induce bar otropic flow in the ocean interior through the requirement of vorticit y conservation. Stommel proposed to close this circulation by adding t he western boundary currents. Here, a first-order description of the G oldsbrough-Stommel circulation for the world oceans is presented, usin g available climatologies. While such flows are an order of magnitude smaller than the wind-driven circulation, the interaction between the Goldsbrough-Stommel gyres and the wind-driven and thermally driven cir culation determines the salinity distribution of the world oceans. The refore, it is important to study the Goldsbrough-Stommel circulation a nd its interaction with motions driven by other forcings. In addition, the western boundary currents required to close the Goldsbrough inter ior and to satisfy interbasin mass transport can be substantial. In th e Atlantic the southward western boundary current reaches two Sverdrup s (Sv = 10(6) m3 s-1) at 35-degrees-N. It is suggested that this adver se current causes a southward shift in the separation point of the Gul f Stream; a simple model indicates that the displacement is about 75 k m.