THE DEFLECTION AND DIVISION OF AN OCEANIC BAROCLINIC JET BY A COASTALBOUNDARY - A CASE-STUDY IN THE ALBORAN SEA

An oceanic baroclinic jet impinging on a coastal boundary represents a particular type of ocean-coast interaction. This specific oceanograph ic phenomenon is an example of the stagnation in line flows occurring in fluid dynamics with three additional features: rotation, stratifica tion, and a sloping boundary. In this study the authors describe the d ensity, vorticity, and deformation characteristics of an oceanic jet i mpinging on a sloping boundary. The case study corresponds to the impi nging process of the Atlantic jet at the African coast (Alboran Sea). In the impinging region, the acceleration field is divergent related t o the fact that the magnitude of the deformation is larger than the ma gnitude of the rotation. It is also found that the stagnation streamsu rface does not lie in a vertical plane but tilts in the opposite direc tion to the tilt of the isopycnals. The how upstream of the stagnation point is characterized by backing, speed convergence, diffluence, and negative streamwise vorticity. The flow past the stagnation point is characterized by veering, speed divergence, confluence, and positive s treamwise vorticity. The current can only be considered irrotational i n a narrow part of the impinging region.