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| Lobe Dynamics [2 of 3] |
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For
example, we are able to give a detailed description of the "geometrical
alleyways" followed by a particle trajectory that starts in the northern
gyre, moves downwards along the western boundary current, transfers to the
southern gyre, makes a clockwise journey around the southern gyre, moves
upwards along the western boundary current, and then transfers back to the
northern gyre.
Moreover, since these stable and unstable manifolds are the mediators of intergyre transport, the role of eddies in intergyre transport can also be analyzed. In particular, we are able to study the formation and kinematics of ring structures and determine their role in intergyre transport. For our working model we use a three-layer, eddy-resolving general circulation model. This model uses the quasi-geostrophic approximation in the context of a b-plane (f = f0 + by) ocean modeled as three discrete isopycnal layers, each of mean layer thickness and constant density. |
