Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-255). / The Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) is used to systematically investigate equilibrium conditions and seasonal variations of the Benguela system, including both the large-scale flow regime as well as the coastal upswelling regime. A shelf-edge poleward flow exists in the northern Benguela region and is driven primarily by the wind-stress curl via the Sverdup relation. As such, it is strongly seasonal and is most intense during spring and summer when the wind-stress curl is most negative. The poleward flow deepens as it moves southward and between 25-27° much of it veers offshore due to the nature of of the wind-stress curl. In the mean state, the Benguela Current is characterized by two streams: the more inshore stream is topographically controlled and follows the run of the shelf-edge. The offshore stream is driven by nonlinear reactions of passing Aghulas rings and eddies and does not have a striking seasonal signal. The model simulates all seven of the major upswelling cells within its domain.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/12153 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Veitch, Jennifer Anne |
| Contributors | Shillington, Frank, Penven, Pierrick |
| Publisher | University of Cape Town, Faculty of Science, Department of Oceanography |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, Doctoral, PhD |
| Format | application/pdf |
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