Reduced gravity and two-layer numerical models have been used to study the circulation in the westernmost basin of the Mediterranean Sea, the Alboran Sea. Circulation is forced by flow through a 20 km wide port in the western boundary representing the Strait of Gibraltar. / The reduced gravity model domain is a rectangle measuring 600 km x 160 km with 10km x 5 km grid resolution. When forced by an eastward or northeastward inflow, the model solutions evolve to a steady state which exhibits a meandering current. The first meander of the current forms the northern boundary of an anticyclonic gyre. Horizontal dimensions of the gyre are strongly dependent up on the inflow angle, vorticity associated with the incoming current, magnitude of the incoming transport and the north-south extent of the basin. The meandering current is considered a standing Rossby wave with a highly distorted vorticity trajectory due to the interaction of the current with the northern and southern boundaries. When velocity (transport) is increased, the wavelength increases approximately as SQRT.(v). As a result the anticyclonic gyre shifts east as velocity increases and west as velocity decreases. These solutions show that bottom topography, winds and coastline features are not necessary mechanisms for the formation of the gyre. / Two-layer model solutions were obtained using realistic topography, geometry and a westward moving lower layer. The addition of the lower layer flow and topography slightly distorted the circulation in the upper layer, particularly in the southern half of the basin. With topography included, the lower layer flow followed a path similar to that observed for the Mediterranean Deep Water. When topography was removed, the flow followed the path taken by the Levantine Intermediate Water. / Experiments using climatological wind to force the model show that a strong wind driven circulation from the Balearic Sea causes cyclonic circulation to form in the location of the Alboran gyre. This cyclonic circulation, however, is very weak and when combined with the Atlantic water inflow serves only to slightly weaken the anticyclonic gyre. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-02, Section: B, page: 0458. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75513 |
| Contributors | PRELLER, RUTH HELEN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 139 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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