Two-dimensional, primitive equation model studies of wind-forced flow over a continental shelf Show that, under upwelling conditions, high levels of near-inertial wave energy are found in the interior over the shelf. The regions of elevated wave energy, with maximum wave amplitudes of around ±0.2 m s⁻¹, persist for up to...
Sixty-day simulations of flow on the Oregon continental shelf are performed using the Blumberg and Mellor sigma coordinate, primitive equation model. The model is two-dimensional (an across-shelf section) with high spatial resolution and realistic shelf topography. Forcing consists of surface heat flux, either hourly or low-pass filtered wind stress, and...
Time-dependent upwelling on the Oregon continental shelf is studied with a two-dimensional approximation, that is, spatial variations across-shelf and with depth, using the Blumberg–Mellor, finite-difference, stratified, primitive equation model. The time-dependent response of a coastal ocean at rest to constant, upwelling favorable, wind stress is examined. Topography and stratification representative...
There is a software gap in parallel processing. The short lifespan and small installation base of parallel architectures have made it economically infeasible to develop platform-specific parallel programming environments that deliver performance and programmability. One obvious solution is to build architecture-independent programming environments. But the architecture independence usually comes at...
Influences of tidal and slower (subtidal) oceanic flows over the continental shelf and slope off Oregon are studied using a high-resolution ocean circulation model and comparative model-data analyses. The model is based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), a fully nonlinear, three-dimensional model (using hydrostatic and Boussinesq approximations). The...
A 1-km-horizontal-resolution model based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System is implemented along the Oregon coast to study average characteristics and intermittency of the M₂ internal tide during summer upwelling. Wind-driven and tidally driven flows are simulated in combination, using realistic bathymetry, atmospheric forcing, and boundary conditions. The study period...
A primitive equation model is used to study the finite-amplitude evolution of instabilities associated with the coastal upwelling front. Simulations of increasing complexity are examined that represent idealizations of summer conditions off the Oregon coast, including cases with steady and with time-variable wind in a domain with alongshore-uniform bathymetry and...
This study examines how coastal banks influence wind-driven circulation along stratified continental shelves. Numerical experiments are conducted for idealized symmetric banks; the standard bank (200 km long and 50 km wide) has dimensions similar to the Heceta Bank complex along the Oregon shelf. Model runs are forced with 10 days...
Internal tides on the continental shelf can be intermittent as a result of changing hydrographic conditions
associated with wind-driven upwelling. In turn, the internal tide can affect transports associated with upwelling.
To study these processes, simulations in an idealized, alongshore uniform setup are performed utilizing
the hydrostatic Regional Ocean Modeling...
A fluorescent dye tracer was injected into the
pycnocline on the Oregon shelf at a depth of 9–10 m. It
spread rapidly cross-shelf as two distinct layers, one above
the other in the water column, split by interleaving dye-free
water. The vertical scale of these layers, and associated
density steps,...