A magnetic fluid laboratory model of the global buoyancy and wind-driven ocean circulation: Experiments

Abstract

Experiments using ferrofluid, magnetically attached to a horizontal cylinder rotating about a vertical axis through its center-point, demonstrate that this system is capable of simulating important aspects of ocean basin circulations. In this note, westward intensification and the generation of thermal wind jets are illustrated, and examples with both thermal and mechanical forcing are given. Axially periodic anomalies in the magnetic field are reflected in the observations, in qualitative agreement with theory, and this suggests further refinement of the parameters of the experiment, such as increasing the magnetic fluid's saturation magnetization. As is, the experiment shows promise as an effective demonstration of some of the basic ideas of physical oceanography.