Accurate and Computationally Efficient Algorithms for Potential Temperature and Density of Seawater

Abstract

Abstract An equation of state for seawater is presented that contains 25 terms and is an excellent fit to the Feistel and Hagen equation of state. It is written in terms of potential temperature (rather than in situ temperature), as required for efficient ocean model integrations. The maximum density error of the fit is 3 × 10–3 kg m–3 in the oceanographic ranges of temperature, salinity, and pressure. The corresponding maximum error in the thermal expansion coefficient is 4 × 10–7 °C–1, which is a factor of 12 less than the corresponding maximum difference between the Feistel and Hagen equation of state and the widely used but less accurate international equation of state. A method is presented to convert between potential temperature and in situ temperature using specific entropy based on the Gibbs function of Feistel and Hagen. The resulting values of potential temperature are substantially more accurate than those based on the lapse rate derived from the international equation of state.