Maintenance of the Arctic Ocean large-scale baroclinic structure by the M2 tide

Abstract

A three-dimensional structure of the M2 tidal currents has been reproduced by mathematical modelling. The possibility of energy transfer from the tidal barotropic motion to large-scale baroclinic circulation of the Arctic Ocean has been estimated. It has been shown that the bottom relief plays an important role in the formation of the large-scale pattern of the baroclinic fields. The hypothesis has been proposed that the M2 tide may support the near-slope convection of the East-Siberian and Laptev seas. Polar Research13 (2), 219–232