Nonlinear dynamical analysis of bifurcation and confluence of the Pacific western boundary currents

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the bifurcation and the confluence of the Pacific western boundary currents by an analytical approach. Applying the conservation law, the geostrophic balance relation and the Bernoulli integral to a reduced gravity model, we get a quantitative relation for the outflow and the inflow, and establish the related formulae for the width and the veering angle of offshore currents under the inflow condition. Furthermore, a comparison between the volume transport based on the observation data and the analytical value for the Pacific western boundary currents is presented, which validates the theoretical analysis.