The investigation on the dynamics of frontal zones in the ocean based on the numerical modelling, using the AVHRR satellite data

Abstract

The main purpose of the work is to investigate the frontal temperature zones using the mathematical model of the oceanic temperature field. The forecast of the frontal temperature zone variability is based on satellite data. The model calculates the temperature under different starting conditions and allows for the mean monthly intensity of solar radiation, components of current velocities, and turbulent diffusion. The input data are the mean monthly current velocities and the radiation heat flows. The model is used to calculate the dynamics of the frontal temperature zones in separate parts of the ocean. Based on the results of numerical experiments presented in the paper we estimated the spatial and temporal ranges of the frontal zone variation affected by the advection of currents, horizontal turbulent heat exchange, and the radiation heat flow in separate parts of the ocean. As examples we consider the basic frontal zones in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The work also shows possible applications of parametrization of spatial horizontal components of the frontal zones functionally related to the processes of heat advection and diffusion in the absence of exact information about the magnitudes of the current velocities and turbulent mixing.