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Synthetic Float Analysis in HYCOM

Explore how synthetic floats in an ocean model depict the flow of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation's upper limb as it crosses the equator and reaches high northern latitudes. An animation showcases float pathways from the southern hemisphere to the Caribbean Sea, illustrating MOC interior ocean pathways. For scientific details, refer to the paper by Halliwell, Weisberg, and Mayer.

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Synthetic Float Analysis in HYCOM

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  1. Synthetic Float Analysis in HYCOM • Synthetic floats were released in an ocean model to study how the upper-limb (northward return flow) of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation crosses the equator and flows to high northern latitudes • An animation of a subset of the released synthetic floats is presented in the file floats_carib_all.avi • Background information for this animation is presented in the subsequent slides

  2. Properties of the HYCOM Simulation • Model Domain and Grid • Atlantic Ocean, 30S to 70N • 1.4 degrees horizontal resolution • 25 vertical layers • Forcing • NCEP/DOE reanalysis climatology • Some Model Properties • KPP vertical mixing • Simple energy loan ice model • Surface S relaxation to climatology • Relaxation b.c. at north and south • 30-year Spinup from Climatology • 10-year Simulation with Synthetic Floats

  3. Synthetic Float Experiment • Synthetic Floats • Advected by 3-D Velocity Field • Interpolation to Float • Space – 2nd order polynomial • Time – 4th order Runga-Kutta • Southern Hemisphere Release Experiment • 7200 Floats Released • Domain • 5-14S, 28-32W • Horizontal Resolution • 1 degree in both longitude and latitude • Depths • 12 depths • 25 to 300 m at 25 m intervals • Release Times • Monthly during the first year of the 10-year integration • 600 per month

  4. The Animation • Of the 7200 floats released in the southern hemisphere, 2646 eventually entered the Caribbean Sea during the 10-year integration • Floats entering the Caribbean represent fluid particles that flow from the southern hemisphere into the North Atlantic subtropical gyre flow to eventually reach high latitudes. • Selection of this subset of floats clearly illustrates pathways of the upper limb of the MOC • The animation is contained in the file floats_carib_all.avi • The depth of each float is indicated by color

  5. Reference • Scientific details are contained in the paper “A Synthetic Float Analysis of Upper-Limb Meridional Overturning Circulation Interior Ocean Pathways in the Tropical/Subtropical Atlantic” by Halliwell, Weisberg, and Mayer • It is available on the HYCOM web page hycom.rsmas.miami.edu under “publications”

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