Classic wind-driven models applied to the South Atlantic subtropical gyre

• Grant number: 23/05145-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date until: July 01, 2023
• End date until: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Physical Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Ilson Carlos Almeida da SIlveira
• Grantee: Rafael Couto Martins
• Supervisor: Amit Tandon
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14439-3 - The Brazil Current Sverdrupian Recirculation Cell: spatial structure and long-term variability, BP.IC

Abstract

The present proposal aims to identify the mean dynamic forcing mechanism of the Inner Recirculation Cell (IRC) of Brazil Current. In order to understand if it's inertial or forced by the wind three major experiments will be conducted, all using a numerical model that solves the quasi-geostrophic vorticity equation in a 1 1/2 layer configuration. The first experiment will be running using ERA5 (Fifth Generation of ECMWF Reanalysis) wind stress data in order to force the system, the second one will be running using AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic) data at the open boundaries, and removing the terms of the wind stress shear, in order to simulate the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) contribution to the system. The third experiment will be running using both the wind stress data and the AVISO data, simulating the MOC. A mean from 1993-2020 from both datasets will be used to force the model in each experiment. A comparison of the results will be carried out to understand the contribution of each dynamic mechanism to the cell structure. (AU)