Modelling the general circulation of shelf seas by 3Dk-ε models

One examines the modifications which must be made-and the limitations which must be set-to classicalk-ε models to extend their application to the simulation of marine mesoscale, synopticscale and macroscale processes which compose the weather-like and general circulations of the sea.

The case of the general circulation—for which sub-grid scale fluctuations include such semi-organized motions as tides and storm surges-is discussed in more detail.

A 3Dk-ε model appropriate to the study of the general circulation in a shallow stratified sea is presented and illustrated with the results of a simulation of the general summer circulation in the Northern Bering Sea, made in the scope of the NSF ISHTAR (“Inner Shelf Transfer and Recycling”) Program.