Comparison of lab experiments and numerical simulations on the behavior of source flows

Abstract

Source flows in a rotating tank are carried out to investigate the behavior of boundary currents. In the laboratory experiments, there is a northern boundary current which thickness increase with source strenght and a thin western boundary current which shows meandering behavior as the flow rate is increasing. The comparison with numerical simulations using the Miami Isopycnal Coordinates Ocean Model shows similarities but also some discrepancies with lab experiments mainly near the source and in the western boundary current.