Abstract
The general circulation of the oceans is determined by vorticity, temperature and salinity. The theory of large-scale circulation puts a strong constraint on the fields of potential vorticity, q. New calculations and observations of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, using the field of potential vorticity as a point of comparison, reveal strong similarities. In particular, the observations can be modelled by gyres around which geostrophic contours deform to follow the circulation and within which q is uniform. The effects of injected waters with relatively low potential vorticity are significant.
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Holland, W., Keffer, T. & Rhines, P. Dynamics of the oceanic general circulation: the potential vorticity field. Nature 308, 698–705 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/308698a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/308698a0
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