Quasi-isopycnic modeling

The modern prognostic models have reached their maximum in the fullness of the equations of the momentum, heat, and salt balance considered and in their numerical approximation. They may be joined into multilevel model and quasi-isopycnic model groups. The former models deal with a grid domain fixed in space and time, while the latter models involve layers with fixed water density values varying with respect to depth and time. Below, we present the results of the applications of these two groups of models to the studies of the BSGC separately. 

The study of the BSGC with the help of a quasi-isopycnic model [59] started at the beginning of the 1990s. In the course of its development, the model obtained seven layers and a 20-km horizontal resolution. The initial conditions corresponded to climatic thermohaline fields. Throughout the year, the BSGC was dominated by the MRC. The eastern and western SBCGs were poorly manifested, while the NSAEs were noted only east of Cape Sinop. Along with this, the main objects of the study—the fields of the UML thicknesses and the distribution of the subduction zones at the end of the winter were very close to their counterparts known from observations [3]. 

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