MIT EAPS Directory

Previous studies have proposed topography, wind, and enhanced diapycnal mixing as mechanisms of trapping narrow eastern boundary currents (EBC), but eddy-resolving simulations including none of these effects still produce trapped EBCs. My Ph.D. research was focused on understanding the mechanism behind trapping of EBCs by mesoscale eddies. It was shown that the efficiency of the interfacial form drag, which acted to vertically homogenize momentum, increased dramatically on the offshore flank of the EBC. This zonal variation of form drag was essential in confining the narrow current to the boundary.