Impacts of vertical resolution on a numerical model of the Gulf of Mexico

Numerical high-resolution numerical simulations of the Gulf of Mexico using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model are used to examine the life cycle of Loop Current system including its shed eddies. In particular, the interaction of the anticyclonic Loop Current Eddies with bottom topography is investigated. These energetic baroclinic anticyclonic eddies have depth scales of several hundred meters and are not significantly affected by the ocean bottom during their westward propagation. When they reach the western continental margin, however, the ocean bottom over the continental slope rises to intersect the active upper ocean and the eddies begin to "feel" the bottom. The impacts of bottom topography and resolving the vertical structure of the water column on the decay of the Loop Current Eddies are explored using a series of numerical experiments to examine the decay of an eddy in the western Gulf of Mexico. The effects of vertical resolution on the Loop Current Eddy behavior are also explored using identical twin numerical experiments with differing vertical grid spacing.