View article

A set of numerical simulations is used to investigate the Pacific Ocean circulation north of 20°S, with emphasis on the Kuroshio/Oyashio current system. The primitive equation models used for these simulations have a free surface and realistic geometry that includes the deep marginal seas, such as the Sea of Japan. Most of the simulations have 1/8° resolution for each variable but range from 1/2°, 1.5‐layer reduced gravity to 1/16°, six layer with realistic bottom topography. These are used to investigate the dynamics of the Kuroshio/Oyashio current system and to identify the processes that contribute most to the realism of the simulations. This is done by model‐data comparisons, by using the modularity of layered ocean models to include/exclude certain dynamical processes, by varying the model geometry and bottom topography, and by varying model parameters, such as horizontal grid resolution, layer structure …