An Assessment of Southern Ocean Circulation Simulation by LASG/IAP Climate system Ocean Model

An analysis of the Antarctic Circumpolar Circulation (ACC) and the southern ocean Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) simulated by the LICOM3.0 using the model outputs obtained from the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP) is presented in this article. The mean, variability, and trends of the ACC and MOC over the 1958–2009 period are focused and their relationships with the surface forcing are studied. The model results are compared with available observations, simulation results from other models having finer resolutions, and also with theoretical constraints to check the reliability of the simulations. Generally, the ACC and the Southern Ocean MOC simulated by LICOM3.0 have a similar and reasonable mean state in the two experiments, presenting similar trends from 1958–2009. However, Southern Ocean transport has a larger trend in the OMIP1 experiment, which is related to surface forces. Their correlation needs to be studied further.