Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation in Shallow Water Lattice Boltzmann Model

A lattice Boltzmann (LB) model with overall second-order accuracy is applied to the 1.5-layer shallow water equation for a wind-driven double-gyre ocean circulation. By introducing the second-order integral approximation for the collision operator, the model becomes fully explicit. In this case, any iterative technique is not needed. The Coriolis force and other external forces are included in the model with second-order accuracy, which is consistent with the discretized accuracy of the LB equation. The numerical results show correct physics of the ocean circulation driven by the double-gyre wind stress with different Reynolds numbers and different spatial resolutions. An intrinsic low-frequency variability of the shallow water model is also found. The wind-driven ocean circulation exhibits subannual and interannual oscillations, which are comparable to those of models in which the conventional numerical methods are used.