A convergence study of two ocean models applied to a density driven flow

A three-dimensional, baroclinic and rotational benchmark for hydrostatic coastal ocean models is suggested. The computational domain is a quadratic basin 200×200 km horizontally and 200 m deep. The lateral boundaries are closed. Solutions to the problems are estimated with two different sigma co-ordinate models, both for the diagnostic and the prognostic case. Grid- and time-converged results are presented. For the transports, convergence within two significant digits is reported. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.