Visualization of GENESIS Oceanic General Circulation Model

OGCM Structure

A 3-D tour through a single time step of the the ocean model: the ocean is revealed behind a cut plane ascending from the South pole to the North Pole. Colors indicate temperature, with purple being the warmest (31 ° C) and blue the coldest (-2 ° C). Grey denotes the oceanic crust, and white the continental crust. After the globe is complete, isothermal layers are stripped away, showing the thermal structure from the surface to the sea floor in exaggerated vertical scale.

Each of the following three animations shows modeled sea surface temperatures and vegetation for one annual period (January 1 to December 31). The color scale for sea surface temperature is the same as above, while shades of green indicate the leaf area index. Temperatures and vegetation anamations are synchronized but are not the result of coupling the two models.

South Pacific

Note broad Pacific thermal waves and Antarctic upwelling.

North Atlantic

Note gulf stream

Indian Ocean

GENESIS Visualization home page

12/8/97