Process-oriented modeling studies of the 5500-km-long boundary flow off western and southern Australia

While the unique character of the coastal current system off the western and southern coasts of Australia has been recognized, this vast 5500-km-long boundary flow has been studied far less than other current systems of the world. Recent observational studies from satellite altimetry and climatology are consistent with a continuous current extending from its origin at the North West Cape to the southern tip of Tasmania. To date, coastal modeling studies have focused on either the western Australian coast to Esperance or on southern Australia. There has been no process-oriented modeling study of the entire region that would allow the systematic exploration of the two independent forcing mechanisms (i.e., wind-forcing and thermohaline gradients) and their interactions that have been noted to act in a synergistic manner to maintain the longest continuous coastal current system in the world.