On circulation in the Tropical Atlantic induced by a meridionally-inhomogeneous wind field

The paper discusses a non-linear barotropic model of large-scale circulation which incorporates a mechanism of lateral friction. Some numerically calculated data on the interaction of two large-scale gyres induced by a meridionally-inhomogeneous wind field are reported which enable modelling of the Equatorial Countercurrent (EC) formation in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Consideration of the coastline in the western part of the region leads to the meandering of the EC and the emergene of quasi-stationary eddies in the area of its origin, thereby providing good compatibility with the experimentally documented data.Translated by V. Puchkin