Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
09:49
Visualizing Hyporheic Flow Through Bedforms Using Dye Experiments and Simulation
Published on: November 18, 2015
Numerical Simulation of the Cretaceous Tethys Circumglobal Current
Bush1
1Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program, Princeton University, Post Office Box CN710, Sayre Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544-0710, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 7, 1997
Summary
A robust westward circumglobal tropical current existed during the Cretaceous period. This finding, supported by advanced climate modeling, clarifies ocean circulation patterns from 144 to 65 million years ago.
Area of Science:
- Paleoceanography
- Climate Modeling
- Geological History
Background:
- Cretaceous period ocean currents are key to understanding past climate.
- Previous climate models struggled to accurately simulate Cretaceous ocean circulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and characteristics of a Cretaceous circumglobal tropical current.
- To refine paleoceanographical reconstructions using advanced modeling techniques.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a coupled atmosphere-ocean climate model.
- Employed a high spatial resolution grid.
- Incorporated a late Cretaceous continental distribution.
Main Results:
- Successfully simulated a robust westward circumglobal tropical current.
- Observed reversals in local Tethys Seaway surface currents during monsoon periods.
- Confirmed the stability of the circumglobal current despite regional variations.
Conclusions:
- The Cretaceous featured a significant westward circumglobal tropical current.
- Advanced climate models can accurately depict ancient oceanographic conditions.
- Regional monsoons influenced local currents within the broader circumglobal flow.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Population Growth
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.However, realistic environmental conditions limit the number of...
01:07Speciation Rates
Speciation can proceed at markedly different rates, and evolutionary biologists commonly describe these differences through the models of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium. Both patterns explain how new species arise, but they differ in the tempo and continuity of evolutionary change. In both cases, evolutionary change arises from heritable variation within populations, with natural selection often shaping traits that improve survival and reproduction under specific environmental conditions.
02:35Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
The equilibrium between a liquid and its vapor depends on the temperature of the system; a rise in temperature causes a corresponding rise in the vapor pressure of its liquid. The Clausius-Clapeyron equation gives the quantitative relation between a substance’s vapor pressure (P) and its temperature (T); it predicts the rate at which vapor pressure increases per unit increase in temperature.
01:25Boundary Conditions for Current Density
Current density becomes discontinuous across an interface of materials with different electrical conductivities. The normal component of the current density is continuous across the boundary.
01:28Navier–Stokes Equations
For incompressible Newtonian fluids, where density remains constant, stresses show a linear relationship with the deformation rate, defined by normal and shear stresses. Normal stresses depend on the pressure exerted on the fluid and the rate of deformation in specific directions, which determines how fluid flows under varying pressures. Shear stresses, on the other hand, act tangentially across fluid layers. They explain how adjacent fluid layers slide relative to one another, connecting...
01:12Modeling and Similitude
Scaled modeling is a fundamental technique in engineering, enabling the study of large and complex systems by creating smaller, manageable replicas that recreate critical characteristics of the original. In hydrology and civil infrastructure, for example, scaled models of dams help analyze water flow, turbulence, and pressure. This method allows for accurate predictions of real-world behavior within a controlled environment, significantly reducing the cost and time involved in full-scale...