Nested grid methods for an ocean model: A comparative study

In this paper a comparison is carried out between three correction methods for multigrid local mesh refinement in oceanic applications: FIC, LDC and the direct method (DM) proposed by Spall and Holland. This study is based on a nested primitive equation model developed by Laugier on the basis of the code OPA (LODYC). The external barotropic problem is solved using any of the three local grid correction algorithms yielding an interactive nested grid model. The non-linear elliptic equation for the barotropic streamfunction tendency is solved on two nested grids, called the global and the zoom grid, that interact between themselves. The zoom grid is entirely embedded within the global domain with a horizontal grid step ratio of 3:1. The computation on the global grid supplies the boundary conditions for the zoom grid region and the fine grid fields are used to correct the global coarse solution. The three local correction methods are tested on two problems relevant to oceanic circulation phenomena proposed by Spall and Holland: a barotropic modon and an anticyclonic vortex. The results show that the nesting technique is a very efficient way to solve these problems in terms of a gain in precision compared with the required CPU time. The two-domain model with local mesh refinement allows one both to manage effectively the open boundary conditions for the local grid and to correct the global solution thanks to the zoom solution. In the case of the modon propagation the three local correction methods provide approximately the same results. For the baroclinic vortex it appears that the two iterative methods are more efficient than the direct one.