A Point of View: Physical Processes on the Continental Shelf and Their Implications for Numerical Circulation Models

When contemplating numerical circulation models for continental shelf regimes, it is necessary to have a clear view of the prevailing processes, and their properties. Such regimes are challenging because they are under the joint influence of density stratification, variable depth, earth’s rotation, and bottom friction. Further factors are the strong response of shelf regimes to winds and the general vigor of tides and river run-off in these regimes. The approach taken here is to make a conceptual Fourier decomposition so that the processes can be ordered in Fourier space.