A note on the dynamic boundary conditions in Munk-like circulation models

The present note deals with Munk's ocean model and proposes an alternative approach to find its solution, with special regard to the western boundary layer. We introduce a suitable “distance” between the related Sverdrup streamfunction and all the admissible streamfunctions which are valid in the western boundary layer. We prove that such distance has a minimum that singles out a unique solution. Unlike the traditional method, this procedure works without assuming a priori any dynamic boundary condition. Received 16 July 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: fulcri@itt.ts.cnr.it