A numerical study of the seasonal cycle in the northeast pacific ocean as driven by the wind stress and surface heat flux

A 3‐dimensional primitive equation general circulation model of the North Pacific from 42 to 60°N was driven by the observed climatological seasonal wind stress and surface heat flux. The depth‐integrated circulation, predominantly cyclonic in winter, changed to mainly anticyclonic in summer. To clarify the separate roles of wind stress forcing and surface heat flux forcing, two experiments were performed. In Experiment A the wind stress forcing was switched off after 3 years of normal forcing, while in Experiment B the heat flux forcing was turned off instead. Results showed that while the heat flux forcing had only a minimal influence on the depth‐integrated transport, it produced sea surface temperature anomalies a few times larger than those generated by the wind stress alone.