A Three-Dimensional Model of Lake Ontario's Summer Circulation. II. A Diagnostic Study

Abstract

A two-layer circular lake model is used to study the mean flow of Lake Ontario during midsummer. By computing the model only to the second order of amplitude, it is shown that the observed cyclonic circulation of Lake Ontario during summer is due to the rectified effects of the large, transient, wind-driven currents. This effect is strongly influenced by model grid resolution and friction.