MULTI-VARIATE VISUALIZATION AND GRAPHICAL MANIPULATION OF 3-D DATA SETS FOR USE IN OCEAN GCMS

Multi-variate paleo-ocean data sets for use as initial or boundary conditions in ocean general circulation models are viewed from macro to micro scale. Enthalpy, salinity, bathymetry, and ancillary products such as mass, salinity gradient, temperature, and temperature gradient. The data sets can be viewed in three-dimensions, explored in any two-dimensional plane and mathematically manipulated. Data points collected from deep sea cores and representing proxy measurements of any of the above variables can be easily injected into the gridded data sets at the level of an individual GCM cell. Algorithms that incorporate definitions of the various ocean water masses make it possible to assimilate and interpolate individual data to larger regions in a manner that makes use of our knowledge of the physical nature of ocean circulation. This makes it possible to test the effects of specific paleo-observations on model initiation and to better understand how altered initial and boundary conditions impact the resulting equilibrium climates.