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Thermohaline Circulation Lab (2D): Stommel Box-Model Conveyor

2D companion to the thermohaline circulation lab: a Stommel two-box model where temperature and a slowly-evolving salinity budget set the density difference driving, weakening or reversing the ocean conveyor.

Fluid Dynamics & Aerodynamics2DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D companion swaps the WebGL ocean-basin flythrough for the actual physics behind it: a Stommel two-box model where the density difference between an equatorial and a polar water mass — set by temperature and a slowly-evolving salinity budget — drives (or stalls) the overturning loop drawn on the canvas. Push the freshwater-forcing slider, or fire an ice-melt pulse, past the point where haline forcing overwhelms thermal buoyancy and watch the conveyor stall and reverse — the same bistability real AMOC-collapse models exhibit.

⚙ Under the hood

Stommel two-box ocean model: a linear equation of state (ρ = ρ₀(1 − α·ΔT + β·ΔS)) sets the density difference driving flow q = k·Δρ, and a slow salinity-budget ODE (dΔS/dt = F − q·ΔS) feeds back on q — producing the same freshwater-forced bistability (strong / weak / stalled / reversed circulation) used to explain real AMOC shutdown scenarios.

stommel modelthermohaline circulationamococean densitysalinitybuoyancy-driven flow

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install