Motivations
A triangular discretization of a domain is obviously a very efficient way of representing complex boundaries such as arise in ocean modeling. So motivation is strong to use a finite element model of the global ocean circulation. Finite element models have been successful in predicting tides and coastal circulation. A question arises: Will they be as successful in predicting the wind driven-beta plane circulation? To answer this question, we compared results from a number of finite element models and one finite difference model.