A finite volume discretization of the pressure gradient force using analytic integration

Layered ocean models can exhibit spurious thermobaric instability if the compressibility of sea water is not treated accurately enough. We find that previous solutions to this problem are inadequate for simulations of a changing climate. We propose a new discretization of the pressure gradient acceleration using the finite volume method. In this method, the pressure gradient acceleration is exhibited as the difference of the integral “contact” pressure acting on the edges of a finite volume. This integral “contact” pressure can be calculated analytically by choosing a tractable equation of state. The result is a discretization that has zero truncation error for an isothermal and isohaline layer and does not exhibit the spurious thermobaric instability.