The California current system—hypotheses and facts

The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the seasonal variation of the various currents which comprise the California Current System—the California Current, the California Undercurrent, the Davidson Current and the Southern California Countercurrent—and to investigate qualitatively the dynamical relationships among these currents. Although the majority of information was derived from existing literature, previously unpublished data are introduced to provide direct evidence for the existence of a jet-like Undercurrent over the continental slope off Washington, to illustrate ‘event’-scale fluctuations in the Undercurrent and to investigate the existence of the Undercurrent during the winter season.The existing literature is thoroughly reviewed and synthesized. In addition, and more important, geostrophic velocities are computed along several sections from the Columbia River to Cape San Lazaro from dynamic heights given by (1966), and (1964), and and (1976). From these data and from long-term monthly wind stress data and vertical component of wind stress curl data (denoted curl τ) given by (1977), interesting new conclusions are made. 1. The flow that has been denoted the California Current generally has both an offshore and a nearshore maximum in its alongshore coponent. 2. The seasonal variation of the nearshore region of strong flow appears to be related to the seasonal variation of the alongshore component of wind stress at the coast, τ_y^N, at all latitudes. Curl τ near the coast may also contribute to the seasonal signal, accounting for the lead of maximum current over maximum wind stress from about 40°N northward. Large-scale flow separation and fall countercurrents that of headlands may account for the sudden occurrence of late summer and fall countercurrents that appear as large anomalies from the wind-driven coastal flow south of 40°N. 3. From Cape Mendocino southward a northward mean is imposed on the nearshore current distribution. The mean is largest where curl τ is locally strongest, in particular, off and south of San Francisco and in the California Bight. It may be responsible for the portion of the Davidson Current that occurs off California, for the San Francisco Eddy and for the Southern California Eddy or Countercurrent. When southward wind stress weakens in these regions, the northward mean dominates the flow. Flow separation in the vicinity of headlands may also be responsible for these northward flows. There is some evidence that during periods of northward flow a mean monthly τ_y^N-driven southward current occurs inshore of the mean northward flow. At all latitudes, wind-driven ‘event’-scale fluctuations are expected to be superimposed on the seasonal nearshore flow. 4. The spatial distribution and seasonal variation oftthe offshore region of southward flow appear to be related to the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of curl τ. The seasonal variation of curl τ in these areas, curl τ^l, is roughly in phase with the seasonal variation of τ_y near the coast and roughly 180° out of phase with the seasonal variation of curl τ near the coast. Southward flow lags negative curl τ by from two to four months. The offshore region of southward flow is strongest during the summer and early fall. The mean annual location of the maximum flow is at about 250–350 km from shore off Washington and Oregon, and at 430 km off Cape Mendocino, 270 km off Point Conception and 240 km off northern Baja. The offshore branch of the flow bends shoreward near 30°N, which is consistent with the shoreward extension of the region of negative curl τ, so that by Cape San Lazaro (25°N), a single region of strong flow is observed within 200 km of the coast. 5. A third region of strong southward flow occurs at distances exceeding 500 km from the coast. The spatial distribution of this flow appears to be related to the spatial distribution of curl τ. 6. The mean northward flow known as the Davidson Current consists of two regions in which the forcing may be dynamically different—seaward of the continental slope off Washington and Oregon and between Cape Mendocino and Point Conception, the mean monthly northward currents appear to be related to the occurrence of positive curl τ; along the coast of Oregon and Washington the northward currents are not related to the occurrence of positive curl τ but are consistent with forcing by the mean monthly northward wind stress at the coast. 7. A region of southward flow that is continuous with the California Current to the south is generally maintained off Oregon and parts of Washington during the winter. This southward flow appears to separate the northward-flowing Davidson and Alaskan Currents in some time-dependent region south of Vancouver Island. The banded current structure is consistent with the distribution of curl τ, if southward flow is related to negative curl τ. 8. The seasonal progression of the California Undercurrent may be related both to the seasonal variation of the offshore region of strong flow (hence to curl τ^l) and to the alongshore component of wind stress at the coast. South of Cape Mendocino a northward mean also seems to be superimposed on the flow. This mean may be related to the occurrence of strong positive curl τ near the coast. Velocities at Undercurrent depths have two maxima, one in late summer and one in winter. The slope Undercurrent is indistinguishable, except by location, from the undercurrent that is observed on the Oregon-Washington continental shelf.     

Upper ocean warming pattern in the past 50 years

A long-term warming pattern of global subsurface ocean was detected separately from other natural variations. Three dominant modes were extracted: a long-term warming mode, a mode related to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, and a mode related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. The long-term warming mode explained 78 % of the global mean temperature variance from the surface to a depth of 300 m, and the other two modes could explain most of the residual variance. Subsurface warming associated with the long-term warming mode was strong in the subtropics. In contrast, there was a local minimum of warming in the northern hemisphere subarctic ocean, and warming was suppressed in subsurface waters south of the equator. Atmospheric changes associated with the long-term warming mode showed negative (positive) sea level pressure anomalies at high (middle) latitudes in both hemispheres, and an intensification and/or a poleward expansion of mid-latitude westerlies. Wind stress curl changes were negative in the subtropics and positive in the subarctic of the northern hemisphere; changes that were consistent with the strong warming in the subtropics and the local minimum of warming in the subarctic. Warming of Southern Ocean subsurface waters coincided with southward migration and intensification of westerly winds, whereas surface warming to the south of 50°S was suppressed, probably by strengthened northward Ekman transport. Positive wind stress curl off the equator with weakening of the tropical easterly winds in the Pacific and Indian Oceans was consistent with the subsurface negative temperature anomaly there.     

赤道中印度洋上层环流结构与季节变化特征分析

本文通过分析RAMA印度洋观测浮标系统锚系ADCP实测资料,对赤道中印度洋上层海流季节变化进行了研究。研究结果表明,0°,80.5°E纬向流垂向剖面呈现上150m层一致的东向流,而经向流在100m以浅呈现表层向北次表层向南的翻转流结构。赤道中印度洋上层纬向流季节信号被半年周期的东向射流Wyrtki Jets(WJs)所控制。WJs发生于季风方向转换的季节,4—5月份较弱,10—11月份较强。赤道中印度洋上层经向流年周期信号显著。北半球夏季与冬季分别出现风应力旋度驱动的Sverdrup南向流与北向流。本文结论为赤道中印度洋上层环流季节变化特征的研究提供了观测角度的支持。     

The effect of a northward shift in the southern hemisphere westerlies on the global ocean

We examine the effect of a northward shift in the position of the southern hemisphere subpolar westerly winds (SWWs) on the vertical and horizontal distribution of temperature and salinity in the world ocean. A northward shift of the SWWs causes a latitudinal contraction of the subpolar gyres in the southern hemisphere (SH). In the Indian and Pacific, this leads to subsurface warming in the subtropical thermocline. As the southern margins of the gyres move into latitudes characterised by warmer surface air temperature (SAT), the layers at mid-depth below 400 m depth become ventilated by warmer water. We characterize the approximation of the ventilated thermocline in our coarse resolution model using a set of passive tracer experiments, and illustrate how the northward shift in the SWWs causes an equatorward shift in the latitude of origin of water ventilating layers deeper than 400 m in the Indian and Pacific, leaving the total surface ventilation of the upper 1200 m unchanged. In contrast, the latitudinal constraint on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current posed by the Drake Passage causes a cooling and freshening throughout the Atlantic thermocline; here, subsurface thermocline water originates from higher latitudes under the wind shift. On longer timescales Atlantic cooling and freshening is reinforced by a reduction in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation and surface salinification of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In effect, the latitude of zero wind stress curl in the SWWs regulates the relative importance of the “cold water route” via the Drake Passage and the “warm water route” associated with thermocline water exchange via the Indian Ocean. Thus, a more northward location of the SWWs corresponds with a reduced salinity contrast between the Indian/ Pacific Oceans and the Atlantic. This results in reduced NADW formation. Also, a more northward location of the SWWs facilitates the injection of cool fresh Antarctic Intermediate Water into the South Atlantic subtropical gyre. Beyond these changes, on a millennial timescale, the deep ocean warms throughout the water column in response to the wind shift. Global salinity stratification also becomes less stable, as more saline water remains at the surface and accumulates in the Indian and Pacific thermocline. The freshening of the deep ocean reflects a reduced stirring of the global ocean due to reduced net circulation arising from a misalignment between the westerlies and the topographically constrained ACC. Our results lend support to the idea that a more equatorward location of the SWW maximum during glacial climates contributed to cooler and fresher conditions in the Atlantic, inhibiting NADW.     

东印度沿岸流的季节变化及其热盐输运

基于卫星高度计数据、模式数据和同化资料揭示了东印度沿岸流(East India Coastal Current, EICC)年周期上的时空分布特征, 并探讨了其可能的影响机制及热盐输运。在年周期上EICC呈现3种分布状态, 受季风影响, 在东北季风前期(10—12月)和后期(2—5月)为一致的南向(北向)流动; 而6—8月EICC呈3段式分布, 与另外两个时间段明显不同, 表现为9°N以南、16°N以北区域的南向流动和9°—16°N区域的北向流动。前人研究认为印度东海岸的局地风应力是EICC的主要机制, 本研究发现除局地风应力外, 来自孟加拉湾中部的艾克曼抽吸(Ekman Pumping)在全年也发挥着重要作用, 并在2—5月(10—12月)驱动EICC的北向(南向)流动, 而局地风应力则在10—12月有利于EICC的南向流动。EICC是孟加拉湾低盐水向赤道东印度洋和阿拉伯海输运的一个因素, 在海盆间的热盐交换上发挥着重要作用。EICC的热输运在6—12月(2—5月)有利于(不利于)湾内温度的升高; 盐输运则在全年都有利于孟加拉湾内盐度的增加。此外, EICC的一致南向(北向)流动以及3段式结构促进了湾内热盐的再分配, 对于维持北印度洋的热量和盐度收支平衡具有重要作用。     

Interannual to decadal Gulf Stream variability in an eddy-resolving ocean model

Meridional shifts of the Gulf Stream (GS) jet on interannual to decadal timescales and the corresponding oceanic changes around the GS are investigated using a near global eddy-resolving ocean model hindcast from 1960 to 2003. The simulated variability in the shifts of the GS jet axis shows good agreement with observations, and lags atmospheric fluctuations characterized by the North Atlantic Oscillation by about 2 years. This lagged response of the GS jet to the atmospheric variations is attributed to the westward propagation of the undulation of the jet axis from 45°W to 75°W, which has a wavelength of about 4000 km and a displacement of 0.5°. The propagation direction and phase speed of about 2.8 cm s⁻¹ are consistent with the thin-jet theory. The shifts of the jet axis in the downstream region are likely induced by wind fluctuations through Ekman convergence over the central North Atlantic. Associated with the northward (southward) shift of the jet axis, sea surface temperature is warming (cooling) around and north of the jet, and the former warming has a deep and meridionally narrow subsurface structure, consistent with the northward shift of the jet. The meridional shifts of the jet accompany coherent meridional shifts of energetic eddy activity regions around the GS. Our numerical results suggest that the GS jet brings the atmospheric signals from the central to the western North Atlantic, and the resultant meridional shift of the jet induces the notable oceanic changes around the GS.     

Low-frequency variability of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation in the past 40 years from SODA

The low-frequency variability of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation during 1958 to 2001 was investigated with the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) 2.0.2 dataset.In agreement with recent observations,the NEC bifurcation latitude (NBL) shifted northward as depth increases, from about 12.7°N near the surface to about 17.1°N at depths around 500 m for the annual average. This study reveals that the interannual variations of NBL,with five years period,mainly focused on the upper 500 m with amplitude increasing as depth increased.The NBL shifted southward in the past 40 years,which was more significant in the subsurface at more than -0.02°/a.The NBL manifests itself in the transports of NMK (NEC-Mindanao Current (MC)-Kuroshio) system in strong relationship with MC (0.7) and Kuroshio (-0.7).The EOF analysis of meridional velocity off the Philippine coast shows that the first mode,explaining 62% of variance and 5 years period,was highly correlated with the southward shift of NBL with coefficient at about 0.75.The southward shift of NBL consists with the weakening of MC and strengthening of Kuroshio,which exhibited linear trends at -0.24Sv/a and 0.11Sv/a.Both interannual variation and trend of NBL were closely related to the variation of NMK system.     

Interannual variations of the Hawaiian Lee Countercurrent induced by potential vorticity variability in the subsurface

Interannual variations of the Hawaiian Lee Countercurrent (HLCC) in the 2000s were investigated using satellite and Argo profiling float observations. The satellite-observed sea surface height shows that the geostrophic eastward current was anomalously strong to the west away from Hawaii in 2003 and 2005. However, the trade winds and the orographic wind curl dipole in the lee of Hawaii that drives the climatological mean HLCC were not particularly strong in these years, suggesting that the accelerations of the HLCC were not caused by the wind stress curl forcing around Hawaii and subsequent Rossby wave propagation. Using Argo observations, we found negative potential vorticity (PV) anomalies in the subsurface north of the HLCC in these 2 years. The pycnocline is lifted northward as low PV waters of different densities stack up in the vertical, and the HLCC is then accelerated via the thermal wind. The intensification and/or southward intrusion of the eastern subtropical mode water and subtropical mode water seem to have induced negative PV anomalies in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Using high-resolution ocean simulations, we confirmed the migrations of PV anomalies and their contributions to the HLCC accelerations. Although the HLCC is located away from the cores of major mode waters, our results suggest that interannual variations of the HLCC are affected by those of mode waters.     

Property differences in the central northeastern Pacific between April 1976 and July 1977

Hydrographic data taken at 25 equally spaced stations along 35°N in April 1976 and again in July 1977 are compared for the longitude range 139–163° W and the depth range 0–1,000 m. A continuous subsurface layer is found, centered at 100 m and extending more than 2,000 km in the east-west direction, in which the temperature and salinity were significantly lower and the density and concentrations of oxygen and three nutrients were higher in the summer of 1977 than in the spring of 1976. In the upper 50 m the temperature and salinity were higher and the density and concentrations of oxygen and nutrients were lower in the summer of 1977 than in the spring of 1976. These relationships are concluded to be due to an annual variation by association with other existing data sets in the same region. The annual variation of hydrographic properties in the upper 200 m can be qualitatively explained by an annual variation in the north-south component of the permanent circulation, which is caused by an annual variation in the large-scale north-south pressure gradient (related to the northward temperature gradient). The observations are consistent with a northward current near the surface and a southward current near 100 m which are both faster in summer than in winter (and spring).     

黑潮入侵南海的强弱与太平洋年代际变化及厄尔尼诺-南方涛动现象的关系

在黑潮入侵南海强弱的问题上,到底是太平洋年代际变化(Pacific Decadal Oscillation,PDO)还是厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(El Nio-Southern Oscillation,ENSO)现象在起关键作用,目前还存在着较大争议。本文先以高盐水作为黑潮入侵强弱的示踪物,用120°E断面的高盐水数据和北赤道流分叉点(North Equator Current Bifurcation,NEC-Y)的南北变动进行相关分析,接着,进一步用学者所用的黑潮入侵指数(KI指数,Kuroshio intrusion index和NEC指数,North Equatorial Current index)与北赤道流分叉点南北变动进行相关分析。最后,用EMD(Empirical Mode Decomposition)方法和相关关系分析法分别分析了PDO指数、Nio3.4指数与北赤道流分叉点南北变动的关系并用NECP风场数据探讨其影响机制。结果表明:(1)通过对120°E断面的高盐水的KI指数、NEC指数与NEC-Y的相关分析,表明了北赤道流分叉点的南北变动能够很好地指代黑潮入侵南海的强弱;(2)通过PDO指数和Nio3.4指数与北赤道流分叉点的南北变动的相关性分析,发现PDO指数、Nio3.4指数与北赤道流分叉点的南北变动都具有较好的相关性,都在0.5水平。这些良好的相关性表明了PDO和ENSO对黑潮入侵南海的强弱都具有重要的影响;(3)当处于厄尔尼诺年(拉尼娜)时,赤道太平洋发生西(东)风异常,使得北赤道流分叉点偏北(南),使吕宋岛东侧的黑潮流速减弱(加强),黑潮入侵南海增强(减弱);当PDO处于暖(冷)阶段时,会加强热带太平洋的西(东)风异常,使得黑潮入侵南海增强(减弱)。     

印度洋上层经向翻转环流的冬夏季节对比

上层经向翻转环流(shallow meridional overturning circulation, SMOC)主导热带-副热带上层海洋水体交换,对海洋物质输运和热量交换具有重要意义。基于7套海洋再分析数据产品,本文主要探讨了印度洋SMOC的冬夏季节变化及其差异的原因。结果显示,印度洋SMOC主要由南半球副热带环流圈(southern subtropical cell, SSTC)和跨赤道环流(cross-equatorial cell, CEC)组成,并且具有显著的季节差异。夏季风期间, SSTC和CEC均为表层南向输运,表层以下北向输运的逆时针环流结构。冬季风盛行时, SSTC仍维持逆时针结构,但环流中心南移且深度加深,强度弱于夏季;然而, CEC却转向为表层北向输运,表层以下向南输运的顺时针环流结构,其环流中心位置与夏季接近,环流强度与夏季相当。这种印度洋SMOC冬夏结构差异究其原因主要由风生环流主导, CEC冬夏季节环流方向反转是北印度洋冬夏季风转向的结果,而南印度洋信风的季节性位移和强度变化是SSTC强度和位置季节差异的主要原因。     

The vertical structure and variability of the western boundary currents east of the Philippines: case study from in situ observations from December 2010 to August 2014

In this work, the vertical structure and variability along the western boundary of the Philippines are investigated using direct observations from acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), Doppler volume sampler (DVS) and Aanderaa Seaguard instruments, which are mounted on a subsurface mooring deployed at 8°N, 127°3′E. In climatology, the southward Mindanao Current (MC) and northward Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) play a dominant role in the upper layer. The mean currents at 1200 and 3500 m flow northward, whereas those at 2500 and 5600 m flow equatorward. The power spectral density (PSD) shows that an intraseasonal signal of 60–80 days is common from the sea surface to the bottom. The semiannual signals are strongest in the MUC layer, and the amplitude then decreases with depth to 3500 m. The seasonal variability at 2500 and 5600 m is similar between the two depths, suggesting a southward current in winter and northward flow in autumn. The current at 3500 m exhibits a northward direction in spring and southward flow in winter. In addition, the linear correlations between mooring data and altimetry products indicate that the variations in surface meridional currents along the western boundary of the Pacific Ocean can reach the bottom via low-frequency processes. The vertical-mode decomposition for observations indicates that the first four modes can effectively capture the original data. The relative contributions of different modes exhibit seasonal variability. The first baroclinic mode plays a dominant role in spring and autumn. In winter and summer, its contribution decreases and becomes comparable to that of the other modes.     

Structure of Subsurface Intrusion of the Oyashio Water into the Kuroshio Extension and Formation Process of the North Pacific Intermediate Water

In order to understand the actual formation process of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), structure of subsurface intrusions of the Oyashio water and the mixing of the Oyashio and the Kuroshio waters in and around the Kuroshio Extension (KE) were examined on the basis of a synoptic CTD observation carried out in May-June 1992. The fresh Oyashio water in the south of Hokkaido was transported into KE region through the Mixed Water Region (MWR) in the form of subsurface intrusions along two main paths. The one was along the east coast of northern Japan through the First Branch of the Oyashio (FBO) and the other along the eastern face of a warm streamer which connected KE with a warm core ring through the Second Branch of the Oyashio (SBO). The fresh Oyashio water extended southward through FBO strongly mixed with the saline NPIW transported by the Kuroshio in the south of Japan (old NPIW) in and around the warm streamer. On the other hand, the one through SBO well preserved its original properties and extended eastward beyond 150°E along KE with a form of rather narrow band. The intrusion ejected Oyashio water lens with a diameter of 50–60 km southward across KE axis and split northward into the MWR involved in the interaction of KE and a warm core ring, which were supposed to be primary processes of new NPIW formation.     

洋际通道的体积和热输运的年平均结构及季节变化：MOM4P1积分1400年的结果

The annual mean volume and heat transport sketches through the inter-basin passages and transoceanic sections have been constructed based on 1 400-year spin up results of the MOM4p1. The spin up starts from a state of rest, driven by the monthly climatological mean force from the NOAA World Ocean Atlas(1994). The volume transport sketch reveals the northward transport throughout the Pacific and southward transport at all latitudes in the Atlantic. The annual mean strength of the Pacific-Arctic-Atlantic through flow is 0.63×106 m3/s in the Bering Strait. The majority of the northward volume transport in the southern Pacific turns into the Indonesian through flow(ITF) and joins the Indian Ocean equatorial current, which subsequently flows out southward from the Mozambique Channel, with its majority superimposed on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC). This anti-cyclonic circulation around Australia has a strength of 11×106 m3/s according to the model-produced result. The atmospheric fresh water transport, known as P-E+R(precipitation minus evaporation plus runoff), constructs a complement to the horizontal volume transport of the ocean. The annual mean heat transport sketch exhibits a northward heat transport in the Atlantic and poleward heat transport in the global ocean. The surface heat flux acts as a complement to the horizontal heat transport of the ocean. The climatological volume transports describe the most important features through the inter-basin passages and in the associated basins, including: the positive P-E+R in the Arctic substantially strengthening the East Greenland Current in summer; semiannual variability of the volume transport in the Drake Passage and the southern Atlantic-Indian Ocean passage; and annual transport variability of the ITF intensifying in the boreal summer. The climatological heat transports show heat storage in July and heat deficit in January in the Arctic; heat storage in January and heat deficit in July in the Antarctic circumpolar current regime(ACCR); and intensified heat transport of the ITF in July. The volume transport of the ITF is synchronous with the volume transport through the southern Indo-Pacific sections, but the year-long southward heat transport of the ITF is out of phase with the heat transport through the equatorial Pacific, which is northward before May and southward after May. This clarifies the majority of the ITF originating from the southern Pacific Ocean.     

SST年循环对El Niño事件局地海气过程的影响

利用Hadley中心逐月海表温度、欧洲中心ERA-40的10 m风场及CMAP降水资料探讨了年循环对热带太平洋El Niño海气相互作用过程的影响。尽管El Niño对应的海表温度异常主要出现在赤道东太平洋,经向上呈南北对称分布,然而其对应的大气响应在El Niño年衰减阶段却有着强的向南移动特征。在El Niño发展年的11月之前,强的西风和降水异常主要出现在赤道中太平洋;在12月份之后,赤道上的西风和降水异常迅速南移至5°S,随后西风一直维持在该位置直至衰亡。同时,西太平洋负降水和反气旋异常向北移动。这种SST异常与其大气响应的经向移动不一致,主要是由热带中太平洋气候态SST的季节性南移导致的。由于对流与海温之间存在非线性关系,即当总SST超过一定的阈值,对流降水才会迅速增强;因此相应的对流响应也随着总海温的南移而南移,风场响应也同时南移。此外,南半球增强的对流会通过经向环流进一步抑制北半球的降水,从而使西太平洋负降水和反气旋异常增强并北移。通过分析有/无年循环的两组数值试验结果验证了上述结论,即有年循环的试验较真实地模拟出了观测中异常西风南移和西北太平洋反气旋异常的出现;无年循环试验尽管能模拟出El Niño年赤道中太平洋的西风异常,但其却没有南北向的移动,西北太平洋的反气旋也没有出现。因此,热带中太平洋气候态暖海温的季节循环对El Niño事件大气响应有着至关重要的作用。     

基于Argo浮标和历史资料的热带西太平洋次表层与中层水年代变化分析

利用20世纪80年代和90年代WOD01(World Ocean Database2001)中的CTD温盐剖面资料和2000年以后Argo资料,对比分析了热带西太平洋次表层和中层水团分布的年代变化特征。分析结果表明,在这两个时期,起源于南北太平洋中高纬度海域的各次表层水和中层水,在热带西太平洋分布特征和交织在一起的总体态势基本一致,水团性质的年代变化不大。这与上述两个时段全球海洋-大气耦合系统趋于正常状态相吻合。通过辨识和跟踪表征次表层水性质的盐度极大值,发现南太平洋热带水沿西边界向北扩散程度有所加大,由前一时期的5°N,进一步扩散到6°~7°N;北太平洋热带水在西边界附近的向南扩散程度有所削弱,在2002-2005年间只向南扩散到4°N,而前一个时期则可向南扩散到2°N。通过辨识表征中层水性质的盐度极小值,南极中层水在西边界附近向北扩散程度有所加大,在2002-2005年到达13°N附近,而前一个时期只到达11°N;同期,北太平洋中层水在西边界附近的向南扩散程度有所削弱。上述年代变化与全球水循环强度的变化之间有何关系有待进一步研究。     

Interdecadal temperature variations in the North Pacific Central Mode Water simulated by an OGCM

The North Pacific Central Mode Water (CMW) is a water mass that forms in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE) region with characteristic low potential vorticity. Recent studies have suggested that the CMW, as low potential vorticity water, plays an important role in the adjustment of the subtropical gyre and subsurface variability on decadal to interdecadal timescales. We have forced a realistic ocean general circulation model (OGCM) with observed wind stress and sea surface temperature (SST) forcing to investigate the decadal variations of the CMW. Associated with the large atmospheric changes after the mid-1970s climate regime shift, the upper thermocline experiences a cooling as negative SST anomalies in the central North Pacific are subducted and advected southward. In addition to this thermodynamic response, the CMW’s path shifts anomalously eastward in response to anomalous Ekman pumping. This eastward shift of the core of the CMW produces a lowering of the isotherms, and a consequent warming, on the path of the CMW core. This warming partially counteracts the cooling associated with subducted surface anomalies, and it may be responsible for the reduced temperature variations at the climatological position of the CMW when both anomalous wind and heat fluxes are given. Lateral induction across the sloping bottom of the winter mixed layer in the KOE is critical to the formation of the low potential vorticity CMW. Coarse resolution models, which are widely used in climate modeling, underestimate the horizontal gradient of the mixed layer depth and form only a weak CMW or none at all. We have conducted a coarse resolution experiment with the same OGCM, showing that the subsurface response is much reduced. In particular, there is no dynamic warming in the CMW and the thermodynamic response to the SST cooling dominates. The resultant total response differs substantially from that in the finer resolution run where a strong CMW forms. This sensitivity to the model resolution corroborates the important dynamical role that the CMW may play with its distinctive low potential vorticity character and calls for its improved simulation.     

全球变暖不同阶段热带辐合带的移动及其与大气能量输送的关系

基于第五次国际间耦合模式比较计划(The phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project,CMIP5)中在4.5 W/m^2的典型浓度路径(Representative Concentration Pathway,RCP4.5)试验结果,本文通过能量框架分析方法研究了全球变暖不同阶段热带辐合带(Intertropical Convergence Zone,ITCZ)的南北移动及其主要机制,发现在温室气体持续增加的海洋快响应和温室气体达到稳定后的海洋慢响应两个阶段,ITCZ的移动都和跨赤道的大气能量输送(Atmosphere Heat Transport,AHT)变化显著相关,但两者变化的原因在两个阶段中是不同的。在快响应阶段,ITCZ位置的移动以及跨赤道AHT受大气层顶(Top of the Atmosphere,TOA)的能量变化驱动,主要与南大洋云短波辐射响应、北半球中高纬度云和地表的短波辐射响应有关,气溶胶减少引起的辐射响应变化使得ITCZ在大多数模式中表现出向北移动的特征。在慢响应下辐射强迫保持稳定,ITCZ在大多数模式中表现出向南移动的特征。这一时期ITCZ的移动由大气表面能量通量变化驱动,主要与潜热通量变化的南北半球差异有关。全球变暖不同阶段ITCZ移动与大气能量输送变化的关系差异反映了海洋对于气候变化的重要调控作用。     

Spatial and temporal variability of the North Korean Cold Water leading to the near-bottom cold water intrusion in Korea Strait

In the deepest region of Korea Strait, the surface temperature is highest in August (lowest in March), while the near-bottom temperature is lowest in September (highest in May). Cross-spectral analysis of the monthly temperature data between the two layers shows high coherence at the annual frequency with phase of 154°. Why and how does such a nearly opposite phasing occur between the surface and the near-bottom temperatures there? This study aims at answering these questions using historical and recently observed data.Cold and relatively fresh subsurface water flowing southward along the east coast of Korea and, known as the North Korean Cold Water (NKCW), becomes noticeable in April near the Sokcho coast. The zonal temperature gradient there is largest around June. The width of the NKCW becomes larger from April to August. After October, the NKCW retreats back toward the coast. The southward movement of the NKCW is thus strong over a period of six to seven months and weak in winter, especially in February. The NKCW flows southward relatively quickly along the coast in April to October and arrives at the Ulleung Basin within one to two months. Because of the sill between the Ulleung Basin and Korea Strait, this water cannot continue to flow to south, but piles up for about two to three months before it moves over the sill. The convergence of the subsurface cold water in the Ulleung Basin displaces the isopycnals upward and this water then intrudes over the sill along the isopycnals. This explains why in April or May, when this water appears noticeably at the Sokcho coast, the near-bottom water in Korea Strait is warmest and in August or September when the NKCW, which is piled up enough at the southern end of the Ulleung Basin, intrudes to Korea Strait, the near-bottom temperatures there are at their lowest.The origin of the NKCW seems to be the water of salinity less han 34.1 psu and surface density of 27σ_θ or higher, which sinks in the northwestern East Sea in January-March. The sinking of the water results from surface cooling in winter and is intensified due to the strong negative windstress curl. The cold and relatively fresh water, formed in the northwestern East Sea, is hypothesized to flow to the Ulleung Basin along three major paths, along the east coast of Korea, through the channel north of Ulleung-do Island, and through the channel between Ulleung-do and Dok-do Islands.     

冬季黑潮延伸体海表温度对阿留申低压活动的双周期响应

Based on our previous work, the winter sea surface temperature(SST) in the Kuroshio Extension(KE) region showed significant variability over the past century with periods of ~6 a between 1930 and 1950 and ~10 a between1980 and 2009. How the activity of the Aleutian Low(AL) induces this dual-period variability over the two different timespans is further investigated here. For the ~6 a periodicity during 1930–1950, negative wind stress curl(WSC)anomalies in the central subtropical Pacific associated with an intensified AL generate positive sea surface height(SSH) anomalies. When these wind-induced SSH anomalies propagate westwards to the east of Taiwan, China two years later, positive velocity anomalies appear around the Kuroshio to the east of Taiwan and then the mean advection via this current of velocity anomalies leads to a strengthened KE jet and thus an increase in the KE SST one year later. For the ~10 a periodicity during 1980–2009, a negative North Pacific Oscillation-like dipole takes2–3 a to develop into a significant positive North Pacific Oscillation-like dipole, and this process corresponds to the northward shift of the AL. Negative WSC anomalies associated with this AL activity in the central North Pacific are able to induce the positive SSH anomalies. These oceanic signals then propagate westward into the KE region after 2–3 a, favoring a northward shift of the KE jet, thus leading to the warming of the KE SST. The feedbacks of the KE SST anomaly on the AL forcing are both negative for these two periodicities. These results suggest that the dual-period KE SST variability can be generated by the two-way KE-SST-AL coupling.