Anticyclonic eddies in the Norwegian Sea; their generation,evolution and impact on primary production

Altimetry and ocean color observations are used in combination with a coupled physical-primary production ocean model to investigate anticyclonic eddies at two locations in the Norwegian Sea. Of particular interest are the formation of the anticyclonic eddies, and their influence on primary production. The formation of these anticyclonic eddies are due to baroclinic instabilities set up by shifts in the wind in north/south direction, leading to simultaneously formation of eddies throughout the area. After a density stratification develops in the upper 100 m of the water column, the anticyclones become a subsurface lens of well mixed water with the characteristics of intra-thermocline eddies. The deep mixed layer inside anticyclonic eddies delay phytoplankton bloom by approximately two weeks compared to the surrounding areas. As the mixed layer within the anticyclones become smaller than the critical depth, the combination of this and sufficiently high nutrient levels support a phytoplankton bloom. From the satellite observations, there is an evidence of phytoplankton being advected toward the center of the eddies, but also of isolated phytoplankton blooms within the intra-thermocline eddies. The combined use of a numerical model and satellite observations provides three-dimensional information on the structure and properties of both eddies and primary production. The presented model is particularly useful in cloud-covered areas where ocean color images are frequently unavailable.     

2000年8月南海中部与南部海洋温、盐与环流特征

根据2000年8—9月份南海中部与南部航次的温、盐资料,采用P—矢量诊断方法,结合ADCP测流资料和同期伪风应力资料以及TOPEX／Poseidon高度计资料,研究了2000年夏季风持续强迫之后南海大尺度环流与中尺度涡旋的空间结构。结果表明,南海夏季温度和盐度水平分布随深度有显著的变化：中层(250—400m左右)温、盐水平分布与其它各层的温度和盐度分布相比有很大的差异。用诊断方法计算得到的环流场与用TOPEX／Poseidon海面高度计资料计算得到的地转流场比较一致,即流场内部有多个中尺度的涡旋,主要有越南东南外海反气旋涡、中沙群岛东南反气旋涡以及南沙群岛东北角的气旋涡等,这说明南海中部与南部盛夏环流具有较强的地转分量和显著的多涡结构,并且这些中尺度涡在垂向上存在速度场的切变。     

A numerical experiment on modelling synoptic eddies in the Black Sea during the summer season

An energetically-balanced model has been used to perform an eddy-resolving experiment on the calculation of the baroclinic circulation in the Black Sea. As the initial and boundary conditions, historical data on the density and tangential wind stress for the summer season have been used. Following the integration of a set of model equations, an array of anticyclonic eddies formed on days 50–60 on the margins of the Black Sea rim current. Off the Caucasus, Crimean, and Bulgarian coast, anticyclonic eddies are shown to be quasi-stationary. The north-western Black Sea and Anatolia coastal zone are areas of Black Sea rim current instability, where synoptic eddies — both cyclonic and anticyclonic — are generated.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

渤海环流与输运季节变化的数值模拟

渤海的风和温度层结有明显的季节变化 ,因而其环流与输运亦有明显的季节信号。以季节平均的海面气象条件和开边界的潮波系统驱动三维斜压水动力模型———HAMSOM ,模拟了渤海冬、夏季的总环流。渤海环流冬强夏弱 ,表层风漂流常被下层逆风流所补偿。深度平均环流 ,即水柱内的输运 ,流型有显著的季节变化 :冬季在渤海中部沿逆时针方向旋转 ,辽东湾顶有一个顺时针流涡 ,阻碍了湾顶水与外海水的交换 ;夏季则为一个大的贴岸的顺时针流环 ,内嵌许多局地涡旋。这些与渤黄东海海洋水文图集中给出的多年观测的环流基本相同 ,同时也被水文要素分布及耐盐浮游动物的出现所佐证。风的季节变化决定了渤海大部分海区、特别是海峡附近环流的季节变化 ,但辽东湾东岸众多的岬角涡旋却不随季节变化 ,因为它们是由潮波系统与岬角岸型变化的非线性相互作用产生的。     

Seasonal Variation of Submesoscale Flow Features in a Mesoscale Eddy-dominant Region in the East Sea

Seasonal changes in the distribution of submesoscale (SM) flow features were examined using a fine-resolution numerical simulation. The SM flows are expected to be strong where mesoscale (MS) eddies actively develop and also when the mixed layer depth (MLD) is deep due to enhanced baroclinic instability. In the East Sea (ES), MS eddies more actively develop in summer while the MLD is deeper in winter, which provided the motivation to conduct this study to test the effects of MLD and MS eddies on the SM activity in this region. Finite-scale Liapunov exponents and the vertical velocity components were employed to analyze the SM activities. It was found that the SM intensity was marked by seasonality: it is stronger in winter when the mixed layer is deep but weaker in summer - despite the greater eddy kinetic energy. This is because in summer the mixed layer is so thin that there is not enough available potential energy. When the SM activity was quantified based on parameterization, (MLD × density gradient), it was determined that the seasonal variation of MLD plays a more important role than the lateral density gradient variation on SM flow motion in the ES.     

The Circulation in the Upper and Intermediate Layers of the South China Sea

The circulation in the basin of the South China Sea is reproduced using a four-layer numerical model. Current fields in the second (upper) and third (intermediate) layers are emphasized. Three eddies coexist in the upper layer in summer. The circulation pattern in this layer is similar to that in the first (surface) layer. In winter, a cyclonic circulation occupies the entire basin of the South China Sea in the upper layer as in the surface layer. On the other hand, the circulation pattern in the intermediate layer is fairly different from that in upper two layers especially in winter. A double-gyre pattern appears in the intermediate layer during winter. The pattern is caused by the propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave of the second mode. This wave is excited at onset of the winter monsoon wind. Such circulation pattern well explains the observed salinity distribution in the intermediate layer. Although the double-gyre pattern in the intermediate layer is revealed even in summer in this model, it is restricted in the western part of the basin. Besides, its current speed is small compared to that in winter.     

Seasonal variability of mesoscale eddies in the Banda Sea inferred from altimeter data

Using the mesoscale eddy trajectory atlas product derived from satellite altimeter data from 1993 to 2016, this study analyzes statistical characteristics and seasonal variability of mesoscale eddies in the Banda Sea of the Indonesian seas. The results show that there were 147 mesoscale eddies that occurred in the Banda Sea, of which 137 eddies were locally generated and 10 originated from outside. The total numbers of cyclonic eddies (CEs, clockwise) and anticyclonic eddies (AEs, anticlockwise) are 76 and 71, respectively. Seasonally, the number of CEs (AEs) is twice larger than the number of AEs (CEs) in winter (summer). In winter, CEs are distributed in the southern and AEs in the northern basins, respectively, but the opposite thing occurs in summer, i.e., the polarities of mesoscale eddies observed at the same location reverse seasonally. The mechanisms of polarity distribution reversal (PDR) of mesoscale eddies are examined with reanalysis data of ocean currents and winds. The results indicate that the basin-scale vorticity, wind stress curl, and the meridional shear of zonal current reverse seasonally, which are favorable to the PDR of mesoscale eddies. The possible generation mechanisms of mesoscale eddies include direct wind forcing, barotropic and baroclinic instabilities, of which the direct wind forcing should play the dominant role.     

A multi-model study of the restratification phase in an idealized convection basin

The representation of baroclinic instability in numerical models depends strongly upon the model physics and significant differences may be found depending on the vertical discretization of the governing dynamical equations. This dependency is explored in the context of the restratification of an idealized convective basin with no external forcing. A comparison is made between an isopycnic model including a mixed layer (the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model, MICOM), its adiabatic version (MICOM-ADIAB) in which the mixed layer physics are removed and the convective layer is described by a deep adiabatic layer outcropping at the surface instead of a thick dense mixed layer, and a z-coordinate model (OPA model).In the absence of a buoyancy source at the surface, the mixed layer geometry in MICOM prevents almost any retreat of this layer. As a result, lateral heat exchanges in the upper layers are limited while mass transfers across the outer boundary of the deep convective mixed layer result in an unrealistic outward spreading of this layer. Such a widespread deep mixed layer maintains a low level of baroclinic instability, and therefore limits lateral heat exchanges in the upper layers over most of the model domain. The behavior of the adiabatic isopycnic model and z-coordinate model is by far more satisfactory although contrasted features can be observed between the two simulations. In MICOM-ADIAB, the more baroclinic dynamics introduce a stronger contrast between the surface and the dense waters in the eddy kinetic energy and heat flux distributions. Better preservation of the density contrasts around the dense water patch maintains more persistent baroclinic instability, essentially associated with the process of dense water spreading. The OPA simulation shows a faster growth of the eddy kinetic energy in the early stages of the restratification which is attributed to more efficient baroclinic instability and leads to the most rapid buoyancy restoring in the convective area among the three simulations. Dense water spreading and warm surface capping occur on fairly similar time scales in MICOM-ADIAB although the former is more persistent that the latter. In this model, heat is mainly transported by anticyclonic eddies in the dense layer while both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies are involved in the upper layers. In OPA, heat is mainly brought into the convective zone through the export of cold water trapped in cyclonic eddies with a strong barotropic structure. Probably the most interesting difference between the z-coordinate and the adiabatic isopycnic model is found in the temperature distribution ultimately produced by the restratification process. OPA generates a spurious volume of intermediate water which is not seen in MICOM-ADIAB where the volume of the dense water is preserved.     

Large Eddy Simulation of Open Ocean Deep Convection with Application to the Deep Water Formation in the East Sea (Japan Sea)

Various important features could be found on the open ocean deep convection and the subsequent deep water formation from large eddy simulation (LES), and the results were applied to the East Sea (Japan Sea). It was found that under a strong cold wind outburst with the heat flux of 1000 Wm⁻² for 5 days generates a deep convection which can penetrate to the depth 1500 m, but under the continuous cooling with the heat flux of 250 Wm⁻² the growth of a mixed layer is suppressed at 700 m. The effects of the spatial and temporal variations of the surface forcing were investigated with regard to the penetrative depth of convection, the generation of baroclinic eddies, the volume of the water mass formation, and the intensity of the rim current. The deep water formations in the intermediate and deep layer of the East Sea were explained in terms of the simulation results, and the intensity of the consequent circulation and the volume of water mass formation were compared with the observation data. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

三维斜压陆架海模式的应用: 南海上混合层的季节变化

从一个三维斜压陆架海模式的数值模拟结果来揭示南海上混合层的季节变化规律,结果表明:(1)在南海北部上混合层的厚度(即混合层的下界深度)具有明显的季节性变化,与在南海南部上混合层的变化明显不同,前者的混合强度的变化幅度远比后者的要大得多.(2)在中南半岛中部东岸外海的西边界区域内,由于经常受冷涡控制,下层冷水涌升,上层水体层化显着,使得该海区垂直混合减弱.(3)在一些气旋(反气旋)涡的边缘,混合层厚度等值线分布密集,且水平梯度较大.(4)南海上混合层的厚度分布特征与上层环流的分布格局之间存在着较好的地转调整关系.     

Seasonal variation of eddy kinetic energy in the South China Sea

Mesoscale eddy activity and its modulation mechanism in the South China Sea (SCS) are investigated with newly reprocessed satellite altimetry observations and hydrographic data.The eddy kinetic energy ...     

The mesoscale variability in the Caribbean Sea. Part II: Energy sources

The processes which drive the production and the growth of the strong mesoscale eddy field in the Caribbean Sea are examined using a general circulation model. Diagnostics of the simulations suggest that:(1) The mean currents in the Caribbean Sea are intrinsically unstable. The nature of the instability and its strength vary spatially due to strong differences of current structure among basins.(2) The greatest and most energetic eddies of the Caribbean Sea originate in the Venezuela Basin by mixed barotropic-baroclinic instability of an intense jet, formed with waters mostly from the surface return flow of the Meridional Overturning Circulation and the North Equatorial Current which converge and accelerate through the Grenada Passage. The vertical shear of this inflow is enhanced by an eastward undercurrent, which flows along the south American Coast between 100 and 250 m depth. The shallow eddies (less than 200 m depth) formed in the vicinity of the Grenada Passage get rapidly deeper (down to 1000 m depth) and stronger by their interaction with the deep interior flow of the Subtropical Gyre, which enters through passages north of St. Lucia. These main eastern Caribbean inflows merge and form the southern Caribbean Current, whose baroclinic instability is responsible for the westward growth and strengthening of these eddies from the Venezuela to the Colombia Basin.(3) Eddies of lesser strength are produced in other regions of the Caribbean Sea. Their generation and growth is also linked with instability of the local currents. First, cyclones are formed in the cyclonic shear of the northern Caribbean Current, but appear to be rapidly dissipated or absorbed by the large anticyclones coming from the southern Caribbean. Second, eddies in the Cayman Sea, which impact the Yucatan region, are locally produced and enhanced by barotropic instability of the deep Cayman Current.(4) The role of the North Brazil Current (NBC) rings is mostly to act as a finite perturbation for the instability of the mean flow. Their presence near the Lesser Antilles is ubiquitous and they appear to be linked with most of the Caribbean eddies. There are some evidences that the frequency at which they form near the Grenada Passage is influenced by the frequency at which the NBC rings impinge the Lesser Antilles. But large Caribbean eddies also form without a close influence of any ring, and comparison between simulations shows that mean eddy kinetic energy and eddy population in the Caribbean Sea are not substantially different in absence or presence of NBC rings: their presence is not a necessary condition for the generation and growth of the Caribbean eddies.     

Eddies along front of warm winter current off the north coast of Spain and at Jovellanos Seamount

I~IOXSatellite infrared measurements are now accepted as an effeCtive way of mapping sea surfacetemperature (SST) distributions on global and regional scales. While regional SST maps are widely uest as background data for oceanographic experiments, they tend to be considered by oceanographers as at best qualitative tools. There is SCOPe for developing the use of satellite SST imagesac extensively for the study of mesoscale d~ical processes, as this paper seeks to demonstrate. As Part O…     

“桑吉”号泄漏物质扩散与漂移数值模拟预测

基于ROMS(Regional Ocean Modeling System)模式,对西北太平洋海域进行了水平分辨率高达4km的水动力环境数值模拟,该分辨率可以很好地分辨我国东海陆架环流以及中尺度涡旋等过程,此外模式考虑了8个分潮,模式结果很好地再现了黄、东海陆架环流等。基于模式结果,对"桑吉"号泄漏物质可能的扩散和迁移轨迹进行了数值模拟分析。在"桑吉"号沉船位置的表、底Ekman层内,释放拉格朗日粒子和示踪物来示踪"桑吉"号泄漏物质的可能影响范围。拉格朗日粒子和示踪物模拟结果表明:在未来3个月,"桑吉"号泄漏物质对我国黄海的影响较小,其主要随着对马暖流进入日本海和随着黑潮进入日本九州以南的太平洋海域。随着冬、春的季节转换,三个月后,北风会减弱,减弱风场的试验表明,风场减弱会减少泄漏物质向黄海的输送。5月份后黄海冷水团逐渐形成,由于斜压效应,在黄海深层水中会逐渐建立起气旋式环流,从而进一步阻碍了"桑吉"号泄漏物质向黄海的输送,该气旋式环流有利于"桑吉"号泄漏物质通过对马海峡向日本海的输送,而会抑制底层泄漏物质向我国黄海西侧的输送。     

东海黑潮上下游不同的涡动能季节变化特征及其产生机制

用一种新的泛函工具——多尺度子空间变换(multiscale window transform,MWT),得到如实的东海涡动能分布,发现东海黑潮上下游区域的涡动能有着完全不同的季节变化特征.根据功率谱分析,东海黑潮流系可正交地重构到背景流尺度子空间(大于64 d)与涡旋尺度子空间(小于64 d),并用MWT得出相应子空...     

南海罗斯贝变形半径的地理及季节变化

根据南海 1°× 1°网格的标准层季节平均温、盐度资料 ,在未引入Boussinesq近似条件下 ,采用改进的Thompson Haskell算法求解线性化斜压海洋水平大尺度波的垂直结构方程 (重力内波方程 ) ,从而得到了南海各网格点的第一斜压重力波相速度和相应的罗斯贝变形半径 ,并探讨其地理分布和季节变化特征 ,以期有助于南海环流和中尺度涡旋以及有关海洋侧边界效应的研究。     

东海黑潮热含量的计算和分析

黑潮对海洋和大气的影响已越来越受到海洋和气象工作者的重视。本文从海洋对大气热力影响方面对东海黑潮热含量作了计算和分析;表明,热含量的变化除受来自低纬海水输送量的多少影响外,还受EL NIO现象的影响。 一、资料的选取和计算G断面东起27°30′N、128°15′E,西迄     

The formation and evolution of East Australian current warm-core eddies

Data on East Australian Current (EAC) warm-core eddies were obtained over the period 1976–1978 by the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). In that time we have learned that warm eddies form by pinch-off of poleward EAC meanders, can coalesce with the EAC and appear generally similar to Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and other current system eddies. Two eddies were tracked over 1977–1978 with satellite buoys and one (eddy B) was repeatedly studied over eleven months. A deep winter core formed by winter convective cooling and the following summer a new surface mixed layer formed on top of the core. The seasonal changes have been analysed for heat content and changes in dynamic relief. The eddy decayed with a time constant of 650 ± 150 days, due to upwelling below the seasonal thermocline. Surface cooling had little effect on eddy lifetime. The eddy contracted horizontally, possibly after some interaction with the EAC, giving rise to eddy spin-up with increasing age. Surface currents increased after eleven months to 2.0 m s^?1. The dynamic relief during summer was also apparently boosted by contact with the EAC. Eddy B was observed to coalesce with a new meander of the EAC rather than drift away to the south. It is proposed that the formation of these eddies is governed by the westward propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave known as the Tasman Front. Pinch-off of eddies adjacent to the coast and the variable flow of the EAC may be caused by the baroclinic wave ‘breaking’ on the coast. The eddy formation rate is about two per year and most eddies coalesce with the EAC and do not escape to the south. Eddies coalesce and re-separate, creating many subsurface isothermal layers from old cores south of 34°S.     

台湾以东黑潮锋的中尺度过程研究

采用海洋再分析结果,研究了海洋涡旋和锋面波动对台湾以东黑潮锋的影响,结果表明,Rossby波第一斜压模态形成的冷涡(暖涡),减弱(增强)台湾以东黑潮温度锋强度,减小(加大)锋的宽度.在再分析结果中,捕获到1991年1-2月台湾以东的一次黑潮锋面波动.锋面波动的波槽(波脊)到达时,该温度锋强度减弱(增强),宽度和厚度减小...     

台湾以东黑潮锋的中尺度过程研究

采用海洋再分析结果,研究了海洋涡旋和锋面波动对台湾以东黑潮锋的影响,结果表明,Rossby波第一斜压模态形成的冷涡(暖涡),减弱(增强)台湾以东黑潮温度锋强度,减小(加大)锋的宽度.在再分析结果中,捕获到1991年1-2月台湾以东的一次黑潮锋面波动.锋面波动的波槽(波脊)到达时,该温度锋强度减弱(增强),宽度和厚度减小...