Analysis on long-term change of sea surface temperature in the China Seas

Long-term change of sea surface temperature (SST) in the China Seas from 1900 to 2006 is examined based on two different observation datasets (HadISST1 and HadSST3). Similar to the Atlantic, SST in the China Seas has been well observed dur-ing the past 107 years. A comparison between the reconstructed (HadISST1) and un-interpolated (HadSST3) datasets shows that the SST warming trends from both datasets are consistent with each other in most of the China Seas. The warming trends are stronger in winter than in summer, with a maximum rate of SST increase exceeding 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait during winter based on HadISST1. However, the SST from both datasets experienced a sudden decrease after 1999 in the China Seas. The estimated trend from HadISST1 is stronger than that from HadSST3 in the East China Sea and the east of Taiwan Island, where the difference in the linear SST warming trends are as large as about 1℃ (100 year)-1 when using respectively HadISST1 and HadSST3 datasets. When compared to the linear winter warming trend of the land surface air temperature (1.6℃ (100 year)-1), HadSST3 shows a more reasonable trend of less than 2.1℃ (100 year)-1 than HadISST1’s trend of larger than 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The results also indicate large uncertainties in the estimate of SST warming patterns.     

Seasonal variation of the barrier layer in the PN section

In this paper, we use the conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) observation data and a three-dimensional ocean model in a seasonally-varying forcing field to study the barrier layer (BL) in the PN section in the East China Sea (ECS). The BL can be found along the PN section with obviously seasonal variability. In winter, spring and autumn, the BL occurs around the slope where the cold shelf water meets with the warm Kuroshio water. In summer, the BL can also be found in the shelf area near salinity front of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Dilution Water (YRDW). Seasonal variations of BL in the PN section are caused by local hydrological characteristics and seasonal variations of atmospheric forcing. Strong vertical convection caused by sea surface cooling thickens the BL in winter and spring in the slope area. Due to the large discharge of Changjiang River in summer, the BL occurs extensively in the shelf region where the fresh YRDW and the salty bottom water meet and form a strong halocline above the seasonal thermocline. The formation mechanism of BL in the PN section can be explained by the vertical shear of different water masses, which is called the advection mechanism. The interannual variation of BL in summer is greatly affected by the YRDW. In the larger YRDW year (such as 1998), a shallow but much thicker BL existed on the shelf area. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2005CB422303 and 2007CB411804), the Key Project of the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2006DFB21250), the “111 Project” of the Ministry of Education (No. B07036), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (No. NECT-07-0781)     

HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIOPLANKTON PRODUCTION IN THE EAST CHINA SEA

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＭｏｒｅｔｈａｎａｄｅｃａｄｅｈａｓｐａｓｓｅｄｓｉｎｃｅｂａｃｔｅｒｉａｗａｓｒｅｃｏｇｎｉｚｅｄａｓｑｕａｎｔｉｔａｔｉｖｅｌｙｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｃｏｎ ｓｕｍｅｒｓｏｆｏｒｇａｎｉｃｃａｒｂｏｎｉｎｍａｒｉｎｅｆｏｏｄｗｅｂｓａｎｄｍａｒｉｎｅｅｃｏｓｙｓｔｅｍｓ (Ｆｕｈｒｍａｎ ,1 992 ) .ＴｈｅｂａｓｉｃｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｏｎｔｈｅｓｉｇｎｉｆｉｃａｎｃｅｏｆｔｈｅｍｉｃｒｏｂｉａｌｆｏｏｄｗｅｂｗａｓｐｒｅｓｅｎｔｅｄｂｙＰｏｍｅｒｏｙ ( 1 974 ) ,ｗｈｏｐｉｅ…     

A singular spectrum analysis on Holocene climatic oscillation from lake sedimentary record in Minqin Basin, China

The total organic carbon (TOC) content series from the lake sediment of Minqin Basin (100°57′–104°57′E, 37°48′–39°17′N) in northwestern China, which has a 10 000-year-long paleo-climatic proxy record, was used to analyze the Holocene climate changes in the local region. The proxy record was established in the Sanjiaocheng (SJC), Triangle Town in Chinese, Section (103°20′25″E, 39°00′38″N), which is located at the northwestern boundary of the present Asian summer monsoon in China, and is sensitive to global environmental and climate changes. Applying singular spectrum analysis (SSA) to the TOC series, principal climatic oscillations and periodical changes were studied. The results reveal 3 major patterns of climate change regulated by reconstructed components (RCs). The first pattern is natural long-term trend of climatic change in the local area (Minqin Basin), indicating a relatively wetter stage in early Holocene (starting at 9.5 kaBP), and a relatively dryer stage with a strong lake desiccation and a declined vegetation cover in mid-Holocene (during 7–6 kaBP). From 4.0 kaBP to the present, there has been a gradually decreasing trend in the third reconstructed component (RC3) showing that the local climate changed again into a dryer stage. The second pattern shows millennial-centennial scale oscillations containing cycles of 1 600 and 800 years that have been present throughout almost the entire Holocene period of the last 10 000 years. The third pattern is a millennial-centennial scale variation with a relatively smaller amplitude and unclear cycles showing a nonlinear interaction within the earth’s climate systems.     

The study on fishing ground of neon flying squid,Ommastrephes bartrami,and ocean environment based on remote sensing data in the Northwest Pacific Ocean

The relationships between the neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartrami, and the relative ocean environmental factors are analyzed. The environmental factors collected are sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll concentration (Chl-a) and sea surface height (SSH) from NASA, as well as the yields of neon flying squid in the North Pacific Ocean. The results show that the favorable temperature for neon flying squid living is 10°C–22°C and the favorite temperature is between 15°C–17°C. The Chl-a concentration is 0.1–0.6 mg/m³. When Chl-a concentration changes to 0.12–0.14 mg/m3, the probability of forming fishing ground becomes very high. In most fishing grounds, the SSH is higher than the mean SSH. The generalized additive model (GAM) was applied to analyze the correlations between neon flying squid and ocean environmental factors. Every year, squids migrate northward from June to August and return southward during October–November, and the characteristics of the both migrations are very different. When squids migrate to the north, most relationships between the yields and SST are positive. The relationships are negative when squids move to southward. The relationships between the yields and Chl-a concentrations are negative from June to October, and insignificant in November. There is no obvious correlation between the catches of squid and longitude, but good with latitude. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, No. 2003AA607030); National Key Technology Research and Development Program (No. 2006BAD09A05)     

Study on the dominant species of Pteropoda in East China Sea

1 INTRODUCTION Pteropoda is a group of marine pelagic mol- lusks, which belongs to Opisthobranchia of Gastro- poda. Although Pteropoda is not a major group in pelagic zooplankton in terms of abundance and number of species, their ecological characters are…     

GENERAL FEATURES OF POLAR LOWS OVER THE JAPAN SEA AND THE NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC

INTRODUCTIONPolarlowsareintensemeso scalecyclonesthatformincoldairstreamsofthepolarairmass.Theyhavehorizontalscalesoftheorderofseveralhundredkilometers;severalhourstoseveraldayslifecycles;andusuallydevelopoverhighlatitudeoceansinwinter,forexample ,theGulfofAlaska(1 3 5-1 60°W ,50 -60°N) ,theBarentsSea (2 0 -50°E ,65-75°N) ,theLabradorSea (50 -60°W ,55-65°N)andtheNorwegianSea (5°W -1 0°E ,60 -70°N) .Onsatelliteimages ,polarlowsareoftencharacterizedbytight,spiralcloudpatterns…     

A heat budget study on the mechanism of SST variations in the Indian ocean dipole regions

By using a new heat budget equation that is closely related to the sea surface temperature （SST） and a dataset from an ocean general circulation model （MOM2） with 10-a integration （1987-1996）, the relative importance of various processes determining SST variations in two regions of the Indian Ocean is compared. These regions are defined by the Indian Ocean Dipole Index and will be referred to hereafter as the eastern （0^＊-10^＊S, 90^＊-110^＊E） and western regions （10^＊S- 10^＊N, 50^＊-70^＊E）, respectively. It is shown that in each region there is a falling of SST in boreal summer and a rising in most months of other seasons, but the phases are quite different. In the eastern region, maximum cooling rate occurs in July, whereas in the western region it occurs in June with much larger magnitude. Maximum heating rate occurs in November in the eastern region, but in March in the western one. The western region exhibits another peak of increasing rate of SST in October, indicating a typical half-year period. Net surface heat flux and entrainment show roughly the same phases as the time-varying term, but the former has much larger contribution in most of a year, whereas the latter is important in the boreal summer. Horizontal advection, however, shows completely different seasonal variations as compared with any other terms in the heat budget equation. In the eastern region, it has a maximum in June/November and a minimum in March/ September, manifesting a half-year period; in the western region, it reaches the maximum in August and the minimum in November. Further investigation of the horizontal advection indicates that the zonal advection has almost the opposite sign to the meridional advection. In the eastern region, the zonal advection is negative with a peak in August, whereas the meridional one is positive with two peaks in June and October. In the western region, the zonal advection is negative from March to November with two peaks in June and November, whereas the meridional one is positive with one peak in July. Different phases can be clearly seen between the two regions for each component of the horizontal advection. A detailed analysis of the data of 1994, a year identified when the Indian Ocean dipole event happened, indicates that the horizontal advection plays a dominant role in the remarkable cooling of the eastern region, in which zonal and meridional advections have the same sign of anomaly. However, in the western region in 1994 no any specialty was shown as compared with other years, for the SST anomaly is not positive in large part of this region. All these imply that the eastern and western regions may be related in a quite complex way and have many differences in dynamics. Further study is needed.     

Climate Changes in Northeastern China During Last Four Decades

The northeastern China is a sensitive region of climate change, whose detailed trend of climate changes is highly interesting. In this study, this kind of variation trend was analyzed. Potential evapotranspiration (PE) and moisture index (MI) were modeled by using Thornthwaite scheme based on the observation data of 1961-2004 from 94 meteorological stations. To describe the climate fluctuation in the northeastern China in 1961-2004, the linear regression method was used to analyze the variation trends of mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, PE and MI. Mann-Kendall method was used to test the significant difference. The results show a general increasing tendency in mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, PE and MI. However increasing tendency was more significant in mean annual temperature and PE than in mean annual precipitation and MI. Analysis of seasonal climate variation indicates that there showed positive trends in winter and in spring, while the positive trend was more significant in winter than in spring. Furthermore, the relations between climate changes and geographical factors were analyzed, the results show that both climate factors and their interannual variability were correlated to latitude, longitude and altitude, suggesting that latitude is the most climate factor affecting climate changes, followed by altitude and longitude.     

Interdecadal oscillations of temperatures in 1903 - 2002 over the Antarctic Peninula

In the paper, by use of the monthly mean temperature data of 12 stations in the vicinity of Antarctic Peninsula, the temperature series during 1903 - 2000 is founded and the interdecadal oscillation of the temperature are discussed. The results indicate that 1） There are three jumps during 1919 - 1923, 1947 - 1953 and 1976 - 1982 in recent hundred years and the stable climate step between two jump points lasted about 30 years. 2） Annual mean temperature is increased by 0. 730℃ in an echelon during 1903 -2000, the warming extent is dissimilarity in each season, the maximum of warming is in the winter and the minimum of warming is in summer. 3） The ice decline trend is presented in the index of Ice concentration in the vicinity sea of Antarctic Peninsula, which shows a -0. 2053/10a drop, and the decrease trend of the ice concentration index in summer half year （Dee-May） is found much more obviously than that in winter half year （Jun-Nov）. 4） There is better negative relationship between the temperature and the Ice concentration index in Antarctic Peninsula and its vicinity sea, which correlation coefficient of is exceed the significance level of 5% in summer, autumn and annual.     

Response of Vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Global Warming

Using satellite-observed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) dada and station-observed surface air temperature anomalies for the Northern Hemisphere (NH), we analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of vege- tation variations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their correlations with global warming from 1982 to 2002. It is found that the late spring and early summer (May-June) are the months with the strongest responses of vegetation to global warming. Based on the Rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function (REOF) method, the study shows that the first REOF spatial pattern of average NDVI for May-June reveals the northern and southern zones with great inter-annual variations of vegetation, the northern zone from the eastern Kunlun Mountains to the southwestern Qilian Mountain and southern zone from the northern edge of the Himalayas eastward to the Hengduan Mountains. The vegetation, especially grassland, in the two zones increases significantly with global warming, with a correlation coefficient of 0.71 between the first REOF of May-June vegetation and the April-May surface air temperature anomaly in the NH during 1982-2002. A long-term increasing trend in May-June vegetation for the plateau region as a whole is also attributed mainly to global warming although there are considerable regional differences. The areas with low NDVI (grassland and shrubland) usually respond more evidently to global warming, especially since the 1990s, than those with moderate or high NDVI values.     

Simulation and analysis on seasonal variability of average salinityin the Yellow Sea

The CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) data collected by six China-Korea joint cruises during 1996-1998 and the climatological data suggest that the seasonal variability of average salinity in the Yellow Sea (Sa) presents a general sinusoid pattern. To study the mechanism of the variability, annual cycles of Sa were simulated and a theoretical analysis based on the governing equations was reported.Three main factors are responsible for the variability: the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the Changji-ang (Yangtze) River diluted water (YRDW) and the evaporation minus precipitation (E-P). From December to the next May, the variability of Sa is mainly controlled by the salt transportation of the YSWC. But in early July, the YSWC is overtaken and replaced by the YRDW which then becomes the most important controller in summer. From late September to November, the E-P gradually took the lead. The mass exchange north of the 37癗 line is not significant.     

Changes in Air Temperatures and Atmosphere Circulation in High Mountainous Parts of Bulgaria for the Period 1941-2008

Changes of air temperatures and atmosphere circulation at three high mountainous stations in Bulgaria are investigated for the period of 1941-2008.The three stations are located on peaks Musala,Cherni vrah and Botev,where air temperature data have good quality.Some missing data were recovered using the method of differences. A significant mean annual air temperature rise happened in high mountainous parts of Bulgaria- the warming is in the order of 0.7°C for the entire period.The increase is very prominent particularly in the last 30 years.Main contributors to this overall tendency are summer months-June,July and August.To some degree,January also could be included in this group.November trend shows temperature rise at the beginning of the investigated period.One of the causes for such a tendency is atmosphere circulation in respective months.It also shows signs of considerable reorganization in both winter and summer.There is an increase of the cases of warm atmosphere patterns typical for winter, summer and autumn seasons in Bulgaria.Meridional circulation has essential significance for air temperatures during the cold half of the year.In January and June atmosphere circulation has a substantial influence on the thermal regime of air in high mountains of Bulgaria.In July,August and November this influence is reduced.There are no cycles in air temperatures for the investigated period.     

Seasonal variation of the Taiwan Warm Current Water and its underlying mechanism

Based on the historical observed data and the modeling results,this paper investigated the seasonal variations in the Taiwan Warm Current Water(TWCW)using a cluster analysis method and examined the contributions of the Kuroshio onshore intrusion and the Taiwan Strait Warm Current(TSWC)to the TWCW on seasonal time scales.The TWCW has obviously seasonal variation in its horizontal distribution,T-S characteristics and volume.The volume of TWCW is maximum(13746 km~3)in winter and minimum(11397 km~3)in autumn.As to the contributions to the TWCW,the TSWC is greatest in summer and smallest in winter,while the Kuroshio onshore intrusion northeast of Taiwan Island is strongest in winter and weakest in summer.By comparison,the Kuroshio onshore intrusion make greater contributions to the Taiwan Warm Current Surface Water(TWCSW)than the TSWC for most of the year,except for in the summertime(from June to August),while the Kuroshio Subsurface Water(KSSW)dominate the Taiwan Warm Current Deep Water(TWCDW).The analysis results demonstrate that the local monsoon winds is the dominant factor controlling the seasonal variation in the TWCW volume via Ekman dynamics,while the surface heat fl ux can play a secondary role via the joint ef fect of baroclinicity and relief.     

Principal North Pacific heating anomaly patterns and their relations to the atmospheric circulation

The principal variability patterns (EOF) of the anomalies of total heat transfer from ocean to atmosphere computed from 30 years' monthly averaged data over the North Pacific Ocean (20°–60°N) showed variability was dominated by two patterns: a bipolar pattern and a dominantly positive or negative pattern depending on the sign of the time series coefficients. The atmosphere contributes greatly to the marine heating anomalies in most of the North Pacific in all seasons. In winter, a positive feedback is formed between the Aleutian Low and the marine heating anomalies; in summer, the marine heating anomalies are controlled by the heating on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Both patterns have a winter correlation with the Southern Oscillation Index. Contribution No. 1534 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica     

Interannual oscillation of meridional sea level wind and its impact on sea surface temperature in the South China Sea

Analysis of COADS data (1958–1987) showed that there is obviously interannual SST oscillation including QBO (Quasi-biennial oscillation) and quasi-3.5 year oscilation, etc., of the SCS (South China Sea), which is the response of the upper mixed layer of the sea to the impact of the East Asian Monsoon anomaly. Most SST anomalies appear in the central basin of the SCS. The phase-locked phenomena linking the SST annual cycle and interannual oscillation is an important characteristic of the SCS climate. There is not only SST response to atmospheric impact, but also feedback to the air. The authors put forward a scheme of regional air-sea interaction in winter time in the SCS. Project 49676276 supported by NSFC and also supported by FSEC.     

Variability of surface velocity in the Kuroshio Current and adjacent waters derived from Argos drifter buoys and satellite altimeter data

By combining Argos drifter buoys and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data, the time series of sea-surface velocity fields in the Kuroshio Current (KC) and adjacent regions are established. And the variability of the KC from the Luzon Strait to the Tokara Strait is studied based on the velocity fields. The results show that the dominant variability period varies in different segments of the KC: The primary period near the Luzon Strait and to the east of Taiwan Island is the intra-seasonal time scale; the KC on the continental shelf of the ECS is the steadiest segment without obvious periodicity, while the Tokara Strait shows the period of seasonal variability. The diverse periods are caused by the Rossby waves propagating from the interior ocean, with adjustments in topography of island chain and local wind stress. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, Nos. 2007CB411804, 2005CB422303), the NSFC (No. 40706006), the Key Project of International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2006DFB21250) and the “111 Project” (B07036), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NECT-07-0781)     

Mid-Holocene Climate Variations Recorded by Palaeolake in Marginal Area of East Asian Monsoon： A Multi-proxy Study

Traditionally, the mid-Holocene in most parts of China was thought to be warmer with higher precipitation, resulting from a strong Asian summer monsoon. However, some recent researches have proposed a mid-Holocene drought interval of millennial-scale in East Asian monsoon margin areas. Thus whether mid-Holocene was dry or humid remains an open issue. Here, Zhuyeze palaeolake, the terminal lake of the Shiyang River Drainage lying in Asian monsoon marginal areas, was selected for reconstructing the details of climate variations during the Holocene, especially mid-Holocene, on the basis of a sedimentological analysis. Qingtu Lake (QTL) section of 6.92m depth was taken from Zhuyeze palaeolake. Multi-proxy analysis of QTL section, including grain size, carbonate, TOC, C/N and δ13C of organic matter, was used to document regional climatic changes during 9-3 cal ka B.P. The record shows a major environmental change at 9.0-7.8 cal ka B.P., attributed to a climate trend towards warmth and humidity. This event was followed by a typical regional drought event which occurred during 7.8-7.5 cal ka B.P. And a warm and humid climate prevailed from 7.5 to 5.0 cal ka B.P., attributed to the warm/humid Holocene Optimum in this region. After that, the climate gradually became drier. Moreover, comparison of the climate record from this paper with the summer insolation at 30°N indicates that the climate pattern reflecting the Asian monsoon changes was caused by insolation change.     

Temporal and spatial distributions of dominant shrimp stocks and their relationship with the hydrological environment in the East China Sea

To provide a scientific and technological base for fishery administration, holding a moratorium on fishing, and combating habitat degradation, a shrimp stock survey was carried out in May, August, and November 1998 and in February 1999. The study was conducted in the area between 26o00′ N and 33o00′ N and to the west of 127o00′ E in the East China Sea using a multi-sac trawl-net, with 115 stations being sampled. Up to 2001, we had found 121 species, which belong to 63 genera under 22 families, and 41 species are of high economic value and in great abundance. Nine shrimp species were of great economic importance, whose stock accounted for 76.8% of the demersal total. They were Parapenaeus fissuroides, Metapenaeopsis philippi, Palaemon gravieri, Metapenaeopsis barbata, Solenocera koelbeli, Solenocera crassicornis, Trachypenaeus curvirostris, Solenocera melantho and Parapenaeopsis hardwickii (listed in stock order). The nine species belong to the eurythermal and eurysaline community and high thermal and high saline community, had different migration patterns and stocks, and their distribution patterns could be generally classified into three types:(1) dominating in the north or the south;(2) dominating to the north of and in the coast to the south of 30o00′ N;and (3) dominating to the east of 60 m isobath, which were related to six water masses in the ECS near two lines, i.e., the 60 m isobath and 30o00′N latitudinal lines. Densely habited shrimps were found in all four seasons due to temperature and salinity frontiers and upwelling. The general stock density index was relatively higher in spring, summer, and autumn, when it surpassed 10 kg/h, while in winter, it was only 6.8 kg/h which might be caused by overfishing. According to the spawning areas of the nine species and their distribution patterns, to attain sustainable development of the shrimp fishery in the ECS, it is imperative to protect fishing areas and to hold a moratorium on catching to the west of 60 m isobath from April through October, and between 60 m and 100 m isobaths and to the south of 30oN from June through August and to limit fishing in winter.     

Climatic features of summer temperature in northeast china under warming background

By using,summer temperature data in 26 stations from 1951 to 2003, the variation characteristics of summer temperature in Northeast China （NET） were analyzed based on the background of climate wanning. The results showed that the warming in summer was 0.15~C/10a in Northeast China, which was higher than that on the global, Northern Hemisphere or Northeast Asia scale in the recent 50 years. The responses of NET to global warming were shown in 3 aspects mainly. Firstly, it became warm and the average temperature increased in summer; secondly, the temperature variability increased, which displayed the increase of climatic instability; thirdly, the disaster of low temperature decreased and high temperature damage increased obviously, but the disaster of low temperature still existed in some areas under global warming background, which would be worthy of notice further.