Observations of a cycle of intense coastal upwelling and downwelling at the research site of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in the Black Sea

The paper presents the results of joint analysis of the response of vertical temperature and current velocity profile distributions in the coastal zone of the Gelendzhik region of the Black Sea to strong wind forcing in the third ten-day period of September 2013. This forcing was caused by the propagation of an atmospheric cyclone, which first initiated coastal upwelling that was later replaced by downwelling. We formulate a criterion for the development of full coastal upwelling and demonstrate its efficiency. We assume that frequent events of incomplete coastal upwelling and downwelling are associated with changes in the water dynamics (variations in the intensity and direction of the alongshore current) generally not related to local wind forcing.     

Circulation modelling

Summer upwelling on the continental shelf north of Cape Canaveral, Florida, has been previously observed to result from wind forcing. A two-layer, finite element model reproduces reasonably well the characteristics of the wind-driven upwelling in respect to location and magnitude. Model investigation also shows that upwelling results from offshore current forcing which is imposed through an along-shelf sea level slope. This sea level slope, which has been found to be of the order of −10⁻⁷, represents a mean Gulf Stream effect. The results suggest that the strongest upwelling events near Cape Canaveral occur when the wind and Gulf Stream forcings act together.     

Upper-ocean thermal structure and heat content off the US West Coast during the 1997-1998 El Niño event based on AXBT and satellite altimetry data

During the 1997/1998 El Niño event, extensive oceanic temperature profiles were taken off the coast of California in January and February 1998 using Airborne Expendable Bathythermographs (AXBTs). These AXBT measurements are compared with altimetry-based upper-ocean temperature estimates using TOPEX and ERS satellite altimetry data. The altimetry-based temperature estimates are well correlated with the AXBT data, in particular when combining the two satellite data sets together to form a blended altimeter temperature estimate. Both the AXBT and altimetry data show that the nearshore coastal El Niño signal differed from that further offshore. The AXBT data show that near shore, the warm anomalies extended to much greater depths and had greater amplitude. A time series of the satellite-derived layer-averaged temperatures, averaged separately over the nearshore and offshore halves of the AXBT analysis domain, also shows a larger El Niño signal in the nearshore half. The role of local atmospheric forcing of the coastal oceanic temperature anomalies is analyzed using NCEP reanalysis and coastal upwelling data sets. The forcing terms include Ekman pumping, radiation, surface heat fluxes, precipitation, and alongshore wind stresses that drive coastal upwelling (expressed as a coastal downwelling index, CDI). The temperature forcing from all of the terms except the CDI anomalies are small. The CDI anomalies can explain most of the slowly varying temperature changes that occur near the coast during a two-year period spanning the El Niño event, as well as some of the larger amplitude, rapid (monthly) warming episodes that appear to be part of the El Niño signal. Several distinct rapid warming episodes, however, are not correlated with the CDI anomalies, and therefore we conclude that the nearshore El Niño signal originates from a combination of both a remote oceanic pathway and local atmospheric forcing.     

Seasonal anomalies of water salinity in the Gelendzhik region of the Black Sea according to shipborne monitoring data

The paper presents results of analyzing the data on the variability of salinity in the upper layer of the coastal zone (including the seasonal thermocline) of the Black Sea during the 2010–2013 warm seasons (April–November). The data for the analysis were obtained from the regularly conducted CTD probing the by R/V Ashamba on a cross section abeam the Golubaya Bay (Gelendzhik). The relationship between salinity anomalies, coastal precipitation, and wind forcing is analyzed. It is shown that the contribution of thermal stratification to the density stratification in the seasonal thermocline is almost always greater than the contribution of salinity stratification, and the ratio of the former to the latter increases from April to November.     

Numerical investigation of the effects of upwelling on harmful algal blooms off the west Florida coast

The initiation of the toxic harmful algal bloom (HAB), Karenia brevis, along the west Florida coast has been associated with upwelling events. Upwelling processes may be responsible for the transport of nutrients or algae from deep offshore locations across the Florida shelf to the coast. The influence of coastal wind-driven upwelling on the onset and occurrences of K. brevis in this region was numerically investigated using Rutgers University's Regional Ocean Modeling System. Computations were carried out in an idealized model domain, a two-dimensional slice in the cross-shore and vertical directions. The surface forcing data used was from several offshore meteorological buoys. The motion of the algae was simulated using Lagrangian particles and a passive tracer. The numerical simulations of three K. brevis events in 2000–2002 showed that the particles respond (with upwelling/downwelling) to the along-shore wind stresses as expected and some upwelling was present during the events. Comparison of the passive tracer fields with measured fluorescence data exposed the model's sensitivity to the particular surface forcing data employed and the relatively more significant role played by surface forcing over initial conditions. The present model set-up constitutes a useful predictive tool for conditions conducive to the onset of HABs. It is planned to be used in a real-time mode to aid the NOAA HAB monitoring and forecasting system.     

Effects of the Wind and Ice Conditions on the Upwelling along the Western Kamchatka Coast (Sea of Okhotsk) Based on the Satellite Data

The variability of the upwelling along the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula (northeastern part of the Sea of Okhotsk) has been studied based on an analysis of the multisensor satellite data. The intensity of upwelling is estimated on the basis of wind-forced offshore Ekman transport (upwelling index). The wind data for studying the seasonal variation of upwelling were collected in 1999–2009 using a Quik-SCAT/SeaWinds scatterometer. The upwelling events along the western Kamchatka coast were observed in December at the beginning of the winter monsoon period. During the period of strong winter monsoon northern winds from January to the middle of March, the drifting ice prevents the upwelling of the deep water at the western Kamchatka shelf edge under the mean conditions. The oceanographic data show that upwelling in the western coastal zone of Kamchatka was also observed during the transitional periods from winter to the summer monsoon (April). In summer, upwelling events are rarely observed in this region. The main cause of the summer upwelling is the propagation of the atmospheric cyclones over the Kamchatka Peninsula.     

Upwelling in the Black Sea by the results of numerical experiments and satellite data

The paper analyses results of the numerical simulation of upwelling events in the north-western part of the Black Sea, mostly near the South Crimea. The calculations were performed using a numerical model based on primitive hydrodynamics equations. Emphasis is laid on the case when a salinity front simulating the Black Sea rim current is prescribed in the initial conditions. The interaction of the Black Sea rim current's stream with the coastline and bottom topography leads to the development of an upwelling near the Crimea's coast, even in the absence of wind forcing. The paper discusses the structure of the three-dimensional circulation of waters in the shelf area of the NW Black Sea. Numerical modelling results are matched up with the satellite data obtained by the HRPT receiving station. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Interannual variability of upwelling indices in the Southeastern Arabian Sea: A satellite based study

Increase in sea surface temperature with global warming has an impact on coastal upwelling. Past two decades (1988 to 2007) of satellite observed sea surface temperatures and space borne scatterometer measured winds have provided an insight into the dynamics of coastal upwelling in the southeastern Arabian Sea, in the global warming scenario. These high resolution data products have shown inconsistent variability with a rapid rise in sea surface temperature between 1992 and 1998 and again from 2004 to 2007. The upwelling indices derived from both sea surface temperature and wind have shown that there is an increase in the intensity of upwelling during the period 1998 to 2004 than the previous decade. These indices have been modulated by the extreme climatic events like El-Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole that happened during 1991–92 and 1997–98. A considerable drop in the intensity of upwelling was observed concurrent with these events. Apart from the impact of global warming on the upwelling, the present study also provides an insight into spatial variability of upwelling along the coast. Noticeable fact is that the intensity of offshore Ekman transport off 8°N during the winter monsoon is as high as that during the usual upwelling season in summer monsoon. A drop in the meridional wind speed during the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 has resulted in extreme decrease in upwelling though the zonal wind and the total wind magnitude are a notch higher than the previous years. This decrease in upwelling strength has resulted in reduced productivity too.     

浙江沿岸春季上升流的数值研究

采用三维斜压非线性数值模式ROMS(Regional Ocean Modeling System),在浙江沿岸特殊地形的基础上综合考虑风场、台湾暖流、潮流以及长江径流等可变因子,对春季浙江沿岸上升流进行了数值研究。研究结果表明,浙江沿岸春季存在上升流,且上升流以带状分布在浙江近岸海域,在渔山列岛附近(28.40°N,122.00°E)以及舟山群岛附近(30.70°N,122.60°~123.00°E)存在2个上升流中心。风、台湾暖流和潮动力是影响浙江沿岸春季上升流的重要因子,其中风和台湾暖流对浙江沿岸整条上升流带均有影响;潮动力仅对28.60°N 纬度线以北至舟山群岛附近的上升流以及2个上升流中心的强度存在影响;长江径流对2个上升流中心、舟山群岛及长江口附近的上升流有一定影响。通过对浙江沿岸海域流场的分析可以发现,舟山群岛附近底层各等深线上水体向岸运动的速度比周围海域的大,跨越底层各等深线向上涌升的趋势更明显,间接反映了舟山群岛附近的上升流强度相对较强。对于舟山群岛附近的上升流而言,30 m深度以浅的海域,科氏力、水平平流作用与垂直粘性力是上升流形成的主要动力, 30 m深度以深的海域,上升流形成的主要动力为科氏力与压强梯度力,此时水平平流作用和垂直粘性力对上升流的影响较弱。     

ENSO related modulation of coastal upwelling in the eastern Atlantic

An index of ENSO in the Pacific during early boreal winter is shown to account for a significant part of the variability of coastal SST anomalies measured a few months later within the wind driven West African coastal upwelling region from 10°N to 26°N. This teleconnection is thought to result from an atmospheric bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, leading to warm (cold) ENSO events being associated with a relaxation (intensification) of the Atlantic trade winds and of the wind-induced coastal upwelling. This ENSO related modulation of the wind-driven coastal upwelling appears to contribute to the connection observed at the basin-scale between ENSO and SST in the north Atlantic. The ability to use this teleconnection to give warnings of large changes in the West African upwelling several months in advance is successfully tested using data from the 1998 and 1999 ENSO events.     

Sensitivity study of coastal plumes

INTRODUCTIONIn laboratory, Griffiths and Linden (1981 ) simulated the buoyancy-driven coastal currentsusing both a ring source and a point source in a rotating cylinder tank. The POint source was simifar to the river-forced plume in the coastal region. The coastal plume together with the gravitycoastal current moved along the coast, keeping the barrier on the right in the Northern Hemisphere. Stern et al. (1982) also conducted a similar experiment using a rectangular tank and carried ou…     

A numerical study on the role of wind forcing,bottom topography,and nonhydrostacy in coastal upwelling

The responses of coastal upwelling to different magnitudes of wind stress over a narrow and a wide shelf are studied using a 3-D primitive equation numerical model. The results show that the position of the upwelling front depends on both the strength and the duration of the wind forcing. The comparison between different shelf widths shows that wide shelf will limit the cold water intrusion, so that the corresponding decrease in sea surface temperature is less compared to narrow shelves. Besides, the difference between hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic model results shows that nonhydrostatic effects will enhance the growth of surface meandering, and can be more pronounced near steep fronts. Although difference does exist, our results show that the nonhydrostatic effects are very small at least in this idealized study case.     

风对福建中部沿岸春、夏季水文结构和上升流的影响

本文对台湾海峡西侧海坛岛附近海域风情与附近岸站的风情进行了对比分析,结果表明,海上风情和岸站风情变化基本上是一致的;在不同季风的作用下,海域温、盐度呈现不同类型的分布。风情的短期变化对上升流的强弱变化有一定影响。     

Sea Level Variations Associated with Upwelling/ Downwelling Along the West Coast of India

A three-dimensional numerical model is developed and used to study the coastal upwelling processes and corresponding seasonal changes in the sea level along the west coast of India. The upwelling and associated sea level variations are seen as a response of coastal ocean to pure wind stress forcing. The model is designed to represent coastal ocean physics by resolving surface and bottom Ekman layers as realistically as possible. The prognostic variables are the three components of the velocity field, temperature, salinity and turbulent energy. The governing equations together with their boundary conditions are solved by finite-difference techniques. Experiments are performed to investigate sea level fluctuations associated with the thermal response and alongshore currents of the coastal waters. The model is forced with mean monthly wind stress forcing of January, May, July and September representing northeast monsoon and different phases of the southwest monsoon. It is known from the observational study that the upwelling process reaches to the surface waters by May along the coastal waters of the extreme southwest peninsular region. The process is more intense in July compared to May and September and its strength decreases from south to north. However, during the northeast monsoon season, which is represented by January wind stress forcing in the model, downwelling is simulated along the coast. The model simulations of the coastal response are compared with the observations and are found to be in good agreement. The maximum computed vertical velocity of about 2.0 ×10 -3 cm s -1 is predicted in July in the southern region off the coast.     

WEST: A northern California study of the role of wind-driven transport in the productivity of coastal plankton communities

The “Wind Events and Shelf Transport” (WEST) program was an interdisciplinary study of coastal upwelling off northern California in 2000–03. WEST was comprised of modeling and field observations. The primary goal of WEST was to better describe and understand the competing influences of wind forcing on planktonic productivity in coastal waters. While increased upwelling-favorable winds lead to increased nutrient supply, they also result in reduced light exposure due to deeper surface mixed layers and increased advective loss of plankton from coastal waters. The key to understanding high levels of productivity, amidst these competing responses to wind forcing, is the temporal and spatial structure of upwelling. Temporal fluctuations and spatial patterns allow strong upwelling that favors nutrient delivery to be juxtaposed with less energetic conditions that favor stratification and plankton blooms. Observations of winds, ocean circulation, nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton off Bodega Bay and Point Reyes (38°N) were combined with model studies of winds, circulation and productivity. This overview of the WEST program provides an introduction to the WEST special issue of Deep-Sea Research, including the motivation for WEST, a summary of study components, an integrative synthesis of major research results to-date, and background on conditions during field studies in May–June 2001 (the upwelling period on which this special issue is focused).     

Sea Level Variations Associated with Upwelling/ Downwelling Along the West Coast of India

A three-dimensional numerical model is developed and used to study the coastal upwelling processes and corresponding seasonal changes in the sea level along the west coast of India. The upwelling and associated sea level variations are seen as a response of coastal ocean to pure wind stress forcing. The model is designed to represent coastal ocean physics by resolving surface and bottom Ekman layers as realistically as possible. The prognostic variables are the three components of the velocity field, temperature, salinity and turbulent energy. The governing equations together with their boundary conditions are solved by finite-difference techniques. Experiments are performed to investigate sea level fluctuations associated with the thermal response and alongshore currents of the coastal waters. The model is forced with mean monthly wind stress forcing of January, May, July and September representing northeast monsoon and different phases of the southwest monsoon. It is known from the observational study that the upwelling process reaches to the surface waters by May along the coastal waters of the extreme southwest peninsular region. The process is more intense in July compared to May and September and its strength decreases from south to north. However, during the northeast monsoon season, which is represented by January wind stress forcing in the model, downwelling is simulated along the coast. The model simulations of the coastal response are compared with the observations and are found to be in good agreement. The maximum computed vertical velocity of about 2.0 2 10 -3 cm s -1 is predicted in July in the southern region off the coast.     

A numerical study of the effects of wind forcing on the Chile Current System

A high-resolution, multi-level, primitive equation ocean model is used to examine the response of the coastal region from 22.5°S to 35°S of the Chile Current System to both equatorward and climatological wind forcing. The results from both types of forcing show that an equatorward surface current, a poleward undercurrent, upwelling, meanders, filaments and eddies develop in response to the predominant equatorward wind forcing. When climatological wind forcing is used, an offshore branch of the equatorward surface current is also generated. These features are consistent with available observations of the Chile Current System. The model results support the hypothesis that wind forcing is an important mechanism for generating currents, eddies and filaments in the Chile eastern boundary current system and in other eastern boundary current regions which have predominantly equatorward wind forcing.     

Possibilities of X-band nautical radars for monitoring of wind waves near the coast

We present the results of development and testing of a coastal X-band radar system for monitoring wind waves and currents at the Black Sea (near Gelendzhik) created on the basis of nautical radars. Radar measurements of wave heights were validated by data from a wave buoy and a moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The conditions for successful radar measurements of waves in the coastal environment have been determined. It was shown that a radar with an aperture 1° could successfully measure wave heights at a distance of 1.2 km from the radar, when waves arrive at an angle of ±31° to the main sensing direction. In this case, for wave height measurements, the correlation coefficient between the radar and independent data is 0.82 and the standard deviation is 0.26 m.     

夏季长江冲淡水转向机制的数值试验

利用普林斯顿海洋环流模式(POM)，通过一系列的理想试验，探讨了夏季长江冲淡水的扩展机制。结果表明：(1)倾斜底形是夏季长江冲淡水向东北偏转的一个必要条件；夏季冲淡水向东北偏转是南风、斜压效应和底形的共同作用的结果，其中风应力和底形的相互作用占主导地位；单纯的底形东倾不能使冲淡水向北偏转。平底时，南风和淡水浮力强迫都不能使冲淡水向北偏转。(2)无风时，人海淡水可以在河口附近强迫出一个反气旋涡旋和贴岸南下的狭窄的沿岸流，反气旋涡旋与淡水浮力强迫(斜压效应)有关，南下沿岸流则与质量输入有关；平底时，反气旋涡旋位于河口正东，倾斜底形时，反气旋涡旋向北拉伸，冲淡水的一部分沿岸向北扩展；人海淡水在河口附近强迫出一个闭合的垂直环流圈：上层为离岸流，淡水向外海扩展，约在离岸30—45km处有下降流；低层有高盐水沿海底流向河口，约在离河口。lOkm处与向海的径流相遇，引起上升流。     

Effect of atmospheric CO2 and solar activity on wind regime and water column stability in the major global upwelling areas

It is not clear whether global warming will favour or reduce global ocean phytoplankton productivity in coastal areas. Moreover, the relative contributions made by natural and/or anthropogenic factors to possible changes in phytoplankton productivity are not clear. As the relationship between primary production and alongshore wind forcing is well established for the Eastern Boundary Current (EBC) ecosystems, our aim is to determine whether the changes experienced over the last five decades (1958–2007) in atmospheric CO₂ and solar activity have been able to affect the wind regime and water column stability in the most biologically productive upwelling areas of California, Canary, Humboldt and Benguela. We approached the work by statistically studying the effect of solar activity and atmospheric CO₂ on surface alongshore wind stress and on water column stability. There was an increasing trend in wind stress and water column stability in all the upwelling areas over the period studied (with the single exception of stability in the California EBC system). The analysis of detrended series evidenced significant relationships between atmospheric CO₂ concentration and wind stress and water column stability in the coastal upwelling areas investigated. In addition, wind stress and stability data were found to be consistent, with negative linear relationships between wind stress and CO₂ in most of the sites in the Benguela, Canary and Humboldt regions associated, as expected, to positive relationships when water column stability is used as regressand. The results of the present study suggest that greenhouse gas forcing, independent of its well known general increasing trend, was able to decrease wind stress intensity and increase water column stability for the period 1958 to present in most of the sites of the four Eastern Boundary Ecosystems studied, with the one exception of the California region. Conversely, the impact of solar activity appeared to be quite low compared to the greenhouse gas forcing.