Variations of the seasonal behavior of geostrophic circulation in the Black Sea

On the basis of the results of processing of the archival hydrological data, we analyze the seasonal behavior of geostrophic circulation in the Black Sea and its long-term variations. It is shown that the variations of currents on the decadal time scales with different manifestations in different seasons lead to changes in the characteristics of the seasonal course of geostrophic circulation in the second half of the last century. The intensification of winter circulation and weakening of summer circulation observed since the mid-1970s result in the increase in the amplitude of the annual course of current velocity on the sea surface. We also discuss possible causes of variations in the intensities of geostrophic currents in the Black Sea.     

Vertical structure of geostrophic currents in the fields of density of water and hydrostatic pressure

We analyze geostrophic currents with nonmonotonic vertical profiles, of velocity and present the distributions of the density of water and hydrostatic pressure corresponding to possible types of the vertical kinematic structure. To prove the existence of the indicated complex layered structures, we use, the data of instrumentalin situ measurements of currents in the Black Sea and in the west part of the Tropical Atlantic. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Manifestations of the Black Sea undercurrent in the density and hydrostatic pressure fields

Vertical kinematic structure of the geostrophic currents has been found to be correlated to the distribution of seawater density and hydrostatic pressure over depth. The conditions necessary for the existence of the undercurrent have been defined. On this basis, hydrological survey data compiled by the Marine Hydrophysical Institute in the Black Sea have been treated. Examples are given, which support theoretical deductions about the possible existence of the undercurrent beneath the Black Sea rim current. The undercurrent's parameters have been determined, along with the depths of the upper and lower boundaries and the mainstream velocity. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Peculiarities of the currents field in the north-western part of the Black Sea

On the basis of the results derived by theoretical analysis [1] and laboratory physical modelling [2] of the circulation seawater and stratification, induced by buoyancy fluxes, the suggestion has been made that, possibly, the Black Sea currents system is three-layered. It has been supposed that an anticyclonic current flows in the basin. To verify this deduction, the data from MHI's archived dataset have been treated, and results from twoad hoc expeditions are submitted here. Analysis of the vertical structure of currents, based on thein situ velocity measurements, using various means and calculations of the geostrophic circulation, has confirmed that a flow with the theoretically predicted parameters may exist in the Black Sea. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Estimating the quality of the retrieval of the surface geostrophic circulation of the Black Sea by satellite altimetry data based on validation with drifting buoy measurements

Combined measurements of satellite altimeters make it possible to determine anomalies of the sea level of the Black Sea on a regular grid with a high spatial resolution 1/8°. In this work arrays of total geostrophic velocities of currents in the Black Sea basin are retrieved and compared with drifter measurements of current velocities for 1999–2007. The comparison is performed both for the whole array of drifter measurements (～110000 measurements) and individually for each drifter. To retrieve the velocities, two different arrays of mean dynamic topography (MDT) are used: synthetic and climatic mean dynamic topography. The comparison results demonstrate that using synthetic MDT is preferable for calculating geostrophic velocities. Velocities calculated by from satellite altimetry data agree with velocities obtained by in-situ data.     

Climatic intrannual variability of the geostrophic circulation of the main Black Sea current

A quasi-periodic (wave) spatial-temporal structure of the intrannual variability of the climatic fields of the seawater geostrophic motion within the constant halocline in the Black Sea (75–300m) has been revealed on the basis of generalized archival data on hydrological observations in the main Black Sea current (MBSC) near the Crimea and Caucasus. The variability with annual and semi-annual periods has the character of standing quasi-geostrophic waves at 2- to 4-month periods which become progressive as the direction of their propagation changes during the year. The energy characteristics for the forms of variability revealed are discussed and interpreted from the viewpoint of gradient-eddy waves and the hydrodynamic instability of the MBSC.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Reconstruction of mean dynamic topography of the Black Sea for altimetry measurements

In this study a new approach for reconstructing the Mean Dynamic Topography of the Black Sea is applied. Constant observations (SVP measurements), drifters, and data of vertical sounding of the temperature and salt content together with measurements of sea level anomalies received from Topex/Poseidon mission satellite data were used. The absolute sea level received by altimetry data using the mean dynamic topography received during work was compared to the dynamic level received according to independent marine surveys. The comparison showed that the method represented in the study permits one to define more exactly the dynamic topography of the Black Sea when compared with the studies of previous authors. The results of this study will be useful to reconstruct the areas of the geostrophic currents according to satellite altimetry.     

Methodical aspects of the application of acoustic Doppler current profilers in the Black Sea

For the first time, an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) produced by the RDI is used in the water area of the Black Sea in the lowered mode. This direction in the application of acoustic Doppler current profilers is now in the stage of development and verification of various procedures of measurements with subsequent data processing and enables one to get the distributions of current velocities down to depths of 1000–6000 m depending on the modification of the instrument. We describe the procedures of measurements performed with the help of the ADCP in the lowered mode in the course of an expedition and the stages of processing of the primary data based on the experience of application of similar acoustic current profilers at the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences accumulated in the 1980s. We generalize the experience of application of ADCP under the hydrological conditions of the Black Sea, propose the algorithms of data processing, present the profiles of absolute current velocity at several stations, compare these profiles with the geostrophic velocities, and determine the deep-water structure of the field of currents in a shelf-open-sea section made along 31.17°E. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 31–48, July–August, 2006.     

Long-Term Variations of the Thermohaline and Dynamic Characteristics of the Black Sea According to the Climatic Data on Temperature and Salinity and Their Assimilation in the Model

We compare the thermohaline and dynamic characteristics of the Black Sea reconstructed by using two versions of climatic temperature and salinity fields:old (1903–1982)and new (1903–2003). The fields are reconstructed with the help of continuous assimilation of the climatic temperature and salinity in the model. It is shown that the climatic thermohaline fields constructed with regard for the data of observations for the last 20 yr are characterized by an insignificant elevation of the halocline (pycnocline)in the winter-spring period and the elevation of the upper boundary of the cold intermediate layer in the spring-summer period. The intensity of surface geostrophic currents is greater than the same quantity computed on the basis of the old climatic data for the whole year. The horizontal currents in the sea computed according to the new climatic data are more intense. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, pp. 11–30, May–June, 2005.     

Reconstruction of the three-dimensional salinity and temperature fields of the Black Sea on the basis of satellite altimetry measurements

The methodology of joint processing of the satellite altimetry and occasional hydrological observations in the Black Sea for 1993–2012 is developed. The original technique for reconstruction of the 3D temperature and salinity fields in the deep-sea part is proposed and implemented. This technique makes it possible to identify the depths at which a contribution of adiabatic processes to the deformation of the temperature and salinity profiles of the sea is predominant. Daily-averaged 3D fields of the seawater temperature and salinity in a baroclinic layer on a regular grid are reconstructed. The evaluation of accuracy of the reconstructed temperature and salinity arrays is performed by comparing them with the data of hydrological exploration. Structures of the temperature and salinity fields are correlated naturally with topography of the altimetric level and clearly indicate the synoptic variability. Seasonal and interannual variabilities of the kinetic energy (averaged over horizons of the 63–400 m layer) of the geostrophic currents calculated using the dynamic method makes it possible to reveal a sharp increase in the kinetic energy of the currents in the winter season of 2002. A high correlation is found between the interannual variability of the ERA-Interim wind stress curl averaged over the surface of the deep sea part and the kinetic energy of the geostrophic currents in the 63–400 m layer.     

Circulation of Waters in the Northwestern Part of the Bering Sea According to Satellite Data

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - A study of water circulation in the northwestern part of the Bering Sea using AVISO satellite data on velocities of geostrophic currents from 2002 to...     

Comparison of Surface Current Data from In Situ Observations with Numerical-Model-Derived Data,Satellite Altimetry Measurement Data,and the Results of Dynamic Method Calculations for the Sea of Okhotsk near the Northwestern Coast of Kamchatka

Schemes of surface flows near northwestern Kamchatka are shown, compiled from in situ observation data, numerical-model-derived data, satellite altimetry measurement data, and results calculated by the dynamic method. The flow characteristics obtained by various methods are compared. No statistically significant linear dependence of the velocities of absolute and geostrophic currents were detected. A linear dependence was observed between the directions of geostrophic flows calculated by the standard dynamic method and from satellite altimetry data, as well as between directions measured by the Argonaut MD and the calculated model. We have estimated the fraction of the ageostrophic component in currents. According to geostrophic current calculations by different methods, it ranged from 86 to 93%. A significant limitation of this data is the difficulty of their interpretation. They may not always give a perfect representation of stable water circulation in the studied area under.     

Monitoring of the Black-Sea Dynamics Based on Satellite Technologies

We present a survey of the principles and methods of satellite monitoring of the ocean, analyze the prospects of application of the data of satellite measurements to the operative diagnostics and prediction of circulation in the Black Sea, and discuss the physical foundations of remote sensing, the possibilities of contemporary equipment aimed at the observation of the sea surface from satellites, and the applicability of satellites as retransmitters of the data of measurements from free-drifting buoys. The contemporary oceanographic investigations carried out from satellites enable one to use the accumulated data for the numerical analysis of currents in seas and oceans in the model of general circulation as well as for the creation of a system of operative diagnostics and prediction of the state of marine environment. Examples of experimental realization of elements of the system of operative diagnostics of the state of the Black Sea based on the use of the satellite data are presented and the prospects of prediction of currents in the basin are analyzed.     

Structure of dynamic fields in the Southeastern Baltic during wind forcings that cause upwelling and downwelling

The peculiarities of the space-time structures of the currents in the sea appearing after wind forcings that cause upwelling and downwelling are investigated. Numerical modeling using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and data analysis were performed for the local area of the Southeastern Baltic adjacent to the Kaliningrad Region (Russia). The geostrophic and ageostrophic velocity components were distinguished to determine the peculiar features of different types of currents. We suggest considering the collinearity coefficient: the scalar product of the geostrophic and ageostrophic velocity vectors. We also considered the local vorticity and turbulent viscosity. Their difference during the upwelling and downwelling was noted. The data of the current velocity simulations and the ADCP measurements at the location of the D-6 oil platform (the Kravtsov oil field) were compared. The modeling adequately reproduces the most energetic geostrophic jet currents and their space-time characteristics.     

Spatial structure and variability of fields of currents, attenuation factor of light, and temperature in the surface layer of the northwest part of the Black Sea

On the basis of the results of simultaneous observations of parameters of currents, attenuation factor of light, and temperature performed aboard a moving vessel, we established the main characteristics and features of the circulation of waters and the structure of transparency and temperature fields in the surface layer of the northwest part of the Black Sea. We investigate the correlation between the variability of fluid dynamics and redistribution of transparency and temperature fields. The measured currents are compared with those calculated using the actual field of atmospheric pressure during the time of observation. It is shown that the results obtained in the areas of steady currents in the west and central regions are in good agreement. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Seasonal variations of the Arabian Sea level anomaly fields and circulation

The changes in the field of the Arabian Sea level anomaly and the geostrophic currents are analyzed based on the data of satellite altimetry measurements in 1993–2008 within the framework of the AVISO project. On the intra-annual scale, the current field generally agrees with the circulation schemes published in a number earlier works. Their differences are due to the occurrence of the mesoscale eddies and jet currents revealed by the authors.     

Estimation of the long-term variability of hydrophysical characteristics of the Black Sea based on the assimilation of the climatic hydrological fields L and altimetry data

To study the long-term variability of the thermohaline and dynamic characteristics of the Black Sea, we use three versions of climatic fields, namely, the fields reconstructed in the model according to the old (1903–1982) and new (1903–2003) hydrological climatic data arrays of temperature and salinity and according to the data of satellite altimetry. The analysis of the altimetry-based climatic fields confirms the distinctions (established earlier according to the old and new data arrays) in the seasonal variability of the integral characteristics of temperature and salinity and in the structures of hydrophysical fields in the sea. It is shown that, in the winter-spring season, the thermohaline fields reconstructed according to the new and altimetry data arrays are characterized by a small elevation of the halocline (pycnocline) and the upper boundary of the cold intermediate layer. In all seasons, the altimetry-based surface geostrophic currents contain numerous mesoscale eddies with different signs of rotation. Moreover, in all seasons, the Rim Current reconstructed according to the altimetry data is characterized by a narrower jet almost along the entire its length. This jet is especially intense near the coasts of West Anatolia. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 3–17, July–August, 2006.     

基于Argo资料的北太平洋绝对地转流计算

针对海洋实测流速资料极其匮乏的事实, 利用2004 年1 月~2009 年12 月月平均的Argo 温盐格点资料, 结合改进的P-vector 方法重构北太平洋绝对地转流流场。与卫星高度计和实测流速的比较以及相关性分析表明, 重构的绝对地转流是可信的, 可以用来研究不同大尺度环流特征及其动力结构。可以为研究海洋动力过程和气候变化提供一套有用的流场数据。     

内潮对吕宋海峡地转流动力计算的影响

利用2008年8~9月份吕宋海峡121°E断面上19.5°N~21°N之间4个连续站的CTD资料,讨论了内潮引起的温、盐剖面扰动对地转流诊断计算的影响,指出:在吕宋海峡,内潮引起的温、盐剖面扰动对地转流诊断计算的干扰不可忽略。因此,地转流诊断计算必须剔除温、盐剖面中的"内潮噪声"。另外,本文根据4个连续站时间平均后的温、盐剖面,通过动力计算法得到了吕宋海峡121°E断面上的地转流场,得出结论如下:吕宋海峡地转流速度较大部分多位于350 m以浅,流速最大值出现在表层;黑潮入侵南海主要发生于19.8°N~21°N的上层;在19.5°N~21°N之间,50~1 700 m深度范围内,海水体积通量呈现"上进下出"的垂向结构,350 m以浅为入流,流量约为2.6 Sv(1 Sv=1×106m3.s-1),350 m以深为出流,流量约为3.1 Sv。同期观测所得121°E断面上的盐度分布验证了本文所得地转流场的合理性。     

Spatial and temporal variability and monitoring of hydrophysical fields of the Black Sea

As part of the Russian-Ukrainian program “The Black Sea as a Simulation Model of the Ocean,” the monitoring of the marine environment is considered using modern measuring systems. On the basis of historical and contemporary observation data, we estimate the spatial and temporal scales of dominant processes in the Black Sea. We describe the main measuring systems used to monitor the structure and variability of the hydrophysical fields. Examples characterizing the specific features of the Black Sea processes are presented.