Variations in turbulent energy dissipation and water column stratification at the entrance of a tidally energetic strait

We observed tidal currents, turbulent energy dissipation and water column stratification at the entrance of a narrow strait (Neko Seto) in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, using a free-falling turbulent microstructure profiler (TurboMAP) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The variation in turbulent energy dissipation at the entrance of the strait was not at quarter-diurnal frequency but at semi-diurnal frequency; turbulent energy dissipation was enhanced during the ebb tide, although it was moderate during the flood tide. This result is consistent with the results of Takasugi (1993), which showed the asymmetry of tidal energy loss during a semidiurnal tidal cycle using control volume analysis. It is suggested that significant turbulent energy dissipation is generated in the strait, which influences the properties of water outside the strait when tidal currents flow out from the strait.     

Processes influencing iron distribution in the coastal waters of the Tsugaru Strait,Japan

We report measurements of iron, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, humic-type fluorescence intensity and chlorophyll a concentrations in the coastal waters at the inflow (western) and outflow (eastern) ends of Tsugaru Strait (Japan) in June 2003 and 2004. Two different water masses (intensive eastward flow “subtropical Tsugaru Warm Current Water (TWCw)” and weak westward flow “subarctic Oyashio Water (OW)”) were observed at the eastern end of the strait. TWCw at the southern part of the eastern strait was vertically homogeneous with a uniform concentrations of iron (0.7–1.1 nM for labile dissolved Fe and 14–20 nM for total dissolvable Fe in 2003) as well as other chemical, biological and physical components throughout the water column of 200 m due to strong vertical mixing in the strait. The degree of mixing in the Tsugaru Warm Current (TWC) is predominantly affected by diurnal tidal current, which is strong during the period of tropical tides and weak during the period of equinoctial ones. The especially strong vertical water mixing in 2003 is caused by large dissipation energy input due to the bottom friction of passage-flow through the strait and tidal current. At the northern part of the eastern strait, the fresh surface layer overlying the OW and the deep-bottom waters in 2003 contained large concentrations of dissolved iron, resulting from iron supplied from river runoff and shelf sediments, respectively. These results suggest that the most important mechanism for transporting iron in the strait is the strong vertical water mixing due to the tidal current, and that the iron sources in the coastal waters are the organic-associated, iron-rich freshwater input into the surface water.     

Calculation of energy of the barotropic-baroclinic interaction in the strait of Bab el Mandeb

Equations for the kinetic, potential, and total energy in the curvilinear boundary-fitted coordinates are considered in the strait area and adjacent regions of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The budgets of different forms of energy are presented, making it possible to assess the correctness of the formulation of the three-dimensional boundary-value problem, the accuracy of the calculation of the barotropic-baroclinic interaction in an energy norm, and the relationship between the components of energy balance. The energy fluxes in the boundary sections of the strait are estimated for the interaction of thermohaline currents with main tidal harmonics and with the total tide, as well as for the amplitude of fluctuations in boundary energy fluxes in a synodic month. The results illustrating the behavior of some dynamical characteristics and components of energy balance at vertical and horizontal sections of the strait are given.     

Structure of the strong tidal jet in the naruto strait

In order to clarify the structure of the strong tidal current at the Naruto Strait in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, the sea-level values were observed in the strait and the current measurements were made with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).The tidal volume transports for M₂ and S₂ tides were about 74×10³ and 26×10³ m³ sec^–1, respectively. The horizontal profile of the velocity at the phase of the strong tidal current compares favorably with a theoretical profile of the two-dimensional steady turbulent jet except for the side parts of the profile. Moreover, the entrainment rate of the surrounding water into the strong tidal jet was estimated from the difference of mass flux between two cross-sections at the strait, the entrainment rate and entrainment constant for both the northward and southward flows being about 1.3–2.5×10^–4m^–1 and about 0.03–0.05, respectively.     

Single electron loss in the collisions of C3 + and atomic hydrogen

This paper studies the projectile electron loss cross sections of C^{3 +} colliding with atomic hydrogen in the frame work of extended over-barrier model at intermediate velocities (25 keV/u--600 keV/u). The electron loss is calculated in terms of the interaction between the screened target nucleus and the active projectile electron and of the interaction between projectile electron and target electron. Compared with the convergent close-coupling calculations, screening and anti-screening calculations, this model satisfactorily reproduces the experimentally obtained energy dependence of the electron-impact ionisation cross sections and the single electron loss cross sections over the energy range investigated here.     

Tidal energy balance in the Seto Inland Sea

The tidal volume transport in the Seto Inland Sea is calculated. The cross-section where the volume transport of the M₂ tide is zero, is located around the western part of Bisan Strait. The tidal energy dissipation of the M₂ tide by friction is 6.30×10¹⁶ ergs s^–1 in the Seto Inland Sea. The quality factorQ for the M₂ tide is 20.2. The total energy dissipation of the M₂, S₂, K₁ and O₁ tides is 7.99×10¹⁶ ergs s^–1.     

Fluctuation in volume transport distribution accompanied by the Kuroshio front migration in the Tokara Strait

A relation between migration of the Kuroshio front and fluctuation of distribution of volume transport in the Tokara Strait was described, using sea level records at five tide gauge stations around the strait and data which were composed of sea surface temperature, XBT casts, sea surface salinity and velocities at 20 m, 75 m and 150 m depths taken en route a ferryboat. The Kuroshio front extends to about 150 m depth. The sea surface salinity and the horizontal velocities abruptly change at the front. There is a good correlation in a period range from half a month to two months between the migration of the front, which is not only at the surface but also in the subsurface, and the sea level fluctuation at Nakano-shima. A northward migration of the front with a period range from 17 to 50 days decreases the transport in the southern strait between Naze and Nakano-shima but increases in the northern strait between Nakano-shima and Sata-misaki. The northward migration intensifies inflow into Kagoshima Bay and the Ohsumi Branch Current. Correlation between the transport in the northern strait and the Ohsumi Branch Current is significant in the period range from 30 to 50 days. In this significant period range, the former leads the latter by about 3 days.     

Flow regimes and long-term water exchange of the Himmerfjärden estuary

A numerical model of processes determining the water exchange encountered in Baltic coastal archipelagos is calibrated and validated against salinity and temperature field data spanning two decades with approximately bi-weekly resolution assessed in the Himmerfjärden estuary. This area is resolved into 17 basins interconnected by 38 individual straits of varying geometrical properties using GIS-based methods. All formulations of the strait exchange flows are free from parameters that need calibration and permit computations of the flow through a strait contraction with or without a coincident sill under a flow classification scheme, of which the first one (a) consists of two groups of multiple layers including aspirated layers from levels beneath the sill crest. The other regimes are as follows. (b) Pure barotropic flow; (c) rotationally controlled flow and (d) plug-flow, which serves as resort solution for flow situations that cannot be solved with (a) and also for computation of the barotropic part of the total flow. For long canals where friction effects act to reduce the flow, a fifth exchange regime is used. The vertical mixing formulation is based on energy balances between supplied wind energy and its work against buoyancy forces. The values of semi-empirical parameters involved in the mixing scheme have been established by calibration against measured data of the first decade period. A statistical evaluation is performed comparing the model results with the measurements of the second decade.     

The cause of the 2008 cold disaster in the Taiwan Strait

The offshore branch of the China Coastal Current in the Taiwan Strait normally makes a U-turn north of the Zhangyun Ridge. In early 2008, the current continued straight and carried water as cold as 14 °C toward Penghu Island, causing damage to the local aquaculture and coral reef ecosystem. This study investigates the mechanism behind this intrusion of cold water using available data and a three-dimensional model.The model results show that the 2008 intrusion can be divided into three stages. At the beginning of February, the offshore branch of the China Coastal Current formed a U-shape in the Taiwan Strait; the branch moved cold water from the western strait to the central strait when the offshore geostrophic current, which is related to the southward sea level and density gradients, overcame the onshore Ekman transport caused by the northeasterly monsoon. In the second stage, in mid-February, strong northeasterly winds intensified the southwest current in the Taiwan Strait and resulted in abnormal transport of the cold water from the central strait to Penghu Island. Finally, at the end of February, the warm northeast current was re-established due to weakened wind, and the cold water gradually retreated to the north. The second processes occurred immediately after the first, resulting in the unique intrusion of cold water.     

内潮耗散与自吸-负荷潮对南海潮波影响的数值研究

利用非结构三角形网格的FVCOM海洋数值模式,在其传统二维潮波方程中加入参数化的内潮耗散项和自吸-负荷潮项,计算了南海及其周边海域的M_2、S_2、K_1和O_1分潮的分布。与实测值的比较表明,引入这两项对模拟准确度的提高有明显效果。根据模式结果本文计算分析了研究海域的潮能输入和耗散。能量输入计算表明,能通量是潮能输入的最主要构成部分,通过吕宋海峡断面进入南海的M_2和K_1分潮能通量分别为38和29GW;半日周期的自吸-负荷潮能量输入以负值居多,而全日周期的自吸-负荷潮能量输入以正值居多,因而自吸-负荷潮减弱了南海的半日潮,并加强了南海的全日潮。引潮力的作用也减弱了半日潮而加强了全日潮,但其作用要小于自吸-负荷潮。潮能耗散的分析显示底摩擦耗散在沿岸浅水区域起主导作用,内潮耗散则主要发生在深水区域。内潮耗散的最大值出现在吕宋海峡,且位于南海之外的海峡东部的耗散量大于位于南海之内的海峡西部的耗散量。对M_2和K_1分潮吕宋海峡的内潮耗散总值分别达到16和23GW。     

近50a来福建海坛海峡动力地貌演变过程

福建海坛海峡是闽江和浙闽沿岸流南下物质向兴化湾及福建中南部沿海输运的重要通道。本文运用GIS手段对海坛海峡近50a来的地形资料进行了分析研究, 研究结果表明: 1964—1975年, 闽江流域性洪水导致海坛海峡表现为较强的淤积; 1975—1990年受闽江上游水土保持和大量水库建设的影响, 海峡经历了较强的冲刷过程, 此后冲刷速率逐渐降低, 以轻微冲刷为主; 2007年以后由于大规模人工采砂影响, 海坛海峡北部出现大范围侵蚀。2007年以前, 闽江来沙量是海坛海峡地貌演变的主要控制因素, 其流域洪水、采砂和水库修建等都对海峡内的地貌演变产生直接影响; 而2007年以后, 海峡内大范围的人为采砂活动和围填海工程逐渐成为影响其地貌演变的主要因素。     

Factors controlling the morphological evolution of the Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles, Turkey)

Seismic profiling, bathymetric and physical oceanographic data collected from the Çanakkale Strait revealed that the morphological evolution of the strait has been controlled by tectonic activity, and sediment erosion and deposition. Sediments in the strait have been sourced mostly by rivers draining the Biga Peninsula during lowstand periods. In highstand periods, by contrast, deposits in the strait were reworked by currents. The seafloor morphology of the Çanakkale Strait is also controlled by a sequence of factors ranging from tectonics to current erosion and deposition. Channel deposits overlying the basement are being eroded at the narrower, meandering central section of the strait (the Nara Passage) due to high current velocities. The eroded sediments are deposited in the relatively linear and wider, northern and southern sectors of the strait exposed to low current velocities. As a result, the high-energy areas are more deeply incised due to the erosion, whereas deposition elevates the seafloor in the areas exposed to lower current energy. Three strike-slip faults, which possibly relate to the activity of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, are responsible for the irregular shape of the strait and this, in turn, controls the current velocity along the strait. The high-energy conditions probably commenced with the latest invasion of Mediterranean waters some 12 ka b.p., and have continued as a two-layered current system to the present day.     

Volume transport in the Soya Strait during 2006–2008

Time-series data of the vertical structure of the Soya Warm Current (SWC) were obtained by a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the middle of the Soya Strait from September 2006 to July 2008. The site of the ADCP measurement was within the coverage of the ocean-radar measurement around the strait. The volume transport of the SWC through the strait is estimated on the basis of both the vertical structure observed by the ADCP and the horizontal structure observed by the radars for the first time. The annual transport estimates are 0.62–0.67 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹). They are somewhat smaller than the difference between the previous estimates of the inflow and outflow through other straits in the Sea of Japan, and smaller than those obtained in the region downstream of the strait during 2004–05 (0.94–1.04 Sv). The difference in the two periods may be attributed to interannual variability of the SWC and/or the different measurement locations.     

Connectivity between the interannual salinity variation in the western channel of the Tsushima Strait and hydrographic conditions in the Cheju Strait

The connectivity between the interannual salinity variations in the Tsushima and Cheju Straits has been investigated on the basis of historical hydrographic data. Salinity in the Cheju Strait correlates positively with that in the western channel of the Tsushima Strait, but does not show a significant correlation with that in the eastern channel. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and singular value decomposition (SVD) analyses of temperature and salinity in the Cheju Strait revealed that salinity in the strait is associated with the cold bottom water in summer. Drastic freshening in the Cheju Strait occurs in a period when the Cheju Current intensifies. The results allow us to hypothesize that the mechanism of interannual salinity variations in the Cheju Strait and western channel of the Tsushima Strait is as follows. The intrusion of cold bottom water into the Cheju Strait in summer intensifies the Cheju Current by increasing the baroclinicity. Since colder bottom water develops a stronger eastward surface current, the larger volume of the Changjiang diluted water is drawn into the strait, which results in a lower salinity condition in the Cheju Strait. As the water in the Cheju Strait flows into the western channel of the Tsushima Strait, salinity in the western channel varies synchronously. This hypothesis is supported by SVD analysis of temperature in the Cheju Strait and salinity in the Tsushima Strait. The salinity condition in the East China Sea is suggested to be another important influence on salinity in the western channel of the Tsushima Strait.     

Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea in 1993 and 1994

INTRODUCTIONTherearemanyworksabouttheKuroshioVTintheEastChinaSeaanditsseasonalvariabil*ThisprojectwassupportedbytheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChinaundercontractNo.49776287.1.SecondinstituteofOceanography,StateOceanicAdministration,Hangzhou310012,Chinaity(Guan,1988;Nishizawaetal.,1982;SunandKaneko,1993;Yuanetal.,1990,1993,1994,1995).Thecomputationmethodusedtobethedynamicmethod(Guan,1988;Nishizawaetal.,1982;SunandKaneko,1993),butrecentlytheinverseandthemodifiedinversemetho…     

台湾海峡的海洋沉积环境研究进展

台湾海峡足我国量大的海峡,也是南海与东海进行物质和能量交换的主要通道.区域内地震、台风等灾害多发,潮流作用较强,同时受黑潮分支、南海暖流和东海环流等多种水系的影响,众多的山溪件中小型河流从海峡两侧流入海洋,为海洋沉积环境的研究提供了一个天然的实验场.基于台湾海峡的沉积环境分区、台湾海峡潮成沙脊的沉积环境、山溪性河流入海...     

Effect of boundary geometries on tidal currents and tidal mixing

The effects of the coastal boundary geometries on the tidal currents and the tidal mixing are studied mainly on the basis of hydraulic model experiments. Mizushima-Nada Sea, which is located in the central part of Seto Inland Sea, and the whole Seto Inland Sea were chosen as the prototypes.Currents and eddies geometrically induced in the tidal currents and in the ocean currents have significant effects on the water exchange, from small scales to meso scales, in the bays and near-shore regions of the ocean.As to small scale phenomena near irregular coastal boundaries such as river mouths, headlands and harbors, tidal currents produce organized eddy currents of the width scale. They are important to the temporary flushing and the local redistribution of the river water or the waste water.As to phenomena of larger scales, the tidal currents produce rather steady residual circulations in each part of the Inland Sea, due to the non-linear effects of the oscillating component. They are controlled by the geometry of the sea as separated by a narrow strait. These horizontal circulations of about 20 km in scale become the main mechanism of the water exchange in the Inland Sea. The one-dimensional dispersion coefficient due to these circulations is proportional to the product of the diameter and the current velocity of the circulations. The proportional constant takes the value of 0.40.5.     

Three-dimensional numerical experiments on tidal exchange through a narrow strait in a homogeneous and a stratified sea

We have investigated the three-dimensional Lagrangian motion of water particles related with tidal exchange between two basins with a constant depth connected through a narrow strait and the effects of density stratification on the exchange processes by tracking a number of the labeled particles. Tide-induced transient eddies (TITEs), which are similar to those in two-dimensional basin, are generated behind the headlands. Upwelling appears around the center of the eddy and sinking around the boundary. When the basins are filled with homogeneous water, a pair of vortices are produced in the vertical cross section of the strait due to bottom stress, with upwellings along the side walls of the strait and sinking in the center of the strait. These circulations form the horizontally convergent field in the cross-strait direction in the upper layers while the horizontal divergence takes place in the bottom layer. These vertical water-motions produce the three-dimensional distribution of velocity shear and phase lag of the tidal current around the strait, and the Lagrangian drifts of water particles become large. As a result, water exchange through the strait is greatly enhanced: The water exchange rate reaches 94.1% which is much larger than that obtained in the vertically integrated two-dimensional model. When the basins are stratified, the stable stratification suppresses the vertical motion so that a pair of vertical vortices are confined in the lower layers. This leads to a decrease in the exchange rate, down to 88.6%. Our numerical results show that the three-dimensional structure of tidal currents should be taken into account in tidal exchange through a narrow strait.     

西北冰洋中太平洋入流水营养盐的变化特征

利用1999,2003和2008年夏季(7-9月)三次中国北极科学考察数据资料,分析和讨论太平洋入流水营养盐的分布和楚科奇海关键生物地球化学过程对太平洋水化学性质的改造.结果表明,2003和2008年在白令海峡南部64.3°N纬向断面(BS断面)由于水团性质差异显著,营养盐呈西高、东低的分布趋势.2003年BS断面水柱...     

Adriatic seiche decay and energy loss to the Mediterranean

A salient feature of sea level records from the Adriatic Sea is the frequent occurrence of energetic seiches of period about 21 h. Once excited by a sudden wind event, such seiches often persist for days. They lose energy either to friction within the Adriatic, or by radiation through Otranto Strait into the Mediterranean.The free decay time of the dominant (lowest mode) seiche was determined from envelopes of handpassed sea level residuals from three locations (Bakar, Split and Dubrovnik) along the Croatian coast during twelve seiche episodes between 1963 and 1986 by taking into consideration only time intervals when the envelopes decreased exponentially in time, when the modelled effects of along-basin winds were smaller than the error of estimation of decay time from the envelopes and when across-basin winds were small. The free decay time thus obtained was 3.2±0.5 d. This value is consonant with the observed width of the spectral peak.The decay caused by both bottom friction and radiation was included in a one dimensional variable cross section shallow water model of the Adriatic. Bottom friction is parameterized by the coefficient k appearing in the linearized bottom stress term _ρ0u (where u is the along-basin velocity and ρ₀ the fluid density). The coefficient k is constrained by values obtained from linearization of the quadratic bottom stress law using estimates of near bottom currents associated with the seiche, with wind driven currents, with tides and with wind waves. Radiation is parameterized by the coefficient f appearing in the open strait boundary condition ζ =auh/c (where ζ is sea level, h is depth and c is phase speed). This parameterization of radiation provides results comparable to allowing the Adriatic to radiate into an unbounded half plane ocean. Repeated runs of the model delineate the dependence of model free seiche decay time on k and a, and these plus the estimates of k allow estimation of a.The principle conclusions of this work are as follows.

1. (1) Exponential decay of seiche amplitude with time does not necessarily guarantee that the observed decay is free of wind influence.

2. (2) Winds blowing across the Adriatic may be of comparable importance to winds blowing along the Adriatic in influencing apparent decay of seiches; across-basin winds are probably coupled to the longitudinal seiche on account of the strong along-basin variability of across-basin winds forced by Croatian coastal orography.

3. (3) The free decay time of the 21.2 h Adriatic seiche is 3.2±0.5 d.

4. (4) A one dimensional shallow water model of the seiche damped by bottom stress represented by Godin's (1988) approximation to the quadratic bottom friction law ρ₀C_Du|u| using the commonly accepted drag coefficient C_D = 0.0015 and quantitative estimates of bottom currents associated with wind driven currents, tides and wind waves, as well as with the seiche itself with no radiation gives a damping time of 9.46 d; radiation sufficient to give the observed damping time must then account for 66% of the energy loss per period. But independent estimates of bottom friction for Adriatic wind driven currents and inertial oscillations, as well as comparisons between quadratic law bottom stress and directly measured bottom stress, all suggest that the quadratic law with C_D=0.0015 substantially underestimates the bottom stress. Based on these studies, a more appropriate value of the drag coefficient is at least C_D=0. In this case, bottom friction with no radiation leads to a damping time of 4.73 d, radiation sufficient to give the observed damping time then accounts for 32% of the energy loss per period.