On spatiotemporal characteristics of sea fog occurrence over the Northern Atlantic from 1909 to 2008

In this paper, the International Comprehensive Ocean and Atmosphere Data Set(ICOADS) is utilized to investigate the horizontal distribution of sea fog occurrence frequency over the Northern Atlantic as well as the meteorological and oceanic conditions for sea fog formation. Sea fog over the Northern Atlantic mainly occurs over middle and high latitudes. Sea fog occurrence frequency over the western region of the Northern Atlantic is higher than that over the eastern region. The season for sea fog occurrence over the Northern Atlantic is generally from April to August. When sea fogs occur, the prevailing wind direction in the study area is from southerly to southwesterly and the favorable wind speed is around 8 m s-1. It is most favorable for the formation of sea fogs when sea surface temperature(SST) is 5℃ to 15℃. When SST is higher than 25℃, it is difficult for the air to get saturated, and there is almost no report of sea fog. When sea fogs form, the difference between sea surface temperature and air temperature is mainly-1 to 3℃, and the difference of 0℃ to 2℃ is the most favorable conditions for fog formation. There are two types of sea fogs prevailing in this region: advection cooling fog and advection evaporating fog.     

Analysis of the anomalous strength and location of the ITCZ affecting the formation of northern Pacific typhoons

Using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset from 1959-2004, the location and strength of the ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Con-vergence Zone), as well as their relations with typhoons in the northwestern Pacific were studied. It was found that the pentad loca-tion and strength of the ITCZ had close relations with the typhoon frequency. Higher latitude location or strengthened ITCZ were found to be favorable for the occurrence of typhoons over the Northwestern Pacific. An index was defined for ascertaining the loca-tion of the ITCZ. It was found that the index defined with the maximum value ofpentad and monthly meridional shear of zonal wind speed could better describe the location of ITCZ than another index defined with the maximum value of convergence. Correlation analysis between the index of ITCZ and the maximum cloud cover in the tropics showed that there were close relations between the ITCZ determined by the index and the maximum tropical cloud belt. The strength index of an ITCZ was defined as the zonal wind speed difference at latitudes south and north of the ITCZ. It was found that there are close relations between the ITCZ intensity and typhoon occurrence in the South China Sea [10°N-20°N, 100°E-120°E] and regions east of the Philippines and near the Mariana Islands [5°N-20°N, 127.5°E-150°E].     

Seasonal variation of the surface North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) in the western Pacific Ocean

The North Equatorial Countercurrent(NECC) is an important zonal fl ow in the upper circulation of the tropical Pacifi c Ocean, which plays a vital role in the heat budget of the western Pacifi c warm pool. Using satellite-derived data of ocean surface currents and sea surface heights(SSHs) from 1992 to 2011, the seasonal variation of the surface NECC in the western tropical Pacifi c Ocean was investigated. It was found that the intensity(INT) and axis position(Y_(CM)) of the surface NECC exhibit strikingly different seasonal fl uctuations in the upstream(128°–136°E) and downstream(145°–160°E) regions. Of the two regions, the seasonal cycle of the upstream NECC shows the greater interannual variability. Its INT and Y CM are greatly infl uenced by variations of the Mindanao Eddy, Mindanao Dome(MD), and equatorial Rossby waves to its south. Both INT and YC M also show semiannual signals induced by the combined effects of equatorial Rossby waves from the Central Pacifi c and local wind forcing in the western Pacifi c Ocean. In the downstream region, the variability of the NECC is affected by SSH anomalies in the MD and the central equatorial Pacifi c Ocean. Those in the MD region are especially important in modulating the Y CM of the downstream NECC. In addition to the SSH-related geostrophic fl ow, zonal Ekman fl ow driven by meridional wind stress also plays a role, having considerable impact on INT variability of the surface NECC. The contrasting features of the variability of the NECC in the upstream and downstream regions refl ect the high complexity of regional ocean dynamics.     

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Microparticles in Snowpits on the Tibetan Plateau, China

The work presents microparticle concentrations in snowpits from the East Rongbuk Glacier on Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) (ER) (28.02°N, 86.96°E, 6536 m a.s.l.), the Zhadang Glacier on Mt. Nyainqentanglha (NQ) (30.47°N, 90.65°E, 5800m a.s.l.), and the Guoqu Glacier on Mt. Geladaindong (GL) (33.95°N, 91.28°E, 5823m a.s.l.) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Variations of microparticle and major ions (e.g. Mg2+, Ca2+) concentrations in snowpits show that the values of the microparticles and ions in the non-monsoon seasons are much higher than those in the monsoon seasons. Annual flux of microparticle deposition at ER is lower than those at NQ and GL, which could be attributed to the long distance away from the possible dust source regions as well as the elevation for ER higher than the others. Compared with other remote areas, microparticle concentrations in the southern TP are much lower than those in the northern TP, but still much higher than those in Greenland and Antarctica. The seasonal and spatial microparticle variations are clearly related to the variations of atmospheric circulation according to the air mass 5-day backward trajectory analyses of HYSPLIT Model. Resultingly, the high microparticle values in snow are mainly attributed to the westerlies and the strong dust storm outbreaks on the TP, while the monsoon circulation brings great amount of precipitation from the Indian Ocean, thus reducing in the aerosol concentrations.     

An approach to prediction of the South China Sea summer monsoon onset

In the present paper, correlation between the South China Sea summer monsoon （SCSSM） onset and heat content in the upper layer of the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean is examined using the Scripps Institution of Oceanography dataset for the period of 1955-1998 and an approach to prediction the SCSSM onset is proposed. Correlation showes that there exists interdecadal variability of the SCSSM onset demarcated by 1970 with the largest correlation coefficient in the area west of the center of the warm pool rather than near its centers, implying certain effect from other factors involved besides ENSO. As the correlation is poor for the period before 1970, the heat content anomaly of the warm pool after 1970 is used to indicate early or late onset of the SCSSM beforehand. An ideal representative area （1°×1°） for the warm pool heat content was determined with its center at 3°N/138°E. The nearest TAO （TAO-Tropical Atmosphere Ocean-array） mooring to the center is at 2°N/137°E, and chosen to calculate the heat content for prediction. It is suggested that the TAO mooring at 2°N/137°E could be used to predict the SCSSM onset with the heat content in the upper layer, if the correlation between the SCSSM onset and the heat content of the warm pool runs like that of after 1970. On the other hand, if the situation does like the one before 1970, the representative station is determined at 13°S/74°E with relatively poor correlation, meaning that the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean plays more important role in the SCSSM onset than the Indian Ocean.     

Heat center of the western Pacific warm pool

A heat center (HC) of the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP) is defined, its variability is examined, and a possible mechanism is discussed. Analysis and calculation of a temperature dataset from 1945-2006 show that the mean position of the HC during this period was near 0.4°S/169.0°E, at 38.0 m depth. From a time series of the HC, remarkable seasonal variability was found, mainly in the meridional and vertical directions. Interannual variabilities were dominant in the zonal and vertical directions. In addition, semiannual variation in the HC depth was discovered. The longitude of the HC varies with ENSO events, and its latitude is weakly related to ENSO on time scales shorter than a decade. The variation of the HC longitude leads the Nio-3 index by about 3-4 months, and its depth lags the index for approximately 3 months. It is concluded that the HC depth results from a combination of its longitudinal and latitudinal variations. Low-pass-filtered time series reveal that the HC has moved eastward since the mid 1980s.     

Seasonal heat budget in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean in a global GCM II. In five subregions

The general features of the seasonal surface heat budget in the tropical western Pacific Ocean, 20° S–20°N, western boundary −160°E, were documented by Qu (1995) using a high-resolution general circulation model (GCM, Semtner & Chervin, 1992) and existing observations. Close inspection of the smaller areas, with the whole region further partitioned into six parts, showed different mechanisms balance the seasonal surface heat budget in different parts of the region. The results of study on five subregions are detailed in this article. In the equatorial (3°S–3°N) and North Equatorial Countercurrent (3°N–9°N) region, the surface heat flux does not change significantly throughout the year, so the surface heat content is determined largely by vertical motion near the equator and roughly half due to horizontal and half due to vertical circulation in the region of the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). In the other subrigions (9°N–20°N, 20°S–11°S and 11°S–3°S), however, in addition to ocean dynamics, surface heat flux can also play a major role in the seasonal variation of sea surface temperature (SST). The remotely forced baroclinic waves and their effect on the surface heat storage in the model are also investigated. Comparison with observations indicates that the model wave activities are reasonably realistic. Contribution No. 2396 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This study was supported by the Australian CSIRO Division of Oceanography and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 49176255)     

A numerical study on seasonal variations of the Taiwan Warm Current

Princeton Ocean Model (POM) is employed to investigate the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) and its seasonal variations. Results show that the TWC exhibits pronounced seasonal variations in its sources, strength and flow patterns. In summer, the TWC flows northeast in straight way and reaches around 32°N; it comes mainly from the Taiwan Strait, while its lower part is from the shelf-intrusion of the Kuroshio subsurface water (KSSW). In winter, coming mainly from the shelf-intrusion of the Kuroshio northeast of Taiwan, the TWC flows northward in a winding way and reaches up around 30°N. The Kuroshio intrusion also has distinct seasonal patterns. The shelf-intrusion of KSSW by upwelling is almost the same in four seasons with a little difference in strength; it is a persistent source of the TWC. However, Kuroshio surface water (KSW) can not intrude onto the shelf in summer, while in winter the intrusion of KSW always occurs. Additional experiments were conducted to examine effects of winds and transport through     

Current structure and its variation in the equatorial area of the western north Pacific Ocean

Based on the current measurement data from the R/V Ryofu Maru of JMA in the equatorial area along 137°E (1972–83) and 155°E (1972–79) the structures of the zonal velocity of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) and the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) and their variations are systematically analyzed in detail. At 155°E, the current at the equator and 100–300 m depth was a typical eastward EUC, it intensified in 1973–75, i.e., in the non-El Niño period. While the corresponding current at 137°E was mostly westward, and the origin of the EUC shifted to north of the equator around 0.5–1.5°N owing to the influence of the New Guinea Coast. The EUC origin disappeared in early July, 1982. Comparing with the EUC disappearance at 159°W, the average speed of an eastward travelling wave would be～1.1m/s. The velocity core of the NECC at 137°E generally shifted northward in winter and southward in summer, and was stronger in summer and weaker in winter. The fluctuations of the NECC were closely related to those of the wind stress curl over the region 2–10°N, 160°E–150°W.     

Future projection of East China Sea temperature by dynamic downscaling of the IPCC_AR4 CCSM3 model result

Future temperature distributions of the marginal Chinese seas are studied by dynamic downscaling of global CCSM3 IPCC_AR4 scenario runs.Different forcing fields from 2080-2099 Special Report on Emissions Scenarios(SRES) B1,A1,and A2 to 1980-1999 20C3M are averaged and superimposed on CORE2 and SODA2.2.4 data to force high-resolution regional future simulations using the Regional Ocean Modeling System(ROMS).Volume transport increments in downscaling simulation support the CCSM3 result that with a weakening subtropical gyre circulation,the Kuroshio Current in the East China Sea(ECS) is possibly strengthened under the global warming scheme.This mostly relates to local wind change,whereby the summer monsoon is strengthened and winter monsoon weakened.Future temperature fluxes and their seasonal variations are larger than in the CCSM3 result.Downscaling 100 years’ temperature increments are comparable to the CCSM3,with a minimum in B1 scenario of 1.2-2.0°C and a maximum in A2 scenario of 2.5-4.5°C.More detailed temperature distributions are shown in the downscaling simulation.Larger increments are in the Bohai Sea and middle Yellow Sea,and smaller increments near the southeast coast of China,west coast of Korea,and southern ECS.There is a reduction of advective heat north of Taiwan Island and west of Tsushima in summer,and along the southern part of the Yellow Sea warm current in winter.There is enhancement of advective heat in the northern Yellow Sea in winter,related to the delicate temperature increment distribution.At 50 meter depth,the Yellow Sea cold water mass is destroyed.Our simulations suggest that in the formation season of the cold water mass,regional temperature is higher in the future and the water remains at the bottom until next summer.In summer,the mixed layer is deeper,making it much easier for the strengthened surface heat flux to penetrate to the bottom of this water.     

Wave effect on the ocean circulations through mass transport and wave-induced pumping

The wave Coriolis-Stokes-Force-modified ocean momentum equations are reviewed in this paper and the wave Stokes transport is pointed out to be part of the ocean circulations. Using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 40-year reanalysis data (ERA-40 data) and the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) version 2.2.4 data, the magnitude of this transport is compared with that of wind-driven Sverdrup transport and a 5-to-10-precent contribution by the wave Stokes transport is found. Both transports are stronger in boreal winter than in summers. The wave effect can be either contribution or cancellation in different seasons. Examination with Kuroshio transport verifies similar seasonal variations. The clarification of the efficient wave boundary condition helps to understand the role of waves in mass transport. It acts as surface wind stress and can be functional down to the bottom of the ageostrophic layer. The pumping velocities resulting from wave-induced stress are zonally distributed and are significant in relatively high latitudes. Further work will focus on the model performance of the wave-stress-changed-boundary and the role of swells in the eastern part of the oceans.     

Seasonal variations of the near surfacelayer parameters over the Antarctic ice sheet in Princess Elizabeth Land,East Antarctica

Analysis of sensible heat flux(Qh),latent heat flux(Qe),Richardson number(Ri),bulk transport coefficient(Cd) and katabatic winds are presented by using the meteorological data in the near surface layer from an automatic weather station(AWS) in Princess Elizabeth Land,East Antarctica ice sheet and the data of corresponding period at Zhongshan station in 2002.It shows that annual mean air temperature at LGB69 is-25.6°C,which is 16.4°C lower than that at Zhongshan,where the elevation is lower and located on the coast.The temperature lapse rate is about 1.0°C/110 m for the initial from coast to inland.The turbulence heat flux at LGB69 displays obvious seasonal variations with the average sensible heat flux-17.9 W/m2 and latent heat flux-0.9 W/m2.The intensity(Qh Qe) of coolling source is-18.8 W/m2 meaning the snow surface layer obtains heat from atmosphere.The near surface atmosphere is near-neutral stratified with bulk transport coefficients(Cd) around 2.8×10-3,and it is near constant when the wind speed higher than 8 m/s.The speed and the frequency of easterly Katabatic winds at LGB69 were higher than that at Zhongshan Station.     

Distribution of dissolved inorganic nitrogen over the continental slope of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Based on survey data from April to May 2009, distribution and its influential factors of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) over the continental slopes of the Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS) are discussed. Influenced by the Changjiang (Yangtze) River water, alongshore currents, and the Kuroshio current off the coast, DIN concentrations were higher in the Changjiang River estuary, but lower (<1 μmol/L) in the northern and eastern YS and outer continental shelf area of the ECS. In the YS, the thermocline formed in spring, and a cold-water mass with higher DIN concentration (about 11 μmol/L) formed in benthonic water around 123.2°E. In Changjiang estuary (around 123°E, 32°N), DIN concentration was higher in the 10 m layer; however, the bottom DIN concentration was lower, possibly influenced by mixing of the Taiwan Warm Current and offshore currents.     

Statistical analysis of surface hydrography and circulation variations in northern South China Sea

1 INTRODUCTIONThe South China Sea (SCS) is a semi-enclosedmarginal sea in western North Pacific Ocean withvery complex topography and is the important pas-sage connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Ithas great impact to the global climate and a greatinterest of many oceanography researchers. Twodominant surface hydrographic and circulation fea-tures in the northern SCS are a strong fresh waterexpansion and a warm and high-salinity seawaterintrusion such as the SCS Diluted Water…     

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.     

RECONSTRUCTING HOLOCENE PALAEORUNOFF REGIMES FROM PALAEOCLIMATE: AN INITIAL ATTEMPT TO APPLY A CLIMATOLOGICAL APPROACH TO PALAEOHYDROLOGY FOR THE NORTH CHINA PLAIN

１　ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＲｕｎｏｆｆｉｓｄｅｆｉｎｅｄａｓｔｈｅｗａｔｅｒｔｈａｔｄｒａｉｎｓｆｒｏｍｔｈｅｌａｎｄｉｎｔｏｃｒｅｅｋｓａｎｄｒｉｖｅｒｓ（Ｌａｎｇｂｅｉｎｅｔａｌ．，１９４９）ａｎｄｔｈｕｓａｖｅｒｙｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｈｙｄｒｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌｐａｒａｍｅｔｅｒｄｅｓｃｒｉｂｉｎｇｑｕａｎｔｉｔｙｓｔａｔｕｓｏｆｓｕｒｆａｃｅｗａｔｅｒ．Ｉｔｉｓｌａｒｇｅｌｙａｆｕｎｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｃｌｉｍａｔｉｃｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎｓｔｈｏｕｇｈｉｔｉｓａｌｓｏａｆｆｅｃｔｅｄｂｙｖｅ…     

Research on the response of the upper layer heat structure in the Western Pacific Warm Pool to the mean Madden-Julian Oscillation

1　Introduction　TheMadden JulianOscillation (MJO)isastrongatmosphericconvection phenomenonoccurringovertheEasternIndianOceanandtheTropicalWesternPacific,usuallyinregionswithseasurfacetempera tures (SSTs)over 2 9℃ .Theeastwardmovingofalarge scalecirculat…     

Effect of Aspect on Climate Variation in Mountain Ranges of Shennongjia Massif,Central China

The aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms of regional climate variation in mountain ranges with contrasting aspects as mediated by changes in global climate. It may help predict trends of vegetation variations in native ecosystems in natural reserves. As measures of climate response, temperature and precipitation data from the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges of Shennongjia Massif in the coldest and hottest months(January and July), different seasons(spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and each year were analyzed from a long-term dataset(1960 to 2003) to tested variations characteristics, temporal and spatial quantitative relationships of climates. The results showed that the average seasonal temperatures and precipitation in the north, east, and south aspects of the mountain ranges changed at different rates. The average seasonal temperatures change rate ranges in the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges were from –0.0210℃/yr to 0.0143℃/yr, –0.0166℃/yr to 0.0311℃/yr, and –0.0290 ℃/yr to 0.0084℃/yr, respectively, and seasonal precipitation variation magnitude were from –1.4940 mm/yr to 0.6217 mm/yr, –1.6833 mm/yr to 2.6182 mm/yr, and –0.8567 mm/yr to 1.4077 mm/yr, respectively. The climates variation trend among the three mountain ranges were different in magnitude and direction, showing a complicated change of the climates in mountain ranges and some inconsistency with general trends in global climate change. The climate variations were significantly different and positively correlated cross mountain ranges, revealing that aspects significantly affected on climate variations and these variations resulted from a larger air circulation system, which were sensitive to global climate change. We conclude that location and terrain of aspect are the main factors affecting differences in climate variation among the mountain ranges with contrasting aspects.     

SEASONAL HEAT BUDGET IN THE TROPICAL WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN IN A GLOBAL GCMⅠ.GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This paper describes the large scale aspects of the seasonal surface heat budget and discusses itsmain forcing mechanisms in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean.The high-resolution generalcirculation model (Semtner & Chervin,1992)used in this study reproduced well the observed upper-layer thermal structure and circulation.It is shown that at least on the average of the study region(20°S-20°N,west boundary-160°E)the semiannual variation is a dominant signal for all heat budgetcomponents and is presumably due to the sun’s passing across the equator twice a year,but that thecomponents have substantial differences in amplitude.The local Ekman divergence in the region doesnot change significantly through the year.As a result,the change in surface heat content is roughlyhalf due to ocean-atmosphere heat exchange and half due to heat advection by remotely forced verti-cal motion.Horizontal currents do not play a significant role directly by advection,because the wat-er which enters the region is not very muc