Three-D numerical simulation of wind-driven current and density current in the Beibu Gulf

The Beibu Gulf circulation plays an imPOrtant role in the long--term water rnass transportinside the gulf. It is also closely related to the Guangxi untal water mass transport and self-purification. Hence, it is of practical imPOrtance to study the circulation in the gUlf. The cir-culation in the gUlf is very comlicated, and is rnainly gOverned by wind, water density gradi-ent, the current outside the gulf and the bathpoetry. In spring, a cold water rnass generatesln the center of the gulf…     

北部湾冷水团的季节变化及其机制的数值研究

A wave-tide-circulation coupled model based on the Princeton Ocean Model is established to explore the seasonal variation of the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf and its mechanisms. The results show that the cold water mass starts forming in March, reaches the maximum strength during June and July, and fades away since October. Strong mixing in winter transports the cold water from sea surface to bottom. The cold water mass remains in the bottom layer as the thermocline strengthens during spring, except for the shallow water where the themocline is broken by strong tidal mixing, which gradually separate the cold water mass from its surrounding warm water. Further analysis on the ocean current and stream function confirms that the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf is locally developed, with an anticlockwise circulation caused by a strong temperature gradient. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the cold water mass is controlled by the sea surface heat flux, while the terrain and tidal mixing also play important roles.     

浪流相互作用对北部湾内波浪、冷水团及冲淡水的影响研究

Wave-current interaction and its effects on the hydrodynamic environment in the Beibu Gulf(BG) have been investigated via employing the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport(COAWST) modeling system. The model could simulate reasonable hydrodynamics in the BG when validated by various observations.Vigorous tidal currents refract the waves efficiently and make the seas off the west coast of Hainan Island be the hot spot where currents modulate the significant wave height dramatically. During summer, wave-enhanced bottom stress could weaken the near-shore component of the gulf-scale cyclonic-circulation in the BG remarkably, inducing two major corresponding adjustments: Model results reveal that the deep-layer cold water from the southern BG makes critical contribution to maintaining the cold-water mass in the northern BG Basin.However, the weakened background circulation leads to less cold water transported from the southern gulf to the northern gulf, which finally triggers a 0.2°C warming in the cold-water mass area; In the top areas of the BG, the suppressed background circulation reduces the transport of the diluted water to the central gulf. Therefore, more freshwater could be trapped locally, which then triggers lower sea surface salinity(SSS) in the near-field and higher SSS in the far-field.     

Temperature variability caused by internal tides in the coastal waters of east coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The effects of tidal currents (i.e., barotropic and internal tides) are important in the biogeochemistry of a coastal shelf sea. The high-frequency of currents and near-bottom temperatures collected in three consecutive southwest monsoon seasons (May, June, July and August of 2013 until 2015) is presented to reveal the role of the tidal currents to the temperature variability in the coastal shelf sea of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia (ECPM), south of the South China Sea (SCS). The results of a spectral density and harmonic analysis demonstrate that the near-bottom temperature variability and the tidal currents are influenced by diurnal (O₁ and K₁) and semidiurnal (M₂) tidal currents. The spectral density of residual currents (detided data) at 5, 10 and 16 m depth also shows significant peaks at the diurnal tidal frequency (K₁) and small peaks at the semidiurnal tidal frequency (M₂) indicating the existence of internal tides. The result of the horizontal kinetic energy (HKE) shows a strong intermittent energy of internal tides in the ECPM with the strongest energy is found at 16 m depth during a sporadic cooling event in June and July. A high horizontal cross-shore heat flux (16 m) also indicates strong intrusions of cooler water into the ECPM in June and July. During the short duration of cold pulse water observed in June and July, a cross-wavelet analysis also reveals the strong relationship between the near-bottom temperatures and the internal tidal currents at the diurnal tidal frequency. The intrusion of this cooler water is probably related to the monsoon-induced upwelling in June. It is loosely interpreted that the interaction between the strong barotropic tides and the steep slope in the central basin of the SCS under the stratified condition in southwest monsoon has generated these internal tides. The dissipation of internal tides from the slope area probably has driven the cold-upwelled water into the ECPM coastal shelf sea when the upwelling intensity is the highest in June and July.     

Estimating submarine groundwater discharge at a subtropical river estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China

In certain regions,submarine groundwater discharge(SGD) into the ocean plays a significant role in coastal material fluxes and their biogeochemical cycle;therefore,the impact of SGD on the ecosystem cannot be ignored.In this study,SGD was estimated using naturally occurring radium isotopes(~(223)Ra and ~(224)Ra) in a subtropical estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China.The results showed that the Ra activities of submarine groundwater were approximately 10 times higher than those of surface water.By assuming a steady state and using an Ra mass balance model,the SGD flux in May 2018 was estimated to be 5.98×10~6 m~3/d and 3.60×10~6 m~3/d based on ~(224)Ra and ~(223)Ra,respectively.At the same time,the activities of Ra isotopes fluctuated within a tidal cycle;that is,a lower activity was observed at high tide and a higher activity was seen at low tide.Based on these variations,the average tidal pumping fluxes of SGD were 1.15×10~6 m~3/d and 2.44×10~6 m~3/d with ~(224)Ra and ~(223)Ra,respectively.Tidaldriven SGD accounts for 24%-51% of the total SGD.Therefore,tidal pumping is an important driving force of the SGD in the Dafengjiang River(DFJR) Estuary.Furthermore,the SGD of the DFJR Estuary in the coastal zone contributes significantly to the seawater composition of the Beibu Gulf and the material exchange between land and sea.     

Impacts of a wind stress and a buoyancy flux on the seasonal variation of mixing layer depth in the South China Sea

The seasonal variation of mixing layer depth(MLD) in the ocean is determined by a wind stress and a buoyance flux.A South China Sea(SCS) ocean data assimilation system is used to analyze the seasonal cycle of its MLD.It is found that the variability of MLD in the SCS is shallow in summer and deep in winter,as is the case in general.Owing to local atmosphere forcing and ocean dynamics,the seasonal variability shows a regional characteristic in the SCS.In the northern SCS,the MLD is shallow in summer and deep in winter,affected coherently by the wind stress and the buoyance flux.The variation of MLD in the west is close to that in the central SCS,influenced by the advection of strong western boundary currents.The eastern SCS presents an annual cycle,which is deep in summer and shallow in winter,primarily impacted by a heat flux on the air-sea interface.So regional characteristic needs to be cared in the analysis about the MLD of SCS.     

Modeling of coastal effluent transport: an approach to linking far-field and near-field models

One of the challenges in effluent transport modeling in coastal tidal environments is the proper specification of initial dilution in connection with the far-field transport phenomena. An approach of external linkage of far-field and near-field effluent transport models is presented, and applied to simulating the effluent transport in the Port Angeles Harbor, Washington in the Strait of Juan de Fuea. A near-field plume model was used to calculate the effluent initial dilution and a three-dimensional (3-D) hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate the tidal circulation and far-field effluent transport in the Port Angeles Harbor. The hydrodynamic model was driven by tides and surface winds. Observed water surface elevation and velocity data were used to calibrate the model over a period covering the neap-spring tidal cycle. The model was also validated with observed surface drogue trajectory data. The model successfully reproduced the tidal dynamics in the study area and good agreements between model results and observed data were obtained. It is demonstrated that the linkage between the near-field and far-field models in effluent transport modeling can be achieved through iteratively adjusting the model grid sizes such that the dilution ratio and effluent concentration in the circulation model grid cell match the concentration calculated by the near-field plume model.     

A Lagrangian mean theory on coastal sea circulation with inter-tidal transports Ⅱ. Numerical Experiments

The results of the new concept of coastal sea circulation are demonstrated by numerical simulations for the first time. The numerical experiments in three types of rectangular model seas illustrate the dependence of circulation on tidal phases due to the convectively nonlinear effect which is estimated by a newly defined drift dispersion index. Then, the present theory is applied in the Bohai Sea of China. At the Bohai Straits and the Huanghe River mouth area the circulation direction even reverses owing to different initial tidal phases which shows that the theory copes with nonlinearity well. The calculated M2 tideinduced residual circulation shows that a clockwise gyre exists in the center of an anticlockwise gyre in the central Bohai Sea due to the topographic features. In the Bohai Gulf the tide induced circulation shows a 3D structure with outflow at the surface and the inflow at the bottom which can partly explains the spread of the Huanghe River fresh water out of the Bohai Gulf and the inflow of the sediment from the Huanghe River.     

Distribution of meiofaunal abundance in relation to environmental factors in Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

This study aims to explore the distribution of meiofaunal abundance in relation to environmental factors in the Beibu Gulf,a natural semi-enclosed part of the South China Sea,surrounded by China and Vietnam.Meiofauna and ten benthic environmental factors were determined at 27 sampling stations in the Beibu Gulf in four surveys during 2006-2007.The results show a clear geographical trend in meiofaunal abundance,water depth,salinity and clay content.The meiofaunal abundance and the clay content decreased,whereas the water depth and the salinity increased from the north to the south of the Gulf.The percentage of meiofaunal abundance in the 0-2 cm layer increased,whereas in the 2-5 cm and 5-10 cm layers it decreased from the north to the south of the Gulf.Correlation analysis show significant negative correlations between meiofaunal abundance and water depth,benthic temperature,salinity and pH,but significant positive correlations between meiofaunal abundance and dissolved oxygen,chlorophyll a and clay content.     

“纳沙”台风引起北部湾沿岸风暴射流及其机制

基于FVCOM模式建立一个三维数值模型,对2011年“纳沙”台风登陆北部湾前后水位与流场变化进行了分析,并探究了风暴射流的生成机制。结果表明,广西近岸风暴射流的产生是对台风到来造成的水位起伏变化的一种正压响应;台风进入到北部湾期间,造成北部湾近岸水位先降低后升高,所导致的水位梯度差产生了驱动力,促使海水向西运动增强,从而导致在广西近海风暴射流的产生;台风登陆期间琼州海峡西向流流量增大到0.4 Sv以上,最大可达0.7 Sv;台风进入到北部湾后,促使琼州海峡西向流更多进入到北部湾,造成湾内正位涡输入增大,产生了气旋式环流来维持位涡平衡,同时气旋式环流也有利于向西运动的风暴射流增强;流经广西沿岸的风暴射流引起向西的水体输运可达0.2 Sv,对北部湾内营养盐以及污染物运移将产生重要影响。     

北部湾环流和沉积物输运的数值模拟

研究环流和沉积物输运对北部湾的环境保护和资源开发十分重要。本文使用区域海洋模型（ROMS）,研究了北部湾海域的季节环流、沉积物输运以及长期的地形演变过程。展示了湾内冬季和夏季都存在逆时针环流,冬季的风生环流比夏季强的特征。悬沙浓度较大值主要分布在琼州海峡、海南岛西侧海域,以及越南沿岸、雷州半岛沿岸等近岸地区。沉积物在琼州海峡附近表现为在冬季由东向西输运,夏季则相反;在琼州海峡西口处,沉积物全年以西向输运为主。结果显示,北部湾内沉积物输运主要由潮流引起的再悬浮控制。侵蚀和淤积的分布模式为：（1）湾内大部分区域侵蚀淤积不明显,（2）琼州海峡两侧口门附近淤积比较明显,（3）琼州海峡内深槽侵蚀严重,（4）海南岛西侧海域存在侵蚀和淤积交替发生区域。     

北部湾三维风生流及密度流模拟

将Casulli差分格式引入三维物理海洋模型计算，模拟了北部湾风生流及密度流。模拟结果表明，夏季西南季风在北部湾导致一个顺时针环流，夏季海水密度梯度导致一个逆时针方向的环流，密度流明显强于风生流；冬季东北寒潮导致一个逆时针环流。模拟结果不支持北部湾夏季为一顺时针环流、冬季为逆时针环流的传统结论，而支持终年为逆时针环流的观点。     

Analysis of the spatial and temporal distributions of ecological variables and the nutrient budget in the Beibu Gulf

Based on a hydrodynamic-ecological model, the temperature, salinity, current, phytoplankton(Chl a),zooplankton, and nutrient(dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN, and dissolved inorganic phosphorous, DIP)distributions in the Beibu Gulf were simulated and the nutrient budget of 2015 was quantitatively analyzed. The simulated results show that interface processes and monsoons significantly influence the ecological processes in the gulf. The concentrations of DIN, DIP, phytoplankton and zooplankton are generally higher in the eastern and northern gulf than that in the western and southern gulf. The key regions affected by ecological processes are the Qiongzhou Strait in winter and autumn and the estuaries along the Guangxi coast and the Red River in summer.In most of the studied domains, biochemical processes contribute more to the nutrient budget than do physical processes, and the DIN and DIP increase over the year. Phytoplankton plays an important role in the nutrient budget; phytoplankton photosynthetic uptake is the nutrient sink, phytoplankton dead cellular release is the largest source of DIN, and phytoplankton respiration is the largest source of DIP. The nutrient flux in the connected sections of the Beibu Gulf and open South China Sea(SCS) inflows from the east and outflows to the south. There are 113 709 t of DIN and 5 277 t of DIP imported from the open SCS to the gulf year-around.     

北部湾温度锋的季节与年际变化

采用8a(1991—1998)的卫星遥感海水表面温度资料(AVHRR SST)对北部湾温度锋的季节变化与年际变化规律进行了探讨。北部湾海区温度锋的季节态强弱趋势为春季最强，夏季、冬季次之，秋季最弱。在年际时间尺度上，温度锋强度与SST距平(SSTA)存在响应关系，表现在：1)SST正距平对应较弱的锋面产生，负距平对应较强的锋面产生，这种相关性在冬季表现得最为明显；2)锋面的强弱与SSTA绝对值存在正相关关系，即SSTA变化越大，锋面越强。在冬季，温度锋强度与海面风经向分量相关，在偏北风异常情况下，锋面较强；反之，锋面较弱。     

Characterization of the Seasonal Circulation Patterns and Its Application on Oil Spill Transport in the Northwestern Continental Shelf of India

We implemented the Princeton Ocean Model to study the seasonal circulation patterns in the Gulf of Khambhat and surrounding oceans on the northwestern continental shelf of India. Simulated currents are used in General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment to track a past oil spill event in this region. The model's performance is evaluated against the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and in situ measurements. Mean currents, computed by subtracting tidal components from the simulated currents, are used together with satellite images of Chlorophyll-a to describe spatial patterns of the circulation. Mean-flow patterns inside the gulf are characterized with strong along-channel flow during southwest monsoon and spring seasons, which are weak during winter and autumn seasons. On the proximity of the gulf mouth currents are northwestward throughout the year except the southwest monsoon when the circulations are southwestward. Coastal boundary currents parallel to the 60 m isobath are prominent during the inter-monsoon and weak during the monsoon periods. Slope currents, near the shelf-break, are strong during southwest monsoon and spring periods. Numerical experiments suggest that ocean current is the main driver of the net transport of spilled oil in this region and other factors such as direct wind drift play negligible role.     

北部湾东北部潮锋的观测与分析

近海潮锋的分布与温度、盐度乃至海洋生产力的分布都存在紧密联系。基于北部湾东北部的实测数据,对比分析2016—2017年北部湾东北部海域的温度、盐度、密度等分布,并利用ROMS(Regional Ocean Model System)正压与斜压模式,计算Simpson-Hunter (S-H)参数,阐述了潮锋出现位置及其与温度、盐度和密度的关系。结果表明:北部湾东北部潮锋发生的主要区域位于雷州半岛附近,潮混合区温盐密混合较为均匀。利用ROMS模式计算所得的最大垂直平均流速来计算S-H参数,认为潮锋出现位置位于S-H参数值为2处,与实测结果较为一致,且认为正压模式比斜压模式更能准确模拟潮混合区。另外,分析观测数据发现,温度、盐度、密度锋终年存在。近岸处密度锋主要受盐度锋控制,而潮混合产生的盐度锋又容易被径流掩盖。风力较大时三种锋都易向水深更深处推进,潮混合区终年垂向混合较好。     

2006～2007年北部湾海-气热通量变化特征

用2006年夏～2007年秋在北部湾获得的船测气象资料,由块体公式计算了海-气通量.结果表明:北部湾春、夏季节获得热通量,而秋、冬季节失去热通量.春季通过湍流交换造成的热通量对海面热平衡的贡献最小,其次是夏季、冬季和秋季.在年平均尺度上感热通量和潜热通量分别占净辐射通量的7.4%和77.4%,15.2%的净辐射热量通过海洋过程消耗掉.感热通量随海-气温差的加大而增大,而与风速之间呈现复杂的非线性关系.海-气温差增加1 ℃,感热通量增加6.7～12.7 W/m2;较大的感热通量(>30 W/m2)容易出现在5～10 m/s风速条件下.潜热通量与风速和相对湿度呈明显的相关关系:风速增加1 m/s,潜热通量增加约18 W/m2,而相对湿度下降1%会导致6 W/m2潜热通量的增加.