Upper Ocean Sensitivity to Wind Forcing in the South China Sea

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) has been used to investigate the sensitivity of the upper South China Sea (SCS) circulation to various atmospheric wind forcing products. A 1/16° 6-layer, thermodynamic Pacific Ocean north of 20°S version of NLOM has been integrated using observed climatological monthly mean winds (Hellerman and Rosenstein, 1983) and climatologies based on two atmospheric prediction models: the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). ECMWF products include the 10 meter winds (at both 1.125° and 2.5° resolution) and surface stresses (1.125°). The NCEP forcing (1.875°) is a surface stress product. Significant differences exist in the wind stress curl patterns and this is reflected in the upper ocean model response, which is compared to observational data. The model experiments suggest the generation of the West Luzon Eddy is controlled by positive wind stress curl. The degree of Kuroshio intrusion into the SCS, however, is not affected by wind stress curl but is governed by the coastline geometry of the island chain within Luzon Strait. The summertime offshore flow from the Vietnamese coast is present in all simulations but the dipole structure on either side of the jet is variable, even among experiments with similar wind stress curl patterns. The ECMWF surface stresses exhibit spurious coastal wind stress curl patterns, especially in locations with significant orographic features. This manifests itself in unrealistic small scale coastal gyres in NLOM. High resolution basin-scale and coastal models might be adversely affected by these stresses. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

孟加拉湾上层地转环流周年变化的遥感研究

应用1993～2003年TOPEX/Poseidon卫星测高数据结合历史水文资料,反演了孟加拉湾海面动力地形的平均周年变化,探讨了孟加拉湾上层环流季节特征和演变规律.结果显示,虽然孟加拉湾的大气环流受季风支配年周期波动显著,但表层环流形态的周年演变却呈3个不同的阶段.1～4月间(东北季风后期)湾内受一个海盆尺度的强大反气旋式环流的支配,湾口为西向流;5月西南季风骤起,印度季风漂流越过印度半岛南端出现在湾口,湾内反气旋环流弱化,在其南北两侧各出现一气旋式涡,构成5～9月间南北相间的三涡结构;10月东北季风再起,湾口漂流再次转向,10～12月间湾内则为海盆尺度的弱气旋式环流.受上述环流格局影响,位于西边界的印度沿岸流亦呈相应的3个阶段变化.分析表明,孟加拉湾风应力旋度的变化是造成湾内环流3个阶段演变的主要原因.本地风场和来自赤道海域的外强迫的共同驱动形成了孟加拉湾环流周年演变的独特规律.     

Seasonal and interannual variations in the velocity field of the South China Sea

A three-dimensional numerical model is used to simulate sea level and velocity variations in the South China Sea for 1992–1995. The model is driven by daily wind and daily sea surface temperature fields derived from the NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. The four-year model outputs are analyzed using time-domain Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF). Spatial and temporal variations of the first two modes from the simulation compare favorably with those derived from satellite altimetry. Mode 1, which is associated with a southern gyre, shows symmetric seasonal reversal. Mode 2, which contributes to a northern gyre, is responsible for the asymmetric seasonal and interannual variations. In winter, the southern and northern cyclonic gyres combine into a strong basin-wide cyclonic gyre. In summer, a cyclonic northern gyre and an anticyclonic southern gyre form a dipole with a jet leaving the coast of Vietnam. Interannual variations are particularly noticeable during El Niño. The winter gyre is generally weakened and confined to the southern basin, and the summer dipole structure does not form. Vertical motions weaken accordingly with the basin-wide circulation. Variations of the wind stress curl in the first two EOF modes coincide with those of the model-derived sea level and horizontal velocities. The mode 1 wind stress curl, significant in the southern basin, coincides with the reversal of the southern gyre. The mode 2 curl, large in the central basin, is responsible for the asymmetry in the winter and summer gyres. Lack of the mode 2 contribution during El Niño events weakens the circulation. The agreement indicates that changes in the wind stress curl contribute to the seasonal and interannual variations in the South China Sea.     

Buoy measured wind, wind stress and wind stress curl over the shelf off Bodega Bay, California

An array of five buoys and three coastal stations is used to characterize the winds, stress, and curl of the wind stress over the shelf off Bodega Bay, California. The wind and wind stress are strong and persistent in the summer and weak in the winter. In the summer, wind and stress decrease strongly across the shelf, toward the coast. Combinations of buoys are used to compute the curl of the wind stress over different portions of the shelf. The mean summer 2001 curl of the wind stress over the array depends upon the area selected, varying between −1.32×10⁻⁶ and +7.80×10⁻⁶ Pa m⁻¹. The winter 2002 wind-stress curl also depends on location, varying from −2.06×10⁻⁶ to +2.78×10⁻⁶ Pa m⁻¹. Mean monthly curl of the wind stress is a maximum in the summer and a minimum near zero in the winter. In both the summer and the winter, the correlation between the wind-stress curl for different portions of the shelf varies between moderate negative, though insignificance, to high positive. A wind measurement at a single point can be poorly related to the measured curl of the wind stress at other locations over the shelf. The measurements show that the use of one wind measurement to characterize the curl of the wind stress over the shelf without further investigation of the local wind-stress curl structure is risky.     

Influence of Wind on Dynamics and Flushing of Shallow Estuaries

Observations of two small estuaries in Cape Cod, U.S.A. indicate large variations in salinity structure that are forced by variations in along-estuary wind stress. During onshore winds, the estuarine circulation is reduced, and the along-estuary salinity gradient increases as freshwater accumulates. During offshore winds, the surface outflow is enhanced, freshwater is flushed out of the estuary, and the along-estuary salinity gradient becomes weak. Constrictions block the wind-induced flushing, resulting in strong salinity fronts across the constrictions. The residence time of one of the estuaries varies by more than a factor of three in response to variations in wind-induced flushing. The other estuary has little variation of flushing associated with winds, due to a constriction at the mouth that inhibits the wind-induced exchange. The strong influence of winds on the flushing of these estuaries is due in part to their shallow depths, which accentuates the influence of wind stress relative to the effects of the horizontal density gradient. In addition, the residence times of the estuaries are comparable to the time scale of wind forcing, allowing large changes in water properties during wind events.     

2013年南沙群岛海域温跃层的季节变化及形成机理

利用调查数据及遥感数据揭示了2013年南沙群岛海域温跃层的季节变化特征,温跃层上界深度平均值春、夏、冬季基本一致,介于45~47 m之间,秋季最大,达60 m;温跃层厚度平均值夏、秋、冬季基本一致,介于85~87 m之间,春季相对较小,为78 m。温跃层强度平均值春、夏、秋、冬季几乎一致,介于0.13~0.15℃/m之间。调查海域温跃层上界深度季节变化的形成机理为:春季西深东浅的原因是西部受净热通量较小、大风速、负的风应力旋度以及中南半岛东部外海的中尺度暖涡和反气旋环流共同作用,东部近岸海域净热通量高值、风速相对较小及风应力旋度引起的Ekman抽吸效应共同控制;夏季深度分布较均匀的原因是10°N以北风致涡动混合强但受Ekman抽吸影响,10°N以南风致涡动混合弱但风应力旋度为负值;秋季深度较其他季节平均加深15 m的原因是南沙群岛海域被暖涡占据,暖涡引起的反气旋式环流使得温跃层上界深度被海水辐聚下压;冬季正的风应力旋度产生的Ekman抽吸和冷涡引起的气旋式环流共同作用,使得温跃层上界深度较秋季平均抬升15 m。     

Seasonal variation of residual current in Tokyo Bay,Japan —diagnostic numerical experiments—

The residual currents in Tokyo Bay during four seasons are calculated diagnostically from the observed water temperature, salinity and wind data collected by Unokiet al. (1980). The calculated residual currents, verified by the observed ones, show an obvious seasonal variable character. During spring, a clear anticlockwise circulation develops in the head region of the bay and a strong southwestward current flows in the upper layer along the eastern coast from the central part to the mouth of the bay. During summer, the anticlockwise circulation in the head region is maintained but the southwestward current along the eastern coast becomes weak. During autumn, the preceding anticlockwise circulation disappears but a clockwise circulation develops in the central part of the bay. During winter, the calculated residual current is similar to that during autumn. As a conclusion, the seasonal variation of residual current in Tokyo Bay can be attributed to the variation of the strength of two eddies. The first one is the anticlockwise circulation in the head region of the bay, which develops in spring and summer and disappears in autumn and winter. The second one is the clockwise circulation in the central part of the bay, which develops in autumn and winter, decreases in spring and nearly disappears in summer.     

Intercomparison of three South China Sea circulation models

1IntroductionTheSouthChinaSeaisthelargesttropicalmarginaldeepsealocatingbetweenthewesternPacificOceanandtheeasternIndianOcean.AsapartofAsia-Australiamaritimecontinent,monsoonisaprimaryfactorforcingtheSouthChinaSeaCurrent(SCSC)variation.Drivenbynortheasterlymonsooninwinterandsouth-westerlymonsooninsummer,respectively,theSCSCbehavesacyclonicgyreandananticy-clonicgyre,correspondingly(Wyrtki,1961;Xuetal.,1982).Owingtotheshortageandexpen-sivenessofdirectobservationsintheSCS,fur-therunder…     

Wind-driven circulation in the Japan Sea and its influence on the branching of the Tsushima Current

Seasonal variation in the wind-driven circulation in the Japan Sea is studied with reference to the branching of the Tsushima Current using a two-layer model with simplified bottom and coastal topography. The system is driven by wind stress, an inflow corresponding to the Tsushima Current and by the two outflows corresponding to the Tsugaru and Soya Currents.In the first phase, an annual mean wind stress is imposed and a quasi-stationary state is obtained. In the next phase, a seasonally varying wind stress is imposed. Seasonal variation in the wind stress plays an important role in the branching system of the Tsushima Current. In winter, an intensified western boundary current with a prominent inner circulation is formed as a result of a strong wind stress of winter monsoon with negative wind stress curl. In spring to summer, the western boundary current is weak, but the topographic branch along the Japanese coast is intensified. The weak western boundary current is caused by weak wind stress with positive wind stress curl, which induces cyclonic Sverdrup flow in the Japan Sea and causes its western boundary current to flow in the opposite direction to the prescribed northward boundary inflow current. The topographic branch is strongest in late spring and moves offshore in summer, in agreement with the central branch denoted by Kawabe (1982b). Some of the observational features of the Tsushima Current are successfully simulated.     

Air-Sea Interaction, Coastal Circulation and Primary Production in the Eastern Arabian Sea: A Review

Air-sea interaction, coastal circulation and primary production exhibit an annual cycle in the eastern Arabian Sea (AS). During June to September, strong southwesterly winds (4∼9 m s⁻¹) promote sea surface cooling through surface heat loss and vertical mixing in the central AS and force the West India Coastal Current equatorward. Positive wind stress curl induced by the Findlater jet facilitates Ekman pumping in the northern AS, and equatorward-directed alongshore wind stress induces upwelling which lowers sea surface temperature by about 2.5°C (compared to the offshore value) along the southwestern shelf of India and enhances phytoplankton concentration by more than 70% as compared to that in the central AS. During winter monsoon, from November to March, dry and weak northeasterly winds (2–6 m s⁻¹) from the Indo-China continent enhance convective cooling of the upper ocean and deepen the mixed layer by more than 80 m, thereby increasing the vertical flux of nutrients in the photic layer which promotes wintertime phytoplankton blooms in the northern AS. The primary production rate integrated for photic layer and surface chlorophyll-a estimated from the Coastal Zone Color Scanner, both averaged for the entire western India shelf, increases from winter to summer monsoon from 24 to 70 g C m⁻²month and from 9 to 24 mg m⁻², respectively. Remotely-forced coastal Kelvin waves from the Bay of Bengal propagate into the coastal AS, which modulate circulation pattern along the western India shelf; these Kelvin waves in turn radiate Rossby waves which reverse the circulation in the Lakshadweep Sea semiannually. This review leads us to the conclusion that seasonal monsoon forcing and remotely forced waves modulate the circulation and primary production in the eastern AS. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Subtidal Flow Patterns in Western Florida Bay

Recent observations using moored current meters, shipboard ADCP transects, salinity mapping and drifters have been used to study the residual circulation including wind drift in western Florida Bay.Rapid, nearly synoptic surveys of salinity over a large area was an effective tracer-mapping technique, when salinity gradients were sufficiently strong, and provided qualitative information on Lagrangian water motion for the entire study area. The salinity maps indicated a general south-eastward advection, which was only subordinate to tidal mixing in a narrow zone adjacent to the Florida Keys.Drifter data collected simultaneously, allowed quantitative estimates to be added to the transport pattern suggested by salinity maps. The selectively deployed drifters yielded estimates of total drift velocities. In addition, moored current meters and shipboard current profiling were used to determine the distribution of flow across the mouth of the bay facing the Gulf of Mexico and the transport through Long Key Channel, a major connection between the bay and the Atlantic Ocean.Analysis showed that from 64 to over 92% of the drifter trajectory variances could be explained by the combination of a local wind drift, expressed in terms of a wind drift factor multiplied by the surface shear velocity, and an ambient current. For a 1 m high drifter deployed at the surface of the water column, the wind drift factor was found to be approximately 0·125m, making the drift speed roughly equal to 0·45% of wind speed. The mean drifter speeds were linearly proportional to mean transport estimates derived from the current meter observations in Long Key Channel, enhancing confidence in both data sets.The total south-eastward directed residual current varied between 100 and 5000 m day⁻¹and was weaker in summer than in winter, when southward winds associated with periodic passage of cold fronts boost the residual flow. The estimated contribution from local wind drift varied between 500 m day⁻¹in summer to 1000 m day⁻¹in winter. The remaining contribution to the observed Lagrangian residual circulation in western Florida Bay is caused by other forcing, including tidal rectification, remote wind forcing and large-scale current systems (the Gulf Stream and Florida Current systems).     

Wind- and density-driven circulation in a bay on the Sanriku ria coast,Japan: study of Shizugawa Bay facing the Pacific Ocean

Flow fields in Shizugawa Bay on the Sanriku ria coast, which faces the Pacific Ocean, were investigated using hydrographic observations for the purpose of understanding oceanographic conditions and the process of water exchanges in the bay after the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku. In spring to summer, density-driven surface outflow is part of estuarine circulation and is induced by a pressure gradient force under larger longitudinal gradients in density along with lower salinity water in the innermost part of the bay, regardless of wind forcing. In winter to summer, another density-driven current with a thermal structure is induced by a pressure gradient force under the smaller longitudinal density gradients in calm wind conditions. Particularly in winter, Tsugaru Warm Current water can be transported in the surface layer inside the bay. Wind-driven bay-scale circulation with downwind and upwind currents in the surface and deeper layers, respectively, is induced by strong longitudinal wind forcing under the smaller longitudinal density gradients, irrespective of season. Particularly in fall to spring, this circulation can cause the intrusions of oceanic water associated with Oyashio water and Tsugaru Warm Current water in the deeper layer. These results suggest that wind- and density-driven currents can produce the active exchange of water from inside and outside the bay throughout the year.     

Seasonal characteristics of the near-surface circulation in the northern South China Sea obtained from satellite-tracked drifters

The surface circulation of northern South China Sea (hereafter SCS) for the period 1987–2005 was studied using the data of more than 500 satellite-tracked drifters and wind data from QuikSCAT. The mean flow directions in the northern SCS except the Luzon Strait (hereafter LS) during the periods October~March was southwestward, and April~September northeastward. A strong northwestward intrusion of the Kuroshio through the LS appears during the October~March period of northeasterly wind, but the intrusion became weak between April and September. When the strong intrusion occurred, the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the LS was 388 cm²/s² which was almost 2 times higher than that during the weak-intrusion season. The volume transport of the Kuroshio in the east of the Philippines shows an inverse relationship to that of the LS. There is a six-month phase shift between the two seasonal phenomena. The volume transport in the east of the Philippines shows its peak sis-month earlier faster than that of the LS. The strong Kuroshio intrusion is found to be also related to the seasonal variation of the wind stress curl generated by the northeasterly wind. The negative wind stress curl in the northern part of LS induces an anticyclonic flow, while the positive wind stress curl in the southern part of LS induces a cyclonic flow. The northwestward Kuroshio intrusion in the northern part of LS happened with larger negative wind stress curl, while the westward intrusion along 20.5°N in the center of the LS occurred with weaker negative wind stress curl.     

Baroclinic wind adjustment processes in the Mediterranean Sea

The wind-driven general circulation of the Mediterranean Sea is studied using a primitive equation model. The model uses a 0.25° horizontal resolution and eight or 16 levels in the vertical. The model uses the Mediterranean basin geometry, and the Strait of Gibraltar is closed. The vertical density structure is initialized with annual average data, and the temperature and salinity values are fixed at the surface to simulate perpetual annual mean conditions. The wind forcing consists of monthly mean climatological stresses.The results show that the general circulation of the Mediterranean Sea has a multiple time-scale character (seasonal excursions and steady state amplitudes are comparable) and it is composed by sub-basin scale gyres corresponding to the scale of the wind stress curl centers. The steady state circulation (annual mean average) is determined by a Sverdrup balacne modified by viscous effects.The unsteady vertically integrated transport circulation consists of sub-basin scale gyres similar to the steady state transport components, which amplify seasonally and the partial or total reversal of the currents in many subportions of the basin. The gyres can be stationary in position or propagating. This seasonal ocean response is partly constituted by Rossby modes due to the wind stress curl annual harmonic. The baroclinic circulation shows the seasonal shift of the North African Current from a position along the African coasts during winter to the center of the Balearic and Ionian basin during summer.     

A numerical model investigation of the residual circulation in Hauraki Gulf,New Zealand

The homogeneous residual circulation in Hauraki Gulf arising from the tides, steady winds, and oceanic inflows is considered by use of a depth‐averaged 2‐dimensional numerical model. Vertical current structure of the wind‐driven circulation is derived by using the computed wind‐induced sea surface slopes, the wind stress, and a prescribed vertical eddy viscosity. Tidal residual circulation is weak, less than 0.01 ms^‐1 over most of the Gulf. The response of the Gulf to wind‐forcing indicates a preference for north‐west/south‐east directed winds, the flow through the Gulf being more than 3 times as strong as for winds from other directions. Surface currents are mainly in the wind direction, but subsurface currents reveal closed circulation cells in near‐coastal areas. Simple oceanic inflows give rise to water movements which penetrate to the inner part of the Gulf.     

东山湾潮流动力特征研究

东山湾是福建重要的天然良港．根据2008年8月的3个潮次11个测站实测潮流资料结合历史调查资料分析东山湾的潮流性质、运动形式、涨落潮流特性、余流等特征．结果表明，东山湾主要属于往复式的规则半日潮流，潮流作用较强，其口门处和湾内水道上的实测最大流速一般大于100cm／s．持续时间较长的风对东山湾的余流较大的影响，大潮期间湾内存在明显的反时针的水平余环流系统．     

Current variation in the sea near the mouth of Suruga Bay

In order to investigate the circulation pattern and the characteristics of tidal currents in the sea near the mouth of Suruga Bay, current meausrements were conducted at two stations at near-surface levels during the warm months of the year (late May to early October). The mean currents at the eastern and western stations are inversely correlated with each other: when inflow occurs at the eastern station outflow occurs at the western one andvice versa. The circulation pattern, therefore, can be determined from the mean current at either station,e.g., inflow or outflow at the eastern station corresponds to counterclockwise and clockwise circulation, respectively. The predominant tidal constituents of the measured currents are diurnal while those of the sea level along the bay are semidiurnal. The amplitudes of the diurnal constituents of the current show clear long-term variations besides the semimonthly variation corresponding to the phase of the moon.Variation in the path of the Kuroshio off the bay mouth seems to influence not only the circulation pattern but also the tidal currents in the sea near the bay mouth. When the Kuroshio axis is to the north of Zenisu, a shoal off the eastern side of the bay, the circulation pattern is counterclockwise and the amplitude of the tidal current is small. On the other hand, when the Kuroshio is to the south ofZenisu, the circulation pattern is weakly clockwise or stagnant and the amplitude of the tidal current is large.     

黑潮和风应力对东中国海环流的作用

我们曾基于底摩应力涡度、行星涡度和风应力涡度的平衡方程,在黑潮(边界力(奚盘根等,1980,冯士搾等,198l。))可变海底地形的作用下,研究了东中国海环流的可能成因(刘凤树等,1984)。指出,东中国海环流的形成主要是黑潮作用的结果,风的效应仅起调     

Wind Fields over Funka Bay and Their Effect on Water Circulation in the Bay

Horizontal wind fields over Funka Bay during cold air outbreaks were simulated using a 3-D meso-scale atmospheric model. The simulated wind fields over the bay have a positive curl in the north and a negative curl in the south. These wind fields were used to simulate the current in Funka Bay using a barotropic ocean model. The simulated current pattern was composed of two vortices—one with anti-clockwise vorticity in the north and the other with clockwise vorticity in the south—and was in the opposite direction to that simulated by the uniform wind fields. This is because the wind stress curl effect on the vorticity production in Funka Bay opposes and overwhelms the bathymetry torque effect during cold air outbreaks. These results show that the non-uniformity of the wind fields caused by the land topography around a shallow lake or bay cannot be neglected in simulating its currents.     

Interannual variability of the Kuroshio intrusion in the South China Sea

The interannual variability of intrusions of the Kuroshio into the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated using satellite remote sensing data supported by in-situ measurements. The mesoscale circulation of the SCS is predominantly wind-forced by the northeast winter and southwest summer monsoons. Although the region has been studied extensively, considerable uncertainty remains about the annual and interannual mesoscale nature of the circulation. The frequency and characteristics of Kuroshio intrusions and their effect on circulation patterns in the northeast SCS are also not well understood. Satellite observations of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) from TOPEX/ Poseidon for the period 1997–2005 are used here to analyze the annual and interannual variability in Kuroshio intrusions and their effects on the region. Analysis of SST and SSHA shows the formation and characteristics of intrusions vary considerably each year. Typically, the intrusion occurs in the central region of Luzon Strait and results in an anticyclonic circulation in the northeastern SCS. However, in some years, the intrusion is located in the northern portion of Luzon Strait and a cyclonic intrusion results. Wind stress and wind stress curl derived from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) QuikSCAT satellite scatterometer are used to evaluate the relationship between wind stress or wind stress curl and the presence of winter Kuroshio intrusions into the SCS.