The mid-depth circulation of the northwestern tropical Atlantic observed by floats

A comprehensive analysis of velocity data from subsurface floats in the northwestern tropical Atlantic at two depth layers is presented: one representing the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW, pressure range 600–1050 dbar), the other the upper North Atlantic Deep Water (uNADW, pressure range 1200–2050 dbar). New data from three independent research programs are combined with previously available data to achieve blanket coverage in space for the AAIW layer, while coverage in the uNADW remains more intermittent. Results from the AAIW mainly confirm previous studies on the mean flow, namely the equatorial zonal and the boundary currents, but clarify details on pathways, mostly by virtue of the spatial data coverage that sets float observations apart from e.g. shipborne or mooring observations. Mean transports in each of five zonal equatorial current bands is found to be between 2.7 and 4.5 Sv. Pathways carrying AAIW northward beyond the North Brazil Undercurrent are clearly visible in the mean velocity field, in particular a northward transport of 3.7 Sv across 16°N between the Antilles islands and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. New maps of Lagrangian eddy kinetic energy and integral time scales are presented to quantify mesoscale activity. For the uNADW, mean flow and mesoscale properties are discussed as data availability allows. Trajectories in the uNADW east of the Lesser Antilles reveal interactions between the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) and the basin interior, which can explain recent hydrographic observations of changes in composition of DWBC water along its southward flow.     

Direct measurements of mid-depth circulation in the Shikoku basin by tracking SOFAR floats

Mid-depth circulation of the Shikoku Basin was measured by tracking four SOFAR floats drifting at the 1,500 m layer. Two floats were released on 17 April 1988 at 30°N, 135°59E and tracked for 433 days. Another two were released on 3 November 1988 at 29°52N and 133°25E, and tracked for 234 days. Two floats flowed clockwise around the Shikoku Warm Water Mass with a diameter of 400 km centered at 31°N and 136°E and a mean drift speed of 4.5 cm sec^–1. One of the floats showed about ten counterclockwise rotations with a period of about 8 days and a maximum speed of 80 cm sec^–1 in the sea area west to the Izu Ridge. In the east to Kyushu, a southward flow was observed under the northward flowing Kuroshio. The southward flow of 4 cm sec^–1 drift speed was considered to be a part of the counterclockwise circulation at deep layers along the perimeter of the Shikoku Basin. One float remained for 234 days in a limited area of 100 km by 150 km in the western part of the basin.     

High-resolution regional ocean dynamics simulation in the southwestern tropical Atlantic

The southwestern tropical Atlantic (05°S–25°S/20°W–47°W), where part of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) enters at its eastern border, is of particular interest as it is fed by many western boundary currents along the eastern Brazilian continental shelf. However, the long-term variability of the dynamics in this region, which are also important as they contribute to the climate over northeastern Brazil, is largely unknown. We use the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) here for the first time in this area to simulate the ocean circulation with an isotropic horizontal grid resolution of 1/12° and 40 terrain-following layers. As a primary evaluation of the ROMS configuration, we explore surface and vertical thermal structures, the surface mixed layer, and mass transports within the upper levels. Interannual variability results are compared with the first two-year series of observed thermal profiles derived from the three PIRATA-SWE moorings. The simulated thermal structure in the upper ocean layers agrees well with in-situ data. ROMS simulations point out a broad and relatively weak SEC flow composed of a sequence of more or less defined near-surface cores. The westward SEC transport for the upper 400 m along the PIRATA-SWE section, calculated from the ROMS simulation for 2005–2007, shows an average volume transport of 14.9 Sv, with a maximum observed in JFM (15.7 Sv), and a minimum during MJJ (13.8 Sv). ROMS results indicate that the 2005–2007 seasonal near-surface westward SEC transport is modulated by the zonal wind variability. Three zonal sections extending from the American continent to the PIRATA buoy sites confirm that stronger northward NBUC transport and decreasing BC transport were achieved during May 2006 and May 2007, i.e. at the time the sSEC bifurcation reaches its southernmost position. On the other hand, the maximum southward BC flow was verified during January 2006, January 2007 and March 2007, with a minimum northward NBUC flow in December 2005 and October/December 2006, corresponding to the period when the sSEC bifurcation reaches its lowest latitude (OND). Sea Surface Height (SSH) and the surface Eddy Kinetic Energy (EKE) derived from simulations and AVISO Rio05 product point out the highest surface meso-scale activity (EKE  50 cm² s⁻²) along the cSEC and NBUC/BC patches. Preliminary results provide additional ingredients in the complexity of the SEC divergence region and encourage us to conduct a more detailed exploration of the dynamics of this region using the ROMS. This also shows the need to continue, extend, and vertically upgrade the observational PIRATA-SWE array system, especially with more levels of salinity measurements and the installation of current measurements.     

Mesoscale eddies off Peru in altimeter records: Identification algorithms and eddy spatio-temporal patterns

Relatively little is known about coherent vortices in the eastern South-Pacific along the Peruvian coast, even with regard to basic facts about their frequency of occurrence, longevity and structure. This study addresses these issues with nearly 15 years of relatively high-resolution satellite altimetry measurements.We first compare two distinct automated methods for eddy identification. The objective validation protocol shows that the rarely-used geometrical or “winding-angle method”, based on the curvature of the streamline functions, is more accurate than the commonly-used “Okubo–Weiss algorithm”, which defines a vortex as a simple connected region with values of Okubo–Weiss parameter weaker than a given threshold.We then investigate vortices off Peru using more than 20,000 mesoscale eddies identified by the winding-angle method. Coherent eddies, characterized by a high ratio of vorticity to deformation rate, are typically formed along the coast and propagate westward at 3–6 cm s⁻¹. The vortices have a mean radius of 80 km, increasing northward, and are most frequently observed off of Chimbote (9°S) and south of San Juan (15°S). The mean eddy lifetime is about 1 month, but if eddies survive at least 2 months, the probability for surviving an additional week (or month) is constant at 90% (or 67%). Anticyclonic eddies tend to propagate northwestward whereas cyclonic vortices migrate southwestward. In general, cyclones and anticyclones are similar, except for eddies surviving at least 6 months. In this case, after a similar 3–4 months of radius and amplitude growth, amplitudes (or sizes) decay particularly rapidly for anticyclonic (or cyclonic) eddies. In terms of intensity, cyclonic eddies show a rapid decay during the first 3 months before arriving at a quasi-constant value, whereas anticyclones exhibit steady decline. Finally, eddy temporal variations were examined at seasonal and interannual scales in the “coastal” region favorable to the formation of energetic mesoscale structures. On seasonal scales, eddy activity is maximal in fall and minimum in spring. At interannual scales, the eddy activity index was maximal during the strong El Niño of 1997–1998 but another strong maximum of eddy activity also occurred late in 2004. These temporal variations are probably associated with the intensification of the upwelling thermal front and with the passage of coastal-trapped waves which generate baroclinic instabilities. Further investigation of the mechanisms involved on the eddy genesis is needed.     

Long-term Sensor Drift Found in Recovered Argo Profiling Floats

We recovered three Argo profiling floats after 2 to 2.5 years of operation, and recalibrated their temperature, conductivity, and pressure sensors. The results demonstrate that these floats exhibited a significant drift in salinity of −0.0074 to −0.0125, primarily due to the conductivity sensor drift. Combined with the recalibration result for another previously recovered float, the indication is that the negative salinity drift increases nearly in proportion to the operating period of floats. The increasing rate is −0.0041 (±0.0015) year⁻¹, which yields a salinity drift of −0.016 (±0.006) for the expected float lifetime of four years. The present result suggests that reducing the float surfacing time would improve the accuracy of the salinity measurements.     

Sea surface height variability in the Rio de la Plata estuary from synoptic to inter-annual scales: Results of numerical simulations

A long term simulation of the barotropic circulation in the Río de la Plata estuary was performed with the aim of identifying the characteristic patterns of sea surface height (SSH) variability from synoptic to inter-annual time scales and their forcing mechanisms. Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HamSOM), forced by tides, monthly mean runoffs and 4-daily 10 m winds and surface atmospheric pressure from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis was run. The solution was analyzed for the period 1965–2004. Inter-annual variability accounts for almost 10% of the variance. The first EOF mode of SSH variability on this time scale is associated with a mean anomaly of approximately 0.25 m at the upper estuary forced by both runoff and winds, which seems to be strongly associated with the ENSO cycles. Other two modes, with periodicities around 2.5 and 10 years were also found. Even though they are linked to weaker SSH anomalies, they are consistent with inter-annual modes of wind variability reported by other authors. Those modes are important, particularly if they act in phase, because they can provide a background for stronger surges. In contrast with the salinity field, SSH variability on seasonal time scales accounts for a very small percentage of variance and it is the combination of an annual and a semi-annual signal forced by winds and runoff, respectively. Approximately 90% of the variance is due to wind driven variability on sub-annual time scales. The most significant SSH anomalies in this band are associated with cyclogenetic events in the atmosphere, occurring either over Uruguay or over the Patagonian Shelf, whereas the strengthening or weakening of the semi-permanent South Atlantic anticyclone displays a relatively smaller influence. In agreement with previous publications, the estuary's spatial patterns in response to short-scale wind variability seem to be determined by wind direction more than by wind speed.     

Large capacity multi-float configurations for the wave energy converter M4 using a time-domain linear diffraction model

The moored three-float line absorber WEC M4 has been developed to optimise power capture through experiments and linear diffraction modelling. With the progression down wave from small to medium to large floats, the device heads naturally into the wave direction. The bow and mid floats are rigidly connected by a beam and a beam from the stern float is connected to the hinge point above the mid float for power take off (PTO). Increasing the bow to mid float spacing to be more than 50% greater than the mid to stern float spacing has been found to improve power capture. To increase power capture further and potentially reduce electricity generation cost the number of mid floats and stern floats is increased while maintaining a single bow float for mooring connection. The bow and mid floats still form a rigid body while the stern floats may respond independently. A time domain linear diffraction model based on Cummins method has been applied to configurations of 121, 123, 132, 133, and 134 floats where the numbers indicate the number of floats: bow, mid, stern. This shows how power capture is increased while response remains similar. We only consider uni-directional (long-crested) waves with narrow band width typical of swell. By considering scatter diagrams for various offshore sites capacities may range from 3.7 MW to 17.3 MW for the eight float system with a capacity factor of 1/3 while the cost of electricity assuming capital cost to be a fixed multiple of steel cost is reduced from that for the three-float system.     

The evolution of oceanic and atmospheric anomalies in the northeast Pacific during the El Niño and La Niña events of 1995–2001

From late 1995 through early 2001, three major interannual climate events occurred in the tropical Pacific; the 1995–97 La Niña (LN), 1997–98 El Niño (EN), and 1998–2001 LN. We analyze atmospheric and upper oceanic anomalies in the northeast Pacific (NEP) during these events, and compare them to anomalies both elsewhere in the north and tropical Pacific, and to typical EN and LN anomaly patterns. The atmospheric and oceanic anomalies varied strongly on intraseasonal and interannual scales. During the 1995–97 LN and 1997–98 EN, the Northeast Pacific was dominated by negative SLP and cyclonic wind anomalies, and by upper ocean temperature and sea surface height (SSH) anomalies. The latter were positive along the North American west coast and in the NEP thermal anomaly pool (between Hawaii, Vancouver Island, and Baja California), and negative in the central north Pacific. This atmospheric/oceanic anomaly pattern is typical of EN. An eastward shift in the atmospheric teleconnection from east Asia created EN-like anomalies in the NEP during the 1995–97 LN, well before the 1997–98 EN had begun. The persistence of negative sea-level pressure (SLP) and cyclonic wind anomalies in the NEP during the 1997–98 EN intensified pre-existing upper oceanic anomalies. Atmospheric anomalies were shifted eastward during late 1996–early 1998, leading to a similar onshore shift of oceanic anomalies. This produced exceptionally strong positive upper ocean temperature and SSH anomalies along the west coast during the 1997–98 EN, and explains the unusual coastal occurrences of several species of large pelagic warm-water fishes. The growth and eastward shift of these pre-existing anomalies does not appear to have been linked to tropical Pacific EN anomalies until late 1997, when a clear atmospheric teleconnection between the two regions developed. Prior to this, remote atmospheric impacts on the NEP were primarily from east Asia. As the 1998–2001 LN developed, NEP anomalies began reversing toward the typical LN pattern. This led to predominantly negative SLP and cyclonic wind anomalies in the NEP, and upper ocean temperature and SSH anomalies that were mainly negative along the west coast and positive in the central north Pacific. The persistence of these anomalies into mid-2001, and a number of concurrent biological changes in the NEP, suggest that a decadal climate shift may have occurred in late 1998.During 1995–2001, NEP oceanic anomalies tracked the overlying atmospheric anomalies, as indicated by the maintenance of a characteristic spatial relationship between these anomalies. In particular, wind stress curl and SSH anomalies in the NEP maintained an inverse relationship that strengthened and shifted eastward toward the west coast during late 1996–early 1998. This consistent relationship indicates that anomalous Ekman transport driven by regional atmospheric forcing was an important contributor to temperature and SSH anomalies in the NEP and CCS during the 1997–98 EN. Other studies have shown that coastal propagations originating from the tropical Pacific also may have contributed to coastal NEP anomalies during this EN. Our results indicate that at least some of this coastal anomaly signal may have been generated by regional atmospheric forcing within the NEP.     

Circulation and multiple-scale variability in the Southern California Bight

The oceanic circulation in the Southern California Bight (SCB) is influenced by the large-scale California Current offshore, tropical remote forcing through the coastal wave guide alongshore, and local atmospheric forcing. The region is characterized by local complexity in the topography and coastline. All these factors engender variability in the circulation on interannual, seasonal, and intraseasonal time scales. This study applies the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) to the SCB circulation and its multiple-scale variability. The model is configured in three levels of nested grids with the parent grid covering the whole US West Coast. The first child grid covers a large southern domain, and the third grid zooms in on the SCB region. The three horizontal grid resolutions are 20 km, 6.7 km, and 1 km, respectively. The external forcings are momentum, heat, and freshwater flux at the surface and adaptive nudging to gyre-scale SODA reanalysis fields at the boundaries. The momentum flux is from a three-hourly reanalysis mesoscale MM5 wind with a 6 km resolution for the finest grid in the SCB. The oceanic model starts in an equilibrium state from a multiple-year cyclical climatology run, and then it is integrated from years 1996 through 2003. In this paper, the 8-year simulation at the 1 km resolution is analyzed and assessed against extensive observational data: High-Frequency (HF) radar data, current meters, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) data, hydrographic measurements, tide gauges, drifters, altimeters, and radiometers. The simulation shows that the domain-scale surface circulation in the SCB is characterized by the Southern California Cyclonic Gyre, comprised of the offshore equatorward California Current System and the onshore poleward Southern California Countercurrent. The simulation also exhibits three subdomain-scale, persistent (i.e., standing), cyclonic eddies related to the local topography and wind forcing: the Santa Barbara Channel Eddy, the Central-SCB Eddy, and the Catalina-Clemente Eddy. Comparisons with observational data reveal that ROMS reproduces a realistic mean state of the SCB oceanic circulation, as well as its interannual (mainly as a local manifestation of an ENSO event), seasonal, and intraseasonal (eddy-scale) variations. We find high correlations of the wind curl with both the alongshore pressure gradient (APG) and the eddy kinetic energy level in their variations on time scales of seasons and longer. The geostrophic currents are much stronger than the wind-driven Ekman flows at the surface. The model exhibits intrinsic eddy variability with strong topographically related heterogeneity, westward-propagating Rossby waves, and poleward-propagating coastally-trapped waves (albeit with smaller amplitude than observed due to missing high-frequency variations in the southern boundary conditions).     

平潭近岸海域浮子漂移轨迹及其数值模拟

平潭近岸海域岸线曲折,周边岛礁众多,海底地形复杂,是福建省海难事故的高发区.本研究建立了平潭近岸海域海上目标物漂移轨迹的预测系统,该系统通过风场和流场的数值模型获取海面动力环境信息,采用拉格朗日算法实现对海上目标物漂移轨迹的预测追踪.其中海流模型采用ROMS（regional ocean modeling system）模型构建,模型水平方向上最高分辨率为100m,垂向上分为16层,并考虑干湿边界,以体现复杂海岸线和水深地形.通过验证分析,潮位、流速和流向的模拟平均绝对误差分别为0.20 m、0.12 m/s和26°.通过平潭近岸2个浮子实验,结果表明,浮子漂移过程中受潮流和局地地形的影响明显,对漂移模型在平潭近岸海域的适用性进行初步验证,浮子模拟轨迹与实际漂移过程基本吻合,模拟时段内最大偏差距离为2.8km,系统可以为平潭近岸海域海上突发事故应急决策提供参考.     

Topographic Rossby waves in the Gulf of Mexico

Observations of topographic Rossby waves (TRW), using moored current meters, bottom pressure gauges, and Lagrangian RAFOS floats, are investigated for the deep basin of the Gulf of Mexico. Recent extensive measurement programs in many parts of the deep gulf, which were inspired by oil and gas industry explorations into ever deeper water, allow more comprehensive analyses of the propagation and dissipation of these deep planetary waves. The Gulf of Mexico circulation can be divided into two layers with the ∼800-1200 m upper layer being dominated by the Loop Current (LC) pulsations and shedding of large (diameters ∼300-400 km) anticyclonic eddies in the east, and the translation of these LC eddies across the basin to the west. These processes spawn smaller eddies of both signs through instabilities, and interactions with topography and other eddies to produce energetic surface layer flows that have a rich spectrum of orbit periods and diameters. In contrast, current variability below 1000 m often has the characteristics of TRWs, with periods ranging from ∼10-100 days and wavelengths of ∼50-200 km, showing almost depth-independent or slightly bottom intensified currents through the weakly stratified lower water column. These fluctuations are largely uncorrelated with simultaneous upper-layer eddy flows. TRWs must be generated through energy transfer from the upper-layer eddies to the lower layer by potential vorticity adjustments to changing depths of the bottom and the interface between the layers. Therefore, the LC and LC eddies are prime candidates as has been suggested by some model studies. Model simulations have also indicated that deep lower-layer eddies may be generated by the LC and LC eddy shedding processes.In the eastern gulf, the highest observed lower-layer kinetic energy was north of the Campeche Bank under the LC in a region that models have identified as having strong baroclinic instabilities. Part of the 60-day TRW signal propagates towards the Sigsbee Escarpment (a steep slope at the base of the northern continental slope), and the rest into the southern part of the eastern basin. Higher energy is observed along the escarpment between 89°W and 92°W than either under the northern part of the LC or further south in the deep basin, because of radiating TRWs from the western side of the LC. In the northern part of the LC, evidence was found in the observations that 20-30-day TRWs were connected with the upper layer through coherent signals of relative vorticity. The ∼90° phase lead of the lower over the upper-layer relative vorticity was consistent with baroclinic instability. Along the Sigsbee Escarpment, the TRWs are refracted and reflected so that little energy reaches the lower continental slope and a substantial mean flow is generated above the steepest part of the escarpment. RAFOS float tracks show that this mean flow continues along the escarpment to the west and into Mexican waters. This seems to be a principal pathway for deepwater parcels to be transported westward. Away from the slope RAFOS floats tend to oscillate in the same general area as if primarily responding to the deep wave field. Little evidence of westward translating lower-layer eddies was found in both the float tracks and the moored currents. In the western gulf, the highest deep energy levels are much less than in the central gulf, and are found seaward of the base of the slope. Otherwise, the situation is similar with TRWs propagating towards the slope, probably generated by the local upper-layer complex eddy field, being reflected and forcing a southward mean flow along the base of the Mexican slope. Amplitudes of the lower-layer fluctuations decay from the northwest corner towards the south.     

1997–1998 El Niño off Peru: A numerical study

An eddy-resolving numerical simulation for the Peru–Chile system between 1993 and 2000 is analyzed, mainly for the 1997–1998 El Niño. Atmospheric and lateral oceanic forcings are realistic and contain a wide range of scales from days to interannual. The solution is validated against altimetric observations and the few in situ observations available. The simulated 1997–1998 El Niño closely resembles the real 1997–1998 El Niño in its time sequence of events. The two well-marked, sea-level peaks in May–June and November–December 1997 are reproduced with amplitudes close to those observed. Other sub-periods of the El Niño seem to be captured adequately. Simple dynamical analyses are performed to explain the 1997–1998 evolution of the upwelling in the model. The intensity of the upwelling appears to be determined by an interplay between alongshore, poleward advection (related to coastal trapped waves) and wind intensity, but also by the cross-shore geostrophic flow and distribution of the water masses on a scale of 1000 km or more (involving Rossby waves westward propagation and advection from equatorial currents). In particular, the delay of upwelling recovery until fall 1998 (i.e., well after the second El Niño peak) is partly due to the persistent advection of offshore stratified water toward the coast of Peru. Altimetry data suggest that these interpretations of the numerical solution also apply to the real ocean.     

南太平洋南极中层水的中尺度特征

The Argo float observations are used to investigate the mesoscale characteristics of the Antarctic Intermediate Water(AAIW) in the South Pacific in this paper. It is shown that a subsurface mesoscale phenomenon is probably touched by an Argo float during the float's ascent-descent cycles and is identified by the horizontal salinity gradient between the vertical temperature-salinity profiles. This shows that the transportation of the AAIW may be accompanied with the rich mesoscale characteristics. To derive the spatial length, time, and propagation characteristics of the mesoscale variability of the AAIW, the gridded temperature-salinity dataset ENACT/ENSEMBLE Version 3 constructed on the in-situ observations in the South Pacific since 2005 is used. The Empirical Mode Decomposition method is applied to decompose the isopycnal-averaged salinity anomaly from26.8 σθ–27.4 σθ, where the AAIW mainly resides, into the basin scale and two mesoscale modes. It is found that the first mesoscale mode with the length scale on the order of 1 000 km explains nearly 50% variability of the mesoscale characteristics of the AAIW. Its westward-propagation speeds are slower in the mid-latitude(around 1cm/s) and faster in the low latitude(around 6 cm/s), but with an increasing in the latitude band on 25°–30°S. The second mesoscale mode is of the length scale on the order of 500 km, explaining about 30% variability of the mesoscale characteristics of the AAIW. Its westward-propagation speed keeps nearly unchanged(around 0.5cm/s). These results presented the stronger turbulent motion of the subsurface ocean on the spatial scale, and also described the significant role of Argo program for the better understanding of the deep ocean.     

Weak and strong constraint data assimilation in the inverse Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS): Development and application for a baroclinic coastal upwelling system

We describe the development and preliminary application of the inverse Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), a four dimensional variational (4DVAR) data assimilation system for high-resolution basin-wide and coastal oceanic flows. Inverse ROMS makes use of the recently developed perturbation tangent linear (TL), representer tangent linear (RP) and adjoint (AD) models to implement an indirect representer-based generalized inverse modeling system. This modeling framework is modular. The TL, RP and AD models are used as stand-alone sub-models within the Inverse Ocean Modeling (IOM) system described in [Chua, B.S., Bennett, A.F., 2001. An inverse ocean modeling system. Ocean Modell. 3, 137–165.]. The system allows the assimilation of a wide range of observation types and uses an iterative algorithm to solve nonlinear assimilation problems. The assimilation is performed either under the perfect model assumption (strong constraint) or by also allowing for errors in the model dynamics (weak constraints). For the weak constraint case the TL and RP models are modified to include additional forcing terms on the right hand side of the model equations. These terms are needed to account for errors in the model dynamics.Inverse ROMS is tested in a realistic 3D baroclinic upwelling system with complex bottom topography, characterized by strong mesoscale eddy variability. We assimilate synthetic data for upper ocean (0–450 m) temperatures and currents over a period of 10 days using both a high resolution and a spatially and temporally aliased sampling array. During the assimilation period the flow field undergoes substantial changes from the initial state. This allows the inverse solution to extract the dynamically active information from the synthetic observations and improve the trajectory of the model state beyond the assimilation window. Both the strong and weak constraint assimilation experiments show forecast skill greater than persistence and climatology during the 10–20 days after the last observation is assimilated.Further investigation in the functional form of the model error covariance and in the use of the representer tangent linear model may lead to improvement in the forecast skill.     

Evaluation of a dynamically downscaled atmospheric reanalyse in the prospect of forcing long term simulations of the ocean circulation in the Gulf of Lions

The paper evaluates atmospheric reanalysis as possible forcing of model simulations of the ocean circulation inter-annual variability in the Gulf of Lions in the Western Mediterranean Sea between 1990 and 2000. The sensitivity of the coastal atmospheric patterns to the model resolution is investigated using the REMO regional climate model (18 km, 1 h), and the recent global atmospheric reanalysis ERA40 (125 km, 6 h). At scales from a few years to a few days, both atmospheric data sets exhibit a very similar weather, and agreement between REMO and ERA40 is especially good on the seasonal cycle and at the daily variability scale. At smaller scales, REMO reproduces more realistic spatio-temporal patterns in the ocean forcing: specific wind systems, particular atmospheric behaviour on the shelf, diurnal cycle, sea-breeze. Ocean twin experiments (1990–1993) clearly underline REMO skills to drive dominant oceanic processes in this microtidal area. Finer wind patterns induce a more realistic circulation and hydrology of the shelf water: unique shelf circulation, upwelling, temperature and salinity exchanges at the shelf break. The hourly sampling of REMO introduces a diurnal forcing which enhances the behaviour of the ocean mixed layer. In addition, the more numerous wind extremes modify the exchanges at the shelf break: favouring the export of dense shelf water, enhancing the mesoscale variability and the interactions of the along slope current with the bathymetry.     

Global observations of nonlinear mesoscale eddies

Sixteen years of sea-surface height (SSH) fields constructed by merging the measurements from two simultaneously operating altimeters are analyzed to investigate mesoscale variability in the global ocean. The prevalence of coherent mesoscale features (referred to here as “eddies”) with radius scales of O(100 km) is readily apparent in these high-resolution SSH fields. An automated procedure for identifying and tracking mesoscale features based on their SSH signatures yields 35,891 eddies with lifetimes ?16 weeks. These long-lived eddies, comprising approximately 1.15 million individual eddy observations, have an average lifetime of 32 weeks and an average propagation distance of 550 km. Their mean amplitude and a speed-based radius scale as defined by the automated procedure are 8 cm and 90 km, respectively.The tracked eddies are found to originate nearly everywhere in the World Ocean, consistent with previous conclusions that virtually all of the World Ocean is baroclinically unstable. Overall, there is a slight preference for cyclonic eddies. However, there is a preference for the eddies with long lifetimes and large propagation distances to be anticyclonic. In the southern hemisphere, the distributions of the amplitudes and rotational speeds of eddies are more skewed toward large values for cyclonic eddies than for anticyclonic eddies. As a result, eddies with amplitudes >10 cm and rotational speeds >20 cm s⁻¹ are preferentially cyclonic in the southern hemisphere. By contrast, there is a slight preference for anticyclonic eddies for nearly all amplitudes and rotational speeds in the northern hemisphere.On average, there is no evidence of anisotropy of these eddies. Their average shape is well represented as Gaussian within the central 2/3 of the eddy, but the implied radius of maximum rotational speed is 64% smaller than the observed radius of maximum speed. In part because of this mismatch between the radii of maximum axial speed in the observations and the Gaussian approximation, a case is made that a quadratic function that is a very close approximation of the mode profile of the eddy (i.e., the most frequently occurring value at each radius) is a better representation of the composite shape of the eddies. This would imply that the relative vorticity is nearly constant within the interiors of most eddies, i.e., the fluid motion consists approximately of solid-body rotation.Perhaps the most significant conclusion of this study is that essentially all of the observed mesoscale features outside of the tropical band 20°S-20°N are nonlinear by the metric U/c, where U is the maximum circum-average geostrophic speed within the eddy interior and c is the translation speed of the eddy. A value of U/c > 1 implies that there is trapped fluid within the eddy interior. Many of the extratropical eddies are highly nonlinear, with 48% having U/c > 5 and 21% having U/c > 10. Even in the tropics, approximately 90% of the observed mesoscale features are nonlinear by this measure.Two other nondimensional parameters also indicate strong degrees of nonlinearity in the tracked eddies. The distributions of all three measures of nonlinearity are more skewed toward large values for cyclonic eddies than for anticyclonic eddies in the southern hemisphere extratropics but the opposite is found in the northern hemisphere extratropics. There is thus a preference for highly nonlinear extratropical eddies to be cyclonic in the southern hemisphere but anticyclonic in the northern hemisphere.Further evidence in support of the interpretation of the observed features as nonlinear eddies is the fact that they propagate nearly due west with small opposing meridional deflections of cyclones and anticyclones (poleward and equatorward, respectively) and with propagation speeds that are nearly equal to the long baroclinic Rossby wave phase speed. These characteristics are consistent with theoretical expectations for large, nonlinear eddies. While there is no apparent dependence of propagation speed on eddy polarity, the eddy speeds relative to the local long Rossby wave phase speeds are found to be about 20% faster in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere. The distributions of the propagation directions of cyclones and anticyclones are essentially the same, except mirrored about a central azimuth angle of about 1.5° equatorward. This small, but we believe statistically significant, equatorward rotation of the central azimuth may be evidence of the effects of ambient currents (meridional advection or the effects of vertical shear on the potential vorticity gradient vector) on the propagation directions of the eddies.While the results presented here are persuasive evidence that most of the observed westward-propagating SSH variability consists of isolated nonlinear mesoscale eddies, it is shown that the eddy propagation speeds are about 25% slower than the westward propagation speeds of features in the SSH field that have scales larger than those of the tracked eddies. This scale dependence of the propagation speed may be evidence for the existence of dispersion and the presence of features that obey linear Rossby wave dynamics and have larger scales and faster propagation speeds than the nonlinear eddies. The amplitudes of these larger-scale signals are evidently smaller than those of the mesoscale eddy field since they are not easily isolated from the energetic nonlinear eddies.     

Mesoscale Eddies Observed by TOLEX-ADCP and TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter in the Kuroshio Recirculation Region South of Japan

Mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan have been investigated by using surface current data measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed on a regular ferry shuttling between Tokyo and Chichijima, Bonin Islands, and sea surface height anomaly derived from the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter. Many cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were observed in the region. Spatial and temporal scales of the eddies were determined by lag-correlation analyses in space and time. The eddies are circular in shape with a diameter of 500 km and a temporal scale of 80 days. Typical maximum surface velocity and sea surface height anomaly associated with the eddies are 15–20 cm s^–1 and 15 cm, respectively. The frequency of occurrence, temporal and spatial scales, and intensity are all nearly the same for the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, which are considered to be successive wave-like disturbances rather than solitary eddies. Phase speed of westward propagation of the eddies is estimated as 6.8 cm s^–1, which is faster than a theoretical estimate based on the baroclinic first-mode Rossby wave with or without a mean current. The spatial distribution of sea surface height variations suggests that these eddies may be generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region, though further studies are needed to clarify the generation processes.     

An estimation of the average lifetime of the latest model of APEX floats

Estimating the average lifetime of floats is very important for Argo, because the total cost of maintaining the monitoring network largely depends on float lifetime. However, the actual lifetime of floats used in Argo is currently unknown. An estimate can be made by examining past float survival, but this is complicated by floats still operating at sea and continuous improvements in float hardware. Because APEX (Autonomous Profiling Explorer) floats are the most widely deployed type of float in the world oceans, in this study we estimate the lifetime of the latest model of APEX powered by alkaline batteries. The expected lifetime is estimated with a statistical method that allows for floats that are still active and that failed because of a known and now fixed hardware fault that should not cause failure in the latest model of floats. As an example, we analyzed the APEX fleets managed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), because we have access to a JAMSTEC database in which the causes of float failure have been carefully correlated to known hardware problems. Analysis of the JAMSTEC fleet (n = 571, as of 7 May 2008) indicated that the expected lifetime of the latest model of APEX is 134.6 (127.6–141.5, considering standard errors) cycles, equivalent to 3.7 years of 10-day cycles. We conclude that the annual deployment of 813 (773–859) APEX floats is needed to maintain the Argo observational network of 3000 floats. Floats with different hardware configurations (e.g., lithium batteries) or different mission programs (e.g., shallower profiling, deeper profiling every several cycles) may be expected to have an even longer lifetime.     

Seasonal Variability of the California Undercurrent: Statistical Analysis Based on the Trajectories of Floats with Neutral Buoyancy

The seasonal variation of the kinetic energy of the California Undercurrent and the eddy field in the region of this current are reconstructed by analyzing the trajectories of floats with neutral buoyancy (RAFOS) launched by the researchers of the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, California, USA) for 10 yr (since 1992). These data are processed by using a mathematical approach based on the combination of a procedure of averaging over cells and a special filtration approach with an aim to improve the statistical reliability of numerical calculations. The analysis of the accumulated data shows that the kinetic energy of the California Undercurrent has a well pronounced seasonal variation with two extrema in late spring and early autumn. The intensification of the California Undercurrent in autumn is accompanied by a decrease in its extension in the direction transverse to the coast. The eddy field of the California Undercurrent is especially intense in autumn. At depths of 300–600 m, the annual average kinetic energy of the eddy field increases with the distance from the coast up to about 127°W. Moreover, in this case, the zonal anisotropy of the eddy field increases.     

Variability of the North Pacific Current and its bifurcation

The North Pacific Current (NPC) bifurcates approaching the west coast of North America into a subpolar branch that forms the Alaska Current, and a subtropical branch that includes the California Current. The variability of this current system is discussed using numerical results from a wind-driven, reduced-gravity model. Indices of the strength of the subpolar and subtropical components of the NPC are examined based on output from multi-decadal simulations with the numerical model. This shows periods of both correlated and anti-correlated variability of the subpolar and subtropical gyres. A decomposition of the gyre transport time series indicates that the dominant mode of variability is a “breathing” mode in which the subpolar and subtropical gyres co-vary in response to fluctuations in the strength of the NPC. This finding is consistent with an analysis of dynamic height data of limited duration from the array of Argo drifting floats.The variability of the NPC is also examined using sea surface height (SSH) data from satellite altimetry over the period 1993-2005. The leading mode of SSH over the northeast Pacific dominates the variability of the NPC and is shown to be associated with in-phase variations in the transport of the subtropical and subpolar gyres. A strong correlation is found between time-dependent fluctuations in SSH across the NPC and variations in the strength of the transport of the NPC in the model. This agreement provides evidence for variability of the NPC occuring in direct response to large-scale atmospheric forcing.