Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation in Shallow Water Lattice Boltzmann Model

A lattice Boltzmann (LB) model with overall second-order accuracy is applied to the 1.5-layer shallow water equation for a wind-driven double-gyre ocean circulation. By introducing the second-order integral approximation for the collision operator, the model becomes fully explicit. In this case, any iterative technique is not needed. The Coriolis force and other external forces are included in the model with second-order accuracy, which is consistent with the discretized accuracy of the LB equation. The numerical results show correct physics of the ocean circulation driven by the double-gyre wind stress with different Reynolds numbers and different spatial resolutions. An intrinsic low-frequency variability of the shallow water model is also found. The wind-driven ocean circulation exhibits subannual and interannual oscillations, which are comparable to those of models in which the conventional numerical methods are used.     

Influence of bottom topography roughness on the jet and inertial recirculation of a mid-latitude gyre

Several numerical experiments are conducted to examine the influence of mesoscale, bottom topography roughness on the inertial circulation of a wind-driven, mid-latitude ocean gyre. The ocean model is based on the quasi-geostrophic formulation, and is eddy-resolving as it features high vertical and horizontal resolutions (six layers and a 10 km grid). An antisymmetrical double-gyre wind stress curl forces the baroclinic modes and generates a strong surface jet. In the case of a flat bottom, inertia and inverse energy cascade force the barotropic mode, and the resulting circulation features strong, barotropic, inertial gyres. The sea-floor roughness inhibits the inertial circulation in the deep layers; the barotropic component of the flow is then forced by eddy-topography interactions, and its energy concentrates at the scales of the topography. As a result, the baroclinicity of the flow is intesified: the barotropic mode is reduced with regard to the baroclinic modes, and the bottom flow (constrained by the mesoscale sea-floor roughness) is decoupled from the surface flow (forced by the gyre-scale wind). Rectified, mesoscale bottom circulation induces an interfacial form stress at the thermocline, which enhances horizontal shear instability and opposes the eastward penetration of the jet. The mean jet is consequently shortened, but the instantaneous jet remains very turbulent, with meanders of large meridional extent. The sea-floor roughness modifies the energy pathways, and the eddies have an even more important role in the establishment of the mean circulation: below the thermocline, rectification processes are dominant, and eddies transfer energy toward permanent mesoscale circulations strongly correlated with topography, whereas above the thermocline mean flow and eddy generation are influenced by the mean bottom circulation through interfacial stress. The topography modifies the vorticity of the barotropic and highest baroclinic modes. Vorticity accumulates at the small topographic scales, and the vorticity content of the highest modes, which is very weak in the flat-bottom case, increases significantly. Few changes occur in surface-intensified modes. In the deep layers of the model, the inverse correlation between relative vorticity and topography at small scales ensures the homogenization of the potential vorticity, which mainly retains the largest scales of the bottom flow and the scale of β.     

Simulated decadal oscillations of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in a cold climate state

The significance of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) for regional and hemispheric climate change requires a complete understanding using fully coupled climate models. Here we present a persistent, decadal oscillation in a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model. While the present study is limited by the lack of comparisons with paleo-proxy records, the purpose is to reveal a new theoretically interesting solution found in the fully-coupled climate model. The model exhibits two multi-century-long stable states with one dominated by decadal MOC oscillations. The oscillations involve an interaction between anomalous advective transport of salt and surface density in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. Their time scale is fundamentally determined by the advection. In addition, there is a link between the MOC oscillations and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like sea level pressure anomalies. The analysis suggests an interaction between the NAO and an anomalous subpolar gyre circulation in which sea ice near and south of the Labrador Sea plays an important role in generating a large local thermal anomaly and a meridional temperature gradient. The latter induces a positive feedback via synoptic eddy activity in the atmosphere. In addition, the oscillation only appears when the Nordic Sea is completely covered by sea ice in winter, and deep convection is active only near the Irminger Sea. Such conditions are provided by a substantially colder North Atlantic climate than today.     

Dynamics of decadal variability in the Atlantic subpolar gyre: a stochastically forced oscillator

Internal variability of the Atlantic subpolar gyre is investigated in a 600 years control simulation of a comprehensive coupled climate model. The subpolar gyre shows irregular oscillations of decadal time scale with most spectral power between 15 and 20 years. Positive and negative feedback mechanisms act successively on the circulation leading to an internal oscillation. This involves periodically enhanced deep convection in the subpolar gyre center and intermittently enhanced air-sea thermal coupling. As a result, anomalies of the large-scale atmospheric circulation can be transferred to the ocean on the ocean’s intrinsic time scale, exciting the oscillator stochastically. A detailed understanding of oscillatory mechanisms of the ocean and their sensitivity to atmospheric forcing holds considerable potential for decadal predictions as well as for the interpretation of proxy data records.     

欧亚500 hPa月平均大气环流的年际振荡特征

文章用主分量、功率谱、带通滤波及复主分量分析方法，对欧亚地区1951～1992年的500hPa月平均高度场进行分析，研究了欧亚大气环流年际振荡的时空分布特征。结果表明:欧亚500hPa月平均大气环流主要存在准2.5年、准3.5年振荡周期。副热带地区大气环流以准3.5年振荡为主要周期；中高纬地区以准2.5年振荡为主要周期。复主分量分析还表明了这两种振荡的传播方向和随时间变化各不相同。欧亚500hPa月平均大气环流的准3.5年振荡特征与赤道东太平洋海温的变化及厄尔尼诺现象有密切的关系。     

Medium-range oscillations of synoptic systems in summer

Using summer data of seven years (1973 to 1979), the authors investigated the medium-range oscillations of the parameters which represent the circulation and synoptic scale systems of tropical atmosphere in the area between 30oE and 130oW and the parameters in the area of the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, with more attention paid to the interannual steadiness of parameters with periodic oscillation. Though the parameters investigated are as many as 148, only a few have been found to have medium-range oscillations of which the interannual variability is relatively small. These oscillation systems are characterized by regional distribution. Relations among those parameters with annually steady oscillations have also been investigated.     

Interannual and interdecadal variability in United States surface-air temperatures, 1910-87

Monthly mean surface-air temperatures at 870 sites in the contiguous United States were analyzed for interannual and interdecadal variability over the time interval 1910-87. The temperatures were analyzed spatially by empirical-orthogonal-function analysis and temporally by singularspectrum analysis (SSA). The dominant modes of spatio-temporal variability are trends and nonperiodic variations with time scales longer than 15 years, decadal-scale oscillations with periods of roughly 7 and 10 years, and interannual oscillations of 2.2 and 3.3 years. Together, these modes contribute about 18% of the slower-than-annual United States temperature variance. Two leading components roughly capture the mean hemispheric temperature trend and represent a long-term warming, largest in the southwest, accompanied by cooling of the domain's southeastern quadrant. The extremes of the 2.2-year interannual oscillation characterize temperature differences between the Northeastern and Southwestern States, whereas the 3.3-year cycle is present mostly in the Western States. The 7- to 10-year oscillations are much less regular and persistent than the interannual oscillations and characterize temperature differences between the western and interior sectors of the United States. These continental- or regional-scale temperature variations may be related to climatic variations with similar periodicities, either global or centered in other regions; such variations include quasi-biennial oscillations over the tropical Pacific or North Atlantic and quasi-triennial oscillations of North Pacific sea-surface temperatures.The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Poleward heat flux by an ocean gyre

A calculation to determine the poleward heat flux by an oceanic subtropical gyre is described. The circulation is given by Stommel's (1948) barotropic wind-driven model, and the temperature field is treated as a passive tracer. Air-sea heat exchange is parameterized as linearly proportional to the difference between air and sea temperatures. The problem so formulated reduces to the solution of the advection-diffusion (heat) equation for the temperature. The results show how ocean circulation, with a narrow western boundary layer, transports significantly more heat than does a symmetric circulation. A more intense circulation transports more heat but the increase levels off beyond a certain point. A wide ocean basin transports more of its heat by conduction than does a narrow basin. Approximate analytical solutions for both weak and strong circulations yield results that agree semiquantitatively with the numerical results.     

印度洋海温年际异常与热带夏季季节内振荡的关系及其数值模拟研究

利用观测分析资料和SINTEX-F海气耦合长时间(70年)数值模拟结果,分析了印度洋海温年际异常与热带夏季季节内振荡(BSISO)各种传播模态之间关系及其物理过程。结果表明,印度洋海温年际异常与热带BSISO关系密切,当印度洋为正(负)偶极子情况,中东印度洋北传BSISO减弱(加强);当印度洋为正(负)海盆异常(BWA)情况,印度洋西太平洋赤道地区(40°E -180°)东传BSISO加强(减弱)。印度洋海温年际变化通过大气环流背景场和BSISO结构影响热带BSISO不同传播模态强度的年际变化。在负(正)偶极子年夏季,由于对流层大气垂直东风切变加强(减弱),对流扰动北侧的正压涡度、边界层水汽辐合加强更明显(不明显),导致形成BSISO较强(弱)的经向不对称结构,因此北传BSISO偏强(减弱)。印度洋BWA模态通过影响赤道西风背景以及海气界面热力交换,导致赤道东传BSISO强度产生变化。在正BWA年夏季,赤道地区西风较明显,当季节内振荡叠加在这种西风背景下,扰动中心的东侧(西侧)风速减弱(加强)更明显,海面蒸发及蒸发潜热减弱(加强)更明显,导致扰动中心的东侧(西侧)海温升高(降低)幅度更大,从而使边界层产生辐合(辐散)更强、水汽更多(少),因此赤道东传BSISO偏强;而在负BWA年,赤道地区西风背景减弱,以上物理过程受削弱使赤道东传BSISO偏弱。     

正压大气波动的4波共振和准共振

从准地转正压涡度方程，提出新的双时间尺度，首次导得了正压大气波动的４波准共振耦合方程，即广义Ｌａｎｄａｕ方程，利用新的守恒量，求得其甚低频周期解，其周期为一年左右，这可认为是实际大气中年际振荡的一种新的物理机制。并可求出４波准共振波矢。     

热带东风急流的气候学和中期振荡

本文用13年夏半年(5—10月)月平均风场和两年逐日风场资料研究了200hPa南亚热带东风急流的气候学特征和中期振荡过程。研究表明,南亚夏季热带东风急流显著的非季节性变动和年际差异与低纬对流层高层大尺度环流变化和南亚夏季风活动密切相关,相对于多年平均而言,存在5类异常的东风急流。 各种分析表明,热带东风带存在三种主要的中期振荡。准50天周期振荡与夏季南亚对流层上部大尺度散度场的变化相关联,表现为十分显著的向南的位相传播。准50天和25天振荡均存在显著的年际变化。准50天周期振荡系统性不强的年份,准25天周期振荡是低纬行星波的主要振荡,在东风急流区除表现为系统性向西传播外也表现为向南的位相传播。准双周振荡在东风带一般向西传播。      

Simulation of Indian summer monsoon intraseasonal oscillations in a superparameterized coupled climate model: need to improve the embedded cloud resolving model

The characteristic features of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISO) are analyzed in the 25 year simulation by the superparameterized Community Climate System Model (SP-CCSM). The observations indicate the low frequency oscillation with a period of 30–60 day to have the highest power with a dominant northward propagation, while the faster mode of MISO with a period of 10–20 day shows a stationary pattern with no northward propagation. SP-CCSM simulates two dominant quasi-periodic oscillations with periods 15–30 day and 40–70 day indicating a systematic low frequency bias in simulating the observed modes. Further, contrary to the observation, the SP-CCSM 15–30 day mode has a significant northward propagation; while the 40–70 day mode does not show prominent northward propagation. The inability of the SP-CCSM to reproduce the observed modes correctly is shown to be linked with inability of the cloud resolving model (CRM) to reproduce the characteristic heating associated with the barotropic and baroclinic vertical structures of the high-frequency and the low-frequency modes. It appears that the superparameterization in the General Circulation Model (GCM) certainly improves seasonal mean model bias significantly. There is a need to improve the CRM through which the barotropic and baroclinic modes are simulated with proper space and time distribution.     

On the mechanisms in a tropical ocean–global atmosphere coupled general circulation model. Part II: interannual variability and its relation to the seasonal cycle

 The thirty year simulation of the coupled global atmosphere-tropical Pacific Ocean general circulation model of the Laboratoire de Métérologie Dynamique and the Laboratoire d’Océanographie Dynamique et de Climatologie presented in Part I is further investigated in order to understand the mechanisms of interannual variability. The model does simulate interannual events with ENSO characteristics; the dominant periodicity is quasi-biennial, though strong events are separated by four year intervals. The mechanism that is responsible for seasonal oscillations, identified in Part I, is also active in interannual variability with the difference that now the Western Pacific is dynamically involved. A warm interannual phase is associated with an equatorward shift of the ITCZ in the Western and Central Pacific. The coupling between the ITCZ and the ocean circulation is then responsible for the cooling of the equatorial subsurface by the draining mechanism. Cold subsurface temperature anomalies then propagate eastward along the mean equatorial thermocline. Upon reaching the Eastern Pacific where the mean thermocline is shallow, cold subsurface anomalies affect surface temperatures and reverse the phase of the oscillation. The preferred season for efficient eastward propagation of thermocline depth temperature anomalies is boreal autumn, when draining of equatorial waters towards higher latitudes is weaker than in spring by a factor of six. In that way, the annual cycle acts as a dam that synchronizes lower frequency oscillations. Received: 7 April 1997 / Accepted: 15 July 1998     

南海周边越赤道气流的多时间尺度变化特征及其与环流和降水的联系

利用NCAR/NCEP-1再分析资料、NOAA的OLR资料以及GPCP降水资料等,通过功率谱分析、超前滞后回归等方法,对夏季南海周边105 °E、125 °E以及150 °E三支越赤道气流进行了多尺度特征分析,重点探讨三支越赤道气流季节内振荡与热带大气环流异常及南海周边降水的联系。结果表明,在季节内时间尺度上,105 °E与125 °E越赤道气流均具有10~20 d以及30~60 d低频振荡显著周期,而150 °E越赤道气流则以10~20 d周期为主。在年际尺度上,105 °E、125 °E、150 °E越赤道气流分别具有2~4年、2~3年、2~6年振荡周期。无论是季内还是年际变化,皆以105 °E与125 °E这两支越赤道气流之间关系较密切。南亚-南海-西太平洋地区对流层低层10~20 d振荡的气旋(对流加强)和反气旋(对流减弱)的环流活动变化,决定着105 °E及125 °E越赤道气流的10~20 d振荡的演变。这两支越赤道气流之30~60 d振荡所伴随的异常变化与热带夏季季节内振荡(BSISO)的演变过程非常相似,而150 °E越赤道气流之30~60 d振荡所伴随的异常低频环流则与南半球热带辐合带关系密切。105 °E及125 °E越赤道气流的季节内振荡及年际异常均与南海周边降水异常密切相关。      

Multiple flow equilibria in the tropical circulation and monsoon

The aim of this paper is to examine whether an axisymmetric tropical model with thermal driving and orographic forcing can produce multiple equilibria in relation to the monsoon circulation over South Asia. The model is an equivalent barotropic balanced equatorial β-plane model. It shows that there may exist mul-tiple flow equilibria for a given driving, of which two may be stable: one corresponds to the summer monsoon, and the other to the winter monsoon circulation. The transition between them is also discussed.     

Modes of variability of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation estimated by AGCMs

The seasonal mean variability of the atmospheric circulation is affected by processes with time scales from less than seasonal to interannual or longer. Using monthly mean data from an ensemble of Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) realisations, the interannual variability of the seasonal mean is separated into intraseasonal, and slowly varying components. For the first time, using a recently developed method, the slowly varying component in multiple AGCM ensembles is further separated into internal and externally forced components. This is done for Southern Hemisphere 500?hPa geopotential height from five AGCMs in the CLIVAR International Climate of the Twentieth Century project for the summer and winter seasons. In both seasons, the intraseasonal and slow modes of variability are qualitatively well reproduced by the models when compared with reanalysis data, with a relative metric finding little overall difference between the models. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is by far the dominant mode of slowly varying internal atmospheric variability. Two slow-external modes of variability are related to El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, and a third is the atmospheric response to trends in external forcing. An ENSO-SAM relationship is found in the model slow modes of variability, similar to that found by earlier studies using reanalysis data. There is a greater spread in the representation of model slow-external modes in winter than summer, particularly in the atmospheric response to external forcing trends. This may be attributable to weaker external forcing constraints on SH atmospheric circulation in winter.     

Interannual Variations in Synoptic-Scale Disturbances over the Western North Pacific

The present study investigates the interannual variation of June–November synoptic disturbance activity over the western North Pacific(WNP) and its relationship with large-scale circulation for the period 1958–2014. Two leading modes of eddy kinetic energy for the disturbance variability over the WNP are obtained by EOF analysis, characterized by anomalous eddy kinetic energy over the subtropical WNP and around the Philippines, respectively. These modes explain a large portion of the interannual variance of synoptic disturbance activity over the WNP. Both are associated with lower-level cyclonic anomalies, but with different locations: over the subtropical WNP for the first mode and over the South China Sea for the second mode. Considering the impact of ENSO on synoptic disturbance activity over the WNP, we repeat the analyses after removing the effect of ENSO, which is simply defined as the components linearly regressed onto the Ni o3.4 index, and find similar results, suggesting that the leading modes and their relationships with large-scale circulation exist without SST effects.Further analyses suggest that the meridional shear of zonal winds caused by cyclonic anomalies is crucial for maintaining the leading modes through barotropic conversion.     

A numerical model for interdecadal variability of sea ice cover in the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian Sea

 A coupled ocean-sea ice-atmosphere model is used to study interdecadal variability (∼40 years) of sea ice depth and concentration in the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian Sea. This oceanic region is represented by a meridionally aligned channel on a β-plane with open zonal boundaries at 60 °N and 80 °N. The model consists of a one and a half layer reduced gravity ocean model, a thermodynamic/dynamic sea ice model and an energy balance model of the atmosphere. The coupled model is driven by prescribed surface wind stress, fluxes of heat, salt and ice at inflow points on the northern and southern open zonal boundaries and annual distribution of solar radiation. It is shown that the coupled model supports unforced modes of interdecadal oscillation resulting from a form of hydraulic control which regulates the total fluid volume in the oceanic active layer. The mechanism for the oscillations relies on the presence of three key features: (1) a region of intense oceanic entrainment located in the eastern part of the domain, (2) a vigorous southward flowing western boundary current, representing the East Greenland Current (EGC), which supports most of the meridional transport across the domain, and (3) a marked buoyancy contrast between the relatively salty domain interior and the much fresher western boundary region. During an oscillation excess water is pumped into the domain via entrainment, thereby creating an active layer depth anomaly, which then propagates westward via long baroclinic Rossby waves until it reaches the EGC where it is subsequently drained out of the domain across the southern open zonal boundary. As the depth anomaly traverses the basin, an anomalous geostrophic circulation is established in which cold fresh Arctic water enters the domain interior, and this eventually promotes enhanced thermodynamic sea ice growth. Consequently, the interdecadal oscillations of the coupled model are characterised by pulse periods, typically spanning 20 years, during which there is an abnormally large winter sea ice cover, separated by interpulse periods, lasting another 20 years, during which the winter sea ice extent is nearly uniform and significantly smaller than in a pulse maximum. The duration of the interpulse periods is dictated by the time it takes for the Rossby waves to traverse the basin. In addition to the interdecadal oscillation solution, the coupled ocean-sea ice-atmosphere model is found to also have a stable cyclostationary state, with no interannual variability. Stochastic forcing, in the form of randomly specified interannual anomalies of salinity (of maximum amplitude 0.1 ppt) or ice inflow (of maximum amplitude 0.1 Sv) at the northern open zonal boundary, in both cases is capable of driving the model from the cyclostationary state solution to the interdecadal variability one. Received: 16 August 1996 / Accepted: 27 July 1998     

High-resolution modeling study of the Kuroshio path variations south of Japan

A high-resolution ocean general circulation model （OGCM） is used to investigate the Kuroshio path variations south of Japan. The model reproduces many important features of the Kuroshio system including its interannual bimodal variability south of Japan. A decreasing trend of the spatial averaged relative vorticity is detected when the Kuroshio takes the non-large meander （NLM） path, and during the transition period from the NLM to the large meander （LM）, a sudden release of velocity shear corresponds well to the weakening of the Shikoku recirculation gyre （SRG）, which plays a key role in modulating the Kuroshio path variations. Analysis of eddy energetics indicates that baroclinic instability is mainly responsible for the formation of the LM. In addition, further analysis shows that the strength of the SRG could be largely influenced by the baroclinic Rossby wave adjustment process, forced by the wind stress curl anomalies in the North Pacific basin, based on the model investigation. It is suggested that the cyclonic disturbances might account for the weakening of the SRG, and act as a remote trigger for the baroclinic instability of the Kuroshio south of Japan.