Seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature in the southwest Atlantic according to the data of satellite and contact measurements

We study the seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature (SST) in the Southwest Atlantic on the basis of the analysis of three data arrays, namely, the Levitus-Boyer-1994 hydrological array, the WOD-98 actual database, and the data of satellite measurements of SST. We perform the comparative analysis of the amplitude-phase characteristics of the annual course of the SST field and discuss the distinctive features of its seasonal and interannual variations. It is shown that the results obtained by using different data arrays are in good agreement. The values of the coefficient of linear correlation are equal to 0.7–0.9. It is discovered that the maximum seasonal variations of SST are observed in the zone of confluence of the Falkland and Brasil Currents in the vicinities of the South Subtropical and Antarctic Polar fronts. The minimum seasonal variations are recorded in the Antarctic region and in the Weddell Sea. The satellite data demonstrate that the level of interannual variability is high in the zones of climatic fronts. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 62–76, September–October, 2006.     

Horizontal structure of the temperature field of the upper layer in the northwest part of the Tropical Atlantic

By using the data of observations over the spatial variability of the temperature field in the northwest part of the Tropical Atlantic carried out in a test range 400 × 400 miles in size with a horizontal resolution Δx ≈ 2 km and a vertical resolution Δ_z ≈ 0.5 m, we recorded quasiperiodic fluctuations of temperature with semidiurnal period in the subsurface layer. The internal baroclinic waves with the same period generated, most likely, on the northeast shelf of South America and propagating to the northeast are detected in the seasonal thermocline. The vertical fine structure of the temperature field has different intensities in the test range. The maximum levels of dispersions of temperature fluctuations are recorded on the boundary of the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the North Equatorial Current. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 44–52, November–December, 2006.     

Seasonal variability of geostrophic currents in the Atlantic Ocean according to the altimetry data

The monthly average values of the anomalies of the ocean level (according to the satellite data for 1992–2002) and the annual average dynamic heights (hydrological data) are used to compute the seasonal cycle of geostrophic currents on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. It is shown that the west and east currents are intensified with a phase difference of several months. At the same time, their latitudinal displacements are quasisynchronous. A delay of the seasonal signal in the east-west direction of about 2–3 months (on the average) is typical of currents in the tropical zone of the Northern Hemisphere. On the contrary, in the South Atlantic, the seasonal signal propagates in the west-east direction and its phase delay can be as large as almost six months. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, pp. 60–71, May–June, 2006.     

Specific features of the field of surface temperature in the Tropical Atlantic

On the basis of generalization of the data of many-year hydrological observations and the data of meteorological satellites accumulated in recent years, we characterize some specific features of the surface temperature in the Tropical Atlantic. The influence of solar radiation, local heat balance, and the advective and diffusion heat transfer on the temperature of the water surface is analyzed. The mechanism of formation of the thermohalocline and local sites of elevated temperature near the estuaries of large rivers (such as the Amazon, Orinoco, Mississippi, Congo, and Niger) is described. We also characterize the formation of the seasonal variability of the near-equatorial temperature maximum, equatorial temperature minimum, and equatorial divergence rate. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 28–38, November–December, 2007.     

Space-and-time variability of the meridional heat transport in the north atlantic

We analyze the space-and-time variability of the meridional heat transport in the North Atlantic. The contribution of various mechanisms to the integral meridional heat transport (MHT) is estimated. The key role played by the drift transport of the Tropical Atlantic in the formation of the meridional oceanic heat transport is confirmed. On the basis of the general analysis of estimations obtained by various authors according to the data accumulated for 1870–2008 and the results of numerical analyses based on the data of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, we show that the long-term average meridional drift heat (mass) transport attains its maximum values equal to (1.6 ± 0.1) PW [(17.4 ± 1.5) Sv] in the vicinity of 12.5°N in the Tropical Atlantic. The contribution of the heat transport caused by the horizontal Sverdrup circulation to the integral meridional heat transport is maximum in the vicinity of 30° N. On the average, it is equal to ∼ 40%. In the Subtropical Atlantic, the meridional heat transport varies with a period of ∼ 50–70 yr. The minimum value of the integral meridional heat transport was attained in the mid-1960s and its maximum value was at attained at the beginning of the 1990s. The location of the center of Azores pressure maximum makes it possible to conclude that the intensification of the total meridional heat transport in the Subtropical Atlantic on these time scales is accompanied by the displacement of the center of the North Subtropical anticyclonic gyre in the southwest direction.     

Variability of sea surface temperature and warm pool area in the South China Sea and its relationship to the western Pacific warm pool

Sea surface temperature (SST) data derived from satellite and in situ measurements are used to study the thermal variability in the South China Sea (SCS). Time–frequency–energy distributions, periods of variability, and trends are computed by the Hilbert–Huang transform method. The SST trend from 1982 to 2005 is 0.276°C per decade in the SCS which is higher than 0.144°C per decade in the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). The warm pool (SST ≥ 28°C) area in the SCS has increased by 0.20 × 10⁶ km² per decade. The SST and area of the warm pool in the SCS are strongly correlated, respectively, with the SST and area of the WPWP with a time lag of 1 month, suggestive of a strong connection between these two warm pools. Once the annual cycle is eliminated, decadal oscillations dominate the variability of SST and warm pool area in the SCS.     

Reconstruction of the seasonal climate of the Black Sea on the basis of available hydrological data

We analyze the seasonal variability of the climatic hydrophysical fields of the Black Sea reporduced in three numerical experiments carried out according to the model of circulation. The numerical predictions are performed for a period of 12.5 yr on the basis of the hydrological data accumulated in 1983–1995. The monthly average climatic fields of the current speed are reconstructed according to the data on the climatic fields of temperature and salinity by the method of hydrodynamic adaptation (standard). It is shown that, in prognostic calculations, the seasonal variability of temperature and salinity is qualitatively close to the “standard” dependence. At the same time, the quantitative difference between the climatic behavior of the model and the standard dependence may be significant. The annual cycle of the currents is characterized by the intensification of the Main Black-Sea Current in winter. The structure of the hydrophysical fields of the sea in the model becomes much more realistic if it is based on the actual hydrological data. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Seasonal variability of the surface chlorophyll “a” in the Drake Passage

The seasonal variability of the surface chlorophyll “a” (Chl-s) was studied for five different hydrological areas in the Drake Passage. The data were collected both in the field (December 2001–March 2002, and November 2007) and by satellite observations. One maximum of Chl-s was registered for the area northward of the Antarctic Polar Front in November 2007. This maximum moves southwards to the Antarctic and Continental Antarctic regions in December and January, respectively. The major factors affecting the phytoplankton growth were analyzed, namely, the decrease of the mixed water layer’s depth due to jogging during the austral late spring and summer and seasonal water temperature increase. The comparison of the field and satellite data allows us to conclude that the standard OC4v4 algorithm usually underreports the Chl-s concentration when it exceed 0.2 mg m⁻³.     

Wave mechanism of the seasonal variability of the largescale current field in the northern Tropical Atlantic

A spatial-temporal analysis of the density field in the large-scale hydrological observation areas in the Tropical Atlantic is carried out. The spectral maximum corresponding to the first baroclinic mode of the planetary Rossby wave is discriminated and studied. It is shown that the seasonal transformation of the large-scale circulation of the current field is connected with the propagation of this wave. A simple quasi-geostrophic model is suggested which describes the seasonal variability of the North Equatorial Countercurrent. The results obtained by this model are compared with the hydrological survey data.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Seasonal variation in the three-dimensional structures of coastal thermal front off western Guangdong

The seasonal structure and dynamic mechanism of oceanic surface thermal fronts(STFs) along the western Guangdong coast over the northern South China Sea shelf were analyzed using in situ observational data, remote sensing data, and numerical simulations. Both in situ and satellite observations show that the coastal thermal front exhibits substantial seasonal variability, being strongest in winter when it has the greatest extent and strongest sea surface temperature gradient. The winter coastal thermal front begins to appear in November and disappears after the following April. Although runoff water is more plentiful in summer, the front is weak in the western part of Guangdong. The frontal intensity has a significant positive correlation with the coastal wind speed,while the change of temperature gradient after September lags somewhat relative to the alongshore wind. The numerical simulation results accurately reflect the seasonal variation and annual cycle characteristics of the frontal structure in the simulated area. Based on vertical cross-section data, the different frontal lifecycles of the two sides of the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary are analyzed.     

Comparison of surface wind stress characteristics over the Tropical Atlantic (10°N–40°S) in fields derived from the UWM/COADS, NCEP/NCAR and QuikSCAT datasets

A comparison of monthly wind stress derived from winds of NCEP/NCAR (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research) reanalysis and UWM/COADS (The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set) dataset (1950–1993), and of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and satellite-based QuikSCAT dataset (2000–2006), is made over the South Atlantic (10°N–40°S). On a mean seasonal scale, the comparison shows that these three wind stress datasets have qualitatively similar patterns. Quantitatively, in general, from about the equator to 20°S in the mid-Atlantic the wind stress values are stronger in NCEP/NCAR data than those in UWM/COADS data. On the other hand, in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) area the wind stress values in NCEP/NCAR data are slightly weaker than those in UWM/COADS data. In the South Atlantic, between 20° S–40°S, the QuikSCAT dataset presents complex circulation structures which are not present in NCEP/NCAR and UWM/COADS data. The wind stress is used in a numerical ocean model to simulate ocean currents, which are compared to a drifting-buoy observed climatology. The modeled South Equatorial Current agrees better with observations between March–May and June–August. Between December–February, the South Equatorial Current from UWM/COADS and QuikSCAT experiments is stronger and more developed than that from NCEP/NCAR experiment. The Brazil Current, in turn, is better represented in the QuikSCAT experiment. Comparison of the annual migration of ITCZ at 20° and 30°W in UWM/COADS and NCEP/NCAR data sources show that the southernmost position of ITCZ at 30°W in February, March and April coincides with the rainy season in NE Brazil, while the northernmost position of ITCZ at 20°W in August coincides with the maximum rainfall of Northwest Africa.     

Reanalysis of seasonal and interannual variability of Black Sea fields for 1993–2012

A retrospective analysis has been done for the hydrophysical fields of the Black Sea for 1993–2012 with the assimilation of undisturbed monthly average profiles of temperature and salinity that were obtained by using an original procedure of joint processing of satellite altimetry and rare hydrological observations. The accuracy of the reconstructed fields of temperature and salinity of the Black Sea is evaluated by comparison with the data of sounding from the hydrological stations and the Argo floats. A comparative analysis is performed for the integral characteristics of the fields of temperature, salinity, and kinetic energy with the same characteristics of the reanalysis for 1992–2012 that assimilated the average annual profiles of temperature and salinity, surface temperature and altimetry level of the sea after being adjusted with respect to climate seasonal variability. The proposed procedure of the reanalysis execution allows a more precise reconstruction of the interannual variability of temperature and salinity stratification in the main pycnocline. The correlation between the annual and seasonal variability of the eddy of the wind friction tangential stress and the average kinetic energy at the levels is revealed.     

Meridional heat transport in the North Atlantic and the trends of its variations in the second half of the 20th century

The meridional heat transport in the ocean is computed according to the data of zonal sections of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment made in the North Atlantic in 1992–1998. We perform the generalized analysis of the estimates of meridional heat transport obtained by different authors by direct methods on the basis of the data of sections made between 7.5 and 48°N in the second half of the last century. The meridional heat transport averaged over the entire period of observations attains its maximum (1.38 ± 0.19 PW) in the Subtropical Atlantic. The meridional heat transport is characterized by fairly intense seasonal variability. Its maximum (about 1.9 PW) is observed in the Subtropical Atlantic at the end of summer and its minimum (about 0.8 PW) is attained at the end of winter. A significant trend toward the intensification of meridional heat transport is revealed near 36°N in 1959–1993 (from 0.75 to 1.1 PW). This is an indication of the intensification of meridional oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic. Dedicated to the 75th birthday of N. A. Timofeev, Honored Scientist of the Ukraine, Doctor of Geographical Sciences __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, pp. 45–58, January–February, 2007.     

Seasonal and interannual variations of the upper ocean energetics between Tasmania and Antarctica

Nine years of Topex/Poseidon and ERS satellite altimetry and XBT data from the SURVOSTRAL program were used to analyze the seasonal and interannual variations of the eddy energetics in terms of its spatial distribution and relation with the upper ocean heat content. Eddy kinetic energy is calculated in two frequency bands one associated with transient and the other with low-frequency variability. The two eddy components have distinct geographical distribution. At the SURVOSTRAL line, the transient eddy energy is twice the low-frequency energy, with maximum transient energy occurring during the austral summer period and maximum low-frequency energy in winter. The site is one of growing eddy energy. Eddy momentum flux is northward over the SURVOSTRAL line, and the summertime eddy heat flux is poleward across the Subantarctic and Subtropical Fronts, and equatorward either side of the fronts. Eddy fluxes are strongly influenced by their position relative to the bathymetry and the mean current.     

Ocean variability North of New Guinea derived from TRITON buoy data

We investigated variability in the ocean surface-subsurface layer north of New Guinea using Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network (TRITON) buoys at 2°N, 138°E and 0°N, 138°E during the period from October 1999 to July 2004. Both North and South Pacific waters were observed below the subsurface at these stations. The variability in the subsurface waters was particularly high at 2°N, 138°E. Clear interannual variability occurred near the surface; the water type differed before and after onset of the 2002–03 El Niño. Before summer 2001, water that appeared to be advected from the central equatorial Pacific occupied the near surface layer. After autumn 2001, waters advected by the New Guinea Coastal Current were observed near the surface. Intraseasonal and seasonal variations were also observed below the subsurface. With regard to seasonal variability, the salinity of the subsurface saline water, the South Pacific Tropical Water, was generally high during the boreal summer-autumn, when the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent was strong. Intraseasonal fluctuations on a scale of 20 to 60 days were also seen and may have been associated with intrinsic oceanic variability, such as ocean eddies, near the stations. Ocean variability in the thermocline layer between 100 and 200 m greatly affects the surface dynamic height variability; water variability before 2001 and variability in the pycnocline depth after 2002 are important factors affecting the thermocline.     

The mean flow field of the tropical Atlantic Ocean

The mean horizontal flow field of the tropical Atlantic Ocean is described between 20°N and 20°S from observations and literature results for three layers of the upper ocean, Tropical Surface Water, Central Water, and Antarctic Intermediate Water. Compared to the subtropical gyres the tropical circulation shows several zonal current and countercurrent bands of smaller meridional and vertical extent. The wind-driven Ekman layer in the upper tens of meters of the ocean masks at some places the flow structure of the Tropical Surface Water layer as is the case for the Angola Gyre in the eastern tropical South Atlantic. Although there are regions with a strong seasonal cycle of the Tropical Surface Water circulation, such as the North Equatorial Countercurrent, large regions of the tropics do not show a significant seasonal cycle. In the Central Water layer below, the eastward North and South Equatorial undercurrents appear imbedded in the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current. The Antarcic Intermediate Water layer contains several zonal current bands south of 3°N, but only weak flow exists north of 3°N. The sparse available data suggest that the Equatorial Intermediate Current as well as the Southern and Northern Intermediate Countercurrents extend zonally across the entire equatorial basin. Due to the convergence of northern and southern water masses, the western tropical Atlantic north of the equator is an important site for the mixture of water masses, but more work is needed to better understand the role of the various zonal under- and countercurrents in cross-equatorial water mass transfer.     

Estimation of the long-term variability of hydrophysical characteristics of the Black Sea based on the assimilation of the climatic hydrological fields L and altimetry data

To study the long-term variability of the thermohaline and dynamic characteristics of the Black Sea, we use three versions of climatic fields, namely, the fields reconstructed in the model according to the old (1903–1982) and new (1903–2003) hydrological climatic data arrays of temperature and salinity and according to the data of satellite altimetry. The analysis of the altimetry-based climatic fields confirms the distinctions (established earlier according to the old and new data arrays) in the seasonal variability of the integral characteristics of temperature and salinity and in the structures of hydrophysical fields in the sea. It is shown that, in the winter-spring season, the thermohaline fields reconstructed according to the new and altimetry data arrays are characterized by a small elevation of the halocline (pycnocline) and the upper boundary of the cold intermediate layer. In all seasons, the altimetry-based surface geostrophic currents contain numerous mesoscale eddies with different signs of rotation. Moreover, in all seasons, the Rim Current reconstructed according to the altimetry data is characterized by a narrower jet almost along the entire its length. This jet is especially intense near the coasts of West Anatolia. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 3–17, July–August, 2006.     

Interannual SST variability in the Japan/East Sea and relationship with environmental variables

Interannual variability of the Japan/East Sea (JES) sea surface temperature (SST) is investigated from the reconstructed NOAA/AVHRR Oceans Pathfinder best SST data (1985–2002) using the complex empirical function (CEOF) analysis. The iterative empirical function analysis is used for the SST data reconstruction. The first two leading CEOFs account for 86.0% of total variance with 66.4% for the first mode and 19.6% for the second mode. The first CEOF mode represents a standing oscillation and a maximum belt in the central JES. There are two near-7-year events and one 2–3-year event during the period of 1985–2002. The first mode oscillates by adjacent atmospheric systems such as the Aleutian Low, the North Pacific High, the Siberian High, and the East Asian jet stream. Positive correlation in a zonal belt between the first mode JES SST anomaly and the background surface air temperature/SST anomaly reveals intensive ocean-atmosphere interaction near the Polar Front in the North Pacific. The second CEOF mode represents two features: standing oscillation and propagating signal. The standing oscillation occurs in the northern (north of 44°N) and southern (south of 39°N and west of 136°E) JES with around 180° phase difference. A weak southwestward propagating signal is detected between the two regions. The eastward propagating signal is detected from the East Korean Bay to near 135°E. The second mode contains 4–5-year periodicity before 1998 and 2–3-year periodicity thereafter. It is associated with the Arctic Oscillation, which leads it by 1–5-year. Furthermore, a strong correlation with the background surface air temperature/SST anomaly is detected in the tropical to subtropical western Pacific.     

Multitime scale variations of sea surface temperature in the China seas based on the HadISST dataset

The variability of the sea surface temperature(SST) in the China seas has been studied in seasonal,interannual and interdecadal scales based on the monthly data of HadISST spanning from 1870 to 2007. The main results obtained are SST in the China offshore changes most actively at the seasonal scale with the intensity diminishing from north to south,as the temperature differences between summer and winter reaching 17 and 4 C in the northern and southern areas,respectively. Moreover,seasonal variation near the coastal regions seems relatively stronger than that far from the coastline;significant interannual variations are detected,with the largest positive anomaly occurring in 1998 in the overall area. But as far as different domains are concerned,there exists great diversity,and the difference is also found between winter and summer. Differed from the seasonal variations,where the strongest interannual variability takes place,resides to the south of that of the seasonal ones in the northern section,nevertheless in the South China Sea,the most significant interannual variability is found in the deep basin;interdecadal changes of summer,winter and annual mean SST in different domains likewise present various features. In addition,a common dominant warming in recent 20 a are found in the overall China offshore with the strongest center located in the vicinity of the Changjiang Estuary in the East China Sea,which intensifies as high as 1.3 C during the past 130 a.