Evaluations of threshold and curvature mixed layer depths by various mixing schemes in the Mediterranean Sea

Predictive ability of five different embedded turbulent mixing models that range from second-order turbulent closure to bulk mixing parameterization is examined in the Mediterranean Sea. Each is embedded in the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Mixed layer depth (MLD), which is one of the most important upper ocean variables, is used to evaluate the treatment of turbulent processes in each model run. In addition to overall spatial and temporal variability, analyses of MLD are presented using an extensive set (3976) of temperature and salinity profiles from various data sources during 2003–2006. Results obtained from simulations (with no data assimilation and relaxation only to salinity) for the five mixing models are compared with observed MLDs obtained from in situ temperature and salinity profile observations. To ensure the robustness of the validation statistics MLD is computed using both curvature and threshold based methodologies. Results indicate that while all mixing schemes represent the MLD well, the bulk mixing models have substantial accuracy deficiencies relative to the higher order mixing models. The modeled MLDs are slightly deeper than observed MLDs with the mean bias error ∼10 m for the higher order mixing models while the bulk mixing model bias error is 15 m or more. The RMS error for the higher order mixing models is ∼40 m while it is ∼50 m for the bulk mixing models. The bulk mixing models had substantially larger errors particularly for the curvature MLD definition.     

Influences of initial plankton biomass and mixed-layer depths on the outcome of iron-fertilization experiments

Several in situ iron-enrichment experiments have been conducted, where the response of the phytoplankton community differed. We use a marine ecosystem model to investigate the effect of iron on phytoplankton in response to different initial plankton conditions and mixed-layer depths (MLDs). Sensitivity analysis of the model results to the MLDs reveals that the modeled response to the same iron enhancement treatment differed dramatically according to the different MLDs. The magnitude of the iron-induced biogeochemical responses in the surface water, such as maximum chlorophyll, is inversely correlated with MLD, as observed. The significant decrease in maximum surface chlorophyll with MLD results from the difference in diatom concentration in the mixed layer, which is determined by vertical mixing. The modeled column-integrated chlorophyll, on the other hand, is the highest with intermediate MLD cases, suggesting difference in iron-induced biogeochemical responses between volume and area considerations. The iron-induced diatom bloom is severely restricted below the compensation depth due to both light limitation and grazing pressure, irrespective of the MLD. Sensitivity of the model to initial mesozooplankton (as grazers on diatoms) biomass shows that column-integrated biomass, net community production and export production are strongly controlled by the initial mesozooplankton biomass. Higher initial mesozooplankton biomass yields high grazing pressure on diatoms, which results in less accumulation of diatom biomass and may account for notably lower surface chlorophyll during SEEDS (Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study) II than during SEEDS. The initial diatom biomass is also important to the outcome of iron enrichment but is not as crucial as the MLD and the initial mesozooplankton biomass. This modeling study suggests that not only MLD but also the initial biomass of diatoms and its principle grazers are crucial factors in the response of the phytoplankton community to iron enrichments, and should be considered in designing future iron-enrichment experiments.     

Mixed Layer Depth and its Variability in the Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean as Revealed by Observations and Model Simulations

Mixed layer depth (MLD) variability in the Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) from a hindcast run of an Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) forced by daily winds and radiative fluxes from NCEP-NCAR reanalysis from 2004 to 2006 is investigated. Model MLD compares well with the ～20,000 observations from Argo floats and a TRITON buoy (1.5°S and 90°E) in the Indian Ocean. Tests with a one-dimensional upper ocean model were conducted to assess the impact on the MLD simulations that would result from the lack of the diurnal cycle in the forcing applied to the OGCM. The error was of the order of ～12 m. MLD at the TRITON buoy location shows a bimodal pattern with deep MLD during May–June and December–January. MLD pattern during fall 2006 was significantly different from the climatology and was rather shallow during December–January both in the model and observation. An examination of mixed layer heat and salt budget suggested salinity freshening caused by the advective and vertical diffusive mixing to be the cause of shallow MLD.     

Parameterization of the depth of the upper quasi-homogeneous layer based on measurements in the North Atlantic (Section along 53° N)

The dependence of the variation in the depth of the upper mixed layer (MLD) on the governing parameters (the momentum flux, the buoyancy fluxes at the ocean surface, and the density gradient in the pycnocline) is considered. It is shown that, in the spring storm season, wind mixing dominates over convective mixing. In this case, the MLD is linearly correlated with the Ekman scale calculated from the friction velocity observed approximately 12 h before the measurement of the MLD.     

Seasonal variability of the mixed layer in the central Bay of Bengal and associated changes in nutrients and chlorophyll

Hydrographic data from National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) and Responsible National Oceanographic Data Centre (RNODC) were used to study the seasonal variability of the mixed layer in the central Bay of Bengal (8–20°N and 87–91°E), while meteorological data from Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) were used to explore atmospheric forcing responsible for the variability. The observed changes in the mixed-layer depth (MLD) clearly demarcated a distinct north–south regime with 15°N as the limiting latitude. North of this latitude MLD remained shallow (∼20 m) for most of the year without showing any appreciable seasonality. Lack of seasonality suggests that the low-salinity water, which is perennially present in the northern Bay, controls the stability and MLD. The observed winter freshening is driven by the winter rainfall and associated river discharge, which is advected offshore under the prevailing circulation. The resulting stratification was so strong that even a 4 °C cooling in sea-surface temperature (SST) during winter was unable to initiate convective mixing. In contrast, the southern region showed a strong semi-annual variability with deep MLD during summer and winter and a shallow MLD during spring and fall intermonsoons. The shallow MLD in spring and fall results from primary and secondary heating associated with increased incoming solar radiation and lighter winds during this period. The deep mixed layer during summer results from two processes: the increased wind forcing and the intrusion of high-salinity waters of Arabian Sea origin. The high winds associated with summer monsoon initiate greater wind-driven mixing, while the intrusion of high-salinity waters erodes the halocline and weakens the upper-layer stratification of the water column and aids in vertical mixing. The deep MLD in the south during winter was driven by wind-mixing, when the upper water column was comparatively less stable. The deep MLD between 15 and 17°N during March–May cannot be explained in the context of local atmospheric forcing. We show that this is associated with the propagation of Rossby waves from the eastern Bay. We also show that the nitrate and chlorophyll distribution in the upper ocean during spring intermonsoon is strongly coupled to the MLD, whereas during summer river runoff and cold-core eddies appear to play a major role in regulating the nutrients and chlorophyll.     

热力学效应及斯托克斯漂流对混合层影响的研究

本文通过理想化的外部强迫以及海洋站点实测数据驱动普林斯顿海洋模式来研究海洋热力学效应和斯托克斯漂流对上混合层数值模拟的影响。在Mellor-Yamada湍流闭合方案中，经常出现夏季海表面温度偏暖和混合层深度偏浅的模拟误差。实验表明，斯托克斯漂流在冬季和夏季均能增强湍流动能，加深混合层深度。这种效应可以改善夏季的模拟结果，但与观测数据相比，将增大冬季混合层深度的模拟误差。斯托克斯漂流可以通过增强湍动能来加深混合层深度。结果表明，将斯托克斯漂流与冷皮层和暖层对上部混合层的热效应相结合，可以正确地模拟混合层深度。在夏季，海洋冷皮层和暖层通过“阻挡结构”和双温跃层结构模拟出更真实的上混合层变化。在冬季，海洋热力学效应通过增强上层海洋层结平衡了斯托克斯漂流的影响，并且由斯托克斯漂流引起的过度混合被校正。     

Temporal variability of winter mixed layer in the mid-to high-latitude North Pacific

Temperature and salinity data from 2001 through 2005 from Argo profiling floats have been analyzed to examine the time evolution of the mixed layer depth (MLD) and density in the late fall to early spring in mid to high latitudes of the North Pacific. To examine MLD variations on various time scales from several days to seasonal, relatively small criteria (0.03 kg m⁻³ in density and 0.2°C in temperature) are used to determine MLD. Our analysis emphasizes that maximum MLD in some regions occurs much earlier than expected. We also observe systematic differences in timing between maximum mixed layer depth and density. Specifically, in the formation regions of the Subtropical and Central Mode Waters and in the Bering Sea, where the winter mixed layer is deep, MLD reaches its maximum in late winter (February and March), as expected. In the eastern subarctic North Pacific, however, the shallow, strong, permanent halocline prevents the mixed layer from deepening after early January, resulting in a range of timings of maximum MLD between January and April. In the southern subtropics from 20° to 30°N, where the winter mixed layer is relatively shallow, MLD reaches a maximum even earlier in December–January. In each region, MLD fluctuates on short time scales as it increases from late fall through early winter. Corresponding to this short-term variation, maximum MLD almost always occurs 0 to 100 days earlier than maximum mixed layer density in all regions.     

A study of the mixed layer of the South China Sea based on the multiple linear regression

Multiple linear regression(MLR) method was applied to quantify the effects of the net heat flux(NHF),the net freshwater flux(NFF) and the wind stress on the mixed layer depth(MLD) of the South China Sea(SCS) based on the simple ocean data assimilation(SODA) dataset.The spatio-temporal distributions of the MLD,the buoyancy flux(combining the NHF and the NFF) and the wind stress of the SCS were presented.Then using an oceanic vertical mixing model,the MLD after a certain time under the same initial conditions but various pairs of boundary conditions(the three factors) was simulated.Applying the MLR method to the results,regression equations which modeling the relationship between the simulated MLD and the three factors were calculated.The equations indicate that when the NHF was negative,it was the primary driver of the mixed layer deepening;and when the NHF was positive,the wind stress played a more important role than that of the NHF while the NFF had the least effect.When the NHF was positive,the relative quantitative effects of the wind stress,the NHF,and the NFF were about 10,6 and 2.The above conclusions were applied to explaining the spatio-temporal distributions of the MLD in the SCS and thus proved to be valid.     

Contrasting hydrography and phytoplankton distribution in the upper layers of cyclonic eddies in the Mozambique Basin and Mozambique Channel

Hydrographic data collected in cyclonic eddies in the Mozambique Channel and Basin revealed notable differences in temperature and salinity at a depth of 100 m, the upper mixed layer, the nitracline depths, and vertical distribution of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). Differences in temperature and salinity did not show any consistent patterns. In contrast, the differences in the upper mixed layer, nitracline depths and the vertical Chl-a profile appeared to be driven by combined effects of eddy dynamics (i.e. shoaling of isopleths) and the seasonal variation in light availability and mixing conditions in the upper layers. Cyclonic eddies studied during austral spring and summer in the Mozambique Channel exhibited shallower upper mixed layers and nitracline depths, and deeper euphotic zones. Distinct subsurface Chl-a maxima (SCM) were associated with the stratified conditions in the upper layers of these eddies. In contrast, a cyclonic eddy studied during mid-austral winter in the Mozambique Basin had a shallower euphotic zone, deeper upper mixed layer and uniform Chl-a profiles. Another eddy sampled in the Mozambique Basin toward the end of winter showed a less pronounced SCM and roughly equal euphotic zone and upper mixed layer depths, suggestive of a transition from a well-mixed upper layer during winter to stratified conditions in summer.     

Mixed layer depth climatology of the North Pacific based on Argo observations

A monthly mean climatology of the mixed layer depth (MLD) in the North Pacific has been produced by using Argo observations. The optimum method and parameter for evaluating the MLD from the Argo data are statistically determined. The MLD and its properties from each density profile were calculated with the method and parameter. The monthly mean climatology of the MLD is computed on a 2° × 2° grid with more than 30 profiles for each grid. Two bands of deep mixed layer with more than 200 m depth are found to the north and south of the Kuroshio Extension in the winter climatology, which cannot be reproduced in some previous climatologies. Early shoaling of the winter mixed layer between 20–30°N, which has been pointed out by previous studies, is also well recognized. A notable feature suggested by our climatology is that the deepest mixed layer tends to occur about one month before the mixed layer density peaks in the middle latitudes, especially in the western region, while they tend to coincide with each other in higher latitudes.     

Mixed layer variability in Northern Arabian Sea as detected by an Argo float

Seasonal evolution of surface mixed layer in the Northern Arabian Sea (NAS) between 17° N–20.5° N and 59° E-69° E was observed by using Argo float daily data for about 9 months, from April 2002 through December 2002. Results showed that during April - May mixed layer shoaled due to light winds, clear sky and intense solar insolation. Sea surface temperature (SST) rose by 2.3 °C and ocean gained an average of 99.8 Wm⁻². Mixed layer reached maximum depth of about 71 m during June - September owing to strong winds and cloudy skies. Ocean gained abnormally low ∼18 Wm⁻² and SST dropped by 3.4 °C. During the inter monsoon period, October, mixed layer shoaled and maintained a depth of 20 to 30 m. November - December was accompanied by moderate winds, dropping of SST by 1.5 °C and ocean lost an average of 52.5 Wm⁻². Mixed layer deepened gradually reaching a maximum of 62 m in December. Analysis of surface fluxes and winds suggested that winds and fluxes are the dominating factors causing deepening of mixed layer during summer and winter monsoon periods respectively. Relatively high correlation between MLD, net heat flux and wind speed revealed that short term variability of MLD coincided well with short term variability of surface forcing.     

Seasonal Variation of Submesoscale Flow Features in a Mesoscale Eddy-dominant Region in the East Sea

Seasonal changes in the distribution of submesoscale (SM) flow features were examined using a fine-resolution numerical simulation. The SM flows are expected to be strong where mesoscale (MS) eddies actively develop and also when the mixed layer depth (MLD) is deep due to enhanced baroclinic instability. In the East Sea (ES), MS eddies more actively develop in summer while the MLD is deeper in winter, which provided the motivation to conduct this study to test the effects of MLD and MS eddies on the SM activity in this region. Finite-scale Liapunov exponents and the vertical velocity components were employed to analyze the SM activities. It was found that the SM intensity was marked by seasonality: it is stronger in winter when the mixed layer is deep but weaker in summer - despite the greater eddy kinetic energy. This is because in summer the mixed layer is so thin that there is not enough available potential energy. When the SM activity was quantified based on parameterization, (MLD × density gradient), it was determined that the seasonal variation of MLD plays a more important role than the lateral density gradient variation on SM flow motion in the ES.     

Barrier and compensation layers in the East China Sea

Climatology of the isothermal layer depth （ILD） and the mixed layer depth （MLD） has been produced from in-situ temperaturesalinity observations in the East China Sea （ECS） since 1925. The methods applied on the global are used to compute the ILD and the MLD in the ECS with a temperature criterion AT=0. 8 ℃ for the ILD, and a density criterion with a threshold △σθ corresponding to fixed △T=0. 8 ℃ for the MLD, respectively. With the derived climatology ILD and MLD, the monthly variations of the barrier layer （BL） and the compensation layer （CL） in the ECS are analyzed. The BL mainly exists in the shallow water region of the ECS during April-June with thickness larger than 15 m. From December to next March, the area along the shelf break from northeast of Taiwan Island to the northeast ECS is characterized by the CL. Two kinds of main temperature - salinity structures of the CL in this area are given.     

Temporal variations of the winter mixed layer south of the Kuroshio Extension

A monthly mean time series of the temperature profile in the recirculation gyre south of the Kuroshio Extension has been produced for the period 1971–2007 to examine temporal variations of the winter mixed layer. The winter mixed layer depth (MLD) shows both interannual and decadal variations and is significantly correlated with variation of the mean net surface heat flux in late autumn to early winter. There is also a close relation with the strength of pre-existing subsurface stratification, measured as vertical temperature gradients in the preceding summer. Linear multiple regression analysis shows that a significant fraction of the variations in the winter MLD is explained by the surface heat flux and the strength of the stratification. The contribution of the two factors is comparable.     

Monthly Variability of Mixed Layer over Arabian Sea Using ARGO Data

The mixed layer depths over the Arabian Sea were computed for the three successive years 2004-2006 using ARGO floats data. The large availability of ARGO floats for the above period resulted in better estimation of mixed layer depth (MLD) over the Arabian Sea. The results were compared with World Ocean Atlas 1994 MLD Climatology. Marked variability in MLD on a monthly time scale is observed and it was in accordance with the wind stress and/or net heat gain variability, which are the principal factors influencing mixed layer over Arabian Sea. With the availability of large number of ARGO profile data, an attempt is made to study the monthly variability of Mixed Layer.     

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

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

Maximum angle method for determining mixed layer depth from seaglider data

A new maximum angle method has been developed to determine surface mixed-layer (a general name for isothermal/constant-density layer) depth from profile data. It has three steps: (1) fitting the profile data with a first vector (pointing downward) from an upper level to a depth and a second vector (pointing downward) from that depth to a deeper level; (2) identifying the angle (varying with depth) between the two vectors; (3) after fitting and calculating angle all depths, and then selecting the depth with maximum angle as the mixed layer depth (MLD). Temperature and potential density profiles collected from two seagliders in the Gulf Stream near the Florida coast during 14 November–5 December 2007 were used to demonstrate the method’s capability. The quality index (1.0 for perfect identification of the MLD) of the maximum angle method is about 0.96. The isothermal layer depth is generally larger than the constant-density layer depth, i.e., the barrier layer occurs during the study period. Comparison with the existing difference, gradient, and curvature criteria shows the advantage of using the maximum angle method. Uncertainty in determining MLD because of varying threshold using the difference method is also presented.     

盐度对变化2014年东北太平洋“暖泡”的作用

A significant strong, warm "Blob"(a large circular water body with a positive ocean temperature anomaly)appeared in the Northeast Pacific(NEP) in the boreal winter of 2013–2014, which induced many extreme climate events in the US and Canada. In this study, analyses of the temperature and salinity anomaly variations from the Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography(Argo) data provided insights into the formation of the warm"Blob" over the NEP. The early negative salinity anomaly dominantly contributed to the shallower mixed layer depth(MLD) in the NEP during the period of 2012–2013. Then, the shallower mixed layer trapped more heat in the upper water column and resulted in a warmer sea surface temperature(SST), which enhanced the warm"Blob". The salinity variability contributed to approximately 60% of the shallowing MLD related to the warm"Blob". The salinity anomaly in the warm "Blob" region resulted from a combination of both local and nonlocal effects. The freshened water at the surface played a local role in the MLD anomaly. Interestingly, the MLD anomaly was more dependent on the local subsurface salinity anomaly in the 100–150 m depth range in the NEP.The salinity anomaly in the 50–100 m depth range may be linked to the anomaly in the 100–150 m depth range by vertical advection or mixing. The salinity anomaly in the 100–150 m depth range resulted from the eastward transportation of a subducted water mass that was freshened west of the dateline, which played a nonlocal role.The results suggest that the early salinity anomaly in the NEP related to the warm "Blob" may be a precursor signal of interannual and interdecadal variabilities.     

Infaunal macrobenthos of the oxygen minimum zone on the Indian western continental shelf

The Arabian Sea is characterized by a mid‐depth layer of reduced dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration or oxygen minimum zone (OMZ ‐DO concentration <0.5 ml·l^?1) at ~150–1000 m depth. This OMZ results from the flux of labile organic matter coupled with limited intermediate depth water ventilation. Generally, benthic animals in the OMZ have morphological and physiological adaptations that maximize oxygen uptake in the limited oxygen availability. Characteristics of OMZ benthos have been described from only a few localities in the Arabian Sea. We measured the bottom water DO and studied the characteristics of infaunal macrobenthos of the Indian western continental shelf by collecting samples at 50, 100 and 200 m in depth from 7° to 22° N. The DO values observed at 200 m (0.0005–0.24 ml·l^?1) indicated that this area is lying within an OMZ. Five major taxa, namely Platyhelminthes, Sipunculoidea, Echiuroidea, Echinodermata and Cephalochordata were absent from the samples collected from this OMZ. In general, declines in total macrobenthic density and biomass and polychaete species richness and diversity were observed in this OMZ compared with the shallower depths above it. Community analyses of polychaetes revealed the dominance of species belonging to families Spionidae, Cirratulidae and Paraonidae in this OMZ. Low oxygen condition was more pronounced in the northern continental shelf edge (≤0.03 ml·l^?1), where the majority of spionids including Prionospio pinnata and cirratulids were absent; whereas amphipod, isopod and bivalve communities were not impacted.     

Influence of surface forcing on near-surface and mixing layer turbulence in the tropical Indian Ocean

An autonomous upwardly-moving microstructure profiler was used to collect measurements of the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (ε) in the tropical Indian Ocean during a single diurnal cycle, from about 50 m depth to the sea surface. This dataset is one of only a few to resolve upper ocean ε over a diurnal cycle from below the active mixing layer up to the air–sea interface. Wind speed was weak with an average value of ~5 m s⁻¹ and the wave field was swell-dominated. Within the wind and wave affected surface layer (WWSL), ε values were on the order of 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ W kg⁻¹ at a depth of 0.75 m and when averaged, were almost a factor of two above classical law of the wall theory, possibly indicative of an additional source of energy from the wave field. Below this depth, ε values were closer to wall layer scaling, suggesting that the work of the Reynolds stress on the wind-induced vertical shear was the major source of turbulence within this layer. No evidence of persistent elevated near-surface ε characteristic of wave-breaking conditions was found. Profiles collected during night-time displayed relatively constant ε values at depths between the WWSL and the base of the mixing layer, characteristic of mixing by convective overturning. Within the remnant layer, depth-averaged values of ε started decaying exponentially with an e-folding time of 47 min, about 30 min after the reversal of the total surface net heat flux from oceanic loss to gain.