Dynamical features of near-inertial motions in global ocean based on the GDP dataset from 2000 to 2019

Based on the latest oceanic surface drifter dataset from the global drifter program during 2000–2019, this study investigated the global variation of relative frequency shift(RFS), near-inertial energy(NIE) and inverse excess bandwidth(IEB) of near-inertial motions, and analyzed their relations with oceanic mesoscale dynamics, relative vorticity and strain. Compared with previous works, we have some new findings in this study:(1) the RFS was high with negative values in some regions in which we found a significant blue shift of the RFS in the equatorward of 30°N(S) and from 50°N to 60°N in the Pacific, and a red shift in the western boundary currents and their extension regions, the North Atlantic and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current regions;(2) more peak values of the NIE were found in global regions like the South Indian Ocean, the Luzon Strait and some areas of the South Ocean;(3) the global distribution of the IEB were characterized by clear zonal bands and affected by vorticity and wind field;(4)the RFS was elevated as the absolute value of the gradient of vorticity increased, the IEB did not depend on the gradient of vorticity, and the eddy kinetic energy(EKE) weakened with the decrease of the absolute value of RFS;(5) the NIE decreased with increasing absolute value of the relative vorticity and the gradient of vorticity, but it increased with increasing strain and EKE when EKE was larger than 0.003 2 m~2/s~2.     

Statistical characteristics and thermohaline properties of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal

The statistical characteristics and vertical thermohaline properties of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal are studied from the view of satellite altimetry data and Argo profiles. Eddy propagation preferences in different lifetimes, eddy evolution process, and geographical distribution of eddy kinetic properties are analyzed in this area. Eddies exist principally in the western Bay of Bengal, and most of them propagate westward. There is a clear southward(equatorward) preference for eddies with long lifetimes, especially for cyclones. Moreover, the eddies in different areas of the bay show different north-southward preferences. Evolution of eddy kinetic properties with lifetime shows that eddies have the significant three-stage feature: the growth period in the former one-fifth lifetime, the stable period in the middle two-fifth to four-fifth lifetime, and the dying period in the last one-fifth lifetime. Large-amplitude and high-intensity eddies occur only in the relatively confined regions of highly unstable currents, such as the East Indian Coastal Current and eastern Sri Lanka. Based on Argo profile data and climatology data, the eddy synthesis method was used to construct three-dimensional temperature and salt structures of eddies in this area. The mean temperature anomaly is negative/positive to the cyclonic/anticyclonic eddies in the upper 300×10~4 Pa, and below this depth, the anomaly becomes weak. The salinity structures of positive anomalies inside cyclonic eddies and negative anomalies inside anticyclonic eddies in the Bay of Bengal are not consistent with other regions. Due to the special characteristics of the water mass in the bay, especially under the control of the low-salinity Bay of Bengal water at the surface and the Indian equatorial water in the deep ocean, the salinity of seawater shows a monotonic increase with depth. For regional varieties of temperature and salinity structures, as the eddies move westward, the temperature anomaly induced by the eddies increases, the effecting depth of the eddies deepens, and the salinity structures are more affected by inflows. In the north-south direction, the salinity structures of the eddies are associated with the local water masses, which comprise lowsalinity water in the northern bay due to the inflow of freshwater from rivers and salty water in the southern bay due to the invasion of Arabian Sea high-salinity water from the north Indian Ocean.     

南海中尺度涡的演化过程与行为追踪:一种基于全局最邻近滤波的方法

The eddy tracking approach is developed using the global nearest neighbor filter(GNNF) to investigate the evolution processes and behaviors of mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea(SCS). Combining the Kalman filter and optimal data association technologies, the GNNF algorithm is able to reduce pairing errors to 0.2% in tracking synthetic eddy tracks, outperforming other existing methods. A total of 4 913 eddy tracks that last more than a week are obtained by the GNNF during 1993–2012. The analysis of a growth and a decay based on 3 445 simple eddy tracks show that eddy radius, amplitude, and vorticity smoothly increase during the first half of lifetime and decline during the second half following a parabola opening downwards. The genesis of eddies mainly clusters northwest and southwest of Luzon Island whereas the dissipations concentrate the Xisha Islands where the underwater bay traps and terminates eddies. West of the Luzon Strait, northwest of Luzon Island, and southeast of Vietnam are regions where eddy splits and mergers are frequently observed. Short disappearances mainly distribute in the first two regions. Moreover, eddy splits generally result in a decrease of the radius and the amplitude whereas eddy mergers induce growing up. Eddy intensity and vorticity, on the contrary, are strengthened in the eddy splits and diminished in mergers.     

南海北部东沙岛附近海洋底层流场特征及时间变化规律

Near-bottom currents play important roles in the formation and dynamics of deep-water sedimentary systems.This study examined the characteristics and temporal variations of near-bottom currents, especially the tidal components, based on two campaigns(2014 and 2016) of in situ observations conducted southeast of the Dongsha Island in the South China Sea. Results demonstrated near-bottom currents are dominated by tidal currents, the variance of which could account for ～70% of the total current variance. Diurnal tidal currents were found stronger than semidiurnal currents for both barotropic and baroclinic components. The diurnal tidal currents were found polarized with predominantly clockwise-rotating constituents, whereas the clockwise and counterclockwise constituents were found comparable for semidiurnal tidal currents. It was established that diurnal tidal currents could induce strong current shear. Baroclinic tidal currents showed pronounced seasonal variation with large magnitude in winter and summer and weak magnitude in spring and autumn in 2014. The coherent components accounted for ～65% and ～50% of the diurnal and semidiurnal tidal current variances,respectively. The proportions of the coherent and incoherent components changed little in different seasons. In addition to tidal currents, it was determined that the passing of mesoscale eddies could induce strong nearbottom currents that have considerable influence on the deep circulation.     

海浪区湍流通量的涡度协方差观测

Turbulent eddies play a critical role in oceanic flows. Direct measurements of turbulent eddy fluxes beneath the sea surface were taken to study the direction of flux-carrying eddies as a means of supplementing our understanding of vertical fluxes exchange processes and their relationship to tides. The observations were made at 32 Hz at a water depth of ~1.5 m near the coast of Sanya, China, using an eddy covariance system, which mainly consists of an acoustic doppler velocimeter(ADV) and a fast temperature sensor. The cospectra-fit method-an established semi-empirical model of boundary layer turbulence to the measured turbulent cospectra at frequencies below those of surface gravity waves-was used in the presence of surface gravity waves to quantify the turbulent eddy fluxes(including turbulent heat flux and Reynolds stress). As much as 87% of the total turbulent stress and 88% of the total turbulent heat flux were determined as being at band frequencies below those of surface gravity waves. Both the turbulent heat flux and Reynolds stress showed a daily successive variation;the former peaked during the low tide period and the later peaked during the ebb tide period.Estimation of roll-off wavenumbers, k0, and roll-off wavelengths, λ0(where λ0=2π/k0), which were estimated as the horizontal length scales of the dominant flux-carrying turbulent eddies, indicated that the λ0 of the turbulent heat flux was approximately double that of the Reynolds stress. Wavelet analysis showed that both the turbulent heat flux and the Reynolds stress have a close relationship to the semi-diurnal and diurnal tides, and therefore indicate the energy that is transported from tides to turbulence.     

Submesoscale eddies in the East China Sea detected from SAR images

Seven-year(2005–2011) Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) images are applied to study oceanic eddies in the East China Sea. It is found that most of these eddies detected from the SAR images are less than 10 km, which are submesoscale eddies. Seasonal differences are evident in the distribution of eddies, with the highest and the lowest number of eddies noted in summer and winter, respectively. Since slick streaks in SAR images look dark, an eddy identified due to the slicks is referred to as "black eddy". As a result of wave-current interactions in the zones of current shear, it can be seen that an eddy exhibits a bright curve, the eddy is called "white eddy". During the seven years, 95 black eddies and 50 white eddies are identified in the study area. Black eddies are found in the whole study area while white eddies are mainly distributed in the vicinity of the Kuroshio Current. This study suggests that the distribution of the white eddy is denser around the Kuroshio because of the strong shear in the Kuroshio region. In terms of the eddy sizes, white eddies are generally smaller than black eddies.     

中国南海区1992-2012年的中尺度涡旋演化过程表达与统计分析

Automated identification and tracking of mesoscale ocean eddies has recently become one research hotspot in physical oceanography. Several methods have been developed and applied to survey the general kinetic and geometric characteristics of the ocean eddies in the South China Sea（SCS）. However, very few studies attempt to examine eddies＇ internal evolution processes. In this study, we reported a hybrid method to trace eddies＇ propagation in the SCS based on their internal structures, which are characterized by eddy centers, footprint borders, and composite borders. Eddy identification and tracking results were represented by a GIS-based spatiotemporal model. Information on instant states, dynamic evolution processes, and events of disappearance, reappearance, split, and mergence is stored in a GIS database. Results were validated by comparing against the ten Dongsha Cyclonic Eddies（DCEs） and the three long-lived anticyclonic eddies（ACEs） in the northern SCS, which were reported in previous literature. Our study confirmed the development of these eddies. Furthermore, we found more DCE-like and ACE-like eddies in these areas from 2005 to 2012 in our database. Spatial distribution analysis of disappearing, reappearing, splitting, and merging activities shows that eddies in the SCS tend to cluster to the northwest of Luzon Island, southwest of Luzon Strait, and around the marginal sea of Vietnam. Kuroshio intrusions and the complex sea floor topography in these areas are the possible factors that lead to these spatial clusters.     

南海北部陆坡中尺度涡的演化及传播规律分析

The continental slope in the northern South China Sea(SCS) is rich in mesoscale eddies which play an important role in transport and retention of nutrients and biota. In this study, we investigate the statistical properties of eddy distributions and propagation in a period of 24 years between 1993 and 2016 by using the altimeter data. A total of 147 eddies are found in the continental slope region(CSR), including 70 cyclonic eddies(CEs) and 77 anticyclonic eddies(ACEs). For those eddies that appear in the CSR, the surrounding areas of Dongsha Islands(DS) and southwest of Taiwan(SWT) are considered as the primary sources, where eddies generated contribute more than 60% of the total. According to the spatial distribution of eddy relative vorticity, eddies are weakening as propagating westward. Although both CEs and ACEs roughly propagate along the slope isobaths, there are discrepancies between CEs and ACEs. The ACEs move slightly faster in the zonal direction, while the CEs tend to cross the isobaths with large bottom depth change. The ACEs generally move further into the basin areas after leaving the CSR while CEs remain around the CSR. The eddy propagation on the continental slope is likely to be associated with mean flow at a certain degree because the eddy trajectories have notable seasonal signals that are consistent with the seasonal cycle of geostrophic current. The results indicate that the eddy translation speed is statistically consistent with geostrophic velocity in both magnitude and direction.     

Case study on the three-dimensional structure of meso-scale eddy in the South China Sea based on a high-resolution model

Meso-scale eddies are important features in the South China Sea(SCS). The eddies with diameters of 50–200 km can greatly impact the transport of heat, momentum, and tracers. A high-resolution wave-tide-circulation coupled model was developed to simulate the meso-scale eddy in the SCS in this study. The aim of this study is to examine the model ability to simulate the meso-scale eddy in the SCS without data assimilations The simulated Sea Surface Height(SSH) anomalies agree with the observed the AVISO SSH anomalies well. The simulated subsurface temperature profiles agree with the CTD observation data from the ROSE(Responses of Marine Hazards to climate change in the Western Pacific) project. The simulated upper-ocean currents also agree with the main circulation based on observations. A warm eddy is identified in winter in the northern SCS. The position and domain of the simulated eddy are confirmed by the observed sea surface height data from the AVISO. The result shows that the model has the ability to simulate the meso-scale eddy in the SCS without data assimilation.The three-dimensional structure of the meso-scale eddy in the SCS is analyzed using the model result. It is found that the eddy center is tilted vertically, which agrees with the observation. It is also found that the velocity center of the eddy does not coincide with the temperature center of the eddy. The result shows that the model has the ability to simulate the meso-scale eddy in the SCS without data assimilations. Further study on the forming mechanism and the three-dimensional structure of the meso-scale eddies will be carried out using the model result and cruise observation data in the near future.     

基于观测的南海越南沿岸次表层涡旋

In this study, subsurface eddies near the Vietnam coast of the South China Sea were observed with in situ observations, including Argo, CTD, XBT and some processed and quality controlled data. Based on temperature profiles from four Argo floats near the coast of Vietnam, a subsurface warm eddy was identified in spring and summer. The multi-year Argo and Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Programme(GTSPP) data were merged on a seasonal basis based on the data interpolating variational analysis(DIVA) method to reconstruct the three-dimensional temperature structure. There is a warm eddy in the central subsurface at 12.5°N, 111°E below300 m depth in spring, which does not exist in autumn and is weak in winter and summer. From CSIRO Atlas of Regional Seas(CARS) and Generalized Digital Environment Model(GDEM) reanalysis data, this subsurface warm eddy is also verified in spring.     

两个西边界流延伸体区域中尺度涡统计特征分析

黑潮和湾流是世界大洋中最典型的两支西边界流，黑潮延伸体（Kuroshio Extention，KE）和湾流延伸体（Gulf Stream Extention，GSE）区域中尺度涡活动十分活跃。本文综合利用卫星高度计资料和Argo浮标资料，对KE和GSE区域中尺度涡的表层特征及其对温盐影响进行了统计研究和对比分析。结果表明:黑潮和湾流主轴附近为涡旋频率的高值区，主轴南北两侧分别以气旋涡和反气旋涡数量占多，主轴附近的涡旋强度明显大于其他区域；两个区域的涡旋以西向移动为主，气旋涡和反气旋涡都具有向南（赤道）偏离的趋势；两个区域的涡旋数量都以夏、秋季较多，涡旋强度都在春、夏季较大，且GSE区域涡旋强度明显大于KE区域；气旋涡（反气旋涡）引起内部明显的温度负（正）异常，KE区域气旋涡（反气旋涡）内部呈"负-正"（"正-负"）上下层相反的盐度异常分布，GSE区域气旋涡（反气旋涡）在各层呈现较为一致的盐度负（正）异常；两个区域中尺度涡对温盐场的平均影响深度可达1 000×104 Pa以上。     

基于传输函数的中尺度涡旋时空连续可视化

本文结合二维流线可视化技术和中尺度涡旋识别技术，提出了3种中尺度涡旋时空连续可视化的方法:基于OW参数的涡旋可视化方法、基于栅格模板的涡旋可视化方法和基于矢量模板的涡旋可视化方法，这3种方法分别基于Okubo-Weiss算法、Faghmous的算法和Liu的算法来进行涡旋识别，同时将流场可视化的结果填充到涡旋内部，以获得更好的可视化效果。在可视化过程中本文引入了传输函数来对涡旋中的流线颜色和透明度进行实时交互，能够在控制界面上通过设置Key值点的颜色和位置来控制速度、涡度和OW参数等信息的显示效果。本文在性能和显示效果方面比较了3种方法的优劣。从性能上来讲，性能由高到低依次为:基于OW参数的涡旋可视化方法、基于栅格模板的涡旋可视化方法和基于矢量模板的涡旋可视化方法。从显示效果上来讲，基于OW参数的涡旋可视化方法在三者中最差，效果中有较多的杂乱的短线，同时涡旋边界较小，局限于涡旋核心区；基于栅格模板的涡旋可视化方法较第一种方法的显示效果有所提升，杂乱的短线较少，涡旋相对完整，但由于数据分辨率不够高的原因，在放大多倍后涡旋边界呈现锯齿状；基于矢量模板的涡旋可视化方法显示效果最好，涡旋完整、饱满。同时，因为首先进行了涡旋边界的重构，将涡旋边界矢量化，涡旋边界更加平滑。相对于传统长时间序列的涡旋可视化的方法而言，这3种方法提供了一个美观、动态和更富信息性的可视化方法，同时由于传输函数的加入，其可以成为科研人员研究涡旋的一个实用的工具。     

基于卫星高度计和浮标漂流轨迹的海洋涡旋特征信息对比分析

本文基于Chelton提供的涡旋数据集和浮标漂流轨迹提取的涡旋结果,对1993—2015年的全球涡旋进行特征信息对比分析。结果表明,在全球范围内高度计涡旋数据集中的欧拉涡旋和浮标漂流轨迹提取的拉格朗日涡旋的配对成功率在空间分布上并不均衡,在中纬度(20°—60°S,20°—60°N)配对成功率最高可达25%,而在20°S—20°N区域内配对成功率不到10%。由于低纬度地转效应并不显著,卫星高度计无法有效观测到涡旋,但通过浮标漂流轨迹识别出的拉格朗日涡旋却大量存在,这说明在低纬度区域内,采用漂流浮标手段对涡旋进行观测,能够有效地弥补卫星高度计识别涡旋的区域限制。进一步分析表明,总体而言,提取的欧拉涡旋半径要大于拉格朗日涡旋闭合回路半径。两种识别方法获得的涡旋(闭合回路)在20°—50°S, 20°—50°N的副热带和中纬度海区半径大致相当; 20°S—20°N度以内(特别是近赤道区域)、高纬度区域以及西边界流区域,欧拉涡旋半径是同期拉格朗日涡旋闭合回路半径的3倍或更多。此外,对配对涡旋的Rossby数分析结果显示,拉格朗日涡旋较小的闭合回路对应较大的平均相对涡度,这表明浮标在被中尺度涡俘获后,更容易在相对涡度较大的地方(如中尺度涡中心、中尺度涡边缘等)形成闭合回路。     

Influence of Mesoscale Eddies on Variations of the Kuroshio Path South of Japan

The influences of mesoscale eddies on variations of the Kuroshio path south of Japan have been investigated using time series of the Kuroshio axis location and altimeter-derived sea surface height maps for a period of seven years from 1993 to 1999, when the Kuroshio followed its non-large meander path. It was found that both the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies may interact with the Kuroshio and trigger short-term meanders of the Kuroshio path, although not all eddies that approached or collided with the Kuroshio formed meanders. An anticyclonic eddy that revolves clockwise in a region south of Shikoku and Cape Shionomisaki with a period of about 5–6 months was found to propagate westward along about 30°N and collide with the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu or south of Shikoku. This collision sometimes triggers meanders which propagate over the whole region south of Japan. The eddy was advected downstream, generating a meander on the downstream side to the east of Cape Shionomisaki. After the eddy passed Cape Shionomisaki, it detached from the Kuroshio and started to move westward again. Sometimes the eddy merges with other anticyclonic eddies traveling from the east. Coalescence of cyclonic eddies, which are also generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan, into the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu, also triggers meanders which mainly propagate only in a region west of Cape Shionomisaki. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

短生命周期海洋涡旋的时空分布特征

中尺度涡旋在海洋中分布广泛，是海洋动力、营养物质等混合和输运的重要途径。统计发现海洋中超过80%的涡旋生命周期不超过1个月，属于本文定义的短生命周期涡旋。本研究采用统计、对比等方法，对全球尺度，较短生命周期涡旋的时空分布特征进行了分析。研究表明，短生命周期涡旋与大洋中环流系统密切相关，其最易发生在暖流和寒流的交汇处以及运动方向相反的两种环流的交汇处，且在除30°S～30°N的热带地区外均表现为气旋式略多于反气旋式。低纬地区，短生命周期涡旋在每年的冷季数量较多，而高纬地区与之相反。除存在大规模东向环流的海域，短生命周期涡旋一般向西迁移，同时气旋式涡旋略倾向于赤道偏转，反气旋式略倾向于极地偏转。短生命周期涡旋的平均位移和平均迁移速率呈相似的赤道对称分布规律。     

Rhines效应对高度计观测的海洋中尺度涡空间分布特征的影响

Rhines效应是指Rossby波和大湍流（中尺度涡）相互作用,将涡动能量以波的形式传播出去,从而使中尺度涡发生形变,最终消亡的一种动力学机制。本文通过比较海洋里涡特征速度和Rossby长波波速的方法,研究了一种广义的Rhines效应对高度计观测的海洋中尺度涡空间分布特征的影响。结果显示,广义Rhines效应比只考虑行星涡度梯度的传统形式对中尺度涡的分布具有更显著的影响。大部分中尺度涡分布在涡特征速度（U_e）大于由广义Beta值计算的Rossby长波波速（U_cg）的区域。这些涡可以由动能反向串级过程获取能量,成长为振幅和空间尺度较大的涡。热带海域以外的“涡旋沙漠”区域,中尺度涡的数量稀少,强度很弱,大都分布于U_ecg的海域。广义Rhines效应可能是这些海域中尺度涡难以成长的动力学机制。     

A Generation Mechanism for Mesoscale Eddies in the Kuril Basin of the Okhotsk Sea: Baroclinic Instability Caused by Enhanced Tidal Mixing

Mesoscale eddies, particularly anticyclonic ones, are dominant features in the Kuril Basin of the Okhotsk Sea. In 1999, both surface drifter and hydrographic observations caught the same anticyclonic eddy northwest of Bussol’ Strait, which has a diameter of ∼100 km, typical surface velocity of 0.2–0.3 m s⁻¹, and less dense core extending to a depth of ∼1200 m. Based on an idea that the generation of mesoscale eddies is caused by strong tidal mixing in and around Kuril Straits, we have conducted a series of three-dimensional numerical model experiments, in which strong tidal mixing is simply parameterized by increasing coefficients of vertical eddy viscosity and diffusivity along the eastern boundary. Initially, a regular series of disturbances with a wavelength of ∼70 km starts to develop. The disturbances can be clearly explained by a linear instability theory and regarded as the baroclinic instability associated with the near-surface front formed in the region between the enhanced mixing and offshore regions. In the mature phase, the disturbances grow large enough that some eddies pinch off and advect offshore (westward), with the scale of disturbances increasing gradually. Typical eddy scale and its westward propagation speed are ∼100 km and ∼0.6 km day⁻¹, respectively, which are consistent with the observations by satellites. The westward propagation can be explained partly due to nonlinear effect of self-offshore advection and partly due to the β-effect. With the inclusion of the upper ocean restoring, the dominance of anticyclonic eddy, extending from surface to a depth of ∼1200 m, can be reproduced.     

海洋中地形强迫的孤立涡旋的演变及其相互作用

建立了一个描述中尺度涡的新的非线性方程,然后利用变分原理研究了孤立涡旋的Liapunov稳定性,指出反气旋和气旋涡都是稳定的。数值计算结果发现在β效应的作用下这些涡旋都向西移动而不存在向南的移动,然而在反气旋涡的上游存在一个孤立地形(例如海山)的话,孤立地形会使反气旋涡向南移动,而且移动的轨迹取决于孤立地形的位置。当两个反气旋涡同时存在并发生相互作用时,上游孤立地形使这两个反气旋涡产生弱合并并出现弱分离。而且孤立地形的位置对这两个涡的移动和旋转有重要影响。