A Zonal Pathway for NADW in the South Atlantic

Several large deployments of neutrally buoyant floats took place within the Antarctic Intermediate (AAIW), North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), and the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) of the South Atlantic in the 1990s and a number of hydrographic sections were occupied as well. Here we use the spatially and temporally averaged velocities measured by these floats, combined with the hydrographic section data and various estimates of regional current transports from moored current meter arrays, to determine the circulation of the three major subthermocline water masses in a zonal strip across the South Atlantic between the latitudes of 19°S and 30°S. We concentrate on this region because the historical literature suggests that it is where the Deep Western Boundary Current containing NADW bifurcates. In support of this notion, we find that a net of about 5 Sv. of the 15–20 Sv that crosses 19°S does continue zonally eastward at least as far as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Once across the ridge it takes a circuit to the north along the ridge flanks before returning to the south in the eastern half of the Angola Basin. The data suggest that the NADW then continues on into the Indian Ocean. This scheme is discussed in the context of distributions of dissolved oxygen, silicate and salinity. In spite of the many float-years of data that were collected in the region a surprising result is that their impact on the computed solutions is quite modest. Although the focus is on the NADW we also discuss the circulation for the AAIW and AABW layers.     

Anomalous change of the Antarctic sea ice and global sea level change

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Circulation and Brackish Water Dispersal in a Coastal Lagoon of Southwest Taiwan

Modest observations and numerical experiments were conducted to investigate circulation and brackish water dispersal in a coastal lagoon southwest of Taiwan. The Chi-Ku Lagoon, partially shielded from the sea by a string of sandbar barriers with two entrances among them, receives modest and episodic runoff from Chi-Ku Stream. Flood and ebb tidal streams entering and leaving the two entrances are found to converge and diverge in a flow stagnation area inside the lagoon. Under weak wind conditions, brackish water is preferentially retained in the flow stagnation area. Besides the observations, scenario runs using a three-dimensional numerical model also indicate strong modulation by monsoon winds. Both summer southwest monsoon and winter northeast monsoon reduce brackish water retention; the latter is found to be more effective. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Numerical study of the summer temperature decrease induced by the enhancement of estuarine circulation in Fukuoka Bay

The Princeton Ocean Model with realistic bottom topography has been used to investigate the summer temperature decrease in the past 25 years in Fukuoka Bay. The vertical mixing of the model is expressed by a scheme that effectively includes the influences of interannual variations of tidal currents and wind. The results show that the historical temperature decrease in summer has been caused by tidal currents and wind weakening in the past 25 years in Fukuoka Bay. The weakening of tidal currents and wind gives rise to weakening of the vertical mixing, and to enhancement of the estuarine circulation in the bay. The enhancement of the estuarine circulation activates the inflow of open-ocean water toward Fukuoka Bay. Coastal water in summer has therefore tended to be colder and more saline in the past 25 years. This interannual variation in coastal waters is called “open-oceanization” in this study. On the basis of the numerical model, it is anticipated that the temperature will decrease by 0.2°C in the next 25 years in Fukuoka Bay if the tide and wind weaken persistently as in the present bay.     

Application of a two-dimensional depth-averaged hydrodynamic tidal model

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model application to the San Francisco Bay was performed using the Boundary-Fitted HYDROdynamic model (BFHYDRO). The model forcing functions consist of tidal elevations along the open boundary and fresh water flows from the Delta Outflow. The model-predicted surface elevations compare well with the observed surface elevations at five stations in San Francisco Bay. Mean error in the model predicted surface elevations and currents are less than 7 and 9%, respectively. Correlation coefficients for surface elevations and currents are higher than 0.94 and 0.95, respectively. The amplitudes and phases of the principal tidal constituents at 24 tidal stations in San Francisco Bay, obtained from a harmonic analysis of a 90-day simulation compare well with the observed data. The predicted amplitude and phase of the M₂ tidal constituent at these stations are respectively within 8 cm and 8° of the observed data. Maximum errors in the K₁ harmonic amplitudes and phases are less than 3 cm and 7° respectively. The asymmetric diurnal and semi-diurnal tidal ranges and spring and neap tidal cycles of the surface elevations and currents are well reproduced in the model at all stations.     

Sensitivity of a global ocean model to increased run-off from Greenland

We study the reaction of a global ocean–sea ice model to an increase of fresh water input into the northern North Atlantic under different surface boundary conditions, ranging from simple restoring of surface salinity to the use of an energy balance model (EBM) for the atmosphere. The anomalous fresh water flux is distributed around Greenland, reflecting increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet and increasing fresh water export from the Arctic Ocean. Depending on the type of surface boundary condition, the large circulation reacts with a slow-down of overturning and gyre circulations. Restoring of the total or mean surface salinity prevents a large scale redistribution of the salinity field that is apparent under mixed boundary conditions and with the EBM. The control run under mixed boundary conditions exhibits large and unrealistic oscillations of the meridional overturning. Although the reaction to the fresh water flux anomaly is similar to the response with the EBM, mixed boundary conditions must thus be considered unreliable. With the EBM, the waters in the deep western boundary current initially become saltier and a new fresh water mass forms in the north-eastern North Atlantic in response to the fresh water flux anomaly around Greenland. After an accumulation period of several decades duration, this new North East Atlantic Intermediate Water spreads towards the western boundary and opens a new southward pathway at intermediate depths along the western boundary for the fresh waters of high northern latitudes.     

0516号热带风暴过程分析

利用气象海洋数据资料和卫星遥感图片,分析研究了2005年第16号热带气旋"韦森特"(VICENTE)的特征,从最先的初始扰动到自身环流的分裂发展重组过程,以至当时周围相对应的大气环流,发现该热带气旋活动过程具有很多特性。对其移动过程进行的综合分析表明,只要存在合适距离等一定有利的条件,弱的两个涡旋之间完全可以发生强的作用力,高空辐散场的抽气作用对气旋的发展有极好的作用,所得的结论可对今后的预报提供一些启示和参考。     

珠江河口西南风强迫下潮流场的数值模拟

采用Backhaus三维斜压模型模拟了均匀西南风场对珠江口近岸海域的影响，并与无风情况作了对比；通过对珠江河口盐度场及风生环流的分析比较，结果表明，模型较为真实地再现了夏季珠江河口的水动力学特性。     

渤、黄、东海夏季环流的三维斜压模型

基于拉格朗日时均观点描述环流，建立起潮流与准定常流共同占优势系统中的陆浅海环流模型，并诊断计算了夏季渤、黄、东海的三维环流图。模拟结果较好地再现了渤、黄、东海主要流系的特征。对照冬季结果，对渤、黄、东海环流的季节变化做了阐述。从环流垂向分量的分布图上，可发现渐闽近海、长江口外存在较明显的上升流区。另外，对夏季渤、黄、东海的热盐环流和潮致余流分别进行了模拟，发现它们均能在黄海构成一逆时针向的五流系统，这对形成和维持夏季黄海冷水团的存在有重要作用。热盐环流的模拟结果表明，黄海冷水团环流含有“热成流”的成分；通过Lagrange余流的计算发现环绕黄河冷水团的环流还含有“潮成流”的成分。