A real-time, event-triggered storm surge forecasting system for the state of North Carolina

A new real-time, event-triggered storm surge prediction system has been developed for the State of North Carolina to assist emergency managers, policy-makers and other government officials with evacuation planning, decision-making and resource deployment during tropical storm landfall and flood inundation events. The North Carolina Forecast System (NCFS) was designed and built to provide a rapid response assessment of hurricane threat, accomplished by driving a high-resolution, two-dimensional, depth-integrated version of the ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) coastal ocean model with winds from a synthetic asymmetric gradient wind vortex. These parametric winds, calculated at exact finite-element mesh node locations and directly coupled to the ocean model at every time step, are generated from National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast advisories the moment they are inserted into the real-time weather data stream, maximizing the number of hours of forecast utility. Tidal harmonic constituents are prescribed at the open water boundaries and applied as tidal potentials in the interior of the ocean model domain. A directional surface roughness parameterization that modulates the wind speed at a given location based on the types of land cover encountered upwind, a forest canopy sheltering effect, and a spatially varying distribution of Manning’s–n friction coefficient used for computing the bottom/channel bed friction are also included in the storm surge model. Comparisons of the simulated wind speeds and phases against their real meteorological counterparts, of model elevations against actual sea surface elevations measured by NOAA tide gauges along the NC coast, and of simulated depth-averaged current velocities against Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data, indicate that this new system produces remarkably realistic predictions of winds and storm surge.     

南大洋淡水强迫对南半球环状模的影响分析

南半球环状模是南半球热带外大气环流变异的主导模态,对南半球海洋—大气—海冰耦合系统有重要的影响。冰川融化激发的淡水强迫是南大洋的一种重要外强迫。在历史气候记录中,南大洋淡水通量异常曾引发数次全球性气候异常事件。基于海—气完全耦合模式FOAM,在60°S以南的海洋中施加强度为1.0 Sv的理想化淡水通量异常,分析南半球环状模的响应。结果表明：南大洋淡水通量异常可使局地西风增强,且西风的增强在垂向各个层次上均有体现。西风强度的变化导致对流层中大气斜压性增强,平流层中大气斜压性减弱。此外,淡水强迫使环状模的年际变率振幅显著减弱,而年代际变率开始增强,谱能量的变化具有垂向一致性。海温和海冰等外强迫因子的变化对环状模年代际振幅的增强具有重要意义。     

Simulation of wind-induced near-inertial oscillations in a mixed layer near the east coast of Korea in the East/Japan Sea

Using a simple damped slab model,it was possible to show that a local wind induced 88%(15 of 17)of the near-inertial oscillations(NIO)observed in the mixed layer near the east coast of Korea from 1999 to 2004.The model,however,overestimated the energy level in about two-thirds of the simulated cases,because the slab model was forced with winds whose characteristic period was shorter than the damping time scale of the model at 1.5 d.At the observation site,due to typhoons and orographic effects,high-frequency wind forcing is quite common,as is the overestimation of the energy level in the slab model results.In short,a simple slab model with a damping time-scale of about 1.5 d would be enough to show that the local wind was the main energy source of the near-inertial energy in this area,but the model could not be used to accurately estimate the amount of the work done by the wind to the mixed layer.     

Radiative forcing over China due to albedo change caused by land cover change during 1990–2010

Land cover change affects surface radiation budget and energy balance by chang- ing surface albedo and further impacts the regional and global climate. In this article, high spatial and temporal resolution satellite products were used to analyze the driving mechanism for surface albedo change caused by land cover change during 1990-2010. In addition, the annual-scale radiative forcing caused by surface albedo changes in China＇s 50 ecological regions were calculated to reveal the biophysical mechanisms of land cover change affecting climate change at regional scale. Our results showed that the national land cover changes were mainly caused by land reclamation, grassland desertification and urbanization in past 20 years, which were almost induced by anthropogenic activities. Grassland and forest area decreased by 0.60% and 0.11%, respectively. The area of urban and farmland increased by 0.60% and 0.19%, respectively. The mean radiative forcing caused by land cover changes during 1990-2010 was 0.062 W/m2 in China, indicating a warming climate effect. However, spatial heterogeneity of radiative forcing was huge among different ecological regions. Farmland conversing to urban construction land, the main type of land cover change for the urban and suburban agricultural ecological region in Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region, caused an albedo reduction by 0.00456 and a maximum positive radiative forcing of 0.863 WIm2, which was presented as warming climate effects. Grassland and forest conversing to farmland, the main type of land cover change for the temperate humid agricultural and wetland ecological region in Sanjiang Plain, caused an albedo increase by 0.00152 and a maximum negative radiative forcing of 0.184 W/m2, implying cooling climate effects.     

热带大气对单一型赤道非对称热源的响应

本文采用Gill模式得到了热带大气对单一型赤道非对称热源响应的理论解析通解,从理论上完善了单一型赤道非对称热源激发的赤道非对称的大气响应结果。同时在单一型赤道非对称热源的位置、强度及范围变化对大气响应的影响方面做了详细的研究。当热源中心位置北移,北半球气旋强度增加、位置北移,同时赤道辐合气流减弱而越赤道气流增强;当热源强度增强(减弱),热源激发的大气响应整体增强(减弱),但大气分布型不发生变化;当热源范围不断增大(减小)时,北半球气旋强度增强(减弱)、位置西移(东移)、范围增大(减小),同时越赤道气流增强(减弱)。将上述结论应用于分析孟加拉湾地区海温对夏季风爆发影响的研究,指出当孟加拉湾地区经向最大暖海温位于赤道附近时,其两侧表现为Rossby波响应的Gill型气旋环流,而海温暖轴北移后,其南侧激发出有利于季风爆发的越赤道气流,这是Rossby重力混合波对热源响应的结果。这是上述理论结果的一个很好例证,同时也为孟加拉湾夏季风的爆发给出一种动力学解释。     

不同辐射背景下大西洋热盐环流下沉区混合层深度变化

基于政府间气候变化专门委员会(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,IPCC)4种最新辐射强迫情景,利用ECHAM5/MPI-OM(European Centre Hamburg Model 5/Max Planck Institute Ocean Model)气候模式输出的1850—2300年逐月混合层深度、海表面温度、海表面盐度数据,分析大西洋热盐环流下沉区混合层深度的变化情况。结果表明:随辐射强迫增加,热盐环流下沉区混合层深度下降,混合层深度振荡周期在格陵兰-冰岛-挪威海(Greenland Sea–Iceland Sea–Norwegian Sea,GIN)海域减小,在拉布拉多海(Labrador Sea,LAB)海域变化不大;与GIN海域相比,LAB海域混合层深度对辐射强迫变化更敏感;两海区温度对混合层深度的影响时间较长,混合层深度对盐度的变化反应迅速;混合层深度变化的主导因素在LAB海域中为盐度,而在GIN海域,低辐射强迫下温度主导混合层深度变化,中高辐射强迫下温度与盐度共同起主导作用。     

Late Holocene monsoon climate as evidenced by proxy records from a lacustrine sediment sequence in western Guangdong,South China

The study of a 300-cm-thick exposed lacustrine sediment section in the Hedong village in Zhaoqing area which is located in sub-tropical west Guangdong Province in South China, demonstrates that the lacustrine sedimentary sequence possibly contains evidence for exploring variation of Asian monsoon climate. Multi-proxy records, including the humification intensity, total organic carbon, and grain size fractions, reveal a general trend towards dry and cold conditions in the late Holocene that this is because of a decrease in solar insolation on an orbital scale. Three intensified Asian summer monsoon (ASM) intervals (∼3300–3000 cal yr BP, ∼2600–1600 cal yr BP, and ∼900–600 cal yr BP), and three weakened ASM intervals (∼4000–3300 cal yr BP, ∼3000–2600 cal yr BP, and ∼1600–900 cal yr BP) are identified. Our humification record (HD_cal) shows a good correlation on multi-centennial scale with the tree ring Δ¹⁴C record, a proxy of solar activity. A spectral analysis of HD_cal reveals four significant cycles, i.e., ∼1250 yr, 300 yr, 110 yr, and 70 yr, and most of these cycles are related to the solar activity. Our findings indicate that solar output and oceanic–atmospheric circulation probably have influenced the late Holocene climate variability in the study region.     

Bayesian modelling the retreat of the Irish Sea Ice Stream

We present an 8000‐year history spanning 650 km of ice margin retreat for the largest marine‐terminating ice stream draining the former British–Irish Ice Sheet. Bayesian modelling of the geochronological data shows the ISIS expanded 34.0–25.3 ka, accelerating into the Celtic Sea to reach maximum limits 25.3–24.5 ka before a collapse with rapid marginal retreat to the northern Irish Sea Basin (ISB). This retreat was rapid and driven by climatic warming, sea‐level rise, mega‐tidal amplitudes and reactivation of meridional circulation in the North Atlantic. The retreat, though rapid, is uneven, with the stepped retreat pattern possibly a function of the passage of the ice stream between normal and adverse ice bed gradients and changing ice stream geometry. Initially, wide calving margins and adverse slopes encouraged rapid retreat (～550 m a^?1) that slowed (～100 m a^?1) at the topographic constriction and bathymetric high between southern Ireland and Wales before rates increased (～200 m a^?1) across adverse bed slopes and wider and deeper basin configuration in the northern ISB. These data point to the importance of the ice bed slope and lateral extent in predicting the longer‐term (>1000 a) patterns and rates of ice‐marginal retreat during phases of rapid collapse, which has implications for the modelling of projected rapid retreat of present‐day ice streams. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ERA-Interim和CMFD气象驱动数据在新疆额尔齐斯河流域的适用性评价

气象驱动数据质量是影响流域水文过程模拟精度的一个重要因素。基于新疆额尔齐斯河流域及周边区域8个气象站记录的数据,对ERA-Interim再分析资料和中国区域地面气象要素驱动数据集（CMFD）在流域的适用性进行了评价,并对比了ERA-Interim和CMFD气象要素年均值在流域的空间分布。结果表明：ERA-Interim和CMFD记录气温、相对湿度、向下短波辐射和向下长波辐射数据与观测数据具有较高的一致性,但降水和风速数据与观测数据的一致性比较差。小时尺度上ERA-Interim记录的气温、相对湿度、降水量、向下短波辐射准确度略高于CMFD数据,而日尺度上CMFD记录的所有气象要素的准确度均高于ERA-Interim数据,结合Noah-MP模型的模拟结果,认为CMFD数据在新疆额尔齐斯河流域的适用性整体优于ERA-Interim数据。从两种驱动数据获取的流域气象要素空间分布来看,ERA-Interim和CMFD获取的年平均气温、风速、相对湿度、降水量、向下长波辐射在流域空间具有高度一致性,但向下短波辐射空间分布差别较大。