Air—Surface Turbulent Heat Exchange in the Antarctic Coastal Zone Derived from Instrumental Observations

The results of direct measurements of turbulent fluxes at Bellingshausen station (the Antarctic) in the summer of 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2009 are considered. The features of energy exchange are studied for these seasons. The interannual and intraseasonal variability of energy exchange characteristics is investigated. It is found that heat fluxes depend on the surface state and on the wind direction. Also, as a rule, they have a clear diurnal course with negative or near-zero values at night and with positive values in the daytime, when intensive convective fluxes are observed over open ground. The momentum flux is defined by the wind direction and wind speed and by stratification conditions. The main factors affecting energy exchange between the atmosphere and the surface in the Antarctic coastal zone are synoptic conditions and the surface state (snowless season duration and moss cover presence).     

Experience of Studying the Turbulent Structure of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The growing relevance of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for studying turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is associated with...     

Regional features of long-term variability of the Black Sea surface temperature

The regional features oflong-term variability ofsea surface temperature (SST) in the Black Sea are analyzed using the satellite data for 1982-2014. It is demonstrated that the maximum intraannual and interannual variability of SST is registered on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea. The high level of interannual variability of SST and maximum linear trends are observed in the northeastern part of the sea. The qualitative connection is revealed between the long-term variability of SST and the variations in the intensity of the Black Sea Rim Current in the long-term seasonal cycle. An increase in the level of interannual variability of SST is observed in summer, when the Black Sea Rim Current weakens. The significant negative correlation is revealed between the interannual anomalies of SST and the NAO index. The highest correlation coefficients are obtained for the eastern part of the Black Sea and near the Crimean coast.     

Structure and kinematics of waters in the region of the Argentine Islands in the autumn of 1998

On the basis of the data of the complex oceanographic experiment carried out in the course of the second Ukrainian Antarctic expedition in March 1998, we study the structure and kinematics of waters in the region of the archipelago of Argentine Islands. The regularities of thermohaline stratification of waters are discovered. We determine the most important environmental parameters premoting the variability of hydrophysical fields on time scales varying from several days up to a week, analyse the data of actual observations over the currents, and estimate the relative contribtions of diurnal and semidiurnal tidal waves to the total dispersion of hydrophysical parameters of the environment. The residual currents are filtered out. We propose a hypothesis about the mechanism of their formation. Various types of tidal currents are revealed and the directions of propagation of diurnal and semidiurnal tidal waves are determined. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

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.     

Large-Scale Structure of Thermal Fronts in the East Part of the Tropical Atlantic and Their Seasonal Variability

On the basis of the climatic array of hydrological annual and monthly average data on temperature and the data of satellite observations of the surface temperature of the ocean, we refine the annual average structure of the temperature fronts and study their seasonal variability in the east part of the Tropical Atlantic in the meridional sections made along 30, 20, and 10°W, 0°, and 10°E. It is shown that the maximum intensity and seasonal variations are typical of the North Subequatorial and South Tropical Fronts varying with predominant annual period. We revealed a delay of 2–3 months in the attainment of the maximum intensity of the South Tropical and South Subequatorial Fronts in the west-east direction. Various mechanisms specifying the seasonal variability of the surface and subsurface North and South Subequatorial Fronts are discussed. There exists good agreement between the specific features of the seasonal variability of characteristics of the fronts established according to the hydrological and satellite data. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 46–59, March–April, 2005.