Recent changes of the thermohaline circulation in the subpolar North Atlantic

Time series of hydrographic sections in the northern North Atlantic from the period 1990 to 2004 are analyzed for changes in the characteristics and distribution of water masses that are involved in the thermohaline circulation (THC). During the 1990s, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) alternates from a positive phase (strong westerlies) to a negative phase (weak westerlies). The reduced ocean heat loss confined the convection in the Labrador Sea to the upper 1,200 m, generating a new salinity minimum layer characterizing the Upper Labrador Sea Water (ULSW), and led to a warming and salinization of the older LSW below due to lateral mixing. The Lower LSW, formed in the first half of the 1990s, spread in the subpolar gyre and reached the Newfoundland and Irminger basins after about 1 to 2 years, where the associated isopycnal doming contributed to eastward frontal shifts in the upper layer. After 5 and 6 years, it arrived in the Iceland and West European basins, respectively. The collapse of the isopycnal dome in the Labrador Sea, associated with the drainage of the Lower LSW, resulted in a slowing of the cyclonic circulation of the subpolar gyre. This was accompanied in the upper layer by a westward shift of the southeastern extension of the gyre and a northward advection of warm and saline subtropical water in its eastern part, which finally reached the Labrador Sea after about 7 years. In the upper layer of the Labrador Sea, the advection of warm and saline water dominated over the heat loss to the atmosphere and the freshwater gain from melting ice and precipitation in the NAO-low period, so that no accumulation of freshwater but an increase of the heat and salt contents were observed, as in the whole eastern part of the subpolar gyre. Within 1 to 2 years after the drop of the NAO in the winter of 1995/1996, the Subarctic (Subpolar) Front shifted northward and westward north of about 50°N, favored by the retreat of the low-salinity tongue extending eastward from the southern Labrador Sea, and it shifted southward and eastward in the Newfoundland Basin. Therefore, the enhanced northward advection of subtropical waters in the northeastern North Atlantic is balanced by the enhanced southward advection of subarctic waters, including Lower LSW in the Newfoundland Basin, indicating a strong response of the gyre component of the THC.     

Water exchange between the subpolar and subtropical North Pacific in an OGCM

The water exchange between the subpolar and subtropical gyres of the North Pacific is demonstrated by the simulation of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) using an ocean general circulation model. The simulated CFC concentration in the North Pacific is in good agreement with observations. The water exchange is clearly illustrated by the tongues of CFC concentration. The subpolar waters with high CFC are transported southward into the eastern subtropical gyre, whereas the subtropical waters with low CFC are transported northward into the western subpolar gyre. The simulated exchange transport along 42°N in the layer of σθ< 26.8 indicates that the northward mass transport is about 15 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3·s-1) west of 165°E, and about 5 Sv between 175°W and 150°W. The southward mass transport is about 5 Sv between 165°E and 175°W, and about 2 Sv east of 150°W.     

Oceanic thermal structure in the western Canadian Arctic

Recent hydrographic data (1981–1982) from the western Canadian Arctic Archipelago and adjacent areas of the Arctic Ocean are interpreted from the viewpoint of thermal energy transfer. Within the Archipelago, a warmer halocline than in the Arctic Ocean and a cooler Atlantic layer are identified. The warmer halocline is a consequence of the continued diffusion of heat from underlying Atlantic water without a significant downward penetration from the surface of cold (≤1.5°C) seawater with salinity increased consequent to ice growth. The cooler Atlantic layer is primarily attributable to an enhanced cooling of these waters in a narrow band over the continental slope and shelf of the southern Beaufort Sea prior to their inflow into the Archipelago. Rates of transport and vertical diffusion in this region are estimated. The significance of these findings in regional and Arctic oceanography is discussed.     

Heat transport variation due to change of North Pacific subtropical gyre interior flow during 1993–2012

Applying segment-wise altimetry-based gravest empirical mode method to expendable bathythermograph temperature, Argo salinity, and altimetric sea surface height data in March, June, and November from San Francisco to near Japan (30^° N, 145^° E) via Honolulu, we estimated the component of the heat transport variation caused by change in the southward interior geostrophic flow of the North Pacific subtropical gyre in the top 700 m layer during 1993–2012. The volume transport-weighted temperature (T_I) is strongly dependent on the season. The anomaly of T_I from the mean seasonal variation, whose standard deviation is 0.14^°C, was revealed to be caused mainly by change in the volume transport in a potential density layer of 25.0?25.5σ_??. The anomaly of T_I was observed to vary on a decadal or shorter, i.e., quasi-decadal (QD), timescale. The QD-scale variation of T_I had peaks in 1998 and 2007, equivalent to the reduction in the net heat transport by 6 and 10 TW, respectively, approximately 1 year before those of sea surface temperature (SST) in the warm pool region, east of the Philippines. This suggests that variation in T_I affects the warm pool SST through modification of the heat balance owing to the entrainment of southward transported water into the mixed layer.     

226Ra and210Pb in the Weddell Sea

²²⁶Ra and²¹⁰Pb were measured in sections and profiles collected in the Weddell Sea during the International Weddell Sea Oceanographic Expedition in 1973. The results can be correlated with the circulation and mixing schemes deduced from hydrographic observations. Along the surface cyclonic gyre the Ra activities are fairly uniform at about 17 dpm/100 kg, quite similar to those of the Circumpolar surface water south of the Antarctic Convergence. The²¹⁰Pb activities in the northern flank of the gyre, probably influenced by the high²¹⁰Pb-bearing Circumpolar Deep Water in the north, are as high as 12 dpm/100 kg. At the central gyre and its southern flank, the surface water²¹⁰Pb activities are about 7 dpm/100 kg. The warmer surface water at the central gyre has a Ra activity of about 19 dpm/100 kg, slightly higher than the colder surface water at the flanks. Thus lower²¹⁰Pb/²²⁶Ra activity ratios are observed in the central gyre, and higher ratios in its flanks. Similar relationships between Ra and Pb are noted in the Weddell Sea Bottom Water (WSBW): lower Pb associated with higher Ra in the center; higher Pb with slightly lower Ra in the flanks.Vertical profiles along the cyclonic gyre show lower Ra and Pb activities in the southwestern Weddell Basin where lower temperature and lower silicate are observed. Similar to Ba, both Ra and Si are non-conservative in the Weddell Sea, with significant input from the bottom sediments and particulate dissolution during subsurface mixing.Each water mass or type in the Weddell Sea is well characterized by its Ra content, but not well by its Pb content. Ra and Si are crudely correlated with a slope of about 7 × 10^?4 dpm Ra per μmole of Si. The fact that the WSBW values fall on the slope suggests that the net input rate for Ra (corrected for the decay rate) is proportional to that of Si. The linear extrapolation to zero Si gives a Ra value of 13 dpm/100 kg. These relationships are quite similar to those observed in the Circumpolar waters.     

Physical and chemical variability of the Baltic Sea: a joint experiment in the Gotland Basin

An area of 25 × 30 nmi with a subarea of 20 × 20 nmi in the Baltic Sea Gotland Basin was surveyed for about one month by vertical CTD and fluorometric chlorophyll a casts, and by towed profiles with a chemical profiler (nutrients, CTD, O₂, pH) and an undulating CTD. Autonomous current meter data were available for the same period.Five CTD surveys with a 5-mile spacing showed the existence of synoptic eddies and several other perturbations. A first mode eddy (with all the isopycnals lifted within the halocline) had reduced salinities in the upper layer and chlorophyll concentrations were reduced by 2 to 3-fold. A second mode eddy (with the isopycnals lifted in the top of the halocline and lowered in the bottom layers) with a diameter of 20 km was under prolonged observation. Anticyclonic currents at 96-m depth were up to 25 cm s^?1. Along the section across the eddy at 80-m depth, the mean nitrate concentration dropped from about 7 to 8 to 5 μmol dm^?3 while other chemical parameters lacked intense variations. An increased activity of the intrusive fine-structure was detected in the eddy center. The Baltic eddies are essentially non-linear, and transport water in their ‘nuclei’. An internal front, separating waters with different T,S composition, was discovered in the upper layers.The observations are discussed with respect to discovering long-term trends while monitoring the Baltic environment.     

A dynamically consistent analysis of circulation and transports in the southwestern Weddell Sea

An inverse model is applied for the analysis of hydrographic and current meter data collected on the repeat WOCE section SR4 in the Weddell Sea in 1989–1992. The section crosses the Weddell Sea cyclonic gyre from Kapp Norvegia to the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. The concepts of geostrophy, conservation of planetary vorticity and hydrostatics are combined with advective balances of active and passive properties to provide a dynamically consistent circulation pattern. Our variational assimilation scheme allows the calculation of three-dimensional velocities in the section plane. Current speeds are small except along the coasts where they reach up to 12 cm/s. We diagnose a gyre transport of 34 Sverdrup which is associated with a poleward heat transport of 28 × 10¹² W corresponding to an average heat flux of 15 Wm^–2 in the Weddell Sea south of the transect. This exceeds the estimated local flux on the transect of 2 Wm^–2. As the transect is located mostly in the open ocean, we conclude that the shelf areas contribute significantly to the ocean-atmosphere exchange and are consequently key areas for the contribution of the Weddell Sea to global ocean ventilation. Conversion of water masses occuring south of the section transform 6.6 ± 1.1 Sv of the inflowing warm deep water into approximately equal amounts of Weddell Sea deep water and Weddell Sea bottom water. The volume transport of surface water equals in the in-and outflow. This means that almost all newly formed surface water is involved in the deep and bottom water formation. Comparison with the results obtained by pure velocity interpolation combined with a hydrographic data subset indicates major differences in the derived salt transports and the water mass conversion of the surface water. The differences can be explained by deviations in the structure of the upper ocean currents to which shelf areas contribute significantly. Additionally a rigorous variance analysis is performed. When only hydrographic data are used for the inversion both the gyre transport and the poleward heat transport are substantially lower. They amount to less than 40% of our best estimate while the standard deviations of both quantities are 6.5 Sv and 37 × 10¹² W, respectively. With the help of long-term current meter measurements these errors can be reduced to 2 Sv and 8 × 10¹² W. Our result underlines the importance of velocity data or equivalent information that helps to estimate the absolute velocities.     

Strong tidal currents over two shallow banks in the western subarctic Pacific

The south-flowing waters of the Kamchatka and Oyashio currents are key components of the western subarctic Pacific gyre. The dissipation of tidal energy in shallow and coastal regions of these currents and the attendant mixing are the important processes that affect the upper layer temperature and salinity. Examples of the impact of tidal currents on water temperature and salinity are the persistent tide-driven mixing around the Kashevarov and Kruzenshtern banks. The Kruzenshtern Bank is a shallow submarine bank stretching along the eastern continental slope of the Kuril Islands with the minimum depth of 86 m. Surface drifters observations are used to determine the characteristics of tidal currents and the circulation over these banks. New software that allows more versatility in the harmonic analysis is used for drifter’s data. The two banks have similar features. The variations in current velocities are dominated by the diurnal signals. The K₁ and O₁ tidal ellipses over the banks are the largest and clockwise. The enhanced tidal currents suggest that the formation of cold and saline water in summer is due to mixing of water column over the banks with intermediate waters. Variations of tidal ellipses over the bank may explain the formation of polynya at the western end of the Kashevarov Bank. We found that the 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle is a significant characteristic of salinity variation at the temperature minimum in the eddies eastward of the Boussole Strait over the period 1990–2015.     

A source-Sink laboratory model of the ocean circulation

Abstract

A two gyre circulation and inertial western boundary currents have been observed in a sloping bottom laboratory model of a barotropic ocean circulation. Water of viscosity v is contained in a rotating (angular velocity ω), square basin of side L (30 cm) with a flat top and a bottom slope (tan θ) such that the depth (H) varies from 12 to 15 cm. The flow is driven by a distributed source and sink at the upper surface, a plate drilled with 342 holes. The hole distribution and size is arranged so that the average imposed vertical velocity, w = w ₀ sin (2πy′/30), models the Ekman divergence from a two gyre zonal wind stress. Fluid flow is observed with the thymol blue technique over the ranges of Rossby numbers (w ₀/2ωL tan θ) from 1.44 × 10^?3 to 1.41 × 10^?2 and Ekman numbers (v/2ωH ²) from 2.13 × 10^?5 to 2.10 × 10^?3. At the largest Rossby numbers the flow pattern changes markedly, but the non-uniformity of the imposed vertical velocity also penetrates deep into the fluid in this regime.     

Annual variation of sea surface height,dynamic topography and circulation in the South China Sea

TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimetry data from 1993 to 1999 were used to study mean annual variation of sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) in the South China Sea (SCS) and to reproduce its climatological monthly surface dynamic topography in conjunction with historical hydrographic data. The characters and rules of seasonal evolution of the SCS dynamic topography and its upper circulation were then discussed. Analyses indicate that annual variation of the SCS large-scale circulation could be divided into four major phases. In winter (from November to February), the SCS circulation is mainly controlled by double cyclonic gyres with domination of the northern gyre. Other corresponding features include the Kuroshio intrusion from the Luzon Strait and the northeastward off-shelf current in the area northwest off Kalimantan Island. The double gyre structure disassembled in spring (from March to April) when the northern gyre remains cyclonic, the southern gyre becomes anticyclonic, and the general circulation pattern shows a dipole. There is no obvious large-scale closed gyre inside the SCS basin in both summer (from May to July) and autumn (from August to October) when the SCS Monsoon Jet dominates the circulation, which flows northeastward across the SCS. Even so, circulation patterns of these two phases diverse significantly. From May to July, the SCS monsoon jet flows northward near the Vietnam coast and bends eastward along the topography southeast off Hainan Island at about 18°N forming an anticyclonic turn. It then turns northeastward after crossing the SCS. From August to October, however, the monsoon Jet leaves the coast of Vietnam and enters interior of the basin at about 13°N, and the general circulation pattern becomes cyclonic. The Kuroshio intrusion was not obvious in spring, summer and autumn. It is suggested from these observations that dynamic adjustment of the SCS circulation starts right after the peak period of the prevailing monsoon.     

The preliminary interpretation of deep seismic sounding in western Yunnan

The preliminary interpretation of Project western Yunnan 86–87 is presented here. It shows that there obviously exists lateral velocity heterogeneity from south to north in western Yunnan. The depth of Moho increases from 38 km in the southern end of the profile to 58 km in its northern end. The mean crustal velocity is low in the south, and high in the north, about 6.17–6.45 km/s. The consolidated crust is a 3-layer structure respectively, the upper, middle and lower layer. P ₁ ⁰ is a weak interface the upper crust, P ₂ ⁰ and P ₃ ⁰ are the interfaces of middle-upper crust and middle-lower crust respectively. Another weak interface P ₃ ^0′ can be locally traced in the interior of the lower crust. Interface Pg is 0–6 km deep, interface P ₁ ⁰ 9.2–16.5 km deep, and interfaces P ₂ ⁰ and P ₃ ⁰ respectively 17.0–26.5 km, 25.0–38.0 km deep. The velocity of the upper crust gradually increases from the south to the north, and reaches its maxmium between Nangaozhai and Zhiti, where the velocity of basement plane reaches 6.25–6.35 km/s, then it becomes small northward. The velocity of the middle crust varies little, the middle crust is a low velocity layer with the velocity of 6.30 km/s from Jinhe-Erhai fault to the north. The lower crust is a strong gradient layer. There exists respectively a low velocity layer in the upper mantle between Jinggu and Jingyunqiao, and between Wuliangshan and Lancangjiang fault, the velocity of Pn is only 7.70–7.80 km/s, it is also low to the north of Honghe fault, about 7.80 km/s. Interface P_6/0 can be traced on the top of the upper mantle, its depth is 65 km in the southern end of the profile, and 85 km in the northern end. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,15, 427–440, 1993.     

Long-term inter-annual variability of a cyclonic gyre in the western Irish Sea

The western Irish Sea gyre (WISG) is a cyclonic baroclinic flow around a dome of stagnant water which develops each year during the heating season in the western Irish Sea. Research was carried out to determine long-term changes in the strength of stratification within WISG and associated changes in the gyre structure, circulation patterns and retentive properties. Model simulations were carried out for the 58-year period 1951-2008. The characteristics of the gyre were quantified by means of potential energy anomaly (PEA), measuring the strength of stratification, and total kinetic energy (KE), reflecting the strength of cyclonic circulation. Additionally, long-term changes in flushing rates within the gyre were assessed.Results show that stratification in the western Irish Sea consistently begins to develop in March, increases linearly from April till June, peaks at the beginning of July and remains at close to maximum level throughout the month of July, before a start of a sharp decline at the beginning of August. The strength of stratification is significantly correlated with averaged summer air temperatures and summer wind speeds. Trend analysis of PEA shows an increase in the stratification strength over the period considered; the increase of PEA peak value is accompanied by a shortening of the gyre duration and a delay in the timing of the peak value. There is also an increasing trend in the KE value, showing that the thermal stratification plays a crucial role in the hydrography of the region. Flushing analysis shows that the stronger the stratification the lower the residence time and thus the faster the removal of the material from the western Irish Sea. Residence time within WISG shortens on average by 8 days over the 58-year period.     

Changes in the Dead Sea Level and their Impacts on the Surrounding Groundwater Bodies

In this paper the reaction of the salt‐/freshwater interface due to the changes in the Dead Sea level are elaborated at in details by using the inflows into the Dead Sea, the outflows due to evaporation losses and artificial discharges, and the hydrographic registrations of the Dead Sea level. The analyses show that the interface seaward migration resulted in a groundwater discharge of around 423 Mio m³ per meter drop in the level of the Dead Sea in the period 1994–1998 and of around 525 Mio m³/m in the period 1930–1937. The additional amount of groundwater joining the Dead Sea due to the interface seaward migration was 51 Mio m³ per one square kilometer of shrinkage in the area of the Dead Sea in the period 1930–1937 and 91 Mio m³/km² in the period 1994–1998. The riparian states of the Dead Sea are nowadays loosing 370 Mio m³/a of freshwater to the Dead Sea through the interface readjustment mechanisms as a result of their over exploitation of waters which formerly fed the Dead Sea.     

Manganese in the North Pacific

A quantitative and precise method for determination of dissolved Mn at the nanomole(nmol)/kg level in seawater has been developed and used to study the distribution of Mn in the northeast Pacific. Mn concentrations in the surface mixed layer decrease from 1.0 to 0.6 nmol/kg between the central gyre and the western boundary of the California Current, then increase to values from 2 to 6 nmol/kg near the coastal boundary (in contrast to the distribution of²¹⁰Pb). Particulate Mn in the surface waters accounts for only about 1% of the total.Vertical distributions of Mn are characterized by surface maxima, minima near 300 m, maxima at mid-depth coinciding with the oxygen minimum and the labile nutrient maxima, and concentrations in Pacific bottom waters of approximately 0.2 nmol/kg. The oceanic distribution of Mn appears to be dominated by external inputs superimposed upon overall scavenging which can lead to Mn maxima in (1) the surface waters due to riverine and atmospheric sources; (2) the deep ocean as a result of hydrothermal injection and/or sediment resuspension; and (3) the oxygen minimum region resulting from in-situ breakdown of organic matter, in-situ MnO₂ reduction, and/or advective-diffusive transport of dissolved Mn from anoxic slope sediments.     

Upwelling-triggered near-geostrophic recirculation in an equatorward facing embayment

Underway current velocity profiles were combined with hydrographic profiles at the entrance to Tongoy Bay, an equatorward facing bay in north-central Chile, with the objective of determining its exchange hydrodynamics. To the west, Tongoy Bay is bounded by Lengua de Vaca Point, a ～6 km-long northward protruding peninsula. Observations were obtained during three surveys (April 2005, December 2005, May 2009) along cross-bay transects for at least one full day. During the surveys, winds were upwelling-favorable and displayed diurnal variations. Non-tidal (tidally averaged) flows showed a consistent clockwise or southern hemisphere cyclonic, recirculation during the three surveys. This recirculation was likely part of a cyclonic gyre (10–20 km in diameter), not entirely resolved by the surveys, and formed by flow separation off Lengua de Vaca Point. Estimates of the baroclinic pressure gradient, combined with analytical solutions of density-driven and wind-driven flows, indicated that the recirculation in Tongoy Bay was nearly in geostrophic balance. An ageostrophic contribution to the dynamics was related to frictional effects derived from local upwelling-favorable winds. A linear superposition of the analytically derived density-driven and wind-driven exchange resulted in a flow pattern that resembled the observed net exchange flows at the bay mouth.     

Residual circulation in eastern Long Island Sound: Observed transverse-vertical structure and exchange transport

Residual currents in eastern Long Island Sound (LIS) are investigated using direct velocity measurements from an acoustic Doppler current profiler mounted on a ferry. Circulation at the site has major influence on exchange of water and water-borne materials between LIS and the coastal ocean. Ferry sampling enables sufficient averaging to isolate the residual motion from stronger tidal currents, and captures its spatial structure. Mean along-estuary currents based on about 2 years of sampling reveal a vigorous estuarine exchange circulation (peak 25–30 cm s⁻¹ at depth), with flow eastward out of the estuary in the upper water column of the southern half and inward westward movement strengthening with depth over the central and north section. Application of volume conservation implies there is a strong eastward current out of the estuary in the shallowest 7 m where no measurements were made, as expected for estuarine exchange flow. Water from the Connecticut River, entering LIS on the north shore nearby to the west, does not appear to exit the estuary directly eastward along the north shore unless this occurs wholly in the shallow layer not sampled. Transverse currents have complex structure with generally northward (southward) flow where shallow outward (deep inward) motion occurs. An idealized semi-analytic solution for transverse-vertical structure of along- and across-estuary flow has limited success accounting for observed currents, despite inclusion of bathymetric, frictional, and rotational influences; this suggests the importance in LIS of dynamics it omits, in particular stratification, or does not represent with sufficient realism, such as complex bathymetry. Estimated annual-mean exchange volume transport, based on the better-sampled deep inward component, is 22,700±5000 m³ s⁻¹. This is comparable to previous estimates from some salt budget and hydrographic analyses, and implies advection contributes substantially to the total salt transport, contrary to results of a recent box-model analysis of hydrographic measurements. At seasonal timescales, changes to the transverse-vertical velocity structure are modest, but amplitude variations cause exchange volume transport increases (decreases) to 30,000 m³ s⁻¹ (18,000 m³ s⁻¹) in the summer (winter) months; a power-law dependence of exchange on river flow, as seen in other estuaries, is not supported. Strengthened summer transport is associated with enhanced stratification, suggesting that mixing effects modulate the exchange. To the extent that advection by residual flow contributes to total exchange between LIS and coastal waters, the flushing of materials from LIS should occur substantially faster in summer than in winter.     

Pb in the western Indian Ocean: distribution, disequilibrium, and partitioning between dissolved and particulate phases

²²⁶Ra profiles have been measured in the western Indian Ocean as part of the 1977–1978 Indian Ocean GEOSECS program. These profiles show a general increase in deep and bottom water Ra concentration from the Circumpolar region to the Arabian Sea. A deep Ra maximum which originates in the Arabian Sea and in the Somali basin at about 3000 m depth spreads southward into the Mascarene basin and remains discernible in the Madagascar and Crozet basins. In the western Indian Ocean, the cold Antarctic Bottom Water spreads northward under the possibly southward-flowing deep water, forming a clear benthic front along the Crozet basin across the Southwest Indian Ridge into the Madagascar and Mascarene basins. The Antarctic Bottom Water continues to spread farther north to the Somali basin through the Amirante Passage at 10°S as a western boundary current. The benthic front and other characteristic features in the western Indian Ocean are quite similar to those observed in the western Pacific where the benthic front as a distinctive feature was first described by Craig et al. [15]. Across the Mid-Indian Ridge toward the Ceylon abyssal plain near the triple junction, Ra profiles display a layered structure, reflecting the topographic effect of the mid-ocean ridge system on the mixing and circulation of the deep and bottom waters. Both Ra and Si show a deep maximum north of the Madagascar basin. Linear relationships between these two elements are observed in the deep and bottom water with slopes increasing northward. This suggests a preferential input of Ra over Si from the bottom sediments of the Arabian Sea and also from the flank sediments of the Somali basin.     

Tidally generated internal waves in partially mixed estuaries

The generation of internal waves in the partially mixed estuaries is examined. The numerical experiments consider the barotropic tidal currents interacting with isolated obstacles in an open channel. The bottom boundary layer and longitudinal salinity gradient are included. Internal lee (arrested) waves are excited when the accelerating barotropic tidal current approaches the first-mode internal wave speed. The arrested waves are amplified, and are subsequently released when the decelerating tidal current falls below the first-mode internal wave speed. The power input from the barotropic tidal energy into internal wave energy is calculated. It is on the order of 10⁻² W/m², and is comparable to the estimated interior dissipation rate. This suggests that the tidally generated internal waves could be a significant energy source for mixing in the halocline.     

Estimating fluvial wood discharge using time‐lapse photography with varying sampling intervals

Monitoring large wood (LW: width > 10 cm, length > 1 m) in transport within rivers is a necessary next step in the development and refinement of wood budgets and is essential to a better understanding of basin‐wide controls and patterns of LW flux and loads. Monitoring LW transport with coarse interval (≥ 1 min) time‐lapse photography enables the deployment of monitoring cameras at large spatial and long temporal scales. Although less precise than continuous sampling with video, it allows investigators to answer broad questions about basin connectivity, compare drainages and years,and identify transport relationships and thresholds. This paper describes methods to: (i) construct fluvial wood flux curves; (ii) analyze the effects of sample interval lengths on transport estimates; and (iii) estimate total wood loads within a specified time period using coarse‐interval time‐lapse photography. Applying these methods to the Slave River, a large‐volume (10³ m³ s^‐1), low‐gradient (10^{? 2} m km^{? 1}) river in the subarctic (60^° N), yielded the following results. A threshold relationship for wood mobility was located around 4500 m³ s^‐1. More wood is transported on the rising limb of the hydrograph because wood flux declines rapidly on the falling limb. Five‐ and ten‐minute sampling intervals provided unbiased equal variance estimates of 1 min sampling, whereas 15 min intervals were biased towards underestimation by 5–6%, possibly due to periodicity in wood flux. Total LW loads estimated from the 1 min dataset and adjusted for a 15% misdetection rate from 13 July to 13 August are: 1600 ± 200 # pieces, 600 ± 200 m³ and of the order of 1.3 × 10⁵ kg carbon. The total wood load for the entire summer season is probably at least double this estimate because only the second half of the summer was monitored and a large early summer peak freshet was missed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The seasonal variability of the northern Benguela undercurrent and its relation to the oxygen budget on the shelf

The seasonal variations in the advection and mixing of water masses in the northern Benguela were studied in relation to the oxygen minimum zone over the Namibian shelf. The used data set consists of hydrographic and current measurements from an oceanographic mooring 20 nm off Walvis Bay, monthly CTD transects from the Namibian 23°S monitoring line and recent large-scale hydrographic surveys. The current time series showed an intermittent southward continuation of the Angola Current (AC) through the Angola–Benguela frontal zone (ABFZ) into the northern Benguela, commonly known as poleward undercurrent. In austral summer hypoxic, nutrient rich South Atlantic central water (SACW) from the Angola Gyre is transported into the northern Benguela, whereas during the winter season the oxygen rich Eastern SACW (ESACW) spreads northward. The water mass analysis reveals a mixing between both water masses in the northern Benguela between the ABFZ and the Lüderitz upwelling cell (27°S). The oxygen balance over the Namibian shelf depends to a high extent on the water mass composition of the upper central water layer, controlled by the large scale and local circulation. The deviation of the measured oxygen concentration from its mixing concentration, calculated with the source water mass properties, was used to quantify the oxygen consumption. A new local definition SACW was derived to exclude biogeochemical processes, taking place in the Angola Gyre. The oxygen deficit in the northern Benguela central water amounted to about 60–80 μmol l⁻¹ at the shelf edge and increased up to 150 μmol l⁻¹ on the shelf, due to local oxygen consumption. In the austral summer anoxic bottom waters are observed at the central Namibian shelf, which correlate to an SACW fraction >55%. Periods with high SACW fraction in the water mass composition were congruent with hydrogen sulphide events detected by remote sensing.