Practical Formulas for Intercoupling of Pressure and Depth in the Black Sea

On the basis of the generalization of the concept of standard ocean to the Black Sea, we deduce practical formulas for the conversion of pressure into depth and vice versa depending on the latitude of the place with regard for the equation of state for 1980. The error of these relations for the standard Black Sea (whose salinity is equal to 22.2 at a temperature of +9°C from the surface to the bottom) does not exceed ±0.2m and ±0.2dbar. The difference between the practical and actual depths in winter and summer periods does not exceed ±0.35m for depths varying within range 0–2000m. The proposed practical formulas enable one to simplify the procedure of rapid evaluation of depth (or pressure) in real time by excluding the procedure of integration over a specific volume.     

Analysis of the Variability of the Optical Properties of Water in the Black Sea in Summer 1998 According to the Data of a SeaWiFS Satellite Instrument

We study examples of surveys of the Black Sea performed with the help of a SeaWiFS satellite instrument. It is shown that the results of measurements carried out in spectral channels of 510 and 555nm give information on the basic specific features of the space and time variability of the characteristics of absorption and scattering of light in seawater. The use of a spectral channel of 412nm is inefficient due to the low reliability of the results of the procedure of atmospheric correction performed according to standard algorithms. The results of model calculations demonstrate that the predominant contribution to the absorption of light in the Black Sea in summer is made by the yellow substance.     

On the Mechanism of Decadal Oscillations in the Ocean–Atmosphere System

The aim of the work is to check the hypothesis that quasiperiodic oscillations of meridional heat transport intensified by a positive feedback existing in the ocean–atmosphere system in subtropical regions is one of the principal factors governing the decadal variability of various hydrophysical fields in the North Atlantic. We use a simple three-box model of the North Atlantic with one lower and two upper boxes and meridional circulation for typical parameters of the ocean–atmosphere system. It is assumed that the decadal anomalies of sea-level pressure are proportional to the anomalies of sea-surface temperature. The deduced system of ordinary differential equations for the temperature of the upper two boxes with quadratic nonlinearity and the behavior of the solution in the vicinity of the stationary point are analyzed by using standard procedures for the investigation of linearized equations for small perturbations. It is shown that, for typical parameters of the ocean–atmosphere system, oscillating solutions for the sea-surface temperature with periods of 10–20yr can be realized even without taking salinity into account.     

The relation of surface forcing of the Bering Sea to large-scale climate patterns

Climate fluctuations, or modes, are largely manifested in terms of coherent, large-scale (3000 km) patterns of anomalous sea-level pressure or geopotential height at various altitudes. It is worthwhile to investigate how these modes relate to the specific processes associated with atmospheric forcing of the ocean, in this case for the southeast Bering Sea. This approach has been termed “downscaling.” Climate-scale patterns in this study are derived from covariance-based empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of low-pass filtered (10-day cut-off) 700-mb geopotential height fields for 1958–1999. By design, this EOF analysis elicits sets of patterns for characterizing the variability in the large-scale atmospheric circulation centered on the Bering Sea. Four modes are considered for each of three periods, January–March, April–May, and June–July. These modes are compared with atmospheric circulation patterns formed by compositing 700-mb height anomalies based on the individual elements constituting the local forcing, i.e. the surface heat and momentum fluxes.In general, different aspects of local forcing are associated with different climate modes. In winter, the modes dominating the forcing of sea-ice include considerable interannual variability, but no discernible long-term trends. A prominent shift did occur around 1977 in the sign of a winter mode resembling the Pacific North American pattern; this mode is most significantly related to the local wind-stress curl. In spring, forcing of currents and stratification are related to the two leading climate modes, one resembling the North Pacific (NP) pattern and one reflecting the strength of the Aleutian low; both exhibit long-term trends with implications for the Bering Sea. In summer, an NP-like mode and a mode featuring a center over the Bering Sea include long-term trends with impacts on surface heating and wind mixing, respectively. Rare events, such as a persistent period of strong high pressure or a major storm, also can dominate the summer Bering Sea forcing in particular years.     

Seamount gravity anomaly modelling with variably thick sediment cover

Inversion modelling of marine gravity anomalies to derive predicted seafloor topography has provided significant advance in delineating deep-ocean bathymetry where the seafloor both conforms to the half-space cooling model of seafloor spreading, and largely sediment-free. Similar modelling for elevated ridges and seamounts, that are formed by processes other than seafloor spreading and/or have proximal sediment sources (e.g., continental margins and volcanic arcs), have significantly higher errors when validated against modern shipborne echo-sounding data. A three-dimensional, five-layer gravity model is emulated for the cases of both synthetic and real seamounts, with varying degrees of sediment burial, to establish the sensitivity of variable sediment cover as a source of error. A simple `Gaussian' seamount with base radius of 30 km, 2000 m of relief, has a maximum 140–160 mGal anomaly, that decreases to 50 mGal with the addition of 1 km of sediment cover with simple `flood' geometry. Complete burial, with a typical sediment density of 2300 kg m^–3, results in a 120 mGal difference from a sediment-free seamount model. Increasing sediment density results in an exponential decay of the seamount anomaly. More complex synthetic geometries of varying basement relief and sediment thickness show that the anomaly amplitude remains significant, especially where the latter is >700–800 m thick. For the real case, seamounts of the Three Kings Ridge (northern New Zealand) imaged with seismic reflection data, with varying degrees of sediment cover of up to 1 km, when modelled both with and with-out the inclusion of a sediment layer, typically have rms differences of 30 mGal between observed and modelled gravity anomalies. Significantly, the rms errors are reduced by 50% with the inclusion of a sediment layer that corresponds to a reduction of predicted seafloor topography rms errors of 192–684 m to 78–360 m.     

Seafloor electromagnetic induction studies in the Bay of Bengal

Seafloor magnetometer array experiments were conducted in the Bay of Bengal to delineate the subsurface conductivity structure in the close vicinity of the 85°E Ridge and Ninety East Ridge (NER), and also to study the upper mantle conductivity structure of the Bay of Bengal. The seafloor experiments were conducted in three phases. Array 1991 consisted of five seafloor stations across the 85°E Ridge along 14°N latitude with a land reference station at Selam (SLM). Array 1992 also consisted of five seafloor stations across 85°E Ridge along 12°N latitude. Here we used the data from Annamalainagar Magnetic Obervatory (ANN) as land reference data. Array 1995 consisted of four seafloor stations across the NER along 9°N latitude with land reference station at Tirunelveli (TIR). OBM-S4 magnetometers were used for seafloor measurements. The geomagnetic Depth Sounding (GDS) method was used to investigate the subsurface lateral conductivity contrasts. The vertical gradient sounding (VGS) method was used to deliniate the depth-resistivity structure of the oceanic crust and upper mantle. 1-D inversion of the VGS responses were conducted and obtained a 3-layer depth-resistivity model. The top layer has a resistivity of 150–500 m and a thickness of about 15–50 km. The second layer is highly resistive (2000–9000 m) followed by a very low resistive (0.1–50 m) layer at a depth of about 250–450 km. The 3-component magnetic field variations and the observed induction arrows indicated that the electromagnetic induction process in the Bay of Bengal is complex. We made an attempt to solve this problem numerically and followed two approaches, namely (1) thin-sheet modelling and (2) 3-D forward modelling. These model calculations jointly show that the observed induction arrows could be explained in terms of shallow subsurface features such as deep-sea fans of Bay of Bengal, the resistive 85°E Ridge and the sea water column above the seafloor stations. VGS and 3-D forward model responses agree fairly well and provided depth-resistivity profile as a resistive oceanic crust and upper mantle underlained by a very low resistive zone at a depth of about 250–400 km. This depth-range to the low resistive zone coincide with the seismic low velocity zone of the northeastern Indian Ocean derived from the seismic tomography. Thus we propose an electrical conductivity structure for the oceanic crust and upper mantle of the Bay of Bengal.     

Distribution of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in the Bering Sea and northern North Pacific Ocean

Particulate matter was collected in the Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific Ocean during the cruise of R. V. Hakuho-maru, Ocean Research Institute of Tokyo University in summer of 1975. The particulate matter was analyzed for organic carbon and nitrogen, chlorophylla and amino acids.The concentrations of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen were measured with the range of 16–422gC l^–1 and 1–85gN l^–1, 19–186gC l^–1 and 1–26gN l^–1, 46–1,038gC l^–1 and 6–79gN l^–1 and 19–246gC l^–1 and 2–25gN l^–1 in the Oyashio, the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf of Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific, respectively. Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen decreased with depth throughout the areas. The average concentrations of organic carbon and nitrogen in the entire water column tended to decrease in the following order; the continental shelf > Oyashio > northern North Pacific > Deep Bering Sea.C/N of particulate matter varied in the range of 3–15 (7 on average) in surface waters throughout the areas and these values tended to increase with depth to 5–20 (11 on average) in deep waters without significant regional variability.Linear regressions between chlorophylla and particulate organic carbon in the euphotic layers indicate that detrital organic carbon accounted for 34.2, 44.9, 49.1 and 25.2 % of particulate organic carbon in the Oyashio, the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf and the northern North Pacific, respectively.Particulate amino acid was determined in the range of 10.3–78.0g l^–1, 104–156g l^–1 and 10.4–96.4g l^–1 in the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf and the northern North Pacific, respectively. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine and alanine were found as dominant species of amino acid of particulate matter.     

Chlorinated hydrocarbons in the North Pacific and Indian Oceans

PCBs, DDT compounds and HCH isomers were detected in the air and surface waters of the North Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Bering Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The general concentrations of each chlorinated hydrocarbon were as follows: water PCBs 0.1 to 1.0, DDT 0.01 to 1.0, HCH 1.0 to 10 ngl ^–1; air DDT 0.01 to 1.0, HCH 0.1 to 10 ng m^–3. PCB concentrations in surface waters were slightly lower than those of the North Atlantic and North Sea previously reported, while DDT concentrations in the air and water were higher. Remarkably high concentrations of DDT and HCH were found in the air off the western coast of India. Also in the Pacific site off Central America, a fairly high concentration of DDT was observed in an air sample. These data suggest that large amounts of DDT and HCH are being used in the tropical zone, especially in southern Asia. Furthermore, high concentrations were observed both in the air and water of the Northwest Pacific between 30°N and 40°N latitude. There is a possibility that both pesticides are not only still being used in lower latitude countries but also in the mid-latitude ones of the Asian continent excluding Japan. In addition to this atmospheric circulation may also contribute to the concentration of these pesticides in the mid-latitudinal zone.     

Assimilation of the Data of Satellite Altimetry in an Eddy-Resolving Model of Circulation of the Black Sea

The data of satellite altimetry are used to simulate the Black-Sea circulation. The altimetry data of the TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS satellites are prepared within the framework of the NASA Ocean Altimeter Pathfinder project. The additional data processing is performed to compute the dynamic level reflecting the circulation of the Black Sea. The altimetry sea-level is assimilated in an eddy-resolving model of circulation of the Black Sea based on primitive equations. The accuracy of the obtained fields of temperature and salinity is estimated by comparing with the data of large-scale hydrographic surveys according to the ComSBlack program. The prognostic capabilities of the proposed model are estimated by comparing the obtained results with the fields computed with the help of assimilation of the altimetry data.     

Modeling of Long-Term Evolution of Hydrophysical Fields of the Black Sea

The long-term evolution of the Black Sea dynamics (1980–2020) is reconstructed by numerical simulation. The model of the Black Sea circulation has 4.8 km horizontal spatial resolution and 40 levels in z-coordinates. The mixing processes in the upper layer are parameterized by Mellor-Yamada turbulent model. For the sea surface boundary conditions, atmospheric forcing functions were used, provided for the Black Sea region by the Euro mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) from the COSMO-CLM regional climate model. These data have a spatial resolution of 14 km and a daily temporal resolution. To evaluate the quality of the hydrodynamic fields derived from the simulation, they were compared with in-situ hydrological measurements and similar results from physical reanalysis of the Black Sea.     

Interannual and seasonal variability of hydrometeorological fields in some regions of the Atlantic-European sector as a manifestation of the abnormal behaviour of the North-Atlantic Oscillation

We study the interannual and seasonal variability of hydrometeorological fields in some regions of the Atlantic-European sector. These low-frequency processes are analyzed depending on the index ΔP (an analog of the index of the North-Atlantic Oscillation). It is shown that the average value of the index ΔP over the winter natural synoptic season can be used for the determination of stable locations of the centre of the Azorean maximum in 1971–1980 and 1981–1990, the typical state of cloudiness in the Atlantic-European sector, and the fields of precipitations and atmospheric temperature in some regions of the Crimea. Typical anomalies of the fields of precipitations and atmospheric temperature over the west and south coasts of the Crimea are described. The signs of the anomalies of precipitations in the winter natural synoptic season are in good agreement with the signs of the corresponding anomalies of the field of cloudiness in the Black-Sea region. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Seasonal variability and the types of currents in the upper layer of the Black Sea

Spectral analysis of the climatic circulation in the upper 10 m layer of the Black Sea has been carried out. The current field was calculated from a three-dimensional baroclinic non-linear model. The mode composition of the circulation was derived. It is shown that the surface climatic circulation can be represented as the superposition of a finite number of elementary currents of two types:n- andm-modes. Only 4n-modes are shown to be energy-dominant throughout the year. A relation is established between the different sources of energy supply of currents and the modes which assimilate this energy. Problems concerning the nature of the classical Black Sea currents such as the main Black Sea current (MBSC) and the Knipovich spectacles are discussed. A scenario of the field large-scale experiment is suggested which allows the reconstruction of the amplitudes of the first 10n- and the first 10m-modes from mooring data.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Data-computing technologies: A new stage in the development of operational oceanography

An analysis is given of the methods of operational oceanography based on measurements derived from satellite data, observations acquired by drifters and passing vessels, and modern simulations of marine and oceanic circulations. In addition, a historical review is conducted of the previous and current research in this field carried out in the Soviet Union, Ukraine, and Russia. A discussion is given of the principles underlying the design of an effective data-computing system (DCS) for solving the problems of operational oceanography and the implementation of the prototype system for the Black Sea within the joint research project of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) “The Black Sea as an Ocean Simulation Model.” The effectiveness of applying the multicomponent splitting method in the construction of sea circulation models and specialized DCSs with integrated algorithms of variational assimilation of observational data is estimated. The concept of using the Black Sea as a testing site for innovations is developed. The underlying idea of the concept is the similarity of the Black Sea dynamics with processes in the oceans. The numerical Black Sea circulation models used in the project are described, their development areas are discussed, and the requirements to a Black Sea observing system are defined.     

Features of the hydrological structure and circulation in the north-western Black Sea: shipboard and satellite observations in 1989–1990

The results of shipboard and satellite observations of the synoptic variability in the region of the continental slope south of the Tarkhankut Cape are considered. Ship observations revealed a two-layer circulation system of currents. An anticyclonic meander is localized within the upper mixed layer. A cyclonic disturbance, related to the main Black Sea current, occupies the water column below the seasonal thermocline. The interaction between the thermohaline fields is presumably induced by the anticyclonic atmospheric circulation. The satellite-derived images revealed a complex pattern of the large-scale dynamics of seawater over the entire north-western Black Sea.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

A numerical experiment on modelling synoptic eddies in the Black Sea during the summer season

An energetically-balanced model has been used to perform an eddy-resolving experiment on the calculation of the baroclinic circulation in the Black Sea. As the initial and boundary conditions, historical data on the density and tangential wind stress for the summer season have been used. Following the integration of a set of model equations, an array of anticyclonic eddies formed on days 50–60 on the margins of the Black Sea rim current. Off the Caucasus, Crimean, and Bulgarian coast, anticyclonic eddies are shown to be quasi-stationary. The north-western Black Sea and Anatolia coastal zone are areas of Black Sea rim current instability, where synoptic eddies — both cyclonic and anticyclonic — are generated.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Dynamics of the Crimea shelf waters in summer

In this paper, the main results of field research into the seawater dynamics on the shelf of the Crimea in the summer of 1991 are reported. It is shown that in the weather frequency band, the oscillations with periods of 11–12 days have the greatest amplitude. These represent coastal-trapped waves with a spatial scale of the order of the length of the Black Sea coastline. These waves are generated by distant winds and significantly disturb the response of the Crimea shelf waters to local wind forcing. A transient upwelling-downwelling circulation having a period of 5–7 days is induced by local winds and is not accompanied by the generation of trapped waves at the frequency of forcing. Since the average circulation on the shelf of the Crimea is of cyclonic character, downwelling events are found more frequently and have longer time periods than the upwelling events. The wind-generated trapped waves on the shelves of the Crimea and Kerch Peninsula have an average period of 27 h. The inertial oscillations were well expressed during an experiment resembling long-wave motions.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Climatic Characteristics of Temperature and Salinity Fields in Deep-Water Layers of the Black Sea

The systematic and random errors of reconstruction of the climatic variability of temperature and salinity in the Black Sea are analyzed on the basis of the archival deep-water data accumulated in 1955–1998. It is shown that, in order to describe the space variability of large-scale deep-water characteristics of the temperature fields with reasonable accuracy, one can use both the data of standard hydrological measurements and the CTD data. In this case, the systematic errors are practically indistinguishable against the background of random errors whose characteristic level is equal to 0.03°C. The random errors of evaluation of salinity are as large as about 0.04 and the corresponding systematic errors are not distinguished. The available archive of the data of deep-water measurements enables one to select space structures with characteristic dimensions of 2° in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions with temperature and salinity inhomogeneities exceeding 0.0035°C and 0.004, respectively. This is sufficient to confirm the fact of elevation of the bottom temperature in the central part of the sea is by about 0.015°C as compared with its peripheral parts.     

Relations between methane venting,geological structure and seismo-tectonics in the Okhotsk Sea

Methane investigations carried out in the Okhotsk Sea show that the methane flux from the earths interior into the water column increased during periods of seismo-tectonic activity between 1988 and 2002. In this case, methane gas hydrates found on the northeast Sakhalin slope may have decomposed due to a reactivation of fault zones. Methane emissions in the Okhotsk Sea generally can be divided into two forms. Firstly, methane vents from decomposing gas hydrates and/or free gas exist below gas hydrate saturated sediments via fault zones, venting into the water column with high bubble concentrations that were recorded by echosounding. These hydro-acoustic anomalies were named flares. Methane concentration inside these flares reached 10,000–20,000 nl/l (background methane concentrations in the Okhotsk Sea are less than 90–100 nl/l). Secondly, methane migrates as seepage into the water column from oil- and gas-bearing sedimentary source rocks on the eastern Sakhalin shelf, without showing acoustic anomalies in the water column, probably by filtration and diffusion processes. In these areas methane concentration reached 500–3,000 nl/l. In seismo-tectonically active regions, like the northwestern part of the Okhotsk Sea, many new flares were observed. Their distribution and orientation are usually controlled by fault zones (East Sakhalin Shear Zone in the Okhotsk Sea).     

Modeling Black Sea circulation with high resolution in the coastal zone

We present a numerical model of Black Sea circulation based on primitive equations with improved spatial resolution in the coastal zone. The model equations are formulated in a two-pole orthogonal coordinate system with arbitrary locations of the poles and a vertical σ coordinate. Increased horizontal resolution is gained by displacing the pole into the vicinity of the separated subdomain. The problem is solved over a grid with a variable step. The northern coordinate pole is displaced to the vicinity of Gelendzhik; the grid step varies from 150 m in the coastal zone to 4.6 km in the main basin. We simulated the fields of currents, sea level, temperature, and salinity under the given atmospheric forcing in 2007. The model is capable of reproducing the large-scale Black Sea circulation and submesoscale variations in the coastal currents.     

Numerical modeling of the influence of land–sea temperature contrasts on the atmospheric circulation in the Black-Sea region

The formation of the fields of surface winds over the Black Sea occurs under the action of numerous physical factors. One of the most important factors is the monsoon mechanism connected with the seasonal variations of buoyancy contrasts over the sea and surrounding land. To separate the effects caused by this mechanism, we performed and described the numerical experiments aimed at the evaluation of the sensitivity of the regional model of atmospheric circulation to the variations of land–sea temperature contrasts. It is shown that the influence of these effects is restricted to the lower part of the atmosphere. The presented estimates of the climatic fields of disturbances enable us to describe the monsoon mechanism specifying the seasonal variability of the field of vorticity of the wind velocities and, as a consequence, the seasonal variability of the large-scale circulation of waters in the Black Sea.