Circulation and transport of water masses in the Lazarev Sea, Antarctica, during summer and winter 2006

The distribution and circulation of water masses in the region between 6°W and 3°E and between the Antarctic continental shelf and 60°S are analyzed using hydrographic and shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data taken during austral summer 2005/2006 and austral winter 2006. In both seasons two gateways are apparent where Warm Deep Water (WDW) and other water masses enter the Weddell Gyre through the Lazarev Sea: (a) a probably topographically trapped westward, then southwestward circulation around the northwestern edge of Maud Rise with maximum velocities of about 20 cm s⁻¹ and (b) the Antarctic Coastal Current (AntCC), which is confined to the Antarctic continental shelf slope and is associated with maximum velocities of about 25 cm s⁻¹.Along two meridional sections that run close to the top of Maud Rise along 3°E, geostrophic velocity shears were calculated from CTD measurements and referenced to velocity profiles recorded by an ADCP in the upper 300 m. The mean accuracy of the absolute geostrophic velocity is estimated at ±2 cm s⁻¹. The net baroclinic transport across the 3°E section amounts to 20 and 17 Sv westward for the summer and winter season, respectively. The majority of the baroclinic transport, which accounts for ∼60% of the total baroclinic transport during both surveys, occurs north of Maud Rise between 65° and 60°S.However, the comparison between geostrophic estimates and direct velocity measurements shows that the circulation within the study area has a strong barotropic component, so that calculations based on the dynamic method underestimate the transport considerably. Estimation of the net absolute volume transports across 3°E suggests a westward flow of 23.9±19.9 Sv in austral summer and 93.6±20.1 Sv in austral winter. Part of this large seasonal transport variation can be explained by differences in the gyre-scale forcing through wind stress curl.     

Volume transport of the Soya Warm Current revealed by bottom-mounted ADCP and ocean-radar measurement

The vertical structure of the Soya Warm Current (SWC) was observed by a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the region of the SWC axis near the Soya Strait during a 1-year period from May 2004. The ADCP data revealed a marked seasonal variability in the vertical structure, with positive (negative) vertical shear in summer and fall (winter and spring). The volume transport of the SWC is estimated on the basis of both the vertical structure observed by the ADCP and horizontal structure observed by the ocean radars near the strait. The transport estimates have a minimum in winter and a maximum in fall, with the yearly-averaged values in the range of 0.94–1.04 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). These lie within a reasonable range in comparison to those through other straits in the Japan Sea.     

Surface layer mixing during the SAGE ocean fertilization experiment

Vessel-based observations of the oceanic surface layer during the 14-day 2004 SAGE ocean fertilization experiment were conducted using ADCP, CTD and temperature microstructure in a frame of reference moving with a patch of injected SF₆ tracer. During the experiment the mixed layer depth z_mld ranged between 50 and 80 m, with several re-stratifying events that brought z_mld up to less than 40 m. These re-stratifying events were not directly attributable to local surface-down development of stratification and were more likely associated with horizontal variation in density structure. Comparison between the CTD and a one-dimensional model confirmed that the SAGE experiment was governed by 3-d processes. A new method for estimating z_mld was developed that incorporates a component that is proportional to density gradient. This highlighted the need for well-conditioned near-surface data which are not always available from vessel-based survey CTD profiles. A centred-displacement scale, L_c, equivalent to the Thorpe lengthscale, reached a maximum of 20 m, with the eddy-centroid located at around 40 m depth. Temperature gradient microstructure-derived estimates of the vertical turbulent eddy diffusivity of scalar (temperature) material yielded bin-averaged values around 10⁻³ m² s⁻¹ in the pycnocline rising to over 10⁻² m² s⁻¹ higher in the surface layer. This suggests transport rates of nitrate and silicate at the base of the surface layer generate mixed layer increases of the order of 38 and 13 mmol/m²/day, respectively, during SAGE. However, the variability in measured vertical transport processes highlights the importance of transient events like wind mixing and horizontal intrusions.     

The circulation of the Indian Ocean at 32°S

Using inverse methods a circulation for a new section along 32°S in the Indian Ocean is derived with a maximum in the overturning stream function (or deep overturning) of 10.3 Sv at 3310 m. Shipboard and Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data are used to inform the choice of reference level velocity for the initial geostrophic field. Our preferred solution includes a silicate constraint (−312 ± 380 kmol s⁻¹) consistent with an Indonesian throughflow of 12 Sv. The overturning changes from 12.3 Sv at 3270 m when the silicate constraint is omitted to 10.3 Sv when it is included. The deep overturning varies by only ±0.7 Sv as the silicate constraint varies from +68 to −692 kmol s⁻¹, and by ±0.3 Sv as the net flux across the section, driven by the Indonesian throughflow, varies from −7 to −17 Sv with an appropriately scaled silicate flux constraint. Thus, the overturning is insensitive to the size of the Indonesian throughflow and silicate constraint within their apriori uncertainties. We find that the use of the ADCP data adds significant detail to the horizontal circulation. These resolved circulations include the Agulhas Undercurrent, deep cyclonic gyres and deep fronts, features evidenced by long term integrators of the flow such as current meter and float measurements as well as water properties.     

Estimation of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay,Alaska and incorporation into a tidal circulation model

Freshwater discharge is one of the most critical parameters driving water properties within fjord estuarine environments. To date, however, little attention has been paid to the issue of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay, a recently deglaciated fjord in southeastern Alaska. Estimates of discharge into Glacier Bay and the outlying waters of Icy Strait and Cross Sound are therefore presented. Existing regression equations for southcentral and southeastern coastal Alaska are applied to Glacier Bay to arrive at the estimates. A limited set of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements generally support the predictions of the regression equations. The results suggest that discharge into the bay ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand m³ s⁻¹ during a typical year. Peak discharges can be much higher, approximately 10,000 m³ s⁻¹ for the 10-year flow event. Estimates of the seasonal variation of discharge are also obtained and reveal a broad peak during the summer months.     

Turbidity and sediment transport in a muddy sub-estuary

Sub-estuaries, i.e. tidal creeks and also larger estuaries that branch off the stem of their main estuary, are commonplace in many estuarine systems. Their physical behaviour is affected not only by tributary inflows, winds and tides, but also by the properties and behaviour of their main estuary. Measurements extending over more than an annual cycle are presented for the Tavy Estuary, a sub-estuary of the Tamar Estuary, UK. Generally, waves are small in the Tavy because of the short wind fetch. A several-hour period of up-estuary winds, blowing at speeds of between 7 and 10 m s⁻¹, generates waves with significant wave heights of 0.25 m and a wave periodicity of 1.7 s that are capable of eroding the bed over the shallow, ca. 1.5 m-deep mudflats. Waves also influence sedimentation within and near salt marsh areas. An estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) occurs in the Tavy's main channel, close to the limit of salt intrusion at HW. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations typically are less than 40 mg l⁻¹ at HW, although concentrations can exceed 80 mg l⁻¹ when tides and winds are strong. Flood-tide SPM inputs to the Tavy from the Tamar are greater during high runoff events in the River Tamar and also at spring tides, when the Tamar has a high-concentration ETM. Higher SPM concentrations are experienced on the mudflats following initial inundation. Without wave resuspension, this is followed by a rapid decrease in SPM for most of the tide, indicating that the mudflats are depositional at those times. SPM concentrations on the mudflats again increase sharply prior to uncovering. Peak ebb tidal speeds at 0.15 m above the mudflat bed can exceed 0.26 m s⁻¹ at spring tides and 0.4 m s⁻¹ following high runoff events, which are sufficient to cause resuspension. Time-series measurements of sediment bed levels show strong seasonal variability. Higher and lower freshwater flows are associated with estimated, monthly-mean sediment transport that is directed out of, or into, the upper sub-estuary, respectively. Seasonal sediment transfers between the estuary and its sub-estuary are discussed.     

Volume transport in the Soya Strait during 2006–2008

Time-series data of the vertical structure of the Soya Warm Current (SWC) were obtained by a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the middle of the Soya Strait from September 2006 to July 2008. The site of the ADCP measurement was within the coverage of the ocean-radar measurement around the strait. The volume transport of the SWC through the strait is estimated on the basis of both the vertical structure observed by the ADCP and the horizontal structure observed by the radars for the first time. The annual transport estimates are 0.62–0.67 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹). They are somewhat smaller than the difference between the previous estimates of the inflow and outflow through other straits in the Sea of Japan, and smaller than those obtained in the region downstream of the strait during 2004–05 (0.94–1.04 Sv). The difference in the two periods may be attributed to interannual variability of the SWC and/or the different measurement locations.     

Barotropic Response of the Sea of Okhotsk to Wind Forcing

We have examined wind-induced circulation in the Sea of Okhotsk using a barotropic model that contains realistic topography with a resolution of 9.25 km. The monthly wind stress field calculated from daily European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) Re-Analysis data is used as the forcing, and the integration is carried out for 20 days until the circulation attains an almost steady state. In the case of November (a representative for the winter season from October to March), southward currents of velocity 0.1–0.3 m s⁻¹ occur along the bottom contours off the east of Sakhalin Island. The currents are mostly confined to the shelf (shallower than 200 m) and extend as far south as the Hokkaido coast. In the July case (a representative for the summer season from April to September), significant currents do not occur, even in the shallow shelves. The simulated southward current over the east Sakhalin shelf appears to correspond to the near-shore branch of the East Sakhalin Current (ESC), which was observed with the surface drifters. These seasonal variations simulated in our experiments are consistent with the observations of the ESC. Dynamically, the simulated ESC is interpreted as the arrested topographic wave (ATW), which is the coastally trapped flow driven by steady alongshore wind stress. The volume transport of the simulated ESC over the shelf reaches about 1.0 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹) in the winter season, which is determined by the integrated onshore Ekman transport in the direction from which shelf waves propagate. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Turbidity limits gas exchange in a large macrotidal estuary

In estuaries, the gas transfer velocity (k) is driven by a combination of two major physical drivers, wind and water current. The k values for CO₂ in the macrotidal Gironde Estuary were obtained from 159 simultaneous pCO₂ and floating chamber flux measurements. Values of k increased with wind speed and were significantly greater when water currents and wind were in opposing directions. At low wind speeds (<1 m s⁻¹), k increased with water current velocities (0–1.5 m s⁻¹) following an exponential trend. The latter was a good proxy for the Y-intercept in a generic equation for k versus wind speed in estuaries. We also found that, in this turbid estuary, k was significantly lower at high turbidity. The presence of suspended material in great concentrations (TSS > 0.2 g L⁻¹) had a significant role in attenuating turbulence and therefore gas exchange. This result has important consequences for modeling water oxygenation in estuarine turbidity maxima. For seven low turbidity estuaries previously described in the literature, the slope of the linear regression between k and wind speed correlates very well with the estuary surface area due to a fetch effect. In the Gironde Estuary, this slope follows the same trend at low turbidity (TSS < 0.2 g L⁻¹), but is on average significantly lower than in other large estuaries and decreases linearly with the TSS concentration. A new generic equation for estuaries is proposed that gives k as a function of water current velocity, wind speed, estuarine surface area and TSS concentration.     

Expected and observed conditions during the SAGE iron addition experiment in Subantarctic waters

The SAGE iron addition experiment was conducted from R.V. Tangaroa east of South Island, New Zealand, in late March-early April 2004. A desktop survey of climatological data was completed before the experiment, providing information to inform site selection and experiment design. The desktop survey is presented here in updated and enhanced form in order to explain the site selection and describe the conditions expected at the site during the experiment in comparison with those actually encountered.The experiment site was in Subantarctic waters between the Subtropical and Subantarctic Fronts. These waters are characterised by high surface macronutrient concentration, low iron concentration and low chlorophyll. The preferred site based on the desktop survey was in the vicinity of 173.5°E, 47.5°S, in Southern Bounty Trough. The actual release location was chosen immediately before the release and was 112 km to the northwest of this at 172°32′E, 46°44′S. The surface water here has typically come from the southwest (over the northern Campbell Plateau) or the southeast (through Pukaki Gap) and the mean current is directed towards ENE at ∼0.1 m s⁻¹. The release location is well removed from regions of high eddy kinetic energy to the east (where the Subantarctic Front reaches its northern limit) and the west (where fine-scale instabilities develop on the Southland Front, which flows along the continental shelf). Typical conditions at the release site at the end of March are: surface temperature 12 °C; mixed layer depth 40 m; surface chlorophyll concentration ∼0.3 mg m⁻³; surface photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) 23 E m⁻² d⁻¹; surface nutrient concentrations 8-10 mmol m⁻³ (nitrate), 0.5-0.8 mmol m⁻³ (phosphate), 1-2 mmol m⁻³ (silicate) and 0.1-0.5 nM (iron); 99th percentile wind speed 19-21 m s⁻¹. At this time of year, surface PAR is well below its summer maximum, the mixed layer is beginning its seasonal deepening and the silicate concentration is at its seasonal minimum. These factors may have limited the phytoplankton response to iron addition and were compounded in March-April 2004 by strong winds early in the experiment (substantially exceeding the 99th percentile in speed), lower than the average SST, larger than the average mixed layer depth, silicate concentration at the bottom end of the expected range and initially low PAR.     

Variability of Northeastward Current Southeast of Northern Ryukyu Islands

To better understand the mechanism underlying the variation of the Kuroshio south of central Japan, we have examined the variability of current structure in its upstream region, southeast of Amami-Ohshima Island in the northern Ryukyu Islands. By combined use of ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and the TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite altimeter data on Path 214, the sea surface absolute geostrophic currents were estimated every ten days from January 1998 to July 2002. The 4.5-year mean surface current was found to flow northeastward north of 26.8°N with a maximum speed of 14 cm s⁻¹ over the shelf slope at 3000 m depth. The moored current-meter observations at three or four mooring stations from Dec. 1998 to Oct. 2002 suggested the existence of a northeastward undercurrent with a maximum core velocity of 23 cm s⁻¹ at 600 m depth over the shelf slope at 1600 m depth. The mean volume transport in the top 1500 m between 27.9°N and 26.7°N is estimated to be 16 × 10⁶ m³s⁻¹ northeastward, including the subsurface core current related component of 4 × 10⁶ m³s⁻¹. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Particulate suspended matter concentrations in the Bahía Blanca Estuary,Argentina: Implication for the development of phytoplankton blooms

The inner zone of the Bahía Blanca Estuary is shallow, nutrient-rich and turbid. Tidal energy and water turbulence strongly affect the water column resulting in a well-mixed structure and high concentrations of suspended sediment. The phytoplankton community is mostly dominated by diatoms and the annual pattern has been characterized by a recurrent winter-early spring bloom. Here, we investigated to what extent the temporal variations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) regulate the phytoplankton blooms in the head of the estuary by light-limitation. Sampling was done on a fortnightly basis (weekly during the blooming season) at a fixed station in the inner zone of the estuary from January 2007 to February 2008. SPM concentrations and light extinction coefficients (k) in the water column were significantly correlated and showed relatively lower values during the phytoplankton maximal biomass levels. During winter, SPM and k reached values of 23.6 mg l⁻¹ and 0.17 m⁻¹ which were significantly lower than the annual means of 77.6 mg l⁻¹ and 2.94 m⁻¹, respectively. The particulate organic matter (POM) concentration was significantly correlated with the calculated phytoplankton biomass although the contribution of the latter to the total POM was rather low. Both, POM and biomass, had maximal values during winter (21.8 mg l⁻¹ and 393.5 μg C l⁻¹) and mid summer (24.3 mg l⁻¹ and 407.0 μg C l⁻¹), with cell densities up to 8 × 10⁶ cells l⁻¹ and chlorophyll a up to 24.6 μg l⁻¹. Our results suggest that the decrease of SPM concentrations in the water column with a concomitant increase in the penetration of solar radiation seems to be one of the main causes for the development of the phytoplankton winter bloom in the Bahía Blanca Estuary.     

A Continuous Mapping of Tidal Current Structures in the Kanmon Strait

Tidal current structures at the Hayatomono-Seto of the Kanmon Strait are mapped continuously during March 17 to 20, 2003, including a spring tide, by the eight coastal acoustic tomography (CAT) systems distributed on both the sides of the strait. Detailed structures of strong tidal currents and their associated vortices are well reconstructed by the inverse analysis of travel-time difference data obtained from the reciprocal sound transmission between the paired CAT systems located at both sides of the strait mainly. The results are well compared to the shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data at the correlation rate of 0.84/0.82 and the RMS difference of 0.47/0.48 ms⁻¹ for the east-west/north-south current after the selection of good data. During the observation period, the maximum hourly mean volume transport for the upper 7 m layer across the strait reached 13,314 m³ s⁻¹ for the eastward and 5,547 m³ s⁻¹ for the westward. The daily mean transport is directed to the eastward and estimated 1,470 m³ s⁻¹ and 2,140 m³ s⁻¹ for March 18 and 19, respectively, when a spring tide occurs.     

Autonomous and rapid deployment of a compact taut-wire mooring

The deployment time of a taut-wire mooring is reduced to the time any transportation/hoisting device needs to put a payload at the sea surface. This is a matter of minutes rather than hours needed for deployment of long deep-ocean moorings in the regular way. It is achieved by extending the basic function of mooring parts to temporarily form a Launcher for Oceanographic Equipment and Instruments (LOEI). Full preparation of the mooring is done onshore where the instruments are prepared and programmed, and spooled onto the top-buoy together with the line. At sea, no other gear is required than a device that is able to lift a load of, say, 2000 kg, even for long deep-ocean moorings. The compact mooring method realizes considerable budget savings through deployments from non-research vessels and airborne transportation-deployment. Limitations lay in size and weight of the oceanographic instruments. We present a test-design shaped as a barbell and loaded with 940 m line and 3 current meters. Unfurling speed was maximally 2.3 m s⁻¹ and the descent speed amounted 1.2 m s⁻¹ until landing on the seabed. These speeds are comparable to those acquired during a conventional free-falling mooring deployment.     

Observation of internal tidal currents in the Kaoping Canyon off southwestern Taiwan

Internal tidal currents and associated water-mass displacements were investigated during multiple cruises in the Kaoping Submarine Canyon off southwestern Taiwan. Observations from both moored and shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers and hydrographic casts were conducted along the canyon. The velocity data showed that in the lower layer the major axis of the tidal currents aligned with the orientation of the canyon, and currents moved up-canyon during flood and down-canyon during ebb. The vertical-phase shift and amplitude of the currents indicated that the semidiurnal internal tide dominated with intensity increasing with depth toward the canyon head. Tidal energy was channeled from the shelf landward with a beamlike internal wave, guided by bottom topography. The estimated phase velocity was 1.4–1.7 m s⁻¹, based on normal mode analysis and the phase lag between sampling stations. Empirical orthogonal function analysis of hydrographic profiles confirmed that the first mode (M₂ internal tide) explained 70% of the total variance. The strong convergence of internal tidal currents near the canyon head during flood may play an important role in the daily migration of cherry shrimps, which burrow along the canyon wall.     

Field observations on hydrodynamic and coastal geomorphic processes off Harilaid Peninsula (Baltic Sea) in winter and spring 2006–2007

Investigations of multi-layer current regime, variations in sea level and wave parameters using a bottom-mounted RDCP (Recording Doppler Current Profiler) during 20 December 2006–23 May 2007 were integrated with surveys on changes of shorelines and contours of beach ridges at nearby Harilaid Peninsula (Saaremaa Island). A W-storm with a maximum average wind speed of 23 m s⁻¹ occurred on 14–15 January with an accompanying sea level rise of at least 100 cm and a significant wave height of 3.2 m at the 14 m deep RDCP mooring site. It appeared that in practically tideless Estonian coastal waters, Doppler-based “vertical velocity” measurements reflect mainly site-dependent equilibrium between resuspension and sedimentation. The mooring site, 1.5 km off the Kelba Spit of Harilaid, was located in the accumulation zone, where downward fluxes dominated and fine sand settled. As a result of storms in January and April, the distal part of the accumulative gravel spit advanced by 50 m, whereas a 30–50 m retreat of the shoreline in the western and northern parts occurred at Cape Kiipsaare. The location of the beach ridges shows that the development of the spit occurs through relatively short-period but infrequent storm events, roughly 2–3 times each decade.     

Current Dynamics of Estuarine Circulation in the Lateral Boundary Layer

High spatial resolution measurements of current velocity performed by the shipboard mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) in the lateral boundary layer of the southern Gulf of Finland during two 5-day periods are described and analysed with a focus on the dominant dynamics. The measurement site represents a small (15×20 km), relatively deep (up to 100 m) bay opened to large-scale estuarine circulation. The measurement period was characterized by calm winds and a strong seasonal pycnocline (Brunt-Väisälä frequencyN=6–9*10⁻² s⁻¹). The quasi-steady velocity field revealed polarization of currents along the shore whereas an intensive baroclinic coastal jet was observed over a cross-shore scale of 1–2 km. The level of vertical separation of the alongshore flow coincided with the pycnocline at the coast, but was shifted below it in the offshore region. The cross-shore flow was considerably weaker and showed a three-layer structure with an opposite phase between the first and second surveys. It is suggested that the observed jet resembles a non-locally forced eastward propagating coastally trapped wave. In the offshore area the alongshore flow field satisfies local geostrophic balance quite well, except in the pycnocline where strong vertical stratification exerts considerable vertical stress. As vertical velocity shear is well correlated with vertical stratification, the horizontal advection prevails over vertical mixing. Horizontal inhomogeneities of density distribution are partly explained by vertical velocities with an estimated magnitude of less than 0·6 mm/s and the spatial pattern following bottom topography.     

Impact of internal waves on sound propagation off Bhimilipatnam,east coast of India

Internal waves (IW) are identified off Bhimilipatnam, east coast of India, from the time series CTD (hourly interval) and thermistor chain data (2 min interval) collected during 23–25 Feb 2007. The measurements were carried out at 94 m water depth on the continental shelf edge. These data sets are used to describe the characteristics of IW and their impact on acoustic fields. Garrett and Munk (GM) model has been used to predict the characteristics of low frequency (LF) IW with space and time. Active IW are seen in the layers 54 m–94 m with a velocity of 0.548 km h⁻¹ and the wavelengths of the order of 0.03 km–21.8 km. The model could capture the IW features in the thermocline region accurately than at the bottom. This could be due to the limitation of the model which considers linearity. High frequency IW observed at the bottom could be due to the advection of tidal currents over the shallow irregular bottom in the presence of stratification. The study emphasizes linear IW rather than transient non-linear waves induced by tidal interaction with topography.