A three-dimensional model study on ocean dynamic response to traveling cyclone over the Huanghai Sea

On the basis of numerical simulation of the mean circulation and relevant thermal-salinity fields in June with a three-dimensional ocean model (ECOM-si), the model outputs are used as first guess of initial fields for numerical integration of the model equations and the numerical results are applied to investigating the dynamical responses of the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea (HECS) in the course of a weak land-to-sea cyclone‘s passage over the Huanghai Sea on 15-16 June 1999. Predominance of the dynamic impact of cyclone over the thermal one in June in the HECS is justified using observations and model simulations.The cyclone and its surrounding weather system, i.e,, subtropical high ridge to its south could influence current and thermal fields in the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the northern East China Sea even though the intensity of cyclone was rather weak. The response of oceanic currents to the wind stresses driven by the cyclone and its southern subtropical high were strongly characterized by the wind drift with its extent of equivalent scale of cyclone in the horizontal and of Ekman layer in the vertical. The sea response at a given site was closely related to the transient local wind speed and direction,especially was sensitive to the local wind direction,which is demonstrated at three points locating at the southern and western Huanghai Sea and the northern East China Sea. So the sea responses at locations differed considerably from one another. Current responded to the wind stress in a simple way:directly to the wind-driven current and subsequent gradient current and slope current, etc., whereas sea temperature responded to the wind stress in two ways: directly to the cyclone-induced cooling and indirectly to water movements both in the horizontal and the vertical by the cyclone‘ s wind stress. So the sea temperature variation under the influence of cyclone was more complicate than the current. The HECS in response to the cyclone and its ambient weather system was likely to be a fast process and such a response could last at least for more than 1d. Current increased with the duration of wind stress exerted on the surface and decreased with the increasing depth. Affected by the cyclone, the maximum sea surface temperature decreased by almost 1.6℃ during the 24h cyclone.     

利用卫星高度计风速资料研究海面粗糙度

海面粗糙度对于海洋工程和海洋军事都非常重要,但对海面粗糙度的现场观测资料非常少, 这大大制约了对海面粗糙度的认识。利用 TOPEX 高度计风速资料实现了对海面粗糙度的反演,并利用 1993 年和1998 年两年的资料对西北太平洋海域的海面粗糙度进行了研究。     

A note on nearshore wave features: Implications for wave generation

This paper analyses 10 years of wave data from the Mediterranean Spanish (Catalan) coast considering the mean wave climate and storm events from the standpoint of wind-wave momentum transfer and wave prediction. The data, registered by a buoy at about 12 km from the coastline, revealed two main groups of wave storms, with NW and E directions. NW storms correspond to a fetch-limited situation since the intense wind blows from land. Low-pressure centres located over the Mediterranean Sea produce easterly storms. Near the coast the eastern winds from the sea are replaced by NW winds coming from meteorological patterns over northern Spain and south-western France. Wave storms are classified and studied to obtain their main features (including spectral width, wave length, wave age and bimodality) and discussed in terms of wind-wave momentum transfer for operational wave predictions. Observations show a complex coastal wave climate. Fetch-limited storms presented smaller spectral widths while varying wind situations presented larger widths due to the presence of bimodal spectra. These wave features are highly relevant for wind–ocean momentum transfer and, thus, for current and wave predictions. The spectral width proved to be a good indicator of sea complexity and is thus applicable for improved wind drag estimations. A new drag coefficient formulation is proposed, based on existing wind dependent drag expressions, but including also spectral wave properties (a spectral width parameter) that highlights the characteristics of wind-wave generation under pre-existing swell. Such a formulation, once properly validated with field observations, is expected to improve wind-wave predictions.     

Coupling winds to ocean surface currents over the global ocean

A Wind stress–Current Coupled System (WCCS) consisting of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and an improved wind stress algorithm based on Donelan et al. [Donelan, W.M., Drennan, Katsaros, K.B., 1997. The air–sea momentum flux in mixed wind sea and swell conditions. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 27, 2087–2099] is developed by using the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF). The WCCS is applied to the global ocean to study the interactions between the wind stress and the ocean surface currents. In this study, the ocean surface current velocity is taken into consideration in the wind stress calculation and air–sea heat flux calculation. The wind stress that contains the effect of ocean surface current velocity will be used to force the HYCOM. The results indicate that the ocean surface velocity exerts an important influence on the wind stress, which, in turn, significantly affects the global ocean surface currents, air–sea heat fluxes, and the thickness of ocean surface boundary layer. Comparison with the TOGA TAO buoy data, the sea surface temperature from the wind–current coupled simulation showed noticeable improvement over the stand-alone HYCOM simulation.     

Upper ocean responses to category 5 typhoon Megi in the western north Pacific

Category 5 typhoon Megi was the most intense typhoon in 2010 of the world. It lingered in the South China Sea (SCS) for 5 d and caused a significant phytoplankton bloom detected by the satellite image. In this study, the authors investigated the ocean biological and physical responses to typhoon Megi by using chlorophylla (chla) concentration, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), sea surface wind measurements derived from different satellites and in situ data. The chla concentration (>3 mg/m³) increased thirty times in the SCS after the typhoon passage in comparison with the mean level of October averaged from 2002 to 2009. With the relationship of wind stress curl and upwelling, the authors found that the speed of upwelling was over ten times during typhoon than pretyphoon period. Moreover, the mixed layer deepened about 20 m. These reveal that the enhancement of chla concentration was triggered by strong vertical mixing and upwelling. Along the track of typhoon, the maximum sea surface cooling (6-8℃) took place in the SCS where the moving speed of typhoon was only 1.4-2.8 m/s and the mixed layer depth was about 20 m in pretyphoon period. However, the SST drop at the east of the Philippines is only 1-2℃ where the translation speed of typhoon was 5.5-6.9 m/s and the mixed layer depth was about 40 m in pretyphoon period. So the extent of the SST drop was probably due to the moving speed of typhoon and the depth of the mixed layer. In addition, the region with the largest decline of the sea surface height anomaly can indicate the location where the maximum cooling occurs.     

The dependence of precipitation on wind direction over the Kuroshio front in the winter East China Sea

This study investigates atmospheric responses to the directions of surface wind over the Kuroshio front in the East China Sea, using wintertime satellite-derived data sets. Composite maps of sea surface temperature, wind speed, precipitation, turbulent heat flux, surface wind divergence, and the curl of wind vectors above the atmospheric boundary layer are depicted based on the classification of intense northeasterly (along the front) and northwesterly (across the front) winds over the East China Sea. When northeasterly winds prevail, considerable precipitation occurs on the offshore side of the Kuroshio front, in contrast to periods when northwesterly winds prevail. First, the northeasterly winds strengthen above the front because of the downward transfer of momentum from the fast-moving air at higher levels and/or an adjustment of sea level pressure over the oceanic front, although the process by which the influence of the Kuroshio penetrates beyond the marine atmospheric boundary layer remains unclear. Second, a cyclonic vortex forms above the marine atmospheric boundary layer (at 850-hPa height) on the offshore side of the front, and thereafter, surface wind convergence via Ekman suction (hence, enhanced precipitation) occurs over the East China Sea shelf breaks. The northeasterly winds blow over the East China Sea when the Aleutian Low retreats to the east and when high sea level pressure covers the northern Sea of Japan.     

Influence of the type of sea waves on the backscattered radar cross section at medium incidence angles

We consider the influence of the sea surface state on the backscattered radar cross section and the accuracy of the wind speed retrieval from the scatterometer data. We used a joint set of radars and buoys to determine the type of sea waves. Three types of sea waves were distinguished: developing wind waves, fully developed wind waves, and mixed sea. It is shown that the retrieval error of the near surface wind speed using a one-parameter algorithm is minimal in the case of fully developed wind waves. We compared these data with the results of radio-altimeter data analysis and showed that in both cases underestimation of the retrieval wind speed exists for developing wind waves and overestimation occurs for mixed sea. A variety of swell parameters (length of the dominating wave, swell height, swell age) significantly influence the backscattered radar cross section, leading to a growth in the mean square error of the retrieved wind speed during vertical sounding (radio-altimeter data), and only slightly influence the mean square error of the scatterometer data (medium incidence angles). It is necessary to include the information about the parameters of sea waves in the algorithms and take into account the regional wave properties to increase the accuracy of wind speed retrieval.     

黄海西部2005—2007年海雾演变的气候特征研究

海雾对沿海地区的交通运输、工农业生产等影响很大,需要开展深入研究,以探索其生消演变规律。本文选择黄海西部的成山头、青岛、海阳、日照等4个测站为代表性测站,分析了2005—2007年海雾发生期间的位势高度、海温、海表面风场、相对湿度、稳定度及散度等要素场特征,着重探讨了海雾演变的气候特征。研究结果表明:500 hPa高空槽前位于黄海上空时有利于成雾;海温异常低的年份雾日较多;风向、散度和低层的层结稳定度是影响黄海海雾的主要因素;地理位置也是影响黄海海雾变化的重要因子;黄海海雾的水平分布具有南北空间不一致的特点。     

The sheltering effect of the Balearic Islands in the hindcast wave field

The sheltering effect of the Balearic Islands in the hindcast wave field was studied for typical Mediterranean wave situations of Llevant, Tramuntana and Mestral and for mild conditions such as the Garbí and Ponent winds. For this purpose, a third generation wave model was applied to the Mediterranean Sea and different patterns of the sheltered areas were found for the various representative situations depending on the wind variability and on the magnitude of the wind speed. From the analysis it was concluded that the sheltered zones created during storms generally persist for short periods of time of the order of 6 h, possibly reaching a maximum of 12 h. In contrast with earlier results obtained for swell dominated ocean areas, it was observed that in this area, due to the short fetches the sea states are mainly local wind seas and thus the wave field behind the islands depends on the local wind.     

Circulation and heat budget of the northern Adriatic Sea (Italy) due to a Bora event in January 2001: a numerical model study

The Princeton Ocean Model was implemented to investigate the response of northern Adriatic Sea during the Bora event in January 2001 when strong wind and surface cooling was reported. The model has been run with realistic wind stress, surface heat flux and river runoffs forcings continuously from 1 January 1999 to 31 January 2001. The wind stress and surface heat flux was computed by the bulk parameterization, using the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast analysis fields and the Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set cloud data. All the freshwater sources along the Adriatic coastlines were represented by point or line source functions. Open boundary conditions in the Ionian Sea along a latitudinal boundary were nested within a large scale model of the Mediterranean Sea. The numerical study found that, before the Bora event of 13–17 January 2001, the water column of the northern Adriatic Sea was stratified by salinity, and the temperature was already cooler at the surface and over the shallower shelf region. The pre-Bora circulation of the northern Adriatic Sea was relatively weak and baroclinic with maximum surface currents occurred near the Italian coast. During the Bora event, the water column was well mixed in the most of coastal region of the northern Adriatic Sea. The atmospheric cooling produced colder water over the northern and western Adriatic Coast. The circulation of the northern Adriatic Sea was barotropic and dominantly wind driven, with maximum current speed of about 1 m s⁻¹. The numerical study also demonstrated that the Bora event decreased the heat content of the water column with an area averaged value of 205 W m⁻² over the shallow northern shelf. It was concluded that the heat budget of the northern Adriatic Sea during the Bora event was a balance between the surface heat loss, horizontal net heat inflow and resulting heat content decrease. The horizontal advection played a particularly important role in controlling the water temperature change over the shallower northern shelf.     

Subinertial and seasonal variations in the Soya Warm Current revealed by HF ocean radars,coastal tide gauges,and bottom-mounted ADCP

Subinertial and seasonal variations in the Soya Warm Current (SWC) are investigated using data obtained by high frequency (HF) ocean radars, coastal tide gauges, and a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The HF radars clearly captured the seasonal variations in the surface current fields of the SWC. Almost the same seasonal cycle was repeated in the period from August 2003 to March 2007, although interannual variations were also discernible. In addition to the annual and interannual variations, the SWC exhibited subinertial variations with a period of 5–20 days. The surface transport by the SWC was significantly correlated with the sea level difference between the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk for both the seasonal and subinertial variations, indicating that the SWC is driven by the sea level difference between the two seas. The generation mechanism of the subinertial variation is discussed using wind data from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses. The subinertial variations in the SWC were significantly correlated with the meridional wind stress component over the region. The subinertial variations in the sea level difference and surface current delay from the meridional wind stress variations by one or two days. Sea level difference through the strait caused by wind-generated coastally trapped waves (CTWs) along the east coast of Sakhalin and west coast of Hokkaido is considered to be a possible mechanism causing the subinertial variations in the SWC.     

Comparison among four kinds of data of sea surface wind stress in the South China Sea

By using remote sensing (ERS) data, FSU data, COADS data and Hellerman & Rosen-stein objective analysis data to analyze the sea surface wind stress in the South China Sea, it is found that the remote sensing data have higher resolution and more reasonable values. Therefore we suggest that remote sensing data be chosen in the study of climatological features of sea surface wind stress and its seasonal variability in the South China Sea, especially in the study of small and middle scale eddies.     

Mechanism of currents through the straits of the Japan Sea: Mean state and seasonal variation

The mechanism governing the mean state and the seasonal variation of the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea is studied using a newly presented, simple analytical model and a basin scale general circulation model (GCM). The GCM reproduces the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea realistically owing to its fine horizontal resolution of about 20 km and realistic topography. A series of experiments conducted by changing surface forcing shows that the annual mean wind-driven circulation in the North Pacific Ocean is most responsible for the formation of the mean transports. It is also found that the seasonal variation of the alongshore component of monsoonal wind stress over the North Pacific basin, especially that over the Okhotsk Sea, is responsible for the seasonal variation of the transports. The simple analytical model can explain these simulated features very well. The physical concept of this model is based on the formation of the around-island circulation through the adjustment of coastally trapped waves and Rossby waves and geostrophic control at the narrow straits. It solves the sea surface heights (SSHs) at the edge of each strait and the transport through it. The value of the line integral of the SSH along the island is determined by the baroclinic Rossby waves approaching the island from the east and the alongshore wind stress around the island. The basin scale seasonal variation of SSH along the coast induced by the variation of the alongshore monsoonal wind stress can also be incorporated into this model by giving the SSH anomaly at the northeastern point of the Soya Strait. Thus, it is suggested that both the mean state and the seasonal variation are caused mainly by wind stress forcing. Minor modification by the seasonal heat flux forcing brings the amplitude and the phase of the seasonal variation closer to the observed values.     

Oceanic response to atmospheric forcing derived from different climatic data sets. Intercomparison study for the Black Sea

Available climatic and atmospheric analysis data have been used to prepare forcing functions for the Black Sea numerical model, based on the Bryan-Semtner-Cox Modular Ocean Model and including parameterizations for the atmosphere-ocean exchange, inflow through the strait of Bosphorus and the Mediterranean plume. Atmospheric data from different sources are compared and the drawbacks of some of them illustrated. A new wind stress data set, based on ship observations, is prepared. Compared to the existing wind stress estimates, the present ones use additional data and more accurate parameterization of the boundary layer physics. The intercomparison between forcing data sets is focused on the heat flux and freshwater flux at the sea surface.The model simulates adequately vertical stratification, seasonal variability and horizontal patterns. Five data sets for heat flux, freshwater flux and wind stress are used in different combinations to study the model response. The large differences between the simulations, forced by different wind stress and identical thermohaline forcing, justify the computation of the new wind stress. Though the forcing data used are perhaps close to the best available at the moment for the Black Sea, the model simulations range in large intervals and some of them are very poor. The model responses to forcing functions of different origin give rough estimates on the possible errors in present-day simulations. Some inconsistencies give clear indications that further verifications, improvements of the forcing functions, and intercomparisons between the responses simulated by the ocean circulation models are needed.     

Characteristic analysis of wind field and sea wave field over the NW Pacific Ocean

The NW Pacific Ocean is not onIy the only transportation way between America andAsia, but also the source influencing on inIand climate and marine variability of adjacentseas in China. Based on ship observation data during l950 - l995 in the NW Pacific,with data from several hundreds to 30 thousand in every 5"x5" grid network, throughanalyzing the monthly mean directions of prevailing wind, wave and swelI, wind speed,pressure, wave height and frequencies of gaIe of 6 and 8 sca1e, high sea…     

太平洋海面粗糙度的计算及波长的提取

海面粗糙度对于海洋工程和海洋军事非常重要,但是海面粗糙度的现场观测资料非常少,波长更难观测。本文利用TOPEX高度计风速资料,实现了对海面粗糙度的反演。给出了一种提取波长的方法,通过验证表明利用该方法得到的波长精度较高。     

Determination of surfactant activity and anionic detergents in seawater and sea surface microlayer in the Mediterranean

The study of the physico-chemical properties and the determination of different classes of organic substances in the sea are of substantial interest and importance for understanding biogeochemical processes in the sea. The preferable method should be sensitive enough for direct measurement without pretreatment procedures in order to avoid changes in the composition of organic substances initially present in the sample.Surfactant activity data are presented here as measured by electrochemical methods during 1979, 1980 and 1981 in samples from open waters of the Western Mediterranean, and in a few characteristic coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea with different biological activity and different influence of man's activities. Data on sea surface microlayer samples collected during 1977, 1978 and 1981 at different locations and seasons in the Rijeka Bay, which is an integral part of the Adriatic Sea, are presented and discussed in more detail.It was found that the type and concentration of natural surface active material vary within different Mediterranean regions and along the depth profile of the water column.Petroleum hydrocarbons and detergents were found to be prevalent pollutants responsible for high surfactant activity values. Pollution effects are most pronounced in the sea surface microlayer.Electrochemical methods are proposed for research and monitoring of surface-active substances in the sea.     

Baroclinic wind adjustment processes in the Mediterranean Sea

The wind-driven general circulation of the Mediterranean Sea is studied using a primitive equation model. The model uses a 0.25° horizontal resolution and eight or 16 levels in the vertical. The model uses the Mediterranean basin geometry, and the Strait of Gibraltar is closed. The vertical density structure is initialized with annual average data, and the temperature and salinity values are fixed at the surface to simulate perpetual annual mean conditions. The wind forcing consists of monthly mean climatological stresses.The results show that the general circulation of the Mediterranean Sea has a multiple time-scale character (seasonal excursions and steady state amplitudes are comparable) and it is composed by sub-basin scale gyres corresponding to the scale of the wind stress curl centers. The steady state circulation (annual mean average) is determined by a Sverdrup balacne modified by viscous effects.The unsteady vertically integrated transport circulation consists of sub-basin scale gyres similar to the steady state transport components, which amplify seasonally and the partial or total reversal of the currents in many subportions of the basin. The gyres can be stationary in position or propagating. This seasonal ocean response is partly constituted by Rossby modes due to the wind stress curl annual harmonic. The baroclinic circulation shows the seasonal shift of the North African Current from a position along the African coasts during winter to the center of the Balearic and Ionian basin during summer.     

春夏季季风转换期南海南部的异常表层水

对1985－1998年期间的海洋调查温盐深（CTD）资料进行综合分析，发现南海南部春夏季季风转换期存在盐度逆转的异常表层水。实测资料表明，该异常表层水覆盖在南海南部的中部、东部大部分地区。冬季风停止引起苏禄海高温高超国水西向侵入，成为该海区东部近表面异常高盐水的来源之一。海面强的蒸发和表层水弱的垂向混合导致近表面水具有高盐特性，近表面高盐水与其下部保持着冬季遗存的局地低盐水叠置，形成了盐度逆转现象。