Geostrophic response near the coast

Geostrophic response of a two-layer fluid near a straight coast is investigated for a successive disturbance by the use of the inviscid, reduced gravity model. Poincare waves, coastal motion (which is trapped by the coast) and a geostrophic eddy are created. The energy of these motions is obtained. The manner in which the ocean responds is found to depend considerably on the way the disturbance is applied. When the water is supplied continuously to a calm upper layer adjacent to the coast, a quasi-steady geostrophic eddy is formed and its energy increases in proportion toT ² (T is the duration for which water is supplied). The energy of the coastal motion increases in proportion toT. When the water is supplied continuously into the upper layer from a certain portion of the coast, a geostrophic eddy is not formed. The coastal motion has the same structure as in the former case and its energy increases in proportion toT.     

Geostrophic adjustment of linear disturbances in two-component media

The linear problem of geostrophic adjustment in a rotating stratified medium is generalized to the case of binary mixtures stratified with respect to both the temperature and admixture concentration (such as, for example, saline seawater and humid air). It is shown that, if the initial ageostrophicity is related to the temperature and/or admixture concentration disturbances, the evolution of the fields of these substances may qualitatively differ from the classical solutions of the adjustment problems. For example, in the course of adjustment, jumps in the temperature and salinity may be retained and enhanced, in contrast to those in the velocity, pressure, and buoyancy. The latter are smoothed by the adjustment process and are distributed over relatively spacious areas with horizontal sizes of the order of the Rossby scale. The initial thermal pulse may lead to the development of a temperature disturbance with a significantly greater amplitude and/or opposite sign and to an intensive disturbance in the admixture concentration.     

Geostrophic adjustment and frontogenesis in stratified two-component media

A nonlinear problem of geostrophic adjustment in an ideal rotating two-component fluid in the field of gravity is studied analytically. The stratification of the fluid’s density is composed of its temperature stratification and stratification of the concentration of an admixture (in particular, these are salt seawater and moist air). Stationary states, which are reached after the adjustment process is terminated, are found with the use of Lagrange conservation laws. If the amplitudes of smooth initial disturbances are sufficiently large, discontinuity surfaces can appear in the course of evolution. Allowance for a two-component character of the medium makes qualitative properties of such surfaces especially varied. For example, a jump may be strongly marked in the field of one substance alone. It is shown that, if the initial ageostrophic property is related to temperature and/or admixture-concentration disturbances, the evolution of the fields of these substances can differ qualitatively from classical solutions to adjustment problems. For example, in the course of adjustment, the initial heat pulse can lead to the formation of a stationary temperature disturbance with a larger amplitude and/or the opposite sign. During the evolution of a smoothed temperature “step,” nonmonotonic distributions of temperature whose amplitudes are much greater than the amplitude of the initial step may appear. Some of such effects can manifest themselves even in a linear approximation.     

Peculiarities of the Black Sea rim current near the Crimean coast

This paper discusses the quasi-stationary Black Sea rim current velocity field observed at seven points of the shelf area and continental slope in the vicinity of South Crimea from 6 June to 15 July, 1991. Current velocity fluctuations conditioned by the difference in atmospheric pressures over the eastern part of the sea and the western one, with the wind speed being 5 cm s⁻¹, have been studied. Inertial and seiche flows are described numerically. The peculiarities of the kinematics of the Black Sea rim current’s regular component have been scrutinized. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Bachelor-modon type eddies and isolated eddies near the coast on anf-plane

The behavior of isolated meso-scale eddies near the coastal boundary is studied by numerical experiments based on the quasi-geostrophic equation in a basin on an f-plane. First, Bachelor-modon type eddies are investigated as an idealized model of isolated eddies close to the wall. The first-mode Bachelor-modon type eddy is found to be robust enough to recover its original form even after it turns a corner of the basin. In contrast, the second mode is unstable; it tends to move away from the wall and finally splits into two eddies proceeding in opposite directions along the wall. An initially Gaussian eddy a little distant from the boundary interacts with a Bachelor-modon type eddy translating along the boundary, sometimes resulting in vortex merging and pairing just as in the head-on collision of two modons on a beta-plane. It is found that an initially Gaussian eddy located moderately close to the coast rapidly settles down to a steadily translating eddy, which can be approximated remarkably well by a first-mode Bachelor-modon type eddy not only in appearance but also in translation velocity within an error of about 20%.     

基于观测的南海越南沿岸次表层涡旋

In this study, subsurface eddies near the Vietnam coast of the South China Sea were observed with in situ observations, including Argo, CTD, XBT and some processed and quality controlled data. Based on temperature profiles from four Argo floats near the coast of Vietnam, a subsurface warm eddy was identified in spring and summer. The multi-year Argo and Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Programme(GTSPP) data were merged on a seasonal basis based on the data interpolating variational analysis(DIVA) method to reconstruct the three-dimensional temperature structure. There is a warm eddy in the central subsurface at 12.5°N, 111°E below300 m depth in spring, which does not exist in autumn and is weak in winter and summer. From CSIRO Atlas of Regional Seas(CARS) and Generalized Digital Environment Model(GDEM) reanalysis data, this subsurface warm eddy is also verified in spring.     

绣针河口附近岸线变迁特征

根据1963年、1980年、1984年、1997年的历史地图和数字影像图以及2002年、2003年的现场岸滩地貌和岸线测量结果,分析了绣针河口附近岸滩现代岸线的变迁特征,并根据岸滩冲淤演化的特点,将岸滩分为5段,结果显示:东潘家村以北的沙丘海岸目前处于侵蚀后退状态,平均蚀退速率为6～8m/a;东潘家村至岚山头岸段为基岩海岸,除人类活动影响的区域外,岸滩变化是轻微的:1970年至1974年间低潮线后退40～100m,在岚山头岬角以西的王家庄沿岸,从1963年到1984年,海岸线后退了360～540m,岚山港建港以后,海岸遂稳定在现今人工海堤附近;绣针河口区河口海岸的动态变化主要受人类活动的影响;绣针河口至大新庄岸段主要为堆积性岸段;大新庄至韩口主要为侵蚀性岸段,自1963年至今一直处于侵蚀后退状态。修建人工堤坝和挖沙是研究区内人类活动对岸滩影响的主要形式,人工堤坝的修建在一定程度和一定范围内有利于海岸线的稳定,而挖沙将直接导致和加剧海岸的侵蚀。     

Possibilities of X-band nautical radars for monitoring of wind waves near the coast

We present the results of development and testing of a coastal X-band radar system for monitoring wind waves and currents at the Black Sea (near Gelendzhik) created on the basis of nautical radars. Radar measurements of wave heights were validated by data from a wave buoy and a moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The conditions for successful radar measurements of waves in the coastal environment have been determined. It was shown that a radar with an aperture 1° could successfully measure wave heights at a distance of 1.2 km from the radar, when waves arrive at an angle of ±31° to the main sensing direction. In this case, for wave height measurements, the correlation coefficient between the radar and independent data is 0.82 and the standard deviation is 0.26 m.     

大连湾入口北部海区的潮流特征

根据实测资料，分析了受地形和水道影响下大连湾入口北部海区的潮流现象，并采用准调和分析方法，得出了该海区潮流的基本特征，潮流以M2分潮流为主要优势分潮，潮流运动形式为往复流；属于不规则半日潮流性质；接近规则半日潮流。     

Peculiar dispersion of salt by wind-driven fluctuations in the stratified water near the coast

A peculiar dispersion of salt, which was found in a partially mixed estuary by long-term continuous measurements of current and salinity and directed outward in the upper layer and inward in the lower layer in summer, is reported and discussed. The cause is estimated to be salinity stratification and wind-driven fluctuations in water near the coast. The general formulation is presented and a great possibility of negative dispersion against the horizontal gradient is pointed out. Dispersion coefficients are also estimated.     

Scyphomedusae in surface waters near the Oregon coast, May–August 1981

The scyphomedusae of the surface waters off Oregon and southern Washington were collected with commercial purse seines from May–August 1981. Twelve east-west transects, located from north of the Columbia River to south of Coos Bay were sampled from the 37 m isobath to distances up to 48 km from shore. Chrysaora fuscescens was the dominant species collected in each month. Maximum sampled abundances reached 18001 of medusae per 10⁵ m³. Using an estimated carbon content of 0·280% of wet weight, this medusa density was calculated to contain approximately 50 mg Cm⁻³. Seven of the 263 samples contained so many medusae that they exceeded the capacity of the sampling gear. In all months but May, when medusa densities were relatively low, the density of C. fuscescens was greatest closest to shore and decreased rapidly offshore. Mean umbrella diameter increased from 8·6 cm in May to 18·5 cm in August, while the largest specimens increased from 19 cm in May to 37 cm in August. Aurelia aurtia, Cyanea capillata and Phacellophora camtschatica were also collected, but were much less abundant than C. fuscescens. The relative abundance of C. fuscescens was compared with the maximum abundance of copepods off the Oregon coast, and the hydrographic features influencing medusa distribution patterns are discussed.     

ARGO全球海洋观测网与我国海洋监测技术的发展

本文主要介绍了最近国际上继“热带海洋大气观测网”（后），正在建立的又一个更大规模的全球海洋观测网，即“地转海洋学实时观测阵（ARGO）”的建设及进展情况。并浅析了该网对我国大气、海洋科学研究的科学意义，以及我国加入该观测网建设的重要性和必要性。     

Spatio-temporal variability in sea surface wind stress near and off the east coast of Korea

Sea surface wind stress variabilities near and off the east coast of Korea, are examined using 7 kinds of wind datasets from measurements at 2 coastal (land) stations and 2 ocean buoys,satellite scatterometer (QuikSCAT), and global reanalyzed products (ECMWF,NOGAPS,and NCEP/NCAR). Temporal variabilities are analyzed at 3 frequency bands; synoptic (2-20 d), intra-seasonal (20-90 d),and seasonal (>90 d).Synoptic and intra-seasonal     

Geostrophic flow disturbances generated by inhomogeneities of the gravitational field

A theoretical problem of linear stationary disturbances of the background geostrophic flow of a stratified rotating medium (atmosphere) that are induced by inhomogeneities of the gravitational field is considered. There is a common belief that such inhomogeneities may only somewhat deform (distort) the state of hydrostatic equilibrium, but cannot affect the dynamics of the flow in the atmosphere. Generally, the problem statement is different for the processes over a solid surface and a water surface, because a water surface (the lower boundary condition for the atmosphere) is deformed by inhomogeneities of the gravitational field. The problem of disturbances over a water surface has been considered in recent papers of the authors; in this paper, the results are developed and significantly revised. The emphasis is on disturbances over a flat horizontal surface, which were not examined before. From the analytical solutions, it follows that the influence of inhomogeneities of the gravitational field on the atmospheric flows may be significant in some cases. Physical generation mechanisms of disturbances are analyzed.     

Evolution of an isolated eddy near a coast and its relevance to the “Kyucho”

The evolution of an isolated meso-scale eddy near a coast is studied numerically. In particular, it is found that the translation speed of the adjusted eddy is estimated well by the mutual induction mechanism adapted to a rotating stratified fluid. The nonlinear Kelvin wave excited during the adjustment process is also discussed in connection with the Kyucho, the sudden warming of coastal waters associated with swift currents.     

Some General Properties of Transverse Motions of the Geostrophic Front

Within the framework of the reduced-gravity model of the ocean taking into account the effect of friction in the Rayleigh form, we study the two-dimensional problem of nonlinear motions of a subsurface front of finite width. We consider the conservation laws and the character of motion of the center-of-mass of the cross section of the front and their variations caused by the losses of energy. For fields with special structure, the problem is reduced to the solution of a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. It is shown that the initially geostrophic frontal current decays with time according to a power law. The deviations of the initial state of the front from the state of geostrophic balance result in the generation of superinertial oscillations of the hydrodynamic fields.     

西北太平洋ENSO年地转流特征分析

本文利用WOA01(The World Ocean Atlas 2001)提供的多年平均1/4°x1/4°全球温、盐数据,根据地转方程,计算了20°S～70°N,100°～180°E西北太平洋区域的基态动力高度;利用AVIOSO(CNES)提供的Topex/Poseidon卫星高度计数据,计算并分析了ENSO现象较为明显的1997年西北太平洋动力高度及地转流的分布与变化情况.