The CANALES experiment (1996-1998). Interannual, seasonal, and mesoscale variability of the circulation in the Balearic Channels

Repeated hydrographic casts, mooring time series and satellite sea surface temperature collected during the CANALES experiment (1996–98) are used to describe the thermohaline circulation in the Balearic Channels (western Mediterranean) and to analyze its variability. Mass transports are estimated by inverse calculations. The role played by each channel in the meridional water exchange is clarified: the Ibiza Channel funnels southward cool, saline, northern waters whereas the Mallorca Channel appears as the preferred route for the northward progression of warm, fresh, southern waters. A neat interannual trend is revealed by the continuous decrease of the amount of Western Mediterranean Intermediate Waters (WIW) brought by the Northern Current, reflecting the increase in temperature of the winter mixed layer in the northern Mediterranean that occurred each year between 1996 and 1998. A clear seasonal signal was also seen in the transport of the Northern Current which decreased from 1 to 1.4 Sv in winter to < 0.5 Sv in summer. The current intensified again in fall. A number of mesoscale eddies, from 20 to 70 km in size, most of them anticyclonic vortex eddies were brought by the unstable Northern Current, these eddies strongly perturbed the water exchange in the Ibiza Channel forcing retroflections of northern waters back to the north-east into the Balearic Current. These eddies either stayed stalled for several months in the Gulf of Valencia to the north of the channel, or were slowly funnelled southward through the channel narrows. A decreasing trend was observed in the mesoscale activity of the Northern Current between 1996 and 1998. Conversely, large, anticyclonic eddies, 150-km diameter, progressively invaded the Algerian Basin to the south of the channels in 1997–98 and forcing northward inflows (up to 0.75 Sv) of fresh and warm waters of Atlantic origin (AW) into the Mallorca Channel. The marked interannual differences observed in both northern and southern eddy activity may be linked to the interannual variability of the large scale thermohaline circulation.     

Sources and distribution of fresh water in the East Greenland Current

Fresh water flowing from the Arctic Ocean via the East Greenland Current influences deep water formation in the Nordic Seas as well as the salinity of the surface and deep waters flowing from there. This fresh water has three sources: Pacific water (relatively fresh cf. Atlantic water), river runoff, and sea ice meltwater. To determine the relative amounts of the three sources of fresh water, in May 2002 we collected water samples across the East Greenland Current in sections from 81.5°N to the Irminger Sea south of Denmark Strait. We used nitrate-phosphate relationships to distinguish Pacific waters from Atlantic waters, salinity to obtain the sum of sea ice melt water and river runoff water, and total alkalinity to distinguish the latter. River runoff contributed the largest part of the total fresh water component, in some regions with some inventories exceeding 12 m. Pacific fresh water (Pacific source water S ∼ 32 cf. Atlantic source water S ∼ 34.9) typically provided about 1/3 of the river runoff contribution. Sea ice meltwater was very nearly non-existent in the surface waters of all sections, likely at least in part as a result of the samples being collected before the onset of the melt season. The fresh water from the Arctic Ocean was strongly confined to near the Greenland coast. We thus conjecture that the main source of fresh water from the Arctic Ocean most strongly impacting deep convection in the Nordic Seas would be sea ice as opposed to fresh water in the liquid phase, i.e., river runoff, Pacific fresh water, and sea ice meltwater.     

Evaluation of anthropogenic carbon in the Nordic Seas using observed relationships of N, P and C versus CFCs

Several methods to compute the anthropogenic component of total dissolved inorganic carbon () in the ocean have been reported, all in some way deducing (a) the effect by the natural processes, and (b) the background concentration in the pre-industrial scenario. In this work we present a method of calculating using nutrient and CFC data, which takes advantage of the linear relationships found between nitrate (N), phosphate (P) and CFC-11 in the Nordic Seas sub-surface waters. The basis of the method is that older water has lower CFC-11 concentration and also has been exposed to more sinking organic matter that has decayed, resulting in the slopes of P versus CFC-11 and N versus CFC-11 being close to the classic Redfield ratio of 1:16. Combining this with the slope in total alkalinity (A_T) versus CFC-11 to correct for the dissolution of metal carbonates gives us the possibility to deduce the concentration of anthropogenic C_T in the Nordic Seas. This further allowed us to compute the inventory of anthropogenic C_T below 250 m in the Nordic Seas in spring 2002, to ∼1.2 Gt C.     

The Japan Sea Intermediate Water; Its Characteristics and Circulation

In the southern Japan Sea there is a salinity minimum layer between the Tsushima Current Water and the Japan Sea Proper Water. Since the salinity minimum corresponds to the North Pacific Intermediate Water, it is named the Japan Sea Intermediate Water (JIW). To examine the source and circulation of JIW, the basin-wide salinity minimum distribution was investigated on the basis of hydrographic data obtained in 1969. The young JIW, showing the highest oxygen concentration and the lowest salinity, is seen in the southwestern Japan Sea west of 133°E, while another JIW with lower oxygen and higher salinity occupies the southeastern Japan Sea south of the subpolar front. Since the young JIW shows high oxygen concentrations, high temperatures and low densities, the source of the water is probably in the surface layer. It is inferred that the most probable region of subduction is the subarctic front west of 132°E with the highest oxygen and the lowest salinity at shallow salinity minimum. In addition, property distributions suggest that JIW takes two flow paths: a eastward flow along the subarctic front and an southward flow toward the Ulleung Basin. On the other hand, a different salinity minimum from JIW occupies the northern Japan Sea north of the subarctic front, which shows an apparently higher salinity and high oxygen concentration than JIW. However, this salinity minimum is considered not to be a water mass but to be a boundary between overlying and underlying water masses. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Current Measurements of the Japan Sea Proper Water and the Intermediate Water by ALACE Floats

The subsurface current of the Japan Sea was observed by two Autonomous Lagrangian Circulation Explorer (ALACE) floats. One float, having a 20-day cycle, was deployed on 29 July 1995 in the eastern Japan Basin and drifted in the northeastern part of the basin until 15 September 2000. The other float, with a 10-day cycle, was deployed on 4 August 1995 in the western Japan Basin and drifted in the western Japan Basin, in the Yamato Basin and around the Yamato Rise until it reached its life limit in mid-May 2000. An anticlockwise circulation in the eastern Japan Basin was observed and it was assumed to be in the upper portion of the Japan Sea Proper Water (UJSPW) or in the intermediate water. The spatial scale of the circulation increased as the depth decreased. A clockwise circulation was observed around the Yamato Rise in the UJSPW. Smaller clockwise and anticlockwise rotations were observed in the western Japan Sea, where a seasonal variation was seen in drift speed with different phase by depth. The correlation coefficient between drift speeds of two floats indicated little coherence among the subsurface circulation between the east and the west of the Japan Basin, or between the north and the south of the subpolar front. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The annual cycle of vertical mixing and restratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba (Red Sea) based on high temporal and vertical resolution observations

The stratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba follows a well-known annual cycle of well-mixed conditions in winter, surface warming in spring and summer, maximum vertical temperature gradient in late summer, and erosion of stratification in fall. The strength and structure of the stratification influences the diverse coral reef ecosystem and also affects the strength of the semi-diurnal tidal currents. Long-term (13 months) moored thermistor data, combined with high temporal and vertical resolution density profiles in deep water, show that transitions from summer to fall and winter to spring/summer occur in unpredictable, pulses and are not slow and gradual, as previously deduced from monthly hydrographic measurements and numerical simulations forced by monthly climatologies. The cooling and deepening of the surface layer in fall is marked by a transition to large amplitude, semi-diurnal isotherm displacements in the stratified intermediate layer. Stratification is rebuilt in spring and summer by intermittent pulses of warm, buoyant water that can increase the upper 100–150 m by 2 °C that force surface waters down 100–150 m over a matter of days. The stratification also varies in response to short-lived eddies and diurnal motions during winter. Thus, the variability in the stratification exhibits strong depth and seasonal dependence and occurs over range of timescales: from tidal to seasonal. We show that monthly or weekly single-cast hydrographic data under-samples the variability of the stratification in the Gulf and we estimate the error associated with single-cast assessments of the stratification.     

Tintinnids and Other Microplankton from the Greenland Sea: Abundance and Distribution in the Marginal Ice Zone (MayJune 1989)

Abstract. Microplankton (silicoflagellates, dinoflagellates, tintinnids, pteropods, crustaceans, and fecal pellets) was analysed in 71 0–95 m samples from the Greenland Sea collected from May to June 1989. Abundances were clearly associated with the ice edge, highest concentrations occurring in ice-free waters. The 15 to 30 m stratum was generally richer in microplankton than deeper waters, with the exception of microcrustaceans, which often peaked below 30 m. Six tintinnid species were identified. The mean size of the tintinnid Parafavella denticulata from the Greenland Sea was consistently greater than that of Barents Sea specimens. It is suggested that colder waters and scarcer food are responsible for these morphometric differences.     

格陵兰海气溶胶光学深度、海冰、浮游植物与二甲基硫的关系及其对未来气候的影响

dimethylsulphide (DMS)的海空通量是海洋生物气溶胶的主要来源之一,对气候（特别是北冰洋的气候）具有重要的辐射影响。利用卫星数据得到的气溶胶光学深度(AOD)作为气溶胶负荷的代表,在夏季和秋季表现的尤其明显。春季海冰的融化是北极气溶胶前体的重要来源。然而,早春的高浓度气溶胶可能与南方大陆污染的平流有关(北极霾)。更高的AOD通常在研究区域的南部出现。海冰浓度(SIC)和AOD呈正相关,而云盖(CLD)和AOD则呈负相关。SIC和CLD的季节性峰值均在AOD峰值的前一个月。AOD与SIC之间存在强烈的正相关关系。融冰与叶绿素（CHL)几乎在3月至9月呈正相关,但与春季和初夏的AOD呈负相关。春季和初夏较高的AOD有可能是由融冰和春季强风在该地区的结合影响。由于春季风的升高和冰的融化,在春季出现了DMS通量的峰值。从3月到五月,DMS浓度和AOD及融冰都呈正相关。早秋季升高的AOD可能与浮游植物合成的生物气溶胶的排放有关。到2100年,格陵兰海的DMS通量将增加3倍以上。生物气溶胶的显著增加可以部分抵消格陵兰海的增温现象。     

The Formation and Circulation of the Intermediate Water in the Japan Sea

In order to clarify the formation and circulation of the Japan/East Sea Intermediate Water (JESIW) and the Upper portion of the Japan Sea Proper Water (UJSPW), numerical experiments have been carried out using a 3-D ocean circulation model. The UJSPW is formed in the region southeast off Vladivostok between 41°N and 42°N west of 136°E. Taking the coastal orography near Vladivostok into account, the formation of the UJSPW results from the deep water convection in winter which is generated by the orchestration of fresh water supplied from the Amur River and saline water from the Tsushima Warm Current under very cold conditions. The UJSPW formed is advected by the current at depth near the bottom of the convection and penetrates into the layer below the JESIW. The origin of the JESIW is the low salinity coastal water along the Russian coast originated by the fresh water from the Amur River. The coastal low salinity water is advected by the current system in the northwestern Japan Sea and penetrates into the subsurface below the Tsushima Warm Current region forming a subsurface salinity minimum layer. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The destiny of the North Pacific Intermediate Water in the South China Sea

The previous studies show that the spreading path of the subtropical salinity minimum of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) is southwestward pointing to the Luzon Strait. Based on the P -vector method and generalized digital environmental model (GDEM) data, the volume transport of NPIW through Luzon Strait and the upward transport on the NPIW lower and upper boundaries are calculated to examine the destiny of NPIW in the South China Sea (SCS). On the annual mean, the estimation of NPIW transport into the SCS through the Luzon Strait is 1.72 Sv (1Sv=10 6 m 3 /s). The upward transport over the SCS is 0.31 Sv on the NPIW upper boundary and 1.31 Sv on the NPIW lower boundary. There is no strait or passage deeper than the surface for the NPIW to extend, except for the Luzon Strait. For the volume balance in the SCS NPIW, the volume transport of 2.72 Sv has to flow out of the SCS NPIW layer through the Luzon Strait.     

黄、东海环流的数值研究Ⅰ. 黄、东海环流的数值模型

首先依据拉格朗日环流理论与黄、东海的环流物理和几何特征建立一个黄、东海环流的动力学统一模型 ,并按其无因次方程的量阶分析获得其零阶和一阶模型方程。最后依此模型方程的数学、物理特征确立了流速分解方案 ,从而形成完整的黄、东海拉格朗日环流数值模型。该课题组已完成较系统地对黄、东海环流的数值研究。该篇论文为系列报道之首篇。     

Horizontal distribution of Changjiang Diluted Water in summer inferred from total suspended sediment in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

During the summer in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the resuspension of the bottom sediment is obstructed by strong stratification and, as a result, the concentration of total suspended sediment (TSS) can be used as an excellent tracer for Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). To analyze the spatial and temporal variations of the CDW distribution, the monthly mean TSS from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ocean color data are constructed and are converted to salinity using the relationship between salinity observed from AQUARIUS and TSS. The process produces the detailed horizontal distribution of salinity with very high resolution (1 km). From monthly mean salinity map from 2002 to 2012 in July and August, the expansion patterns of CDW are analyzed. The southerly wind in July and southeasterly wind in August transport the CDW eastward and northeastward, respectively. It is found that the yearly variation of the expansion of CDW toward the southern sea area of Korea is mostly due to the variation of southerly wind and the fluctuations of fresh water discharge into the Changjiang estuary show relatively little impact on the eastward extend of CDW. When 11-year mean (from 2002 to 2012) salinity map in August is compared with World Ocean Atlas 2013, it is revealed that wind in August strengthened six times from 1994 and it causes the expansion of CDW extended 150 km further eastward.     

Strong Tidal Mixing and Ventilation of Cold Intermediate Water at Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk

Tidal mixing at the Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk, has been investigated using observations of bottom pressure and currents. The tides are dominated by the diurnal constituents. The water motion over the Bank is predominantly controlled by strong diurnal tidal currents, which bring cold water on the bank from its source, a cold intermediate layer. The temperature fluctuations are about 1.2°C at the southern edge of the bank. The maximum observed velocity is about 164 cm/s at the top of the bank. A superposition of the original diurnal constituents K₁ and O₁ reveals a strong fortnightly (M_f) variability of the current speed. Tidal-induced mixing is responsible for ventilation of the cold intermediate layer of the Sea of Okhotsk. Strong tidal mixing creates a well-defined tidally mixed front around the bank. This front acts like a barrier separating well-mixed water on the bank from stratified water on its flanks. There is a residual current of the order of 10 cm/s.     

The temporal and spatial variability of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in the southeastern Yellow Sea, 2009-2011

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM) is one of the important water mass in the Yellow Sea(YS).It is distributed in the lower layer in the Yellow Sea central trough with the temperature less than 10 C and the salinity lower than 33.0.To understand the variability of the YSCWM,the hydrographic data obtained in April and August during 2009–2011 are analyzed in the southeastern Yellow Sea.In August 2011,relatively warm and saline water compared with that in 2009 and 2010 was detected in the lower layer in the Yellow Sea central area.Although the typhoon passed before the cruise,the salinity in the Yellow Sea central trough is much higher than the previous season.It means that the saline event cannot be explained by the typhoon but only by the intrusion of saline water during the previous winter.In April 2011,actually,warm and saline water(T >10 C,S >34) was observed in the deepest water depth of the southeastern area of the Yellow Sea.The wind data show that the northerly wind in 2011 winter is stronger than in 2009 and 2010 winter season.The strong northerly wind can trigger the intrusion of warm and saline Yellow Sea Warm Current.Therefore,it is proposed that the strong northerly wind in winter season leads to the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current into the Yellow Sea central trough and influenced a variability of the YSCWM in summer.     

中国南大洋水团、环流和海冰研究进展(1995-2002)

总结了1995年以来中国在南大洋物理海洋学研究和南极海冰研究中所取得的成果。普里兹湾海区是中国南大洋研究的重点区域，研究表明，在该海区存在显著的深层水涌升和陆架水北扩现象，某些年份深层水与陆架水混合后产生了较重的水体，但是尚未发现生成南极底层水的直接证据。在普里兹湾所处的印度洋区段，亚热带锋、亚南极锋和极锋表现出显著的时空变化，特别是不同年份的锋面位置存在较大的摆动。该海区的南极绕极流既是风生的，也受到密度场的影响。在凯尔盖朗海台的地形引导作用下，南极绕极流表现出显著的非纬向性特征。南极海冰除了显著的季节变化以外，也表现出长期变化的趋势。此变化与海洋、大气中的其它变化有一定的相关性，表现为两极海冰涛动、南方海洋涛动等多种变化模态，对我国气候也有一定的影响。     

黄、东海环流的数值研究Ⅳ——斜压环流的诊断计算

基于黄、东海Lagrange环流数值模型 ,对黄、东海Lagrange斜压环流进行了诊断计算。采用流速分解法将La grange流速分解为梯度流、风海流、潮致余流、热盐环流、零阶环流耦合流 5种分量 ,实现三维计算的准二维化。计算结果较成功地模拟了冬夏两季黄、东海Lagrange环流 ,表明密度环流在冬、夏季均是东海环流的重要分量 ,可显著增强了东海黑潮、东海黑潮、台湾暖流和对马暖流 ;在夏季还是黄海环流的主要分量。     

A numerical study of the South China Sea deep circulation and its relation to the Luzon Strait transport

A fine-resolution MOM code is used to study the South China Sea basin-scale circulationand its relation to the mass transport through the Luzon Strait. The model domain includes the South China Sea, part of the East China Sea, and part of the Philippine Sea so that the currents in the vicinity of the Luzon Strait are free to evolve. In addition, all channels between the South China Sea and the Indonesian seas are closed so that the focus is on the Luzon Strait transport. The model is driven by specified Philippine Sea currents and by surface heat and salt flux conditions. For simplicity, no wind-stress is applied at the surface.The simulated Luzon Strait transport and the South China Sea circulation feature a sandwich vertical structure from the surface to the bottom. The Philippine Sea water is simulated to enter the South China Sea at the surface and in the deep ocean and is carried to the southern basin by western boundary currents. At the intermediate depth, the net Luzon Strait transport is out of t     

陆架环流作用下的北黄海中北部细颗粒物质输运

海洋泥质沉积是流域、古气候及海平面变化信息的重要载体,对该粒级物质的系统研究,是获取环境信息的重要手段。为此,采集北黄海中北部表层沉积物80件,经室内筛分处理,并对细颗粒组分（<63 μm）进行了稀土元素（REE）测试。结果显示REE的含量及分布模式在长山列岛东西两侧差异显著:东侧物质明显富集REE,尤其轻稀土元素（LREE）,Eu元素则明显缺失,指示了受鸭绿江的显著控制;长山列岛以西,REE除含量降低外,分布模式也变平缓。造影剂马根维显（Gd-DTPA）在磁共振成像（MRI）中的大量使用,可能是造成Gd明显富集的主要原因。此外,辽南沿岸物质的来源及分布与以往认识存在差异,以往认为辽南沿岸泥质沉积为鸭绿江为主的辽东半岛河流的远端泥沉积,而本文的研究发现:辽东半岛东侧长山列岛至大连湾外海域以黄河来源物质为主,鸭绿江物质对北黄海西部泥质区的贡献在西侧大于东侧,其中陆架环流对物质输运发挥着重要作用。