基于潜标观测的吕宋海峡以东深海海流的低频变异

本文利用在菲律宾海布放的一套锚系潜标获取的长时间海流和水温观测数据,分析了吕宋海峡以东的深海海洋环境特征,着重阐释了该海域海流的全水深垂向结构及其低频变化特征。研究表明,表层(100～160 m)平均流向为西偏北,流速约为12.5 cm/s;中层(810 m)的平均流为西向,流速为2.6 cm/s;深层(1 550 m和2 560 m)的平均流速在1 cm/s以内,近底(4 040 m)的流向为较稳定的西南向,流速为2.3 cm/s。上层海流的动能比中层和深层大1～2个量级,总动能、平均动能、涡动动能均在表层最大,中层次之、深层最小,各层次涡动能均大于平均动能。中上层海流的低频变化具有极高的相似性,全年为81～85 d的周期振荡;近底层海流则不同,变化周期约为51 d。     

Importance of eddy representation for modeling the intermediate salinity minimum in the North Pacific: Comparison between eddy-resolving and eddy-permitting models

In order to confirm the results of the authors’ previous work, which found that the existence of disturbances smaller than meso-scale eddies is important in large-scale mixing process between the Oyashio and Kuroshio waters in the intermediate layer, the results of an eddy-resolving model experiment are analyzed and compared with those of an eddy-permitting model. The intermediate salinity minimum given in the initial condition weakens as integration advances in the eddy-permitting model, while it recovers rapidly and is maintained thereafter in the eddy-resolving model, initialized from the unrealistic salinity distribution of the former. Filament-like fine structures in temperature and salinity develop actively in the latter, which are much smaller in horizontal width than meso-scale eddies, suggesting the importance of such disturbances in the large-scale mixing. The mixing ratio of the Oyashio water defined by the original Oyashio and Kuroshio waters shows that its value is generally higher in the intermediate lower sub-layer than in the intermediate upper sub-layer in the Mixed Water Region, and the salinity minimum exists between layers with low and high values of the mixing ratio with its strong vertical gradient. The eddy transports of the Oyashio and Kuroshio waters in an isopycnal layer are divided into four components, usual isopycnal mixing of temperature and salinity being dominant, followed by the component associated with the thickness flux. The southward eddy transport of the Oyashio water and the northward eddy transport of the Kuroshio water are not symmetric to each other because the thickness-flux-associated components are in the same direction (southward).     

Topographic Rossby waves in the Gulf of Mexico

Observations of topographic Rossby waves (TRW), using moored current meters, bottom pressure gauges, and Lagrangian RAFOS floats, are investigated for the deep basin of the Gulf of Mexico. Recent extensive measurement programs in many parts of the deep gulf, which were inspired by oil and gas industry explorations into ever deeper water, allow more comprehensive analyses of the propagation and dissipation of these deep planetary waves. The Gulf of Mexico circulation can be divided into two layers with the ∼800-1200 m upper layer being dominated by the Loop Current (LC) pulsations and shedding of large (diameters ∼300-400 km) anticyclonic eddies in the east, and the translation of these LC eddies across the basin to the west. These processes spawn smaller eddies of both signs through instabilities, and interactions with topography and other eddies to produce energetic surface layer flows that have a rich spectrum of orbit periods and diameters. In contrast, current variability below 1000 m often has the characteristics of TRWs, with periods ranging from ∼10-100 days and wavelengths of ∼50-200 km, showing almost depth-independent or slightly bottom intensified currents through the weakly stratified lower water column. These fluctuations are largely uncorrelated with simultaneous upper-layer eddy flows. TRWs must be generated through energy transfer from the upper-layer eddies to the lower layer by potential vorticity adjustments to changing depths of the bottom and the interface between the layers. Therefore, the LC and LC eddies are prime candidates as has been suggested by some model studies. Model simulations have also indicated that deep lower-layer eddies may be generated by the LC and LC eddy shedding processes.In the eastern gulf, the highest observed lower-layer kinetic energy was north of the Campeche Bank under the LC in a region that models have identified as having strong baroclinic instabilities. Part of the 60-day TRW signal propagates towards the Sigsbee Escarpment (a steep slope at the base of the northern continental slope), and the rest into the southern part of the eastern basin. Higher energy is observed along the escarpment between 89°W and 92°W than either under the northern part of the LC or further south in the deep basin, because of radiating TRWs from the western side of the LC. In the northern part of the LC, evidence was found in the observations that 20-30-day TRWs were connected with the upper layer through coherent signals of relative vorticity. The ∼90° phase lead of the lower over the upper-layer relative vorticity was consistent with baroclinic instability. Along the Sigsbee Escarpment, the TRWs are refracted and reflected so that little energy reaches the lower continental slope and a substantial mean flow is generated above the steepest part of the escarpment. RAFOS float tracks show that this mean flow continues along the escarpment to the west and into Mexican waters. This seems to be a principal pathway for deepwater parcels to be transported westward. Away from the slope RAFOS floats tend to oscillate in the same general area as if primarily responding to the deep wave field. Little evidence of westward translating lower-layer eddies was found in both the float tracks and the moored currents. In the western gulf, the highest deep energy levels are much less than in the central gulf, and are found seaward of the base of the slope. Otherwise, the situation is similar with TRWs propagating towards the slope, probably generated by the local upper-layer complex eddy field, being reflected and forcing a southward mean flow along the base of the Mexican slope. Amplitudes of the lower-layer fluctuations decay from the northwest corner towards the south.     

Numerical Experiments of the Influences of the Transport Variation through the Korea Strait on the Japan/East Sea Upper Layer Circulation

Numerical experiments were performed in order to investigate the effects of variations of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait, an inlet of the Japan/East Sea, on the upper layer circulation in the JES based on a 10-month transport observation from May 1999 to March 2000 (Perkins et al., 2000). All external forcings to the model were annual mean fields, except the transport variation through the Korea Strait. In the experiments where the periodic variation of the transport repeated continuously sinusoidally by several periods, strong variability of sea surface height (SSH) was detected in the region extending from the Korea Strait to the Japanese coast due to the geostrophy of the buoyancy forcing at the Korea Strait. The region along the Korean coast is more sensitive to the long-term variations than the short-term (≤60-day period) ones. In two experiments forced by realistic and monthly mean transport, the difference of rms of sea surface height was largest at the Japanese coast and relatively large at the East Korean Warm Current separation region (128∼130°E, 39∼41°N) and to the east of Yamato Rise. The distribution of difference of eddy kinetic energy at 100 m depth between the two experiments was similar to that of the rms of SSH. In the distributions of mean SSH and mean kinetic energy at 100 m depth the realistic transport invokes eddy variability to interact with mean current resulting in the changes of the mean SSH and the mean kinetic energy at the East Korean Warm Current separation region, but it does not produce conspicuous changes in the mean fields of entire JES compared with the mean fields forced by the seasonal transport.     

Vertical Structure of Baroclinic Currents over Northern South China Sea Continental Slope

The 28.6 d time series of ADCP currents at 27 depth levels, (11,15,…,115m) which are obtained from a mooring station at the northern South China Sea continental slope, have been decomposed into barotropic and baroclinic components. The emphasis in this paper is on the analysis of the time series of baroclinic currents by means of several methods,such as the tidal harmonic analysis, the power spectra and the kinetic energy estimation.The major results are as follows: (1) In respect of the baroclinic currents, the values of several parameters first decrease and then increase with depth. These parameters include the temporal mean value of the cross-shelf component, the standard deviations, the amplitudes of K1 constituents, the mean eddy kinetic energy, as well as the significant peaks of the power spectra of the cross-shelf components. (2) The diurnal period of the baroclinic currents is dominant. The diumal tidal current rotates clockwise and the major axis of current ellipse is located along the directions of NW-SE. The vertical distribution of the phases of the diurnal constituent varies with the different water layers. Around the 67m depth level, the phase changes very much.At those layers far away from the 67m depth level, the vertical distribution of the phase is relatively stable, but with opposite phases in the upper and lower water layers. For the upper layers between the surface and 67m,the phases are around 300°; for the lower layers between 67m and 115m, the phases are around 120° .(3) The mean eddy kinetic energy of the baroclinic current is quite large, accounting for 41% of the mean kinetic energy of the measured currents. The cross-shelf component is larger than the along-shelf one. The two baroclinic current components correspond to the major and minor axes of the current ellipse of the diurnal constituent respectively. (4) The power spectra of the baroclinic currents show a singnificant period of about 24h, with 23.6h at both 19m and 99m and 24.4h at 55m. The vertical distributions of the significant spectra-peak values of the power spectra of both the crossshelf and along-shelf components of both the baroclinic currents are different. The former increases with depth, then decreases and finally increases again while the latter decreases with depth.     

南海及西北太平洋卫星高度计资料分析:海洋中尺度涡统计特征

采用AVISO提供的卫星高度计融合数据,对南海及西北太平洋(5°～35°N,105°～150°E)1993～2009年17a间的中尺度涡活动进行统计分析.结果表明南海中尺度涡活动具有明显的年际变化,每年观测到产生的中尺度涡个数平均为21～22个,标准差约为4个,占年平均值的20%;而西北太平洋中尺度涡个数的年际差异不大,平均每年观测到150～151个中尺度涡产生,标准差约为14个,仅占年平均值的9%.中尺度涡的逐月统计结果表明南海和西北太平洋的中尺度涡活动均有明显季节变化,1993～2009年间的各月南海和西北太平洋分别观测到30～31个和213～214个中尺度涡产生,标准差分别约为6个和41个,均占各自月平均值的19%.中尺度涡主要集中分布在南海东北部、越南东部和黑潮流轴附近海域.涡动能、海面高度距平均方根以及涡度均方根的空间分布大致与涡旋个数分布一致,但在西北太平洋的低纬海区和黑潮延伸体区域则不甚吻合.在相同的涡旋判别标准下,西北太平洋低纬海区(5°～15°N)观测到的中尺度涡个数比中高纬海区要少得多.     

A three-dimensional modeling study on eddy-mean flow interaction between a Gaussian-type anticyclonic eddy and Kuroshio

The Princeton ocean model is employed to study the energy balance of a fast-moving anticyclonic eddy (AE) during eddy-mean flow interaction. The AE is initialized with an axisymmetric Gaussian-type temperature profile and is placed to the east of the Philippine Islands. An energy analysis suggests that the advection term, pressure work and friction term play dominant roles in the initial eddy decay. During the strong interaction stage, barotropic instability (BTI) becomes the main force for the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) production, with the largest positive BTI in the interaction zone, which means that the eddy always obtains kinetic energy from the Kuroshio during this stage. Most of the EKE dissipation, the large conversion from the eddy available potential energy to the EKE and that from the mean kinetic energy to the EKE all occur at the upper layer during the strong interaction stage. When the AE interacts with the mean flow on the eastern side of the Kuroshio, whether the AE gains kinetic energy from the Kuroshio or loses kinetic energy to the Kuroshio is mainly determined by its shape in the interaction zone.     

Height-season structure of the available potential energy and kinetic energy in the lower and middle atmosphere

The distributions of kinetic energy (KE) and available potential energy (APE) in the lower and middle atmosphere of the Northern and Southern hemispheres over the period 1992–2003 are investigated. Annual mean values of the amplitude and phase of annual and semiannual oscillations in the zonal and eddy forms of KE and APE are calculated in the height range 0–55 km (1000–0.316 hPa) for the 21st layer. A clearly pronounced annual cycle of the zonal and eddy components of KE and APE with maxima in the winter season are observed in the troposphere of both hemispheres. In the lower stratosphere, the annual-cycle maximum is shifted toward the summer season because of the meridional gradient of the zonal mean temperature. In the stratosphere of both hemispheres, along with annual oscillations, semiannual oscillations are present in all forms of energy. The intensity of these oscillations for the zonal KE and APE at the upper-stratosphere heights is comparable to the intensity of annual oscillations. A local structure of the energy regime of the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere is investigated against the background of the global energy regime from the data of meteor sounding in Kazan. It is shown that, for both the global and regional regimes, specific features of the phase profiles of energy characteristics can be explained by the presence of barriers during the propagation of wave disturbances along the vertical.     

Surface current and vertical thermal structure on the continental slope in Tosa Bay

In order to specify a vertical thermal structure related to surface current variation on the continental slope in Tosa Bay, Japan, we analyzed monthly regular hydrographic measurements in the years 1991–2004. Subsurface temperature below 200 m on the slope was found to vary synchronously with the vertical displacement of the main thermocline around 200 m. It is shown that the vertical-averaged temperature below 200 m is significantly correlated with an along-isobath/southwestward surface current velocity on the slope. This correlation indicates that when a strong (weak) southwestward surface current is observed, temperature below 200 m decreases (increases) simultaneously, that is, isotherms below the 200 m are displaced upward (downward) together with the main thermocline. Moreover, when the strong southwestward flow is detected, across-isobath isotherms around 200 m slope upward toward the offshore direction. Furthermore, it is suggested that as the Kuroshio axis moves offshore south of the bay, the southwestward flow tends to be weakened by the combined effect of other Kuroshio parameters such as transport and stream width as well as the Kuroshio axis position. As a result, it is inferred that the correlation between the surface current and subsurface temperature can be interpreted in terms of the formation and decay of an anticlockwise circulation interacting with a cold eddy.     

Near-surface circulation of the northeast Pacific Ocean derived from WOCE-SVP satellite-tracked drifters

Statistics of the near-surface circulation in the northeast Pacific Ocean were derived from the trajectories of nearly 100 surface drifters tracked between August 1990 and December 1995 as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment's (WOCE) Surface Velocity Program (SVP). Drifters were drogued within the mixed layer (15 m drogue depth) or near the top of the permanent halocline (120 m). All branches of the Alaskan Gyre were well-sampled at both depths, revealing a weak Subarctic Current, a bifurcation of the Subarctic Current near 48°N, 130°W at 15 m depth, and strong, variable flow in the Alaska Current and Alaskan Stream. At 120 m depth, northward flow in the Alaska Current occurred much farther offshore than within the mixed layer. The drifter trajectories revealed interannual variability, with evidence of an intensified Alaskan Gyre during the winters of 1991–92 and 1992–93 and more southerly transport during winter 1994–95. A minimum in eddy kinetic energy was found at both depths within the northern branch of the Subtropical Gyre. Eddy kinetic energies were nearly twice as high in the mixed layer compared to below, and were 2–3 times larger in winter than in summer throughout most of the near-surface Alaskan Gyre. High eddy energies observed near the eastern perimeter of the Alaskan Gyre may be due to the offshore intrusion of eddies formed by coastal current instabilities.Taylor's theory of single-particle dispersion was applied to the drifter ensembles to estimate Lagrangian decorrelation scales and eddy diffusivities. Both the initial dispersion and random walk regimes were identified in the dispersion time series computed for several regions of both ensembles. The integral time scales and eddy diffusivities computed from the dispersion scale linearly with r.m.s. velocity, which is consistent with drifter studies from the Atlantic. An exception is the meridional integral time scales, which were nearly constant throughout the study area and at both drogue depths. The magnitudes of the derived eddy statistics are comparable to those derived from surface drifters in other parts of the world ocean. These are the first Lagrangian estimates of particle dispersion over a broad region of the near-surface North Pacific, and the consistency of the results with previous studies from the Atlantic lends credence to the idea that the simplifying assumptions of Taylor (1921) (Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society Series A 20, 196–221) are reasonably valid throughout the upper ocean. This bodes well for the effective parameterization of near-surface diffusivities in general circulation models. Finally, the drifter-derived velocity statistics were used to speculate on the source regions of waters of possible coastal origin observed at offshore stations during the field studies of the Canadian Joint Global Ocean Flux Study.     

Variability of Current Structure Due to Meso-Scale Eddies on the Bottom Slope Southeast of Okinawa Island

The relationship between the vertical profile of current on the bottom slope southeast of Okinawa Island and the offshore meso-scale eddy propagated from the east was examined by combined use of the data obtained by a moored upward-looking ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler), PIES (Inverted Echo Sounder with Pressure gauge), hydrographic surveys and satellite altimetry during a period from November 2000 to August 2001. The variability of current component parallel to the isobath in the layer over 600 m is found to be markedly different from that in the layer below 600 m. The current variability in the upper and the lower layer can be well explained by the first and second modes of the EOF (Empirical Orthogonal Function) decomposition. The PIES and the sea surface height anomaly data suggest that the first mode represents the surface-trapped current associated with the approach of the offshore meso-scale eddy from the east, whereas the second mode has a bottom-intensified structure. The second mode velocity tends to delay to the first mode. The hydrographic data derived from CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth meter) and PIES data along the line across the isobath suggest that the second mode component is generated by the interaction between the meso-scale eddy and the bottom topography.     

Vertical structure of the field of current velocities in the northwest part of the Black Sea based on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">LADCP</Emphasis> data for May 2004

The profiles of absolute current velocity obtained by using a lowered acoustic doppler current profiler (LADCP) are presented. In the course of the BSERP-3 expedition, the measurements were carried out in the regions of the Rim Current, anticyclonic eddy, and northwest shelf. In the core of the Rim Current, a unidirectional motion of waters is traced in layers below the main pycnocline down to depths greater than 500 m. Its characteristic velocity can be as high as 0.08 m/sec. It is shown that the direct action of the eddy is detected in the shelf region at distances larger than 20 km from the outer edge of the shelf in the zone bounded by an isobath of 100 m. The formation of multilayer vertical structures in the field of current velocities is revealed in the region of interaction of the anticyclonic eddy with irregularities of the bottom on the side of the shelf. A two-layer structure of currents with specific features in the layer of formed seasonal pycnocline is observed in the region of the shelf down to an isobath of 100 m. The profiles of the moduli of vertical shears of currents averaged over the casts ensemble are presented for the abyssal and shelf parts of the sea. It is shown that the shears induced by the geostrophic currents and wave processes in the region of the main pycnocline are comparable. Below the pycnocline, the shears are mainly determined by the wave processes. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 25–37, November–December, 2008.     

A multi-model study of the restratification phase in an idealized convection basin

The representation of baroclinic instability in numerical models depends strongly upon the model physics and significant differences may be found depending on the vertical discretization of the governing dynamical equations. This dependency is explored in the context of the restratification of an idealized convective basin with no external forcing. A comparison is made between an isopycnic model including a mixed layer (the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model, MICOM), its adiabatic version (MICOM-ADIAB) in which the mixed layer physics are removed and the convective layer is described by a deep adiabatic layer outcropping at the surface instead of a thick dense mixed layer, and a z-coordinate model (OPA model).In the absence of a buoyancy source at the surface, the mixed layer geometry in MICOM prevents almost any retreat of this layer. As a result, lateral heat exchanges in the upper layers are limited while mass transfers across the outer boundary of the deep convective mixed layer result in an unrealistic outward spreading of this layer. Such a widespread deep mixed layer maintains a low level of baroclinic instability, and therefore limits lateral heat exchanges in the upper layers over most of the model domain. The behavior of the adiabatic isopycnic model and z-coordinate model is by far more satisfactory although contrasted features can be observed between the two simulations. In MICOM-ADIAB, the more baroclinic dynamics introduce a stronger contrast between the surface and the dense waters in the eddy kinetic energy and heat flux distributions. Better preservation of the density contrasts around the dense water patch maintains more persistent baroclinic instability, essentially associated with the process of dense water spreading. The OPA simulation shows a faster growth of the eddy kinetic energy in the early stages of the restratification which is attributed to more efficient baroclinic instability and leads to the most rapid buoyancy restoring in the convective area among the three simulations. Dense water spreading and warm surface capping occur on fairly similar time scales in MICOM-ADIAB although the former is more persistent that the latter. In this model, heat is mainly transported by anticyclonic eddies in the dense layer while both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies are involved in the upper layers. In OPA, heat is mainly brought into the convective zone through the export of cold water trapped in cyclonic eddies with a strong barotropic structure. Probably the most interesting difference between the z-coordinate and the adiabatic isopycnic model is found in the temperature distribution ultimately produced by the restratification process. OPA generates a spurious volume of intermediate water which is not seen in MICOM-ADIAB where the volume of the dense water is preserved.     

Vertical structure of low-frequency currents in the southwestern East Sea (Sea of Japan)

The vertical structure of low-frequency flows in the central Ulleung Interplain Gap of the southwestern East Sea (Sea of Japan) is analyzed based on full-depth current measurement during November 2002–April 2004. Record-length mean flows are directed toward the Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin) throughout the entire water column. Upper current variability above the permanent thermocline with a dominant period of about 50–60 days is shown to be closely related to the displacement of an anticyclonic warm eddy associated with the westward meander of the Offshore Branch. Fluctuations of deep currents below the permanent thermocline have a dominant period of about 40 days. Coherence between the current near the seabed and shallower depths is statistically significant up to 360 m for a period range between 15 and 100 days, but less significantly correlated with currents in the upper 200 m. Data from the densely equipped mooring line reveal that mean and eddy kinetic energies are minima at 1000 m, where isotherm slopes are also relatively flat. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses suggest that more than 79% of total variances of upper and deep currents can be explained by their respective first EOF mode characterized by nearly depth-independent eigenvectors. Spectral and EOF analyses of observed currents suggest that most of the deep current variability is not directly related to local upper current variability during the observation period.     

Development of a regional ocean model for New Zealand

A regional ocean model with a horizontal resolution of 1/6° encompassing the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone is described. The regional model successfully downscaled solutions from a high resolution, global, coupled model HadCEM. Transport estimates from the global and regional models were compared with observations, and both models supported largely consistent, climatological mean solutions. The regional model used monthly mean forcing at the surface. Nevertheless, the regional model eddy kinetic energy (EKE) spatial patterns compared favourably with long‐term mean satellite altimetric estimates, although the modelled background EKE amplitudes were much lower than observed. A series of permanent eddies associated with the western boundary current system around the top of the North Island of New Zealand were reproduced, and an eddy adjacent to Norfolk Ridge was identified in both the global and regional models. The western boundary current system around the North Island of New Zealand and the associated eddies were the most sensitive components of the model solutions, being influenced by initial conditions, wind forcing, and the model domain size.     

Direct Current Measurements off Sanriku, East of Japan

One year records of four current meters moored at two sites off Sanriku (39°26′ N, 142°45′ E and 143°E) have been analyzed. Mean currents flowed southward to southwestward with velocity 2.5–7.8 cm s⁻¹. The geostrophic velocity appeared to be surface-intensified, and the flows at 500 m depth have a relationship with the 100 m depth temperature distribution, suggesting the influence of the upper layer flows. At a depth of 1500 m and 2500 m, southward to southwestward flows are thought to be a part of the current flowing southward on the western flank of the Japan Trench. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

北太平洋副热带逆流区涡旋动能谱的季节性变化及其机制

本文利用了23年的卫星高度计数据和WOA13气候态月平均温盐资料,考察了北太平洋副热带逆流(STCC)区涡旋动能谱及其涡旋尺度季节变化的动力过程。为了揭示其动力机制,本文采用了斜压2.5层模式并结合动能串级的理论进行分析。结果表明,在STCC区由于海洋层结及地转流的垂向剪切发生了季节性变化,从而产生的斜压不稳定是导致涡旋动能谱季节变化的原因。涡旋动能最大的时间发生在5—6月份,滞后于斜压最不稳定发生的时间(3月份)约2—3个月左右,这是由于斜压不稳定产生的扰动需要一定时间才能发展成振幅足够大的涡旋。斜压不稳定提供的能量使得涡旋相互作用加强,产生了动能逆向串级,动能谱向更大尺度转移。涡旋能量尺度在3月份仅为280km,而在9月份达到最高值335km左右。另一方面,我们发现STCC区动能谱斜率及动能谱通量也有季节变化,在涡旋动能最大的5—6月份,当尺度小于罗斯贝变形尺度时,谱斜率达到1k–3,而动能谱通量达到最大值。对STCC区涡动能谱及涡旋尺度季节变化的研究,对深入认识中尺度涡旋的产生及其演变机制有着重要的意义。     

Seasonal Variations and Transformations of Climatic Currents with Depth on the Basis of Assimilation of New Climatic Data on Temperature and Salinity in a Model of the Black Sea

The seasonal climatic circulation of the sea reconstructed on the basis of assimilation of new arrays of many-year average hydrological data in a model is analyzed. Five layers are discovered in the structure of climatic currents in the sea in depth: the surface Ekman layer (∼ 10 m), a layer with small vertical gradients of the kinetic energy (∼ 10–60 m), a layer with relatively high vertical gradients of the kinetic energy (∼ 60–150 m), a layer with gradual decrease in the kinetic energy and intensification (from 250–350 m) of the east cyclonic gyre and Batumi anticyclonic eddy (∼ 150–1000 m), and an abyssal layer characterized by an almost barotropic velocity (∼ 1000–2000 m). The specific features of the seasonal evolution of currents at these depths are investigated. It is shown that the key role in the formation of deep-water circulation of the sea is played by the south east flow, east cyclonic gyre, and Batumi anticyclonic eddy. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 28–45, November–December, 2005.     

Simulation of Formation and Spreading of Salinity Minimum Associated with NPIW Using a High-Resolution Model

A series of numerical experiments were conducted with a high-resolution (eddy-permitting) North Pacific model to simulate the formation and spreading of the salinity minimum associated with the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW). It was found that two factors are required to simulate a realistic configuration of the salinity minimum: a realistic wind stress field and small-scale disturbances. The NCEP reanalyzed wind stress data lead to better results than the Hellerman and Rosenstein wind stress data, due to the closer location of the simulated Oyashio and Kuroshio at the western boundary. Small-scale disturbances formed by relaxing computational diffusivity included in the advection scheme promote the large-scale isopycnal mixing between the Oyashio and Kuroshio waters, simulating a realistic configuration of the salinity minimum. A detailed analysis of the Oyashio water transport was carried out on the final three-year data of the experiment with reduced computational diffusivity. Simulated transport of the Kuroshio Extension in the intermediate layer is generally smaller than the observed value, while those of the Oyashio and the flow at the subarctic front are comparable to the observed levels. In the Oyashio-Kuroshio interfrontal zone the zonally integrated southward transport of the Oyashio water (140-155°E) is borne by the eddy activity, though the time-mean flow reveals the existence of a coastal Oyashio intrusion. In the eastern part (155°E-180°) the zonally integrated transport of the Oyashio water indicates a southward peak at the southern edge of the Kuroshio Extension, which corresponds to the branching of the recirculating flow from the Kuroshio Extension.