Towards the general circulation of the North Atlantic ocean

After reviewing the inverse method, we apply it to deducing the general circulation of the North Atlantic ocean. We argue that the method is purely classical in nature, being nothing more than a mathematical statement of the principles upon which nearly all previous circulation schemes have been based. The ‘smoothed’ solution is shown to represent the components of the flow field that are determinable independently of the initial reference level. We then produce two circulation schemes based upon two different initial reference levels — 2000 decibars and the bottom — called North Atlantic-1A and North Atlantic-1B respectively. The models share many features in common and are strikingly similar to several previous schemes, most notably those of Jacobsen and Defant in the region west of Bermuda. No simple level-of-no-motion emerges in the flow fields; rather the velocity sections exhibit a complex cellular structure. Zonally integrated meridional cells of models and of the uniquely determined components are very similar, showing a poleward movement of warm saline water compensated at depth by a return flow of cold, fresher water. The magnitudes of the implied polar sea overflows and the heat fluxes are in good agreement with previous estimates. Finally, it is argued that neither these model circulations nor any other circulation pattern based upon the existing data can be regarded as actually representing the true time average ocean circulation because the data are aliased in time; the frequency/wavenumber spectrum of the ocean is inadequately known to determine the resulting errors.     

Argo floats revealing bimodality of large-scale mid-depth circulation in the North Atlantic

Analysis of Argo float trajectories at 1 000 m and temperature at 950 m in the North Atlantic between November 2003 and January 2005 demonstrates the existence of two different circulation modes with fast transition between them. Each mode has a pair of cyclonic - anticyclonic gyres. The difference is the location of the cyclonic gyre. The cyclonic gyre stretches from southeast to northwest in the first mode and from the southwest to the northeast in the second mode. The observed modes strongly affect the heat and salt transport in the North Atlantic. In particular, the second mode slows down the westward transport of the warm and saline water from the Mediterranean Sea.     

Hydrographic structure and circulation in the central area of the North Eastern Atlantic

On the basis of the hydrographic data observed within the Canary Basin in autumn 1985, temperature-salinity properties, distributions of water masses and barocltne flow field, as well as the volume transports in this area are described more detailly. The analyses indicate that the activity in the waters of the Canary Basin is mainly attributed to the interleaving and mixing between the originated water masses (e. g. Surface Water, North Atlantic Central Water, Mediterranean Water and Deep Water) and the modified water masses (Subpolar Mode Water, Labrador Sea Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water) from the outside of the study area and the variation of themselves. The east recirculation of the Subtropic Gyre in the North Atlantic consists of Azores Current and Canary Current.Azores Current is formed with several flow branches around the Azores Island, while the main flow lies at 35?N south of the Azores Island. It begins to diverge near the 15?W. The return flow found off the Portugal coast may be its     

Meridional heat transport in the model of the general circulation for the North Atlantic

The meridional heat transport obtained from numerical experiments using the general circulation model for the North Atlantic encompassing the equatorial area is analysed. The surface turbulent layer is included in the model, and its realization is based on conservative difference schemes. It is shown that the upper 50 m layer plays a dominant role in the formation of meridional heat transport in the low latitudes.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Direct observation of subtropical mode water circulation in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Eighteen Degree Water (EDW) is the dominant subtropical mode water of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre and is hypothesized as an interannual reservoir of anomalous heat, nutrients and CO₂. Although isolated beneath the stratified upper-ocean at the end of each winter, EDW may re-emerge in subsequent years to influence mixed layer properties and consequently air–sea interaction and primary productivity. Here we report on recent quasi-Lagrangian measurements of EDW circulation and stratification in the western subtropical gyre using an array of acoustically-tracked, isotherm-following, bobbing profiling floats programmed to track and intensively sample the vertically homogenized EDW layer and directly measure velocity on the 18.5 °C isothermal surface.The majority of the CLIVAR Mode Water Dynamics Experiment (CLIMODE) bobbers drifted within the subtropical gyre for 2.5–3.5 years, many exhibiting complex looping patterns indicative of an energetic eddy field. Bobber-derived Lagrangian integral time and length scales (3 days, 68 km) associated with motion on 18.5 °C were consistent with previous measurements in the Gulf Stream extension region and fall between previous estimates at the ocean surface and thermocline depth. Several bobbers provided evidence of long-lived submesoscale coherent vortices associated with substantial EDW thickness. While the relative importance of such vortices remains to be determined, our observations indicate that these features can have a profound effect on EDW distribution. EDW thickness (defined using a vertical temperature gradient criterion) exhibits seasonal changes in opposition to a layer bounded by the 17 °C and 19 °C isotherms. In particular, EDW thickness is generally greatest in winter (as a result of buoyancy-forced convection), while the 17°–19 °C layer is thickest in summer consistent with seasonal Ekman pumping. Contrary to previous hypotheses, the bobber data suggest that a substantial fraction of subducted EDW is isolated from the atmosphere for periods of less than 24 months. Seasonal-to-biennial re-emergence (principally within the recirculation region south of the Gulf Stream) appears to be a common scenario which should be considered when assessing the climatic and biogeochemical consequences of EDW.     

Thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic and its simulation with a box model

Features of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation response to periodic, stochastic, and instantaneous forcing are studied using a four-box model. The present-day circulation is shown to be characterized by a stable quasi-periodic oscillatory mode that manifests itself as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. The thermohaline catastrophe is unlikely in the modern climate epoch.     

Modeling the water circulation in the North Atlantic in the scope of the CORE-II experiment

A numerical experiment on the reproduction of the variability in the state of North Atlantic water in 1948–2007 with a spatial resolution of 0.25° has been performed using the global ocean model developed at Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences (INM RAS), and the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IO RAS) (the INM–IO model). The data on the state of the atmosphere, radiation fluxes, and bulk formulas of the CORE-II protocol are used as boundary conditions. Five successive 60-year calculation cycles have been performed in order to obtain the quasi-equilibrium state of a model ocean. For the last 20 years, the main elements of large-scale ocean circulation have been analyzed and compared with the WOA09 atlas data and the results of other models.     

Recent changes in the North Atlantic circulation simulated with eddy-permitting and eddy-resolving ocean models

Three eddy-permitting (1/4°) versions and one eddy-resolving (1/12°) version of the OCCAM ocean model are used to simulate the World Ocean circulation since 1985. The first eddy-permitting simulation has been used extensively in previous studies, and provides a point of reference. A second, improved, eddy-permitting simulation is forced in the same manner as the eddy-resolving simulation, with a dataset based on a blend of NCEP re-analysis and satellite data. The third eddy-permitting simulation is forced with a different dataset, based on the ERA-40 re-analysis data. Inter-comparison of these simulations in the North Atlantic clarifies the relative importance of resolution and choice of forcing dataset, for simulating the mean state and recent variability of the basin-scale circulation in that region. Differences between the first and second eddy-permitting simulations additionally reveal an erroneous influence of sea ice on surface salinity, dense water formation, and the meridional overturning circulation. Simulations are further evaluated in terms of long-term mean ocean heat transport at selected latitudes (for which hydrographic estimates are available) and sea surface temperature errors (relative to observations). By these criteria, closest agreement with observations is obtained for the eddy-resolving simulation. In this simulation, there is also a weak decadal variation in mid-latitudes, with heat transport strongest, by around 0.2 PW, in the mid-1990s. In two of the eddy-permitting simulations, by contrast, heat transport weakens through the study period, by up to 0.4 PW in mid-latitudes. The most notable changes of heat transport in all simulations are linked to a weakening of the subpolar gyre, rather than changes in the meridional overturning circulation. It is concluded that recent changes in the structure of mid-latitude heat transport in the North Atlantic are more accurately represented if eddies are explicitly resolved.     

3套资料中西北太平洋热带气旋活动特征的比较分析

本文使用中国气象局、美国联合台风预警中心和日本气象厅的3套热带气旋最佳路径资料(CMA资料、JTWC资料和RSMC资料)分析了1951—2016年西北太平洋热带气旋活动特征。3套资料反映的结果如下:热带气旋主要发生在10°N—25°N范围内,且1980年前其位置点在纬度上有南移的变化趋势,1980年后则相反;移速主要分布在2~6 m/s区间,在25°N左右移速明显加快,1980年前移速呈显著减小趋势;最大持续风速主要分布在10~15 m/s区间,1980年前最大持续风速有减小趋势;在风速较大的区域热带气旋最大风速半径较小,2001—2016年热带气旋和台风最大风速半径每年分别减小0.46 km和0.54 km。CMA和RSMC资料的结果高度一致,而JTWC资料结果与它们都存在一定的差异。热带气旋位置点频数和强度的变化受资料间差异的影响较大,而其位置及移速的变化则受影响较小。     

Smectite composition as a tracer of deep circulation: the case of the Northern North Atlantic

The link between smectite composition in sediments from the northern North Atlantic and Labrador Sea, and deep circulation is being further investigated through detailed studies of the X-ray pattern of smectites and cation saturations. This allows clear distinction of dominant terrigenous sources associated to the main components of the modern Western Boundary Undercurrent. Time variations of smectite characteristics in two piston cores from the inlet and outlet of the Western Boundary Undercurrent gyre in the Labrador Sea indicate: (1) a more southern circulation of North East Atlantic Deep Water during the Late Glacial; (2) a step by step transition to the modern pattern of deep circulation during the Late Glacial/Holocene transition, with intensification of North East Atlantic Deep Water and Davis Strait Overflow; (3) an expansion of Davis Strait Overflow and Labrador Sea Water circulation in relation to ice surges and deposition of detrital layers; (4) an intensified circulation of North East Atlantic Deep Water during the Younger Dryas; and (5) a very recent increased influence of Denmark Strait Overflow Water beginning between 4.4 and <1 kyr.     

火山活动对于北大西洋涛动的激发作用

为了探索北大西洋涛动形成的大尺度大气物理场背景条件和外部强迫因子,通过对比分析、相关分析和环流系统温压场垂直结构分析得到:(1)强火山活动指数距平与冰岛低压和亚速尔高压海平面气压场(SLP)距平总体相关函数符号相反,强火山活动指数与冰岛低压SLP为反相关,与亚速尔高压SLP为正相关,就是说火山活动指数异常引起了高纬度冰岛低压和中低纬度亚速尔高压海平面气压场相反的变化趋势,形成高低纬之间海平面气压场反相振荡;(2)夏季7月亚速尔高压对流层中下层至海平面,温度距平中心和位势高度距平中心距平符号大致正正相对负负相对,说明夏季亚速尔高压为深厚暖性系统,低层温度升高亚速尔高压加强,低层温度降低亚速尔高压减弱,所以火山活动指数与亚速尔高压SLP均呈反相关关系;冬季1月对流层中下层至海平面,温度距平和位势高度距平符号大致正负相对,说明冬季亚速尔高压为浅薄系统,低层温度升高亚速尔高压减弱,低层温度降低亚速尔高压加强,所以火山活动指数与亚速尔高压SLP均呈正相关关系;(3)冬季1月冰岛低压对流层中下层至海平面,温度距平中心和位势高度距平中心距平符号大致正正相对负负相对,说明冬季冰岛低压为深厚冷性系统,低层温度升高冰岛低压减弱,低层温度降低冰岛低压加深,所以火山活动指数与冰岛低压SLP均呈反相关关系;夏季7月对流层中下层至海平面,温度距平和位势高度距平符号大致正负相对,说明夏季冰岛低压为浅薄系统,低层温度升高冰岛低压减弱,低层温度降低冰岛低压加深,所以火山活动指数与冰岛低压SLP均呈正相关关系;(4).由于对流层中下层至海平面冰岛低压和亚速尔高压冬、夏季温压场结构特点基本相反,火山活动指数异常在两个环流系统中引起了相反响应,导致高低纬之间海平面气压场反相振荡,形成了影响广泛的著名的北大西洋涛动现象。     

Estimation of boundary values in a North Atlantic circulation model using an adjoint method

A 1° × 1° resolution version of the MIT-GCM in the North Atlantic is used to test whether open-boundary conditions can be constrained by observations inside the domain using an adjoint method. In this preliminary feasibility study, the model is run during 1993 with a simplified vertical mixing physics. It is constrained by monthly SST fields, monthly climatological θ, S fields and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry. The adjoint model is built using automatic differentiation software. The method aims at bringing the model’s trajectory to consistency with data, by adjusting the initial θ, S fields, the time-varying atmospheric forcing fields and the time-varying open-boundary values. An originality of the work is the ‘nested approach’, which uses optimized fields from a global, coarser resolution model for the open-boundary conditions and for the prior estimates of the surface conditions adjustments. A solution is obtained after 75 iterations. This study shows that significant changes can be obtained on the open-boundary values, and that a general improvement in the circulation is achieved in the constrained solution, mainly in the Gulf Stream and equatorial regions. Changes at the open boundaries are characterized by a large temporal variability and small spatial scales. Large local adjustments are found close to the bottom and are likely unrealistic. There, the method tends to compensate for some model’s deficiencies by computing large corrections on the open-boundary values. The analysis of the cost function gradients with respect to the controls allows us to explore the local consistency between the constraints from the different data sets. This study suggests that no fundamental difficulty emerges when constraining open-boundary values. Its extension to a longer run with complete mixing physics can be envisaged.     

冬季北大西洋涛动和乌拉尔山阻塞环流对欧亚大陆变冷的协同影响

虽然全球平均表面气温不断升高,但在冬季欧亚大陆经常出现年际-年代际尺度上的变冷趋势。利用美国国家环境预报中心(National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NCEP)再分析资料,指出冬季影响欧亚大陆变冷的大气环流主要是北大西洋涛动(North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO)和乌拉尔山阻塞(Ural blocking, UB)的环流组合。其中,NAO环流可以在年际尺度上作为背景环流影响UB过程对欧亚低温天气的作用。统计分析发现,在NAO正(负)位相(NAO⁺/NAO^-)环流背景下UB的发生频率可以解释冬季平均UB发生频率的52%(13%),表明NAO⁺环流有利于下游阻塞形势出现。尽管如此,研究发现在NAO^-环流背景下的UB事件平均给欧亚地区带来的降温幅度更强,约是NAO⁺环流背景下的2倍,而且亚洲降温区的位置偏北约5°、偏东约13.5°。中等强度的NAO⁺环流背景下UB事件对欧亚降温的贡献...     

两种方法提取肠浒苔挥发油成分的比较研究

本研究分别采用水蒸气蒸馏法(SD)和溶剂提取法(SE)提取肠浒苔(Ulva intestinalis)的挥发油,通过GC-MS技术对其进行化学成分分析,以峰面积归一法对各成分进行相对定量.结果显示,SD法对肠浒苔挥发油的提取率(0. 038%)低于SE法(0. 800%). SD法所获得的肠浒苔挥发油共鉴定出46种成分,占挥发油总成分的81. 63%,SE法所获得的挥发油共鉴定出30种成分,占挥发油总成分的94. 89%,两者相同成分21种,主要成分均为烃类和醛类物质. SD样品中十五醛的相对含量最高(18. 12%),SE样品中8-十八烷烯的相对含量最高(51. 49%).     

Correlation between the low-frequency variability of surface temperature and the heat flux through the surface in the North Atlantic

Using the data of UWM/COADS (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Comprehensive Ocean—Atmosphere Data Set), we have performed cluster and spectral analyses of the average monthly anomalies of temperature and heat balance of the surface of the Atlantic Ocean in three frequency ranges (intraannual, interannual, and decadal). It is shown that these anomalies are closely related on intraannual scales, where the anomalies of the surface temperature of the ocean can be regarded as a result of the direct local generation by heat balance anomalies. The generation mechanism is explained within the known Hasselman model [1, 2]. On interannual scales, this mechanism is not valid, and nonlocal effects related to heat advection become important. On decadal scales, the local generation of anomalies of the surface temperature of the ocean is insignificant, local correlation between fluctuations of heat balance and the surface temperature of the ocean is completely broken, and the spatial structure of anomalies of the surface temperature of the ocean is governed by the global system of currents, which redistributes heat flux from the ocean to the atmosphere. Violations of the local correlation between anomalies of heat balance and the surface temperature of the ocean are observed on intraannual scales in regions with powerful jet currents and in the equatorial region. In some parts of the World's ocean with weak advection, the correlation between heat balance and the surface temperature of the ocean persists up to a decadal period. Translated by Peter V. Malyshey and Dmitry V. Malyshey     

The mid-depth circulation of the northwestern tropical Atlantic observed by floats

A comprehensive analysis of velocity data from subsurface floats in the northwestern tropical Atlantic at two depth layers is presented: one representing the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW, pressure range 600–1050 dbar), the other the upper North Atlantic Deep Water (uNADW, pressure range 1200–2050 dbar). New data from three independent research programs are combined with previously available data to achieve blanket coverage in space for the AAIW layer, while coverage in the uNADW remains more intermittent. Results from the AAIW mainly confirm previous studies on the mean flow, namely the equatorial zonal and the boundary currents, but clarify details on pathways, mostly by virtue of the spatial data coverage that sets float observations apart from e.g. shipborne or mooring observations. Mean transports in each of five zonal equatorial current bands is found to be between 2.7 and 4.5 Sv. Pathways carrying AAIW northward beyond the North Brazil Undercurrent are clearly visible in the mean velocity field, in particular a northward transport of 3.7 Sv across 16°N between the Antilles islands and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. New maps of Lagrangian eddy kinetic energy and integral time scales are presented to quantify mesoscale activity. For the uNADW, mean flow and mesoscale properties are discussed as data availability allows. Trajectories in the uNADW east of the Lesser Antilles reveal interactions between the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) and the basin interior, which can explain recent hydrographic observations of changes in composition of DWBC water along its southward flow.