A high-resolution modeling study of the Western Iberian Margin mean and seasonal upper ocean circulation

The mean seasonal hydrography and circulation of the Western Iberian Margin (WIM) are studied by means of a high-resolution configuration of the Regional Oceanic Modeling System. A comparison of 5-year model averages for January and July with climatological datasets shows a general good agreement in the reproduction of the mean water mass properties and hydrographic distribution. We find that there is a prevailing tendency for slope poleward flow at about 80–100 km offshore at all latitudes from the surface to 1,500 m with strong vertical coupling. This northward flow, which is mainly along slope and amounts up to 8–10 cm s^?1, exhibits several mean flow recirculation regions on its way and evidences of an offshore pathway of poleward flow. Transports at different zonal sections further confirm the poleward flow tendency with two peaks of poleward transport in summer (3–10 Sv) and winter (2–7 Sv). The transport time series emphasize the seasonal character of the alongshore circulation and the interannual intrinsic variability of the circulation, since the forcing fields are climatological. As a conceptual essay with the purpose of assessing the Mediterranean Water flow influence on the WIM mean circulation, a second model configuration is setup, where the Mediterranean outflow into the study domain is removed. We find that there is an attenuation of the mesoscale field, but the slope poleward flow intensifies and remains as a mean dynamical feature closer to the upper slope.     

Variability in invasion risk for ballast water exchange on the Scotian Shelf of eastern Canada

A semi-quantitative risk assessment model for dispersion of ballast water organisms in shelf seas is applied to the Scotian Shelf region of eastern Canada. The ballast water exchange process is simulated as the dispersion of tracer released into the surface layer of an ocean circulation model of the region. Circulation model variability is driven by wind stress from a cyclical year of forcing representing climatological storminess. Dispersion metrics related to invasion risk are developed and incorporated into a risk equation that computes the relative overall risk of invasion for ballast water exchange segments along vessel tracks crossing the shelf. Three hundred and sixty dispersion simulations are done for each segment of each of six tracks. Because the flow fields represent climatological variability in shelf circulation, the application of the risk assessment model captures the expected variability in invasion risk. Model results indicate that more than an order of magnitude variation in risk can exist along a given vessel track, and that tracks with offshelf segments provide a lower risk option compared to onshelf tracks. The model provides quantitative guidance to regulators regarding what is an acceptable trip diversion and can aid in numerous other management decisions.     

Effect of stratification on tidal circulation over the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of St. Lawrence: a numerical study using a three-dimensional shelf circulation model

A three-dimensional shelf circulation model is used to examine the effect of seasonal changes in water-column stratification on the tidal circulation over the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The model is driven by tidal forcing specified at the model’s lateral open boundaries in terms of tidal sea surface elevations and depth-averaged currents for five major tidal constituents (M₂, N₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁). Three numerical experiments are conducted to determine the influence of baroclinic pressure gradients and changes in vertical mixing, both associated with stratification, on the seasonal variation of tidal circulation over the study region. The model is initialized with climatological hydrographic fields and integrated for 16 months in each experiment. Model results from the last 12 months are analyzed to determine the dominant semidiurnal and diurnal tidal components, M₂ and K₁. Model results suggest that the seasonal variation in the water-column stratification affects the M₂ tidal circulation most strongly over the shelf break and over the deep waters off the Scotian Shelf (through the development of baroclinic pressure gradients) and along Northumberland Strait in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (through changes in vertical mixing and bottom stress). For the K₁ constituent, the baroclinic pressure gradient and vertical mixing have opposing effects on the tidal circulation over several areas of the study region, while near the bottom, vertical mixing appears to play only a small role in the tidal circulation.     

Land surface hydrology in a General Circulation Model N-global and regional fields needed for validation

Treatments of land surface processes in General Circulation Models are presently limited by the realism of the simulations of precipitation and surface radiation. We explore this thesis by examination of some of the climatological fields of a 6-year model simulation, using the Community Climate Model version 1 of the National Center for Atmospheric Research with addition of a diurnal cycle and coupled to a detailed treatment of land surface processes referred to as the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme. We examine July climatological surface fields over North America and note an excess of surface solar radiation over Eastern United States. Comparison with satellite derived cloud forcing suggests that the model underestimates the reduction of solar radiation by clouds over Eastern United States and in high latitudes, and so probably largely explaining the excess surface radiation. We consider the annual cycle of model hydrological fields (soil moisture, runoff, precipitation, evapotranspiration, net radiation) averaged over a box covering the central part of the United States (roughtly the Mississippi basin). The seasonal cycle of evapotranspiration over this box appears to be dominated by the variation of surface solar radiation and less related to that of precipitation.     

Climatological Tools for Low Visibility Forecasting

Forecasters need climatological forecasting tools because of limitations of numerical weather prediction models. In this article, using Finnish SYNOP observations and ERA-40 model reanalysis data, low visibility cases are studied using subjective and objective analysis techniques. For the objective analysis, we used an AutoClass clustering algorithm, concentrating on three Finnish airports, namely, the Rovaniemi in northern Finland, Kauhava in western Finland, and Maarianhamina in southwest Finland. These airports represent different climatological conditions. Results suggested that combining of subjective analysis with an objective analysis, e.g., clustering algorithms such as the AutoClass method, can be used to construct climatological guides for forecasters. Some higher level subjective “meta-clustering” was used to make the results physically more reasonable and easier to interpret by the forecasters.     

Modelling the impact of Black Sea water inflow on the North Aegean Sea hydrodynamics

The impact of the Black Sea Water (BSW) inflow on the circulation and the water mass characteristics of the North Aegean Sea is investigated using a high-resolution 3D numerical model. Four climatological numerical experiments are performed exploring the effects of the exchange amplitude at the Dardanelles Straits in terms of the mean annual volume exchanged and the amplitude of its seasonal cycle. Larger inflow of low salinity BSW influences the water characteristics of the whole basin. The largest salinity reduction is encountered in the upper layers of the water column, and the most affected region is the northeastern part of the basin. The winter insulation character of the BSW layer (low-salinity layer) is reduced by the seasonal cycle of the inflow (minimum during winter). The maximum atmospheric cooling coincides with the minimum BSW inflow rate, weakening the vertical density gradients close to the surface and thus facilitating the vertical mixing. The inflow rate of BSW into the North Aegean Sea constitutes an essential factor for the circulation in the basin. Increased inflow rate results into considerably higher kinetic energy, stronger circulation and reinforcement of the mesoscale circulation features. Although the position of the front between BSW and waters of Levantine origin does not vary significantly with the intensity of the BSW inflow rate, the flow along the front becomes stronger and more unstable as the inflow rate increases, forming meanders and rings. The changes in the intensity of BSW inflow rate overpower the wind and thermohaline forcing and largely determine the general circulation of the North Aegean Sea.     

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Flow Hydraulic in Gradual Transition Open Channels

Channel expansions are common in both natural and artificial open channels. With increasing cross-sectional dimensions in an expansion, the flow decelerates. Due to separation of flow and subsequent eddy formation, a significant head loss is occurred along the transition. This study presents the results of experimental investigations on subcritical flow along the expansive transition of rectangular to trapezoidal channels. Also, a numerical simulation was developed using the finite volume method with Reynolds Stress turbulent model. Water surface profiles and velocity distributions of flow through the transition were measured experimentally and compared with the numerical results. Also, hydraulic efficiency of the transition and coefficient of energy head loss were calculated. The results show that with increasing the upstream Froude number, hydraulic efficiency of the transition and coefficient of energy head loss are decreased and increased, respectively. The results also showed the ability of numerical simulation for simulating the flow separation zones and bed shear stress along the transition for different inlet discharges and inflow Froude numbers.     

Sensitivity Assessment of a Runoff Formation Model in the Mozhaisk Reservoir River Basin

Water Resources - The physically based model of river runoff formation with a daily resolution ECOMAG was adapted for the Mozhaisk Reservoir with an area of 1360 km2. A large series of numerical...     

Application of a circulation and transport model system to the dispersal of herring larvae in the North Sea

A model system consisting of a three-dimensional circulation and transport model is used to simulate the dispersal of herring larvae in the North Sea. The driving forces of the circulation model are theM₂-tide, time dependent wind stress and air pressure fields, as well as monthly climatological density fields interpolated on a daily basis. The transport model includes advection as well as diffusion and uses a tracer technique to pursue the larvae in the time and space domain. Furthermore, the transport model incorporates a simulation of active vertical movement of the larvae as vertical migration has a marked effect on the drift route of the larvae.Simulated North Sea currents are compared to observed currents gained during the Autumn Circulation Experiment (ACE) which took place from August 1987 to March 1988. The variability in observed currents at the location of the moorings is found to be larger than in the simulated currents. On a larger scale, the simulated circulation in the northern North Sea shows a close correspondence to the inferred circulation from a quasi-synoptic hydrographic survey. The quality of the predictions of larval transport and distribution patterns by the model system is tested using sequential larvae distributions observed during ACE. Common features and discrepancies of observed and simulated distributions are discussed and conclusions for further field investigations and modelling studies are drawn.     

Climate and extrema of ocean waves in the East China Sea

Wave climate plays an important role in the air-sea interaction over marginal seas. Extreme wave height provides fundamental information for various ocean engineering practices, such as hazard mitigation, coastal structure design, and risk assessment. In this paper, we implement a third generation wave model and conduct a high-resolution wave hindcast over the East China Sea to reconstruct a 15-year wave field from 1988 to 2002 for derivation of monthly mean wave parameters and analysis of extreme wave conditions. The numerical results of the wave field are validated through comparison with satellite altimetry measurements, low-resolution reanalysis, and the ocean wave buoy record. The monthly averaged wave height and wave period show seasonal variation and refined spatial patterns of surface waves in the East China Sea. The climatological significant wave height and mean wave period decrease from the open ocean in the southeast toward the continental area in the northwest, with the pattern generally following the bathymetry. Extreme analysis on the significant wave height at the buoy station indicates the hindcast data underestimate the extreme values relative to the observations. The spatial pattern of extreme wave height shows single peak emerges at the southwest of Ryukyu Island although a wind forcing with multi-core structure at the extreme is applied.     

Monsoonal quasi-stationary ultralong waves of the tropical troposphere predicted by a real data prediction over a global tropical belt

The mechanisms of the maintenance of the tropical upper tropospheric quasi-stationary ultralong waves during the northern hemisphere summer season are briefly reviewed and discussed. Diagnostic and prognostic studies indicate that the waves are maintained by the land-ocean contrast heating. These scales of motion as a whole (sum of the zonal wavenumbers 1, 2 and 3) are considered to supply kinetic energy to all other scales of motion.The ultralong waves predicted in the real data numerical prediction experiment over the global tropics using a multi-level primitive equation model are examined and compared with the observed climatological waves. The predicted waves are found to have several similarities with the observations. Further investigations of the baroclinic nature of the waves indicate that their thermal structure is essential for understanding their dynamics.The vorticity budget computations are performed for the predicted ultralong waves at 200 mb and also compared with the climatological observations. It is found that the advection term is one of the leading terms in the vorticity equation.This study indicates that the tropical quasi-stationary ultralong waves are fully nonlinear, non-geostrophic, three-dimensional waves forced mainly by the convective heating over the monsoon Indian subcontient.     

A new methodology for using buoy measurements in sea wave data assimilation

One of the main drawbacks in modern sea wave data assimilation models is the limited temporal and spatial improvement obtained in the final forecasting products. This is mainly due to deviations coming either from the relevant atmospheric input or from the dynamics of the wave model, resulting to systematic errors of the forecasted fields of numerical wave models, when no observation is available for assimilation. A potential solution is presented in this work, based on a combination of advanced statistical techniques, data assimilation systems, and wave models. More precisely, Kalman filtering algorithms are implemented into the wave model WAM and the results are assimilated by an Optimum Interpolation Scheme, in order to extend the beneficial influence of the latter in time and space. The case studied concerns a 3-month period in an open sea area near the South-West coast of the USA (Pacific Ocean).     

Equilibration mechanisms in an adjoint ocean general circulation model

We examine the equilibrated and time-evolving adjoint solutions of an ocean general circulation model. Adjoint models calculate the sensitivity of a diagnostic, (here, the strength of the meridional overturning) to all forcing fields in a single integration. The time evolution of the sensitivity patterns demonstrates the validity of the adjoint modeling approach over climatological time scales in coarse-resolution ocean models. Our objective is to identify the principle adjustment mechanisms through which the meridional overturning strength adapts to perturbations in wind and buoyancy forcing. The adjoint approach is shown to be a valuable alternative to traditional perturbation methods in highlighting the processes and time scales important to ocean and climate modeling.     

Modelling of resuspension due to fish activity:Mathematical modeling and annular flume experiments

A spatially averaged numerical model was developed to describe the erosion of cohesive sediment. Together with known empirical relations, the model comprises a new formulation for resuspension due to fish activity. Experiments on erosion of natural sediments in the annular flume at Aachen University are used for model calibration. Empirical coefficients were evaluated with genetic algorithms to achieve the best agreement between the model results and the experimental data. The presented model shows sufficient flexibility to account for various sediment properties, including different sediment sources, natural and artificial contaminants, presence or absence of aquatic organisms, and results in an average coefficient of determination, R2 = 90.5% between the model results and the experimental data. Model validation allows it to be assumed that different contaminants affect bed properties differently. Fish activity plays an essential role in correct resuspension prediction. Further sediment erosion experiments with carefully chosen conditions will allow a more comprehensive model evaluation. The presented model is intended to serve as a building block in the development of a hydraulic-sediment-biota model within the W3-Hydro: Water Quality Event Detection for Urban Water Security and Urban Water Management Based on Hydrotoxicological Investigations project that aims to improve the knowledge concerning bioavailability, transport, fate, and effects of contaminants on the aquatic environment.     

Numerical study of three-dimensional shelf circulation on the Scotian Shelf using a shelf circulation model

A numerical shelf circulation model was developed for the Scotian Shelf, using a nested-grid setup consisting of a three-dimensional baroclinic inner model embedded inside a two-dimensional barotropic outer model. The shelf circulation model is based on the Princeton Ocean Model and driven by three-hourly atmospheric forcing provided by a numerical weather forecast model and by tidal forcing specified at the inner model's open boundaries based on pre-calculated tidal harmonic constants. The outer model simulates the depth-mean circulation forced by wind and atmospheric pressure fields over the northwest Atlantic Ocean with a horizontal resolution of 1/12°. The inner model simulates the three-dimensional circulation over the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Scotian Shelf, and the adjacent slope with a horizontal resolution of 1/16°. The performance of the shelf circulation model is assessed by comparing model results with oceanographic observations made along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and in the vicinity of Sable Island (on the Scotian Shelf) during two periods: October 2000–March 2001 and April–June 2002. Analysis of model results on Sable Island Bank indicates that tidal currents account for as much as ∼80% of the total variance of near-bottom currents, and currents driven by local winds account for ∼30% of the variance of the non-tidal near-bottom currents. Shelf waves generated remotely by winds and propagating into the region also play an important role in the near-bottom circulation on the bank.     

Electromagnetic response of a buried cylindrical conductor for sheet and line current sources

A major problem in electromagnetic induction studies in regions of localized source fields, such as the auroral and equatorial electrojet regions, is the source effect. Using an analytical model, the electromagnetic response of a buried conducting cylinder to sheet current and line current excitations has been studied for the period rangeT=5 s to 24 h. The validity of the numerical results obtained from the analytical model are compared with the numerical results obtained from a finite difference model. The results show that for periods less than 30 min, there is no significant difference in the response of the cylinder to both source fields. However, significant differences are observed at longer periods. It was also observed that the equivalent height at which a uniform sheet current at 100 km above the earth's surface can be approximated by a line current varies as a function of the source period.     

Definitions of climatological and discharge days: do they matter in hydrological modelling?

The performance of hydrological models is affected by uncertainty related to observed climatological and discharge data. Although the latter has been widely investigated, the effects on hydrological models from different starting times of the day have received little interest. In this study, observational data from one tropical basin were used to investigate the effects on a typical bucket-type hydrological model, the HBV, when the definitions of the climatological and discharge days are changed. An optimization procedure based on a genetic algorithm was used to assess the effects on model performance. Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies varied considerably between day definitions, with the largest dependence on the climatological-day definition. The variation was likely caused by how storm water was assigned to one or two daily rainfall values depending on the definition of the climatological day. Hydrological models are unlikely to predict high flows accurately if rainfall intensities are reduced because of the day definition.     

Numerical simulation and analysis of the mean coastal circulation off California

A two-dimensional numerical model is applied to a coastal ocean wherein alongshore elevation and density gradients, normally calculated by a three-dimensional model, are instead supplied by climatologically averaged data for the California Current System between 25 and 40°N. Surface wind stress is also obtained from climatological data. Both surface and bottom boundary layers are resolved in the model calculations; a second moment turbulence closure submodel supplies vertical diffusivities. Near steady state solutions are possible when surface buoyancy flux is imposed at the surface.Model results are as follows: Southward wind stress produces a broad equatorward current with an embedded coastal jet in accordance with previous studies. Positive wind stress curl reduces the jet current and produces a poleward undercurrent which then surfaces as the curl is increased. The jet currents are reduced and poleward flow increases as bottom steepness increases; to a lesser extent, inclusion of the beta effect has a similar effect. The existence of near bottom, poleward or equatorward flow is explained rather simply in terms of the bottom stress resulting from the alongshore balance of surface wind stress and vertically integrated pressure gradient, the latter involving the alongshore surface elevation and density gradient. A further finding is that the upwelling circulation associated with wind stress is confined to the top 200 to 300 m of the ocean along the California coast.     

南水北调大型渡槽结构抗震安全性研究

阐述了南水北调中大型渡槽的抗震问题,分别介绍了基于常微分方程求解器（ODE）和有限元方法的大型渡槽动力计算模型、动力特性分析和设置铅芯橡胶支座（LRB）的隔震分析。研究表明,基于ODE求解器的解析和半解析方法有很好的精度和可靠性,可用于大型渡槽的初步设计。结合所得的研究成果,对南水北调的渡槽抗震提出了合理化建议。     

The perturbation of geomagnetic fields by two-dimensional and three-dimensional conductivity inhomogeneities

Summary A numerical method is used to calculate the geomagnetic fields associated with a three-dimensional conductivity anomaly. Fields associated with a two-dimensional model are also studied numerically for a range of frequencies and apparent resistivity curves for the two models are compared with that calculated for a layered earth. The apparent resistivity curves for both the three-dimensional model and the two-dimensional model differ considerably from the layered case, and it is evident that if a layered model is used for interpretation the results may be very misleading.