The very low-frequency oscillation in tropical Pacific

The very low-frequency oscillation (VLFO) on interannual scale in the tropical Pacific is studied by analyzing the main components of the sea surface temperature, sea level pressure, cloudiness, humidity and the equivalent potential temperature over the tropical ocean surface. The nature of two components of VLFO and its propagation features are discussed from the view of air-sea interaction.     

Interdecadal variability of the South China Sea monsoon and its relationship with latent heat flux in the Pacific Ocean

We analyzed interdecadal variability of the South China Sea monsoon and its relationship with latent heat flux in the Pacific Ocean, using NCEP wind field and OAFlux heat flux datasets. Results indicate that South China Sea monsoon intensity had an obvious interdecadal variation with a decreasing trend. Variability of the monsoon was significantly correlated with latent heat flux in the Kuroshio area and tropical Pacific Ocean. Variability of latent heat flux in the Kuroshio area had an interdecadal increasing trend, while that in the tropical Pacific Ocean had an interdecadal decreasing trend. Latent heat flux variability in these two sea areas was used to establish a latent heat flux index, which had positive correlation with variability of the South China Sea monsoon. When the latent heat flux was 18 months ahead of the South China Sea monsoon, the correlation coefficient maximized at 0.58 (N=612), with a 99.9% significance level of 0.15. Thus, it is suggested that latent heat flux variability in the two areas contributes greatly to interdecadal variability of the South China Sea monsoon.     

A modelling study of inter-annual variation of Kuroshio intrusion on the shelf of East China Sea

Inter-annual variability of the Kuroshio water intrusion on the shelf of East China Sea (ECS) was simulated with a nested global and Northwest Pacific ocean circulation model. The model analysis reveals the influence of the variability of Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan on the intrusion to the northeast of Taiwan: high correlation (r = 0.92) with the on-shore volume flux in the lower layer (50–200 m); low correlation (r = 0.50) with the on-shore flux in the upper layer (0–50 m). Spatial distribution of correlations between volume fluxes and sea surface height suggests that inter-annual variability of the Kuroshio flux east of Taiwan and its subsurface water intruding to the shelf lag behind the sea surface height anomalies in the central Pacific at 162°E by about 14 months, and could be related to wind-forced variation in the interior North Pacific that propagates westward as Rossby waves. The intrusion of Kuroshio surface water is also influenced by local winds. The intruding Kuroshio subsurface water causes variations of temperature and salinity of bottom waters on the southern ECS shelf. The influence of the intruding Kuroshio subsurface water extends widely from the shelf slope northeast of Taiwan northward to the central ECS near the 60 m isobath, and northeastward to the region near the 90 m isobath.     

COAST SEA LEVEL AND ASIAN MONSOON SYSTEM A DOWNCALING EXERCISE FOR CHINESE COAST

CDntnbutionNo.3236fromtheInstituteofthenology,ChinaseAcadeInyofSdenas.KeyprojeCt396MandProjeCt4M76274supp0rtedbyNSFC,andabosupportedbypnsident'sboofCh1nereAedernyofSdenas.IwnODUruONThemonsoonisacirculationfeaturethatisplanetaryinscaleandhasanidentiliablesignalregardingitSsubsequentintensitysomeninemonthspriortotheaCtivestageofthesummrmonsoon(WbsterandYang,l992,Vemekar,l994).Furthertnre,thernagnitudeofthemons00n'svariabilityissubstantialandidentifiableoveralargearmindudingthePadficd…     

Impact of sea spray on upper ocean temperature during typhoon passage: simulation with a 1-D turbulent model

At the interface between the lower atmosphere and sea surface, sea spray might significantly influence air-sea heat fluxes and subsequently, modulate upper ocean temperature during a typhoon passage. The effects of sea spray were introduced into the parameterization of sea surface roughness in a 1-D turbulent model, to investigate the effects of sea spray on upper ocean temperature in the Kuroshio Extension area, for the cases of two real typhoons from 2006, Yagi and Soulik. Model output was compared with data from the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO), and Reynolds and AMSRE satellite remote sensing sea surface temperatures. The results indicate drag coefficients that include the spray effect are closer to observations than those without, and that sea spray can enhance the heat fluxes (especially latent heat flux) considerably during a typhoon passage. Consequently, the model results with heat fluxes enhanced by sea spray simulate better the cooling process of the SST and upper-layer temperature profiles. Additionally, results from the simulation of the passage of typhoon Soulik (that passed KEO quickly), which included the sea spray effect, were better than for the simulated passage of typhoon Yagi (that crossed KEO slowly). These promising 1-D results could provide insight into the application of sea spray in general circulation models for typhoon studies.     

Coast sea level and Asian monsoon system a downscaling exercise for Chinese coast

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between monthly sea level data and concurrent large-scale monthly mean sea level pressure and SST data for 1960 to 1990, which are reasonably well simulated by present day climate models; sea level variations due to variations of regional atmospheric forcing and oceanic circulation, are not adequately simulated by a global climate model because of insufficient spatial resolution. The authours applied a statistical “down scaling” strategy to sea level along the Chinese coast. Two interrelated processes were identified: one process is the local wind or wave set-up of water due to Asian monsoon wind anomalies; the other is the rainfall diluting effect in spring. At interdecadal time scale, the later becomes more important and most likely plays a major role in the planetary scale atmosphere-ocean interaction taking place in the eastern North Pacific. Contribution No. 3236 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Key project 39630060 and Project 49476274 supported by NSFC, and also supported by president's fund of Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

SST variations of the Kuroshio from AVHRR observation

1 INTRODUCTION The Kuroshio Current (KC), being the western boundary current in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, is the second strongest current in the world af- ter the Gulf Stream and is famous as a strong and fast flow. KC plays an important role in…     

A Review of Interaction Between Neon Flying Squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) and Oceanographic Variability in the North Pacific Ocean

The neon flying squid(Ommastrephes bartramii) is a short-lived opportunistic species widely distributed in subtropical and temperate waters in the North Pacific Ocean. The life cycle of O. bartramii from planktonic eggs to nektonic adults is closely linked to oceanographic conditions. The fluctuations in O. bartramii abundance and distribution tend to increase and widen continuously due to the heavy influences of ocean-climate events on various spatio-temporal scales. In this study, we reviewed the interaction between O. bartramii and oceanography variability in the North Pacific with respect to large-scale climatic-oceanic phenomena including El Ni?o, La Ni?a, Kuroshio, Oyashio and Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO), as well as regional environmental variables such as sea surface temperature(SST), sea surface height(SSH), sea surface salinity(SSS), chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) concentration, and plankton density. The population dynamics of O. bartramii is mediated mainly by meso- and large-scale climatic-oceanic events(e.g., Kuroshio and Oyashio Currents) rather than other local environmental conditions(e.g., SST and Chl-a concentration), because all of the oceanographic influences are imposed on the context of large-scale climate changes(e.g., PDO). An unstructured-grid finitevolume coastal ocean model coupled with an individual-based model is proposed to simulate relevant physical-biological oceanographic processes for identifying ocean-climate influence and predicting O. bartramii distribution and abundance in the North Pacific. Future research needs to be focused on improving the knowledge about early life history of O. bartramii and evaluating the relationship between marine physical environment and two separate passive drifting life stages of O. bartramii including free-floating eggs and planktonic paralarvae.     

Dominant modes of geopotential height in the northern hemisphere in summer on interdecadal timescales

Empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis is performed on the field of the northern hemisphere geopotential height at 200-hPa using a 54-year(1958-2011) record of summer data on an interdecadal time scale.The first dominant mode,which shows smooth semi-hemispheric variation with maximum action centers in the western hemisphere in the mid-latitudes over the eastern Pacific,North America,and the North Atlantic,is related to global warming.The second mode,which has a pronounced tropical-extratropical alternating pattern with active centers located over the eastern hemisphere from Western Europe across East Asia to the western Pacific,has a close relationship with the Arctic Oscillation.Further analysis results indicate that the two dominant modes show good correlation with the Arctic sea ice concentration(SIC),with correlation coefficients between these two modes and the first two EOF modes of the Arctic SIC reaching 0.88 and 0.86,respectively.     

The regional feature of the sea surface temperature anomalies in the Tropical West Pacific

The complex empirical orthogonal function is employed to analyse the monthly sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the Tropical West Pacific (TWP) for the period from 1951 to 1986. The results show that the SSTA in the area appear in three patterns: a quasi-stationary mode, a latitudinally propagating mode and a longitudinally propagating mode. The three modes contribute almost equally to the total variance of SST. Digital filtering, time-lag correlation, etc., are applied to analyse the quasi-period low frequency oscillations of the modes and their relations to the southern oscillation (SO) and the West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH). The SSTA in the TWP is different from that in an ocean current area and plays a special role in the large scale air-sea interaction. Aside from being related to the SSTA in the Equatorial East Pacific, the SSTA in the TWP, on the one hand, respond to the oscillation of the global sea level pressure and influence the Subtropical High, and on the other hand receive feedback from the Subtropical High. This paper was published in Chinese inOceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 21 (2): 97–104, 1990.     

Improvements in Long-Lead Prediction of Early-Summer Subtropical Frontal Rainfall Based on Arctic Sea Ice

Seasonal prediction of East Asia(EA) summer rainfall, especially with a longer-lead time, is in great demand, but still very challenging. The present study aims to make long-lead prediction of EA subtropical frontal rainfall(SFR) during early summer(May-June mean, MJ) by considering Arctic sea ice(ASI) variability as a new potential predictor. A MJ SFR index(SFRI), the leading principle component of the empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis applied to the MJ precipitation anomaly over EA, is defined as the predictand. Analysis of 38-year observations(1979-2016) revealed three physically consequential predictors. A stronger SFRI is preceded by dipolar ASI anomaly in the previous autumn, a sea level pressure(SLP) dipole in the Eurasian continent, and a sea surface temperature anomaly tripole pattern in the tropical Pacific in the previous winter. These precursors foreshadow an enhanced Okhotsk High, lower local SLP over EA, and a strengthened western Pacific subtropical high. These factors are controlling circulation features for a positive SFRI. A physical-empirical model was established to predict SFRI by combining the three predictors. Hindcasting was performed for the 1979-2016 period, which showed a hindcast prediction skill that was, unexpectedly, substantially higher than that of a four-dynamical models’ ensemble prediction for the 1979-2010 period(0.72 versus 0.47). Note that ASI variation is a new predictor compared with signals originating from the tropics to mid-latitudes. The long-lead hindcast skill was notably lower without the ASI signals included, implying the high practical value of ASI variation in terms of long-lead seasonal prediction of MJ EA rainfall.     

ENSO cycle and climate anomaly in China

The inter-annual variability of the tropical Pacific Subsurface Ocean Temperature Anomaly (SOTA) and the associated anomalous atmospheric circulation over the Asian North Pacific during the El Ni o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) were investigated using National Centers for Environmental Prediction/ National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) atmospheric reanalysis data and simple ocean data simulation (SODA). The relationship between the ENSO and the climate of China was revealed. The main results indicated the following: 1) there are two ENSO modes acting on the subsurface tropical Pacific. The first mode is related to the mature phase of ENSO, which mainly appears during winter. The second mode is associated with a transition stage of the ENSO developing or decaying, which mainly occurs during summer; 2) during the mature phase of El Ni o, the meridionality of the atmosphere in the mid-high latitude increases, the Aleutian low and high pressure ridge over Lake Baikal strengthens, northerly winds prevail in northern China, and precipitation in northern China decreases significantly. The ridge of the Ural High strengthens during the decaying phase of El Ni o, as atmospheric circulation is sustained during winter, and the northerly wind anomaly appears in northern China during summer. Due to the ascending branch of the Walker circulation over the western Pacific, the western Pacific Subtropical High becomes weaker, and south-southeasterly winds prevail over southern China. As a result, less rainfall occurs over northern China and more rainfall over the Changjiang River basin and the southwestern and eastern region of Inner Mongolia. The flood disaster that occurred south of Changjiang River can be attributed to this. The La Ni a event causes an opposite, but weaker effect; 3) the ENSO cycle can influence climate anomalies within China via zonal and meridional heat transport. This is known as the "atmospheric-bridge", where the energy anomaly within the tropical Pacific transfers to the mid-high latitude in the northern Pacific through Hadley cells and Rossby waves, and to the western Pacific-eastern Indian Ocean through Walker circulation. This research also discusses the special air-sea boundary processes during the ENSO events in the tropical Pacific, and indicates that the influence of the subsurface water of the tropical Pacific on the atmospheric circulation may be realized through the sea surface temperature anomalies of the mixed water, which contact the atmosphere and transfer the anomalous heat and moisture to the atmosphere directly. Moreover, the reason for the heavy flood within the Changjiang River during the summer of 1998 is reviewed in this paper.     

Characteristics of Thermal and Geopotential Height Differences Between Continent and Ocean and Its Role in the Strength of the Asian Summer Monsoon

The interdecadal factors affecting the summer monsoon winds over Somalia and the South China Sea were studied. Global geopotential heights and wind velocity fields of the 850-hPa and 200-hPa pressure levels, as well as sea surface temperature anomaly data and correlation coefficients were analyzed. The monsoons over Somalia and the South China Sea were found to be two different monsoon systems, operating on different mechanisms and being affected by different ocean-atmosphere interactions. The intensity of the Asian subtropical summer monsoon is influenced by the intensity of the summer monsoon over Somalia in the month of June and by the intensity of the summer monsoon over the South China Sea in the months of June and July. The summer monsoon wind strength over Somalia is affected by regional factors, such as the heating of the Tibetan plateau, and by global mechanisms, such as the subtropical heat exchange with Antarctica. The summer monsoon over the South China Sea is affected by different ocean-atmosphere interactions. The Somalia and subtropical summer monsoons have wind blowing down the pressure gradient from area over ocean to that over land, like typical summer monsoons. The South China Sea summer monsoon has winds that blow down the pressure gradient from area over land to that over ocean. The South China Sea summer monsoon is affected by the Kuroshio Current off the east coast of Japan.     

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER OVER THE WESTERN PACIFIC

The western Pacific,one of the most violent air-sea interaction areas,plays an important role in theformation of ENSO events which greatly affect global climate change.Knowledge on the structure of theatmospheric boundary layer and the air-sea exchange over that area is very important and is the key tounderstanding the air-sea interaction. Tethered balloon measurements were made successfully during theSeptember-October,1987 cruise of the R/V SCIENCE 1 in the Philippine Sea at the northwest ofthe Warm Pool.The data collected were used for analysis of the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer showingthat the characteristics of the inversion layers(advection layer,capping inversion layer and radiation layer)are different from those over the land and other sea areas.The wind profiles were simulated with the P-exponent method and the values of P under unstable, sta-ble and neutral conditions were obtained. Moreover,the effect of the ship body on the air above was es-timated to reach 30 meters high.     

Prediction of ocean surface current velocity and application to meteorological navigation in the North Pacific

On the basis of an understanding of the ocean current produced under the combined forces of wind stress over the sea surface and horizontal pressure gradient force caused by the uneven distribution of seawater density and the elevation of sea surface, we obtained the unsteady analytic solution of the variation with time of ocean surface current velocity corresponding to the time variation of the above two forces, and the unsteady analytic solution for variation of seawater density with time by considering only the vertical turbulence. To meet different needs, the above solutions may be written in two forms for short and long time predictions. After some simplification the analytic solution was used to predict surface ocean current velocity for meteorological navigation in the North Pacific. The monthly average current field was first obtained to get the necessary parameters for selecting the initial shipping route in the North Pacific and Bohai and Yellow Seas. The wind current field was then calculated by means of the simplified analytic solution to provide realistic bases for prediction of the ocean surface current field so that the optimum navigational route can be known several days in advance. This paper was presented on the Program on “Meteorological navigation in the North Pacific” as a contribution on prediction of ocean surface current in the North Pacific. This program won the Second Prize for Scientific-technical Progress awarded by the National Education Committee.     

The Change Features of the West Boundary Bifurcation Line of the North Equatorial Current in the Pacific

The equatorial Current in the North Pacific(NEC) is an upper layer westward ocean current, which flows to the west boundary of the ocean, east of the Philippines, and bifurcates into the northerly Kuroshio and the main body of the southerly Mindanao current. Thus, NEC is both the south branch of the Subtropical Circulation and the north branch of the Tropical Circulation. The junction of the two branches extends to the west boundary to connect the bifurcation points forming the bifurcation line. The position of the North Pacific Equatorial Current bifurcation line of the surface determines the exchange between and the distribution of subtropical and tropical circulations, thus affecting the local or global climate. A new identification method to track the line and the bifurcation channel was used in this study, focusing on the climatological characteristics of the western boundary of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation line. The long-term average NEC west boundary bifurcation line shifts northwards with depth. In terms of seasonal variation, the average position of the western boundary of the bifurcation line is southernmost in June and northernmost in December, while in terms of interannual variation, from spring to winter in the years when ENSO is developing, the position of the west boundary bifurcation line of NEC is relatively to the north(south) in EI Ni?o(La Ni?a) years as compared to normal years.     

MEAN SEA LEVEL AND SEA SURFACE VARIABILITY OF NQRTHWEST PACIFIC OCEAN AND EASTERN CHINA SEAS FROM GEOSAT ALTIMETRY

Collinear analysis technique is widely used for determining sea surface variability with Geosat altimeterdata from its Exact Repeat Mission(ERM).But most of the researches have been only on global scaleor in oceans deeper than 2000 m.In shallow shelf waters this method is hampered by the inaccuracy ofocean tide data supplied with Geosat Geophysical Data Records(GDRs).This work uses a modified collinearanalysis technique characterized by simultaneous separation of mean sea level and ocean tide with theleast squares method,to compute sea surface variability in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and eastern ChinaSeas.The mean sea level map obtained contains not ouly bathymetric but also dynamic features such asamphidromes,indicating considerable improvement over previous works.Our sea surface variability mapsshow clearly the main current system,the well-known Zhejiang coastal upwelling,and a northern East Chi-na Sea meso-scale eddy in good agreement with satellite sea surface temperature(SST)observation and his-to     

Variations of the Eco-Hydro-Climatic Environment Response to the 2015/2016 Super El Niño Event in the Mindanao Dome Upwelling System

A super El Ni?o event occurred in the equatorial Pacific during 2015-2016,accompanied by considerable regional eco-hydro-climatic variations within the Mindanao Dome(MD)upwelling system in the tropical western Pacific.Using timeseries of various oceanic data from 2013 to 2017,the variability of eco-hydro-climatic conditions response to the 2015/2016 super El Ni?o in the upper 300 m of the MD region are analyzed in this paper.Results showed that during the 2015/2016 super El Ni?o event,the upwelling in the MD region was greatly enhanced compared to those before and after this El Ni?o event.Upwelling Rossby waves and the massive loss of surface water in the western Pacific were suggested to be the main reasons for this enhanced upwelling.De-creased precipitation caused by changes in large-scale air-sea interaction led to the increased surface salinities.Changes in the struc-tures of the thermohaline and nutrient distribution in deep waters contributed to the increased surface chlorophyll a,suggesting a po-sitive effect of El Ni?o on surface carbon storage in the MD region.Based on the above analysis,the synopsis mechanism illustrating the eco-hydro-climatic changing processes over the MD upwelling system responding to the El Ni?o event was proposed.It high-lights the prospect for the role played by El Ni?o in local eco-hydro-climatic effects,which has further profound implications for understanding the influence of the global climate changes on the ocean carbon cycle.     

A THREE-LAYER OCEAN CIRCULATION MODEL APPLICATION TO NUMERICAL STUDIES ON THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN CIRCULATION

The formulation and justification of a three-layer baroclinic ocean model developed to simulate thegeneral circulation of the ocean are described in this paper.Test of the model in simulating the annualmean circulation patterns in the North Pacific under the prescribed atmospheric forcing,which consists ofthe climatological surface wind stress and sea surface heat flux,and comparison of the results withobservations showed that the model basically simulated the large scale features of the annual meancirculation patterns in the North Pacific Ocean such as those of the intensified western boundary currentsand the North Equatorial Currents and Undercurrents.But due to the coarse resolution of the model,some details of these currents were poorly reproduced.The seasonal variations of the North Pacific Oceancirculation driven by the seasonal mean sea surface wind stress was calculated,the different aspects of theseresults were analyzed and the main current(the intensified western boundary currents)transports we