The evolution of deep ocean pressure measurements in the UK

This paper is a brief review of the work carried out by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL) in measuring tides and sub-surface pressure variations in the deep water of the ocean basins using Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPRs). It deals particularly with the work of David Cartwright which he began in the early 1970s and carried out until he left POL in 1986 but is continued by his co-workers of that time.The paper mentions the early work in the north Atlantic when instrument deployments were limited to one month duration and describes what was achieved from the measurements. It concentrates mainly on measurements that were made since the early 1980s when it became possible, because of developments in instrument technology, to achieve individual measurements lasting for one year or more. The results obtained from these measurements are described and some interesting features of the spectrum of the pelagic sub-surface pressure are discussed.As instrument technology further improved, it became possible to study low frequency variations in sub-surface pressure. The contributions made by POL to studies of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the contribution to ocean circulation studies during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment are discussed. This led to the development of an instrument capable of operating continuously at ocean depths for five years. The preliminary results from a four year deployment of this instrument which was completed in November 1996 are included.     

Long internal waves in the Tropical Atlantic ocean generated by periodic air pressure fluctuations

Taking into consideration stratification, the mean current velocity, and the tangential wind stress expressed in terms of air pressure fluctuations, we have derived iteration formulae and have performed computations of the amplitudinal characteristics of oceanic internal waves generated by air pressure waves of semi-diurnal and 4-day long periodicity propagating over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. It has been demonstrated that such periodicity and wavelengths may contribute to the generation of long-amplitude internal waves, whose intensity is largely dependent on the direction of atmospheric wave propagation.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Long-range underwater photography in the deep ocean

Although the optical properties of seawater at extreme depths are more suitable for underwater photography than those at the surface or on continental shelves, they still impose severe limitations on long-range wide area bottom photography. Additionally, deep ocean operations impose technical limitations on control, power and bandwidth. This chapter reviews the approaches contemplated or made towards improving the camerato-target range in underwater photography in the deep ocean. Further significant improvements await advances in control, power/light sources and bandwidth reduction. With the developments now contemplated, TV and video systems will eventually present a strong challenge to emulsion film techniques.     

Sedimentation of lithogenic particles in the deep ocean

Investigation of lithogenic particles collected by sediment traps in open-ocean stations revealed that the sediment flux increased linearly with depth in the water column. This rate of increase decreased with distance of the station from the continent; it was largest at the Panama Basin station and almost negligible at the E. Hawaii Abyssal Plain station. At the Panama Basin station, smectite flux increased with depth. We suggest that smectite resuspended from bottom sediments of the continental slope west of the sediment-trap station is advected by easterly deep currents, and the suspended particles are then possibly entrapped by large settling particles. On the other hand, the flux of hemipelagic clay particles, kaolinite and chlorite, was nearly constant at all depths; this can be explained by incorporation of these particles in fecal pellets which then settle from the surface water. At the Demerara Abyssal Basin Station, flux of illite and chlorite particles increased with depth and the flux of smectite was constant. A sudden increase of the flux of illite and chlorite was observed near the bottom traps at the Söhm Abyssal Plain station. The flux of quartz and feldspar was 10 to 15% of the clay flux.     

Effects of the deep ocean circulation on the reservoir characteristics of the ocean

To examine the effects of the deep ocean circulation on the characteristics of the ocean as a reservoir, age distributions of the material whose source and sink are at the ocean surface are calculated using an idealized vertical two-dimensional model of the ocean. The results show that the large-scale vertical circulation of the deep water accelerates the renewal of deep water and reduces the average age of the material. It is also shown that the multi-layered structures of the deep circulation are more realistic than the one-layered structure and promote the renewal of the deep water.     

A description of short period temperature fluctuations in the upper ocean

Dynamical properties of short-period temperature fluctuations are studied. Water temperature was measured continuously at several depths at the following stations: at 38°29.5′N, 141°35.8′E (100 m depth) on the continental shelf off Miyagi Prefecture in the summer of 1967, at 35°01.8′N, 139°0.8.5′E (100 m depth) in Sagami Bay in the summer of 1968, and at 32°32.2′N, 129°53.7′E (74 m depth) in Tachibana Bay in the summer of 1970. These measurements were made with a thermistor array laid down from the R. V.Tanseimaru (Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo) which was fixed with bow and stern anchors. Significant temperature fluctuations found at the first and the third stations are thought to be due to first mode internal waves having amplitude 3 to 5 m and period 5 to 20 minutes. The wave length of the waves is estimated to be 25 m to 400 m from the observed density structure. At the second station, we found second-mode internal waves. The period, amplitude and wave length of the waves are about 30 minutes, 1.3 m and 600 m, respectively. In all cases, the spectral density of the temperature fluctuations decreases with increase in frequency. However, the decrease obey neither the ?3 power law nor the ?5/3 power law. Coherences in the temperature fluctuations between two depths of measurement in the seasonal thermocline are significantly high in the range of frequencies lower than the local Brunt-Väisälä frequency, but are low in the higher frequency range. At the first and the third stations, the difference in the level of coherences between the lower frequencies and the higher frequencies are large. Phase differences between two depths in the thermocline are small in the lower frequency range. This suggests that the first-mode internal waves are predominant over higher-mode internal waves and over other disturbances.     

A deep ocean release mechanism

A simple release system for a deep ocean instrument package is described. An evacuated chamber holds the instrument to the anchor and an explosive device floods the chamber, allowing the instrument to float to the surface after a present time.     

Infrasonic seismic and acoustic measurements in the deep ocean

The authors compare the signal-to-noise ratios obtained on bottomed seismometers, bottomed hydrophones, and buried seismometers from near-surface explosions in the Ngendei Expedition. The data were recorded in 5.5-km-deep water in the south central Pacific Ocean with a triaxial borehole seismograph and four triaxial ocean-bottom seismographs having externally mounted hydrophones. At ranges less than 35 km, the data indicate that the ocean bottom seismometer is a superior signal detector than the ocean-bottom hydrophone, and that the subbottom seismometer is superior in performance to the ocean-bottom seismometer. Above 4 Hz, the seismometer appears to have a 10-dB signal-to-noise advantage over the hydrophone for surface explosions at ranges less than 30 km     

Integrated navigation systems for precise positioning in the deep ocean

For navigation in deep ocean the most important navaids are self contained dead reckoning systems (DRS) such as classical DRS with log and compass or Doppler‐DRS or inertial navigation system (INS) and the external radio navaids LORAN, Omega and Navy Navigation Satellite System (NNSS). These navaids cannot satisfy the requirements for precise surveying if they are used in the conventional manner. Accuracy can be increased by integration of the DRS with the external navaids by a computer which estimates best values of position, velocity, etc. from all available data. The DRS is used as reference system and the external navaids are used for control measurements. The measurements are compared with the same quantities computed from the positions, which are indicated of the DRS. The differences between the measured and the computed values are described by error models of the integrated navaids and processed by a filter to estimate best values of the errors of the DRS and to make corresponding corrections. The principles of least square filtering are described in detail for integrated Inertial/LORAN‐C and Inertial/Omega navigation.     

Mesoscale current fluctuations observed in the deep western North Pacific

A set of simultaneous long-term, deep current measurements was taken using a moored array in the mid-ocean of the western North Pacific near 30°N, 146°E. Five current meters at three stations provided good quality records over 84 days. Low-frequency current fluctuations with meridional dominance are clearly seen in the deep layer records. They are consistent with signals of a mesoscale current fluctuation which has a period of about 100 days, an east-west wave length of about 200 km, and a westward phase propagation with a speed of about 2 cm sec^–1. Bottom intensification of the east component of low-frequency current fluctuations is also observed.     

海洋中深度与压强的转换方法

介绍了海洋学计算中3种深度与压强的转化方法:(1)EOS-80(Equation of State of Seawater 1980,EOS-80)标准采用的方法;(2)最新发布的TEOS-10(Thermodynamics Equation of seawater 2010,TEOS-10)标准采用的方法;(3)通过海水吉布斯函数计算压强与深度的关系的方法。对以上3种计算方法进行了比较,结果表明:在一般的海洋学研究中,3种方法精度相差不大,均可使用。在要求计算效率的情况下,可以选用EOS-80标准采用的方法,在更高精度的海洋学研究中,应该使用TEOS-10标准采用的方法或者吉布斯函数方法。     

Phytoplankton growth response to deep ocean water

Single species populations and natural populations of phytoplankton were grown in mixtures of surface sea water and deep ocean water. The yields of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the natural species assemblages were positively correlated with the percentage of deep water in the mixture. Single species populations of Thalassiosira weissflogii and Amphidinum sp. showed yields which were positively correlated with per cent deep water at low deep water concentrations and negatively correlated at high deep water concentrations. Transition from the positive to the negative slope occurred at about 75% deep water for T. weissflogii and at about 25% deep water for Amphidinium. Populations were apparently limited by an inorganic nutrient, probably nitrogen, in the region of positive slope and by some other factor, probably organic, in the region of negative slope. The addition of EDTA increased the yields of T. weissflogii and Amphidinium in the presence of deep water and reduced lag times in the growth of the natural populations.     

EPSONDE: an instrument to measure turbulence in the deep ocean

EPSONDE is a tethered free-fall profiling system used to obtain temperature microstructure and velocity turbulence data to a depth of at least 1500 m. EPSONDE, which carries a variety of slow and fast sensors, is deployed on a loose kevlar multiconductor cable by a specialized wire-handling system. Data are transmitted from this underwater unit (1792 samples per second) to a shipboard system which includes a dedicated microcomputer for data logging and online data processing. The performance of this system is demonstrated by discussing a study of turbulent mixing processes in a lens of Mediterranean water (a MEDDY) found at a depth of 1000 m in the Canary basin. These studies indicate that turbulent kinetic energy dissipation may be an important mechanism in determining the decay and lifetime of a MEDDY     

Reflection profiling in the deep ocean using a near bottom hydrophone

A 20 km long high resolution seismic reflection profile was carried out approximately 300 km southwest of Bermuda. The data were collected using a small airgun sound source and a single hydrophone receiver towed 100 m above the seafloor at a depth of 5400 m. Comparisons with nearby conventional seismic reflection profiles show the considerable improvement of resolving power provided by this method, particularly of the basement morphology beneath the 700 m thick sediment column. The data were recorded digitally and selected data examples show the enhancement provided by filtering, stacking, source deconvolution and corrections for hydrophone motion. The precise picture of basement topography that results from this data is compared with deep tow bathymetry profiles of the present day mid-Atlantic Ridge flanks, and is seen to be remarkably similar.     

Super-parameterization in ocean modeling: Application to deep convection

We explore the efficacy of “super parameterization” (SP) in ocean modeling in which local 2-d non-hydrostatic plume-resolving fine-grained (FG) models are embedded at each vertical column of a coarse-grained (CG) hydrostatic model. A general multi-scale algorithm is described in which tendencies from the FG models are projected onto the CG model which in turn constrains the average state of the FG models, coupling the two models together. The approach is tested in the context of models of open ocean deep convection and compared with a pure hydrostatic, coarse resolution model using convective adjustment (HYD) and a full 3-d non-hydrostatic plume-resolving simulation (NH). The SP model is found to be greatly superior to HYD at much less computational cost than the fully non-hydrostatic calculation.     

Feasibility of dumping fossil-fuel CO2 into the deep ocean

An idea has been proposed to recover and dispose of the fossil-fuel CO₂ generated by stationary power plants into the deep sea, thereby reducing the CO₂ emission to the atmosphere. The assessment of its environmental effects and risks is essential for developing new technology for the recovery/disposal system, which has recently received growing attention in Japan.The simple calculation made here did not yield any decisively significant environmental risks so far. However, a further detailed study is needed for the consequences of lowering local pH and the abrupt dissolution of CaCO₃ in the deep-sea sediments. It is also shown that, on longer term, the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ may be influenced by the degree at which the reaction between the disposed fossil-fuel CO₂ and the sedimentary CaCO₃ takes place under such conditions. At any rate, the problem should be brought to serious scientific attention much like the case of ocean dumping of radioactive wastes.     

An improved parachute drogue system for monitoring currents in the deep ocean

A parachute drogue is described that can quickly be assembled and easily launched at sea. An anchored buoy, which provides a reference from which drogue trajectories can be determined is also described and methods for launching are outlined. This buoy, which can be moored in several kilometers depth, will extend to the deep ocean the use of drogue monitoring techniques capable of defining wind driven currents and their short-term periodicities.     

Flow-topography interaction in the vicinity of an isolated,deep ocean island

The results of two oceanographic surveys designed to delineate the flow response near Cato Island (155°32′E, 23°15′S) in the Western Coral Sea are presented. The surveys were conducted in October 1992 and February 1993 and coincided with conditions of strong, steady incident currents and relatively weak, variable currents, respectively. For the strong inflow case study, a surface-intensified cyclonic eddy observed in the wake of the island was co-incident with a zone of strong upwelling. Isotherm displacements within the eddy were in excess of 90 m. The lee side response was strongly depth dependent, with recirculation confined to the upper 120 m. A dynamical systems approach incorporating ADCP data was used to compute Lagrangian trajectories numerically for particles released at various locations in the wake zone. There was no evidence of enhanced chlorophyll concentrations downstream of the island. Comparisons with other dynamically similar studies indicate that eddy shedding is likely during periods of steady incident currents. During the second survey, weaker incident currents resulted in a less pronounced flow disturbance. Small isothermal displacements were capped beneath the strong seasonal thermocline. Lee side currents were weak and variable, with recirculation confined to the upper 50 m. A strong biological response was observed downstream, with increased integrated chlorophyll content and zooplankton biomass in the lee providing evidence of the island mass effect.     

Development of a deep ocean electric autonomous manipulator

This paper describes an underwater 3500 m electric manipulator (named Huahai-4E,stands for four functions deep ocean electric manipulator in China),which has been developed at underwater manipulation technology lab in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) for a test bed of studying of deep ocean manipulation technologies.The manipulator features modular integration joints,and layered architecture control system.The oil-filled,pressure-compensated joint is compactly designed and integrated of a permanent magnet (PM) brushless motor,a drive circuit,a harmonic gear and an angular feedback potentiometer.The underwater control system is based on a network and consisted of three embedded PC/104 computers which are used for servo control,task plan and target sensor respectively.They communicate through User Datagram Protocol (UDP) multicast communication in Vxworks OS.A supervisor PC with a virtual 3D GUI is fiber linked to underwater control system.Furthermore,the manipulator is equipped with a sensor system including a unique ultra-sonic probe array and an underwater camera.Autonomous grasp strategy based multi-sensor is studied.The results of watertight test in 40 MPa,joint’s efficiency test and autonomous grasp experiments in tank are also presented.     

Inertial oscillations as deep ocean response to hurricanes

We discuss the deep ocean response to passing hurricanes (aka typhoons), which are considered as generators of near-inertial, internal waves. The analysis of data collected in the northwestern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the hurricane season permit us to assess the deep ocean response to such a strong atmospheric forcing. A large number of moorings (more than 100) in the northwestern Pacific have allowed us to characterize the spatial features of the oceanic response to typhoons and the variable downward velocity of near-inertial wave propagation. The velocity of their downward propagation varies in the range 1–10 m/hour. It is higher in the regions of low stratification and high anticyclonic vorticity. The inertial oscillations generated by a hurricane last for 10–12 days. The mean anticyclonic vorticity in the region increases the effective frequency of inertial oscillations by 0.001–0.004 cyc/hour.