On the recent warming of the southeastern Bering Sea shelf

During the last decade, the southeastern Bering Sea shelf has undergone a warming of 3 °C that is closely associated with a marked decrease of sea ice over the area. This shift in the physical environment of the shelf can be attributed to a combination of mechanisms, including the presence over the eastern Bering Sea shelf of a relatively mild air mass during the winter, especially from 2000 to 2005; a shorter ice season caused by a later fall transition and/or an earlier spring transition; increased flow through Unimak Pass during winter, which introduces warm Gulf of Alaska water onto the southeastern shelf; and the feedback mechanism whereby warmer ocean temperatures during the summer delay the southward advection of sea ice during winter. While the relative importance of these four mechanisms is difficult to quantify, it is evident that for sea ice to form, cold arctic winds must cool the water column. Sea ice is then formed in the polynyas during periods of cold north winds, and this ice is advected southward over the eastern shelf. The other three mechanisms can modify ice formation and melt, and hence its extent. In combination, these four mechanisms have served to temporally and spatially limit ice during the 5-year period (2001–2005). Warming of the eastern Bering Sea shelf could have profound influences on the ecosystem of the Bering Sea—from modification of the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom to the northward advance of subarctic species and the northward retreat of arctic species.     

Circulation

Low-frequency current and temperature variability on the southeast US continental shelf during summer conditions of weak wind forcing and vertical stratification was found to be similar in many aspects to previous findings for winter, when stronger wind forcing and vertical homogeneity prevails. Subtidal variability in the outer shelf is dominated by the weekly occurrence of Gulf Stream frontal eddies and meanders. These baroclinic events strongly affect the balance of momentum in the outer shelf, but not at mid-shelf. A negative alongshore sea level slope of order −10⁻⁷ is required to balance mean along-shelf momentum at the shelf edge, similar to oceanic estimates, and can contribute to the observed northward mean flow over the shelf.Low-frequency flow at mid-shelf and coastal sea level fluctuations appear to occur as a forced wave response to local alongshore wind stress events that are coherent over the shelf domain. Momentum balances indicate a trapped wave response similar to the arrested topographic wave found in the mid-Atlantic Bight (CSANADY, 1978). Density driven currents from river discharge do not appear to be significant at mid-shelf. Cold, subsurface intrusions of deeper, nutrient rich Gulf Stream waters can occasionally penetrate to mid- and inner-shelf regions north of Cape Canaveral, causing strong phytoplankton and zooplankton responses. These events were observed following the simultaneous occurrence of upwellings from northward winds and Gulf Stream frontal eddies at the shelf break during periods when the Stream was in an onshore position. Subsurface Gulf Stream intrusions to mid-shelf occur only during the summer, when the shelf is vertically stratified and cross-shelf density gradients do not present a barrier as in winter.     

Circulation on the north central Chukchi Sea shelf

Mooring and shipboard data collected between 1992 and 1995 delineate the circulation over the north central Chukchi shelf. Previous studies indicated that Pacific waters crossed the Chukchi shelf through Herald Valley (in the west) and Barrow Canyon (in the east). We find a third branch (through the Central Channel) onto the outer shelf. The Central Channel transport varies seasonally in phase with Bering Strait transport, and is 0.2 Sv on average, although some of this might include water entrained from the outflow through Herald Valley. A portion of the Central Channel outflow moves eastward and converges with the Alaskan Coastal Current at the head of Barrow Canyon. The remainder appears to continue northeastward over the central outer shelf toward the shelfbreak, joined by outflow from Herald Valley. The mean flow opposes the prevailing winds and is primarily forced by the sea-level slope between the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Current variations are mainly wind forced, but baroclinic forcing, associated with upstream dense-water formation in coastal polynyas might occasionally be important.Winter water-mass modification depends crucially on the fall and winter winds, which control seasonal ice development. An extensive fall ice cover delays cooling, limits new ice formation, and results in little salinization. In such years, Bering shelf waters cross the Chukchi shelf with little modification. In contrast, extensive open water in fall leads to early and rapid cooling, and if accompanied by vigorous ice production within coastal polynyas, results in the production of high-salinity (>33) shelf waters. Such interannual variability likely affects slope processes and the transport of Pacific waters into the Arctic Ocean interior.     

Characteristics and variability of the inner front of the southeastern Bering Sea

The inner front of the southeastern Bering Sea shows marked spatial variability in frontal characteristics created by regional differences in forcing mechanisms. Differences in forcing mechanisms (sea ice advance/retreat and storm strength and timing) and early spring water properties result in strong interannual variability in biological, chemical, and physical features near the front. We have developed a simple model based on surface heat flux and water-column mixing to explain the existence of cold belts (Cont. Shelf Res. 19(14) (1999) 1833) associated with such fronts. Hydrography, fluorescence and nutrient observations show that pumping of nutrients into the euphotic zone occurs, and this can prolong primary production at the inner front. The effectiveness of this process depends on two factors: the existence of a reservoir of nutrients in the lower layer on the middle shelf and the occurrence of sufficient wind and tidal energy to mix the water column.     

Storm Dispersal of Volcanogenic Sands from Buenos Aires, Where Heavy-Metal Concentrations Are Heavy-Mineral Segregations

The southeastern beaches and inner shelf of the Buenos Aires coastline are dominated by storms coming from the south and southeast. Erosion is dominant at the coastal cliffs and abrasion platforms, while deposition is extended below the 9-m contour depth. In relation to sand abundance on the inner shelf, there is a northward transition between shelly sand sheets, a fine-sand ribbon field, and sand ridges with oblique megaripples. Side-scan records indicate the selective sorting processes that lead to grain size diminishing to the north, and heavy-mineral enrichment, either at the beach or on the shelf. These storm-induced effects should be considered when evaluating placers on the inner shelf or monitoring the heavy-metal content in sediments. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to establish the grain-size effects on heavy-metal analysis.     

Bio-optical signatures and biogeochemistry from intense upwelling and relaxation in coastal California

The NSF-sponsored Coastal Ocean Processes Wind Events and Shelf Transport (WEST) experiment investigates the interplay between wind-driven transport and shelf productivity; while eastern boundary shelves are characterized by high productivity due to upward fluxes of nutrients into the euphotic zone, wind forcing also represents negative physical and biological controls via offshore transport and deep (light-limiting) mixing of primary producers. Although this interaction has been well documented for eastern boundary systems generally and for California specifically, one of the primary goals of WEST was to characterize more fully the interplay between positive and negative effects of wind stress, which result in the consistently elevated biological productivity in these shelf regions. During 3 month-long summer cruises (2000–2002) we observed extremes in upwelling/relaxation, using both in situ instrumentation and remotely sensed data. Relationships between optical and physical properties were examined, with emphasis on biogeochemical implications. During 2000, the WEST region was optically dominated by phytoplankton and covarying constituents. During 2001 and 2002, periods of more intense upwelling favorable winds, we observed a transition to optical properties dominated by detrital and inorganic materials. In all years, the continental shelf break provided a natural boundary between optically distinct shelf and open ocean waters. During 2002, we obtained discrete trace-metal measurements of particulate iron and aluminum; we develop a bio-optical proxy for acetic-acid leachable iron from backscatter and fluorescence, and demonstrate that particulate iron is not well correlated to traditional upwelling proxies such as macronutrients, temperature, and salinity. We conclude that the shelf break between ca. 100 and 200 m water depth serves as a natural break point between coastal and oceanic water masses in this region, and that the elevated biomass and productivity associated with this eastern boundary current regime is dominated by these iron rich, shallow shelf waters.     

A regional tidal/subtidal circulation model of the southeastern Bering Sea: development, sensitivity analyses and hindcasting

A regional eddy-resolving primitive equation circulation model was used to simulate circulation on the southeastern Bering Sea (SEBS) shelf and basin. This model resolves the dominant observed mean currents, eddies and meanders in the region, and simultaneously includes both tidal and subtidal dynamics. Circulation, temperature, and salinity fields for years 1995 and 1997 were hindcast, using daily wind and buoyancy flux estimates, and tidal forcing derived from a global model. This paper describes the development of the regional model, a comparison of model results with available Eulerian and Lagrangian data, a comparison of results between the two hindcast years, and a sensitivity analysis. Based on these hindcasts and sensitivity analyses, we suggest the following: (1) The Bering Slope Current is a primary source of large (100 km diameter) eddies in the SEBS basin. Smaller meanders are also formed along the 100 m isobath on the southeastern shelf, and along the 200-m isobath near the shelf break. (2) There is substantial interannual variability in the statistics of eddies within the basin, driven by variability in the strength of the ANSC. (3) The mean flow on the shelf is not strongly sensitive to changes in the imposed strength of the ANSC; rather, it is strongly sensitive to the local wind forcing. (4) Vertical mixing in the SEBS is strongly affected by both tidal and subtidal dynamics. Strongest mixing in the SEBS may in fact occur between the 100- and 400-m isobaths, near the Pribilof Islands, and in Unimak Pass.     

Variability of physical and chemical characteristics along the 70-m isobath of the southeastern Bering Sea

From observations of ice cover, temperature, salinity, currents and nitrate, it is evident that along-shelf variability was significant over the middle shelf of the eastern Bering Sea, but less distinct than that observed in the cross-shelf domains. Along the 70-m isobath, three zones were evident in the summer: the southeastern cold pool (centered at 57°N); an intermediate zone, consisting of warmer water, with weaker stratification; and the northern cold pool, extending northward from 58°N. Small-scale (20 km) horizontal features that persisted for months were common. Nutrient concentrations were related to salinity and were replenished more uniformly over the southern shelf, than north of the Pribilof Islands. Although mean currents were weak (1 cm s⁻¹), short energetic advective events impacted the temperature and salinity structure.     

秋末寒潮大风作用下南黄海西部流场及温、盐度变动特征分析

1983年11月中美首次在南黄海西部开展水文和地质联合调查,该调查共设5个浮标站和54个CTD站,其中CTD站所获的温、盐度和溶解氧、透光度资料早已有过一些报道,并获得了一些有益的结论(丁宗信等,1986;熊庆成等,1986;赵保仁等,1986)。但对这次调查所取得的浮标测流资料尚未有人进行认真的分析研究,也未曾报道过。这次测流还是比较成功的,所揭示的现象使人感到振奋,而且这也是迄今在南黄海西部使用浮标最多、时间最长的一次浮标阵测流工作。 本文试图结合1983年11月调查时的海上风速和沿岸水位变化进行综合分析,并对那里的环流状态提出一些初步看法,以利于对南黄海西部水域的海流变动特征和生成机制进行更深入的研究。     

The formation and evolution of the East China Sea winter dense water

On the basis of the historical profile observations and the recent Kuroshio observations,the yearly formation,development and decay of the high density water found between 50 to 100 m isobath over the middle and southern East China Sea continental shelf are anyalysed. The formation of this high density water occurs between November and March of the following year. A possible reason for it is that as the mixed water between the coastal water and the outer sea water transports northward by the Taiwan Warm Current, its density increases by surface cooling. It also mixes with the neighbouring lower density water masses. The transportation and decay of the high density water through April to July are also descussed. They can be ascribed to the seasonal surface layer warming and the fast development of Taiwan Warm Current. The high density water disappears in August.     

Transient,seasonal and interannual variability of the Taiwan Strait current

We have constructed a fine-resolution model with realistic bathymetry to study the spatial and temporal variations of circulation in the Taiwan Strait (TS). The TS model with a resolution of 3～10 km derives its open boundary conditions from a larger-scale model. The QSCAT/NCEP winds and AVHRR SST provide forcing at the sea surface. Because of the high resolution in model grids and forcing, the model achieves a previously unavailable level of agreement with most observations. On biweekly time scales surface-trapped current reversals often lead to Strait transport reversals if the northeasterly wind bursts in winter are sufficiently strong. On seasonal time scales the northward current is the strongest in summer since both summer monsoon and pressure gradient force are northward. The summer northward current appears to be relatively unimpeded by the Changyun Rise (CYR) and bifurcates slightly near the surface. With the arrival of the northeast monsoon in fall, downwind movement of China Coastal Water (CCW) is blocked by the northward current near 25.5°N and 120°E. In winter, the northward current weakens even more as the northeasterly monsoon strengthens. The CCW moves downwind along the western boundary; the CYR blocks part of the CCW and forces a U-shaped flow pattern in the northern Strait. Past studies have failed to reveal an anticyclonic eddy that develops on the northern flank of CYR in winter. On interannual time scales a weakened northeast monsoon during El Niño reduces advection of the cold CCW from the north and enhances intrusion of warm water from the south, resulting in warming in the TS.     

Three-dimensional circulation in northern South China Sea during early summer of 2015

Using the hydrographic data obtained during two nearly simultaneous surveys in June 2015, we carried out semidiagnostic calculations with the help of a finite element model and a modified inverse method, to study the circulation in the northern South China Sea(NSCS) during the early summer of 2015. A number of new circulation features were found.(1) In most of the observation region, a large, basin-scale anticyclonic gyre appeared south of the 50-m isobath, which contained anticyclonic eddies. One anticyclonic eddy existed from the sea surface to 50-m depth, whose center showed no tilt, while the center of another eddy tilted eastward from the sea surface to 500-m depth. In the eastern part of the observation region, which is west of the Dongsha Islands, there was a sub-basinscale cyclonic gyre containing a cyclonic eddy whose center tilted southward from the sea surface to 200-m depth.(2) There was a cross-continental slope current(CCSC) in the area southwest of the Dongsha Islands. Its volume transport was about 2.0×10~6 m~3/s.(3) From the estimated order of magnitude of the stream function equation, the joint effect term of the baroclinity and relief(JEBAR) and β-effect term are two important dynamic mechanisms affecting the variation of the circulation in the NSCS.(4) The JEBAR, as a transport-generating term, resulted in the dynamic mechanism determining the pattern of the depth-averaged flow across the contours of potential vorticity fH~(–1). Furthermore, we show that the negative values of the JEBAR were the most dominant dynamic mechanism, causing the CCSC southwest of the Dongsha Islands to deflect from the isobaths and veer toward the deep water. The CCSC around the Dongsha Islands was located further southwest during the early summer of2015 than during the fall of 2005(revealed by a published study), which suggests that the location of the CCSC around the Dongsha Islands may vary with season.     

大亚湾冬季水位的亚潮变化及其与南海的耦合

本文应用常规时间序列谱分析方法和频域的多输入线性模型研究了冬季广东省大亚湾内水位的亚潮变化及其与大亚湾本地和外海远处各种强迫作用因素间的关系。结果表明：冬季在亚湾亚潮水位的能量主要集中在６．４ｄ和３．６ｄ频带,而在１０．７ｄ频带还有一较弱谱峰,同期广东沿海风的低频能量也主要集中于２－７ｄ频段。造成冬季亚潮水位变化的原因包含了大亚湾本地气象条件的影响,但主要是远地因素作用于大亚湾的结果。外海影响一方     

北极海冰输出区域海冰运动变化特征及其与北极航道适航性的关系

随着北极地区气候变暖的加剧,北极海冰正在急剧消融,海冰的减少增加了北极地区航道的适航性。本文利用遥感数据反演得到的海冰运动产品对北极海冰输出区域以及东北航道以北区域的海冰运动特征进行了量化。结果显示,从北极中央海域向弗拉姆海峡以及格陵兰海流出海冰的南向位移量呈现出显著增长趋势,海冰的平均南向位移量在2007-2014年间达到1511 km,是2007年之前（617 km）的两倍以上,反映了北极穿极流（TDS）强度在不断增强。通过长时间序列分析发现,春季东北航道以北区域的海冰北向漂移速度在喀拉海呈现+0.04 厘米/秒/年的显著增长趋势（P<0.05）。海冰北向漂移对于东北航道的开通具有显著的影响,在拉普捷夫海与喀拉海,海冰北向运动速度与航道适航期的决定系数分别达到0.33（P<0.001）和0.15（P<0.05）。东西伯利亚海、拉普捷夫海以及喀拉海存在冰间湖区域的春季海冰面积变化与航道的适航期密切相关,海冰的北向漂移对拉普捷夫海和喀拉海的海冰面积减少也有显著影响,这说明北向漂移促进了海冰的离岸输送,造成海冰面积减少的同时形成冰间水道或冰间湖促使航道开通。为探究大气环流指数对海冰运动以及东北航道适航期的影响,本文利用大气再分析数据计算了中央北极指数（CAI）和北极大气偶极子异常（DA）指数。相关性分析表明,CAI比DA更能解释东北航道的适航期,而且CAI能够解释北极海冰输出区域海冰南向位移量变化的45%。最近10年,夏季正相位的CAI进一步加强,通过加强海冰离岸输运和冰间湖活动加剧了东北航道区域海冰变薄及其强度变弱,从而促进了东北航道的开通。     

A high-resolution numerical modeling study of the subtidal circulation in the northern South China Sea

A high-resolution, regional, numerical-model-based, real-time ocean prediction system for the northern South China Sea, called the Northern South China Sea Nowcast/Forecast System (NSCSNFS), has been used to investigate subtidal mesoscale flows during the time period of the Asian Seas International Acoustic Experiment (ASIAEX) field programs. The dynamics are dominated by three influences; 1) surface wind stress, 2) intrusions of the Kuroshio through Luzon Strait, and 3) the large-scale cyclonic gyre that occupies much of the northern South China Sea. Each component primarily drives currents in the upper ocean, so deep currents are rather weak. Wind stress is especially effective at forcing currents over the shallow China shelf. The Kuroshio intrusion tends to flow westward until it meets the northern edge of the large-scale cyclonic gyre. Together, these currents produce an intense, narrow jet directed northwest toward the continental slope, often in the region of the ASIAEX field programs. Upon reaching the slope, the current splits with part flowing northeastward along the slope and part flowing southwestward, producing large horizontal and vertical shears and making this region dynamically very complicated and difficult to simulate. The Kuroshio intrusion tends to be stronger (weaker) when the northeasterly winds are strong (weak) and the large-scale gyre is farther south (north), consistent with conclusions from previous model studies. At the northern boundary, the model produces a persistent northward flow through Taiwan Strait into the East China Sea. Data assimilation in the NSCSNFS model is shown to dampen the system, extracting energy and causing the entire system to spin down.     

东海黑潮主段环流子结构研究

通过对多种调查资料的综合分析,提出了东海黑潮主段子环流系统的物理模型,它是由较稳定的东海黑潮主段、经常出现(大概率)的右侧逆流和有条件出现(小概率)的外陆架逆流所构成的一个双环环流结构。部分黑潮水由主段北部进入陆架区形成外陆架逆流,或转向黑潮以东海域形成右侧逆流;由主段南部进入黑潮的陆架水,一部分来自外陆架逆流闭合了双环结构的外陆架部分;黑潮右侧逆流水大部分形成反气旋流动重新进入主流,闭合了双环结构的东部部分。     

Linkages among halocline variability,shelf-basin interaction,and wind regimes in the Beaufort Sea demonstrated in pan-Arctic Ocean modeling framework

To address the mechanisms controlling halocline variability in the Beaufort Sea, the relationship between halocline shoaling/deepening and surface wind fields on seasonal to decadal timescales was investigated in a numerical experiment. Results from a pan-Arctic coupled sea ice-ocean model demonstrate reasonable performances for interannual and decadal variations in summer sea ice extent in the entire Arctic and in freshwater content in the Canada Basin. Shelf-basin interaction associated with Pacific summer and winter transport depends on basin-scale wind patterns and can have a significant influence on halocline variability in the southern Beaufort Sea. The eastward transport of fresh Pacific summer water along the northern Alaskan coast and Ekman downwelling north of the shelf break are commonly enhanced by cyclonic wind in the Canada Basin. On the other hand, basin-wide anti-cyclonic wind induces Ekman upwelling and blocks the eastward current in the Beaufort shelf-break region. Halocline shoaling/deepening due to shelf-water transport and surface Ekman forcing consequently occur in the same direction. North of the Barrow Canyon mouth, the springtime down-canyon transport of Pacific winter water, which forms by sea ice production in the Alaskan coastal polynya, thickens the halocline layer. The model result indicates that the penetration of Pacific winter water prevents the local upwelling of underlying basin water to the surface layer, especially in basin-scale anti-cyclonic wind periods.     

Western Arctic primary productivity regulated by shelf-break warm eddies

The response of phytoplankton to the Beaufort shelf-break eddies in the western Arctic Ocean is examined using the eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model including a lower-trophic marine ecosystem formulation. The regional model driven by the reanalysis 2003 atmospheric forcing from March to November captures the major spatial and temporal features of phytoplankton bloom following summertime sea ice retreat in the shallow Chukchi shelf and Barrow Canyon. The shelf-break warm eddies spawned north of the Barrow Canyon initially transport the Chukchi shelf water with high primary productivity toward the Canada Basin interior. In the eddy-developing period, the anti-cyclonic rotational flow along the outer edge of each eddy moving offshore occasionally traps the shelf water. The primary production inside the warm eddies is maintained by internal dynamics in the eddy-maturity period. In particular, the surface central area of an anti-cyclonic eddy acquires adequate light, nutrient, and warm environment for photosynthetic activity partly attributed to turbulent mixing with underlying nutrient-rich water. The simulated biogeochemical properties with the dominance of small-size phytoplankton inside the warm eddies are consistent with the observational findings in the western Arctic Ocean. It is also suggested that the light limitation before autumn sea ice freezing shuts down the primary production in the shelf-break eddies in spite of nutrient recovery. These results indicate that the time lag between the phytoplankton bloom in the shelf region following the summertime sea ice retreat and the eddy generation along the Beaufort shelf break is an important index to determine biological regimes in the Canada Basin.     

A review on the South China Sea western boundary current

The advances in understanding the South China Sea (SCS) western boundary current (SCSwbc) have been reviewed since the works of Dale (1956) and Wyrtki (1961) in the middle of the 20th century. The features of the pattern of SCSwbc and the oceanic phenomena associated with it are focused on. The current is driven mainly by monsoon over the SCS and partially by winds over the tropical Pacific governed by the island rule. The SCSwbc exhibits strong seasonal variation in its direction and patterns. In winter, the current is strong and flows southwestward along the South China shelf and slope from the east of Dongsha Islands to the northern central Vietnamese coast, then turns to the south along the central and southern Vietnamese coast, and finally partially exits the SCS through the Karimata Strait. In summer and early fall, the SCSwbc can be divided into three segments based on their characteristics. The southern segment is stable, flowing northward from the Karimata Strait up to about 11 N, where it separates from the coast forming an eastward offshore current. The separation of the current from Vietnamese coast induces some striking features, such as upwelling and cold sea-surface temperature. The middle segment off the central Vietnamese coast may have a bimodal behavior: northward coastal current and meandering current in early summer (June-July), and cyclonic gyre in later summer and early fall (August-September). The northern segment is featured by the summer SCS Warm Current on the South China shelf and a southwestward subsurface current along the continental slope.