Peculiarities of the formation of the cold intermediate layer in Black Sea regions with various dynamic conditions

Hydrological surveys made in 1984–1985 are analysed. In most of the water area the core of the cold intermediate layer (CIL) lies below the critical depth of convection. This reveals the advective nature of the CIL in these regions. Non-linear one-dimensional models provided values of the depth and temperature of the CIL which are close to the real values only in regions of maximum cooling. The hydrodynamic model of the temperature anomaly evolution which can arise in the cyclonic circulation zone confirms the local nature of the anomaly effect. During the last decades, the CIL depth was shallower, but this effect exists only in the outlying areas of the sea.UDK 551.465.41(262.5).Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Interannual variations of the renewal of waters of the cold intermediate layer in the Black Sea for the last decades

On the basis of the archival hydrological data, recently accumulated data of buoy profilometers, and the array of satellite data on sea-surface temperature, we estimate the interannual variability of the renewal of waters of the cold intermediate layer in the Black Sea for the last two decades. We propose a procedure of estimation of the intensity of renewal of waters for this layer according to the data on sea-surface temperature in the winter period without taking into account the vertical profiles of temperature. It is indicated that the last 50 yr are characterized by the alternation of periods with different intensities of ventilation of the upper layer of the sea. We analyze the correlations between the temperature of waters of the cold intermediate layer and the winter temperature of air (according to the data of meteorological stations located on the north coast of the Black Sea) and the level of salinity in the surface layer of the sea. The role played by the last factor is emphasized.     

Modelling subsurface dynamics in the Black Sea

Dependency of major hydrophysical/chemical features of highly stratified basins on density surfaces in the vertical makes isopycnic models an attractive tool for simulating the dynamics of marginal marine environments such as the Black Sea because of the ability of these models to restrict vertical transport to some desirable degree. In the present work the seasonal variations of the subsurface dynamics of the Black Sea are investigated using an isopycnic model. Particular attention is given to the interfaces of the Cold intermediate layer and Suboxic layer and finally, the deep layer circulation in the basin is studied. It appears that although the depth range of the base of the Cold intermediate layer and the lower Soboxic layer interface do not change seasonally, their horizontal distribution is defined by the upper layer dynamics of the basin. Cyclonic surface circulation diminishes with increasing depth and the deep layer circulation is characterised by an anti-cyclonic rim current driven by density gradients created from river runoff and the influx of Mediterranean water.     

Modelling of the Black Sea seasonal variability

The paper discusses the results of numerical experiments on response of the Black Sea to the ‘real’ (mean monthly) atmospheric forcing. A new version of the multi-layer quasi-isopycnic model is applied which does not use the rigid-lid approximation and allows for a salt flux through the sea surface. Ways of obtaining quantitative agreement between the calculated data due only to the external forcing, without invokingin situ temperature/salinity observations are suggested. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Modes of linear stationary response of the atmospheric boundary layer to a cold surge in the Black Sea

To describe the phenomenon of cold surges in the Black Sea in winter, we study the problem of atmospheric response to a local heat source on the surface in two simple formulations. In the shallow-water model, the planetary boundary layer of the atmosphere is homogeneous with variable upper bound. In the second model, the boundary layer has a constant thickness and its stratification is homogeneous. In the one-dimensional problem, for a constant wind blowing perpendicularly to the sea coast, the atmospheric response is determined by a single dimensionless parameter called the Froude number. Depending on its value, there are two possible different modes of the response. The range Fr < 1 (subcritical mode) corresponds to gentle winds, strong stratifications, thick boundary layers, and high velocities of inertial gravitational waves. The range Fr > 1 (supercritical mode) corresponds to strong winds, weak stratifications, thin boundary layers, and low wave velocities. In the two-dimensional problem for a round sea, there are four qualitatively different types of response depending on the combination of two dimensionless parameters: the Froude number and the ratio of the radius of the sea to the radius of deformation. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 3–22, September–October, 2008.     

Experimental studies of the deep turbid layer in the Black Sea

Data compiled in the course of hydro-optical studies are reported. The main interest is focused on the problem of the existence of a deep turbid layer (DTL) over the continental slope, where it is better pronounced than in the central Black Sea. Analysis of the collected data allows a supposition as to the relationship between the DTL structure and the peculiarities of water dynamics.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

北黄海冷水团季节变化特征分析

基于2006至2007年“908”项目执行期间春夏秋冬共四个航次的CTD温盐数据,针对四个季节底层大面及大连一成山头断面温度和盐度的分布特征,分析了北黄海冷水团的季节变化,初步探讨了其消长过程,并与历史资料相比较,发现了关于北黄海冷水团的新问题。研究表明：夏季,北黄海冷水团温度和盐度与历史资料相比,低温中心位置存在东偏,但低温中心温度和盐度变化不大。春季,32．8psu高盐水舌主轴位置较冬季偏西约75km,123．5°E以东的原冬季盐度高值区的范围向北延伸的势力大减,退化为较弱的小高盐水舌冬。冬季,北黄海冷水团已经消失,黄海暖流呈舌状向北延伸。秋季,减弱的北黄海冷水团存在两个中心温度约9℃的低温中心。     

Seasonal variability and the types of currents in the upper layer of the Black Sea

Spectral analysis of the climatic circulation in the upper 10 m layer of the Black Sea has been carried out. The current field was calculated from a three-dimensional baroclinic non-linear model. The mode composition of the circulation was derived. It is shown that the surface climatic circulation can be represented as the superposition of a finite number of elementary currents of two types:n- andm-modes. Only 4n-modes are shown to be energy-dominant throughout the year. A relation is established between the different sources of energy supply of currents and the modes which assimilate this energy. Problems concerning the nature of the classical Black Sea currents such as the main Black Sea current (MBSC) and the Knipovich spectacles are discussed. A scenario of the field large-scale experiment is suggested which allows the reconstruction of the amplitudes of the first 10n- and the first 10m-modes from mooring data.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Bottom boundary layer in the Black Sea: formation of the stationary state

We make an attempt to answer the following question: how a natural stationary system formed by a layer and an interface “selects” a unique set of governing parameters from a great number of possible collections under the conditions of double-diffusion layer convection (e.g., for the bottom boundary layer in the Black Sea)? As the “rule of selection,” we use the principle of minimum entropy production for systems close to the state of thermodynamic equilibrium. In the process of solution of the problem, the system is regarded as a heat engine. The proposed approach is reduced to a simple procedure of application of the principle of minimum entropy production to the analyzed case. The combined analysis of the theoretical results, the data of deepwater field measurements in the Black Sea, and the results of laboratory experiments leads us to the conclusion that, most likely, the stationary system “selects” its governing parameters according to the Prigogine–Glansdorff principle. The density ratio (approximately equal to three for the stationary case) proves to be the key parameter of the system. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, pp. 16–25, January–February, 2009.     

Radioactive isotopes of caesium in the waters and near-water atmospheric layer of the Black Sea

The concentrations of¹³⁷Cs and¹³⁴Cs were measured using the sorption method in the waters of the Black Sea during 1986–1987. An inhomogeneous character of the contamination of the surface waters in the Black Sea due to the Chernobyl disaster is shown. The subsequent migration and redistribution of caesium radionuclides in the various seasons of the year were studied. The amount of¹³⁷Cs and¹³⁴Cs in the upper 50 m layer was estimated. The results of measuring the concentration of caesium radionuclides in the near-water atmospheric layer over the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea in 1986–1987 are also reported.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Bottom boundary layer in the Black Sea: Basic results and prospects of investigations

We discuss the current state of the problem of experimental investigation of the bottom boundary layer of the Black Sea and present the data on a new measuring complex (designed and constructed at the Marine Hydrophysical Institute and called the OLT-D profilometer of the bottom layer) together with some results of its application. On the basis of the analysis of the data on the distributions of geothermal fluxes and parameters of the bottom boundary layer in the deep-water part of the sea, we deduce and justify the relations for the evaluation of the critical thickness of the bottom boundary layer as a function of the intensities of geothermal fluxes. It is shown that the numerical results are in good agreement with the data of direct measurements of the thickness of the bottom boundary layer. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Heat flow and thermal evolution of the lithosphere of the Black Sea basin

In most of the studies devoted to the analysis of the thermal regime of the Black Sea basins, the high sedimentation rate is regarded to be the principal reason for the low values of the surface heat flow as compared to the deep flow. We used the basin modeling technique for a more detailed assessment of this issue with regard to the new geological and geophysical data on the age and structure of the sedimentary cover and basement of the Black Sea basins. The use of enhanced seismic data, together with a more accurate estimation of the age limits of the sedimentary sequences in the region, allowed us to refine the results of the previous studies. Based on the calculations performed for an actual cross section with actual properties of the sedimentary rocks under compaction and the basement rocks, it is shown that any version of the sedimentation and evolution of the basin compatible with the geological and geophysical data available lead to heat flow values that are significantly greater than those actually observed. Our analysis proves that the sedimentation alone, as was implied in the previous studies, cannot explain the decrease in the deep heat flow at the floor surface down to values of about 34 mW/m². It is shown that the temperature influence of the invasion of dense though heated waters of the Mediterranean Sea that occurred about 7000 years ago helps one to explain the low present-day heat flow values in the deep-water parts of the Western and Eastern basins of the Black Sea. The application of the basin modeling technique allowed us to pose a version of the thermal evolution of the lithosphere in the Western basin of the Black Sea compatible with the high heat flow at the end of the Cretaceous, with three stages of subsidence of the sea floor down to its present-day depths, and with the low heat flow values measured in the basin. According to the geophysical data, this version implies a relatively high-temperature present-day thermal regime in the basin’s lithosphere with a lithosphere thickness of about 60 km.     

On the rates of sulfide formation and oxidation in the Black Sea during the cold season

The rate of the hydrogen sulfide oxidation in the redox zone of the Black Sea and the rate of the hydrogen sulfide formation due to bacterial sulfate reduction in the upper layer of the anaerobic waters were measured during the period of February–April 1991. The measurements were made using a sulfur radioisotope under conditions close to those in situ. It was established that the hydrogen sulfide is oxidized in the layer where oxygen and hydrogen sulfide coexist, which is under the upper boundary of the hydrogen sulfide layer. The maximum rate of the hydrogen sulfide oxidation was recorded within the limits of the density values δτ of 16.20–16.30, while varying in the layer from 2 to 4.5 μM/day. The average rate of the hydrogen sulfide oxidation was 1.5–3 times higher than that during the warm season. Sulfide formation was not observed at most of the stations in the examined lower portion of the pycnocline layer (140 to 400 m depths). Noticeable sulfate reduction was detected only at one station on the northwestern shelf. A probable reason for such noticeable changes in the sulfur dynamics in the water mass of the Black Sea may be the intensified hydrodynamics in the upper layers of the water mass during the cold season. The data suggesting that hydrogen sulfide oxidation proceeds under the hydrogen sulfide boundary indicate the absence of the so called “suboxic zone” in this basin.     

Submesoscale eddies at the caucasus Black Sea shelf and the mechanisms of their generation

The results of observations of submesoscale eddies (with a diameter of 2–8 km) on the narrow Black Sea shelf are presented. These observations were carried out in the Gelendzhik region in the autumn seasons of 2007–2008 using traditional and new methods of hydrophysical investigations. The mechanisms of generation of such eddies are discussed.     

Thermal fluxes and stability of the upper boundary of deep near-bottom layer in the Black Sea

Experimentally-derived data are used to scrutinize structural peculiarities of the upper boundary of deep near-bottom layer in the Black Sea. Thermal fluxes through the layer’s upper boundary have been evaluated and compared with the geothermal fluxes. Although there is significant divergence between the individual evaluations, the quantities at issue generally agree with one another. It is shown that in evaluating thermal fluxes, it is necessary to consider fine structure of the differential-diffusive type. Stability of the upper boundary of the deep near-bottom layer has been examined, and diagrams of stability/instability resulting from the development of convection have been plotted. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Anomalies of the Black Sea surface temperature and modeling of intense cold anomaly formation in September 2014

Seasonal average distribution of mesoscale anomalies of the Black Sea surface temperature (SST) and features of their localization for various seasons are considered. The area of cold SST anomalies is detected in open western and central parts of the sea. It is shown that an autumn season makes a major contribution to the formation of long-lived mesoscale cold anomalies in the central parts of the sea. The key features are reproduced and the main physical mechanism of rapid development of a cold anomaly is determined in the numerical experiment using the WRF-ARW model with the attached 3dPWP unit. It is shown that fast cooling occurs mainly due to the entrainment of cold waters from a thermocline, which results in the abrupt deepening of the upper quasi-homogeneous layer.     

Viscous model of plate tectonics for the Black Sea region (in relation to the problem of the late Cenozoic evolution of the Black Sea basins)

A numerical model of the Black Sea region (Northeastern Mediterranean) is presented in which it is regarded as a part of the mosaic plate ensemble consisting of the fixed East European platform; the active Arabian, Adriatic, and Pannonian plates; and passive East and West Black Sea and Mysian microplates, which are embedded in a plastically deformable regional orogenic matrix. The fields of displacements, stresses, and deformations in the region are calculated by means of the finite element method within the framework of a linear-viscous rheology approach to a system with nonhomogeneous viscosities. The velocity field obtained is in good agreement with published data of direct observations of plate displacements in the region. In the pressure field, areas of low pressure and decompression are established in the western part of Black Sea and in the south of the Mysian microplate. The poles of rotation of the East and West Black Sea microplates and of the Mysian microplate are computed. For the latter two microplates, significant rotational components are suggested. The East Black Sea microplate acts mostly as indenter, which transmits the collisional motion from the Arabian plate to the southern edge of the East European platform including the Crimea. According to the geodynamical model, the rates of the Cenozoic sedimentation in the Black Sea depression at the collision stage (Oligocene-Pliocene) result from the greater compression of the East Black Sea microplate as compared to the West Black Sea microplate, which, probably, experienced a kind of extension.     

Bottom boundary layer in the Black Sea: Experimental data,turbulent diffusion,and fluxes

Measurements of 14 vertical profiles of currents and hydrological parameters in the near-bottom layer with a depth resolution of 0.1 m were carried out in several regions of the Black Sea shelf, at five points over the continental slope, and in three deep water regions. The upper boundary of the benthic boundary layer (BBL) was reliably determined at a point at a distance from 5–7 to 35–40 m from the bottom where the gradients of the density and the velocity of the currents changed. The experimental data obtained were used to determine the coefficient of the bottom friction, the friction velocity, the coefficients of the vertical diffusion of momentum and density, and the vertical fluxes of temperature and salinity in the BBL.     

Seasonal and spatial variability of the content of suspended organic substances in the active layer of the Black Sea

On the basis of the generalized data of multiannual observations (1985–1994), we analyze the seasonal variability of the vertical and spatial distributions and composition (C_sos, N_sos, C_sos/cha, and C/N) of suspended organic substances (SOS) in the shelf zone and in the upper active layer of the abyssal part of the Black Sea. The results of our analysis enable us to conclude that only a narrow coastal band of the shelf in the northwest and west parts of the sea suffers to an extremely pronounced anthropogenic impact, which manifests itself in a significant increase in the mass of suspended organic substances. The formation of new organic substances and, hence, the mass of suspended organic substances in these regions attain the level of eutrophic waters in the late-spring and summer periods. In the open-sea region, the anthropogenic impact is less pronounced and the spatial distribution of suspended organic substances is determined by the general dynamics of waters and the intensity of phytoplankton production. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Variability of suspended organic matter in the surface layer of the Black Sea (deep-sea areas)

The peculiarities of the distribution of the components of the suspended organic matter (SOM) and their interannual and seasonal variability have been analysed in the surface water layer and photic water layer of the Black Sea (the deep-sea areas) for the period of 1978–1995. The statistical assessment of the seasonal and monthly dynamics of the SOM components and their ratios was performed. The seasonal dynamics of the concentration of particulate organic carbon have been calculated based on the data on the Chlorophyll “a” (Chl “a”) concentration in the surface water layer based on the regression relationship between these two parameters measured in situ simultaneously. Taking these relationships into account, the interannual dynamics of the Chl “a” concentration have been analysed for the period of 1978–2010. It was found that the concentrations of the SOM components increased significantly in the 1980’s and early 1990’s with the maximum reached in the summer of 1992. It was also found that the seasonal interannual dynamics of the components of the SOM were mainly preconditioned by the interannual dynamics of the phytoplankton biomass, which, in turn, depended on the climatic conditions.