Sea surface height and transport stream function of the South China Sea from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

The study on the South China Sea (SCS) circulation has a history of more than 40 years. Nevertheless, the SCS circulation is not fully understood compared with the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (ECS). Many numerical studies on the SCS circulati…     

深地震探测的分辨率分析——以南海北部OBS数据为例

多次深地震探测结果表明南海北部陆缘地壳结构在走向和倾向上都有明显的变化.在一些相隔很近的测线上,探测的深部地壳结构却相差较大,为了分析这些探测结果中差异的原因和地壳结构变化的可靠性,本文以东沙东侧海域测线和东沙西侧海域测线为例,对采集的海底地震仪记录进行了时间、位置校正和初至波走时拾取,利用有限差分地震走时层析成像进行了走时反演,获得所在剖面的地壳速度结构,并分析了模型的横向分辨率,剔除模型中短波长的横向速度变化.分辨率检测结果表明,模型的横向分辨率随着深度快速下降,0～8 km深度范围可以分辨10 km的横向变化,8～17 km的范围能够分辨10～40 km,而17～33 km的范围只能分辨40～80 km.因此,折射波的横向分辨能力不高,在地壳深部难以分辨较小的横向速度变化,前人探测的南海北部6 km宽、延伸至莫霍面的滨外断裂带并不能清晰的识别.     

Deep circulation in the South China Sea simulated in a regional model

Ocean Dynamics - In this study, deep circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated using results from mesoscale-eddy-resolving, regional simulations using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean...     

South Atlantic circulation in a world ocean model

The circulation in the South Atlantic Ocean has been simulated within a global ocean general circulation model. Preliminary analysis of the modelled ocean circulation in the region indicates a rather close agreement of the simulated upper ocean flows with conventional notions of the large-scale geostrophic currents in the region. The modelled South Atlantic Ocean witnesses the return flow and export of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) at its northern boundary, the inflow of a rather barotropic Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) through the Drake Passage, and the inflow of warm saline Agulhas water around the Cape of Good Hope. The Agulhas leakage amounts to 8.7 Sv, within recent estimates of the mass transport shed westward at the Agulhas retroflection. Topographic steering of the ACC dominates the structure of flow in the circumpolar ocean. The Benguela Current is seen to be fed by a mixture of saline Indian Ocean water (originating from the Agulhas Current) and fresher Subantarctic surface water (originating in the ACC). The Benguela Current is seen to modify its flow and fate with depth; near the surface it flows north-westwards bifurcating most of its transport northward into the North Atlantic Ocean (for ultimate replacement of North Atlantic surface waters lost to the NADW conveyor). Deeper in the water column, more of the Benguela Current is destined to return with the Brazil Current, though northward flows are still generated where the Benguela Current extension encounters the coast of South America. At intermediate levels, these northward currents trace the flow of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) equatorward, though even more AAIW is seen to recirculate poleward in the subtropical gyre. In spite of the model’s rather coarse resolution, some subtle features of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence are simulated rather well, including the latitude at which the two currents meet. Conceptual diagrams of the recirculation and interocean exchange of thermocline, intermediate and deep waters are constructed from an analysis of flows bound between isothermal and isobaric surfaces. This analysis shows how the return path of NADW is partitioned between a cold water route through the Drake Passage (6.5 Sv), a warm water route involving the Agulhas Current sheeding thermocline water westward (2.5 Sv), and a recirculation of intermediate water originating in the Indian Ocean (1.6 Sv).     

Identification of different types of Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea

Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea (SCS) has different forms. In this study, a Kuroshio SCS Index (KSI) is defined using the integral of geostrophic vorticity from 118° to 121° E and from 19° to 23° N. Three typical paths (the looping path, the leaking path, and the leaping path) were identified based on the KSI derived from the weekly satellite Absolute Dynamic Topography from 1993 to 2008. The KSI has a near normal distribution. Using ±1 standard deviation (σ) as the thresholds, the leaking path is the most frequent form with the probability of occurrence at 68.2%, while the probabilities of occurrence for the looping path and the leaping path are 16.4% and 15.4%, respectively. Similar analysis is also conducted on the daily Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) Global Analysis from 2004 to 2008. The results are generally consistent with the KSI analysis of the satellite data. The HYCOM data are further analyzed to illustrate patterns of inflows/outflows and the maximum/minimum salinity as representatives of the subsurface/intermediate waters. The Kuroshio bending and the net inflow through the Luzon Strait reduce from the looping path to the leaking path to the leaping path. However, the Kuroshio subsurface water intrudes farthest into the SCS for the leaking path. Vorticity budget associated with the different intrusion types is then analyzed. The tilting of the relative vorticity, the stretching of the absolute vorticity, and the advection of planetary vorticity are important for the change of vorticity, whereas the baroclinic and frictional contributions are three orders smaller.     

A model study of the summer Southeast Vietnam Offshore Current in the southern South China Sea

The western boundary current in the southern South China Sea (SCS) in summer does not always flow northward along the Indo-China Peninsula, it leaves the southeast coast of peninsula around 10–14°N, forming a strong eastward jet called “Vietnam Coastal Current” or “Southeast Vietnam Offshore Current” (SVOC). It is known that the wind stress curl is the major driving factor responsible for this current. In this paper, we carry on the study of the separation position, strength and forming time of this current. A connected single-layer/two-layer model is employed here to study these problems. According to the numerical experiments and analyses of the vorticity dynamics, it is found that, the local wind stress curl (including the northern cyclonic and the southern anticyclonic wind forcing curl), the nonlinear term, the topographic effect, the planetary vorticity advection and the water exchange between the SCS and Java Sea via the Sunda Shelf have an important effect on both the position where this current leaves the coast and its strength; when there is an inflow via the Sunda Shelf, the current is stronger and the separation position is more northward; whereas the water stratification, the coastline and the inflow of Kuroshio have little effect on its separation. In fact, two opposite flowing currents, the northward SVOC and the southward western branch of the cyclonic eddy to its north near the Indo-China Peninsula, collide with each other, and the strength of these two currents determine the separation position of the SVOC. Origin of the SVOC may be driven by the local negative wind stress curl in the middle SCS in mid-spring, this current flows along the coast of the Indo-China Peninsula and leaves the coast at high latitude, flowing northeastward; once the local positive wind stress curl near the northern Indo-China Peninsula or the negative one near the southern Indo-China Peninsula is large enough, this current will begin to leave the coast at low latitude.     

Fate of three major rivers in the Bohai Sea: A model study

Huanghe (Yellow River), Haihe and Liaohe are three major rivers flowing into the Bohai Sea and account for more than 80% of the freshwater and land-drained material inputs annually. The fate of three rivers in the seawaters correlates with the transport and distribution of the riverine sediments and nutrients, and further exerts a profound influence on the local marine ecosystem dynamics. Therefore, the evolution of the river plumes under the influence of the freshwater buoyancy, the tidal forcing and the wind stress are examined using a three-dimensional primitive equation ocean circulation model, independently and jointly. It is found that both tide and wind stirring can deteriorate the stabilization of the water column caused by the freshwater buoyancy; however, the processes are different. The tide stirring originates from the seafloor due to the bottom friction as the tidal wave propagates into the shallow waters, and then the turbulent kinetic energy dissipates upward. On the other hand, the wind stirring proceeds in the up-down direction. The influences of different winds on the evolution of the river plumes are also examined. Since the situation of each river mouth is different, the wind influence is also distinct. At last, the fate of three major rivers driven by the combined tidal forcing and climatology winds is reproduced, and the simulated salinity distribution shows a reasonable agreement with that observed, meaning that the river plume evolution plays a crucial role in shaping the salinity distribution in BS.     

Upper ocean near-inertial response to the passage of two sequential typhoons in the northwestern South China Sea

Fifty-seven days of moored current records are examined, focusing on the sequential passage of Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae separated by 5 days in the northwestern South China Sea. Both typhoons generated strong near-inertial waves(NIW) as detected by a moored array, with the near-inertial velocity to the right of the typhoon path significantly larger than to the left. The estimated vertical phase and group velocities of the NIW induced by Typhoon Nesat are 0.2 cm s^-1 and 0.85 m h^-1, respectively,corresponding to a vertical wavelength of 350 m. Both the vertical phase and group velocities of the NIW induced by Typhoon Nalgae are lower than those of Typhoon Nesat, with the corresponding vertical wavelength only one-half that of Nesat. The threshold values of induced near-inertial kinetic energy(NIKE) of 5 J m^-3 reach water depths of 300 and 200 m for Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae, respectively, illustrating that the NIKE induced by Typhoon Nesat dissipated less with depth. Obvious blueshifts in the induced NIW frequencies are also detected. The frequency of NIW induced by Typhoon Nesat significantly increases at water depths of 100–150 m because of Doppler shifting, but decreases significantly at water depths of 100–150 m for Nalgae because of the greater influence of the background vorticity during the passage of Typhoon Nalgae.     

南海西北部上层海洋对连续台风的近惯性响应

文章基于2011年9～11月南海西沙潜标观测资料,研究了西沙海域上层海洋对连续台风Nesat(1117)和Nalgae(1119)过境的近惯性响应.结果表明:两个台风过境都产生了强烈的近惯性振荡,且台风路径右侧的近惯性流速明显大于左侧. Nesat引起的近惯性内波平均垂向相速度为0.25cm s^-1,垂向群速度为0.85m h-1,垂向波长为350m.Nalgae所引起的近惯性内波垂向相速度和群速度均小于Nesat,垂向波长仅为Nesat的1/2.两个台风引起的近惯性能量下传深度存在明显差异, Nalgae约为200m,而Nesat可下传至300m.产生这一差异的主要原因是Nesat引起的近惯性能量不易耗散,同时能够以较快的速度向深海传播.此外,两个台风引起的近惯性内波频率都存在明显的蓝移现象. Nesat引起的近惯性内波频率在100～150m深度受多普勒频移的影响明显增大;然而Nalgae引起的近惯性内波频率却在100～150m深度显著减小,这是由于两个台风过境期间,西沙海域背景场涡度差异所致.     

Features in REE and Methane Anomalies Distribution in the East China Sea Water Column: a Comparison with the South China Sea

Water Resources - This paper presents review of dissolved Rare Earth Elements (REE) and methane anomalies distribution in the East China Sea water column. In general, the REE concentrations of the...     

地震海洋学方法在研究南海东北部海水水体结构中的应用

反射地震方法一般用于地下地质结构的探测.本文采用南海东北部的一条地震测线记录,通过对水体反射信号的处理,获取了该测线上海水的声速剖面,并获得了海水水体结构的直观图像.在反射地震剖面上,可以看出南海东北部上层海水结构较为稳定,没有明显的水体侵入痕迹,但中、深层海水中内波较为发育,这与物理海洋学上的研究结果是一致的.本文通过设计合理的数据模型说明了地震海洋学这种方法的可行性,并对地震海洋学的工作方法和方向上提出了一些意见和建议.     

Production of dissolved organic carbon in the South China Sea: A modeling study

The South China Sea(SCS)is the largest semi-enclosed marginal sea in the western Pacific.The alternation of East Asian monsoon causes a significant seasonal pattern of chlorophyll,primary productivity,and export flux of sinking particles.However,the source and sink of dissolved organic carbon(DOC)pools with different bioavailability are less studied.Here we evaluated the seasonal production of DOC in labile,semi-labile and refractory forms using a coupled physical-biogeochemical model.This study aims to understand the dynamics and budgets of organic matters in the SCS.Model results show that the production of labile,semi-labile and refractory DOC is highly correlated with the net primary productivity(NPP)which is higher in winter and lower in summer,reflecting a dependence of DOC on the NPP.The seasonal variation in Pearl River discharge dominates the DOC production in the northern coastal region.In the northeast,the Kuroshio intrusion associated frontal system is attributed to cause high winter production.The DOC production in the southwest is controlled by both winter mixing and summer upwelling.The production of refractory DOC with the least bioavailability favors carbon sequestration.Its annual mean production is 1.8±0.5 mg C m^?2 d^?1,equivalent to 26%of the export flux of particulate organic carbon at 1000 m.     

南海西南次海盆北缘海底地震仪测线深部地壳结构研究

基于2009年和2011年采集的海底地震仪数据,辅以多道地震数据,对南海西南次海盆北缘的地壳结构进行了探索.利用二维射线追踪的反演方法建立测线上的模型.利用声学基底面的反射波,下地壳顶界面的反射波和莫霍面的反射波走时的反演勾绘了地层中的不连续界面,利用自声学基底面下的折射波和来自上地幔的首波来反演整条测线的P波速度结构...     

Application of 3D stereotomography to the deep-sea data acquired in the South China Sea: a tomography inversion case

A 3D stereotomography algorithm, which is derived from the 3D Cartesian coordinate, is applied for the first time to the deep-sea data acquired in the LH area, South China Sea, to invert a macro velocity model for pre-stack depth migration. The successful implementation of stereotomography is highly dependent on the correct extraction of slowness components and the proper application of regularization terms. With the help of the structure tensor algorithm, a high-quality 3D stereotomography data space is achieved in a very efficient manner. Then, considering that the horizontal slowness in cross-line direction is usually unavailable for 3D narrow-azimuth data, the regularization terms must be enhanced to guarantee a stable convergence of the presented algorithm. The inverted model serves as a good model for the 3D pre-stack depth migration. The synthetic and real data examples demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of the presented algorithm and the related schemes.     

分层扰动位能理论及其应用——以南海夏季风的年际变化为例

在扰动位能(PPE)理论的基础上,针对不同高度上局地环流能量转换问题,本文提出了分层扰动位能(LPPE)的概念.研究表明850hPa的分层扰动位能一阶矩(LPPE1)在热带地区为正,高纬度地区为负,200 hPa高度LPPE1在北美高纬度地区出现正值分布,100 hPa及以上LPPE1热带地区为负,高纬度为正.LPPE1冬季半球的分布与年平均相似,北半球夏季大陆上出现正的极大值.在局地,LPPE1在数值上远远大于分层扰动位能二阶矩(LPPE2)及更高阶矩,因此,LPPE的分布与LPPE1的分布相似.南海季风区低层动能的季节变化与LPPE呈现反向变化关系.相关分析表明,南海夏季风(SCSSM)与春季的LPPE1偶极型分布之间存在着显著的年际(正)相关关系,可以作为SCSSM强度的一个预报因子.春季赤道印度洋、西太平洋海表温度(SST)的负(正)异常对应春季、夏季LPPE1的南负北正(南正北负)偶极型分布,夏季(JJAS) LPPE1的偶极型分布与南海季风区动能的一致增大(减小)是两者耦合模态的主导模态,夏季南海季风区的西风增强(减弱), SCSSM增强(减弱),这是能量异常影响SCSSM的一个可能的机制.     

海底地震仪远震记录接收函数反演: 以南海西南次海盆为例

伍德拉克裂谷位于巴布亚新几内亚东南部,是发育在澳大利亚板块和西南太平洋板块碰撞带中的年轻大陆裂谷,为研究汇聚构造背景下裂谷起始演化的地壳结构提供了理想场所。伍德拉克裂谷海域地区海水层的存在使得获取高质量地震数据成为难题,而数据主要通过海底地震仪（ocean bottom seismograph,缩写为OBS）获取。OBS的布放一般是自由下落式,其地震计的北向水平分量方位与地理北向通常不一致,这使得利用三分量波形数据获取的反演结果产生了较大误差甚至失效,例如接收函数方法。为确定伍德拉克裂谷地区OBS水平分量的方位偏转角度,本文同时引入纵波和瑞雷面波偏振分析方法进行方位校正,并利用校正后的三分量波形数据开展接收函数研究,进而约束该裂谷海域地区的地壳结构。结果分析表明,OBS方位校正后,其获得的可用接收函数波形数量显著增多,并且利用纵波偏振分析校正后的数据处理获得了更加合理的地壳结构。基于在该裂谷地区获得的地壳构造结果,基里比斯盆地和裂谷扩张轴所在的古迪纳夫盆地呈现对比鲜明的地壳结构特征：古迪纳夫盆地的地壳厚度朝着裂谷扩张轴处减薄,其平均值为（33.3±2.42） km;基里比斯盆地的地壳厚度更薄,平均值为（24.1±5.44） km。此外,研究区域内所有OBS处均观测到了较高的地壳纵横波速比值,这可能是巴布亚超镁铁质岩体富集和古俯冲残片脱水熔融共同作用的结果。     

New production in the South China Sea

Measurement of²²⁸Ra activities in the upper 300 m water column was conducted at two stations in the South China Sea using an MnO₂-fiber extraction/β-counting technique of²²⁸Ac. Results showed that²²⁸Ra activities ranged from 0.38 to 3.60 Bq · m^-3. The vertical profiles of²²⁸Ra at the time-series station favored a steady state assumption. Based on a one-dimensional steady state model,²²⁸Ra-nitrate coupled approach was applied to stations NS97-43, NS99-53 (T₁), NS99-53 (T₂). New production thus quantified were 4.4, 5.1 and 5.7 mmolC · m^-2 · d^-1, respectively,f ratios in the South China Sea were estimated from the derived new production and the documented primary productivity in the regime, to be 0.12–0.15.     

Interaction of a river plume with coastal upwelling in the northeastern South China Sea

Observational and modeling studies were conducted to investigate the Pearl River plume and its interaction with the southwesterly driven upwelling circulation in the northern South China Sea during the summer. After exiting the Pearl River Estuary, the discharged freshwater generates a nearly stationary bulge of freshwater near the entrance of the estuary. Forced by the wind-driven coastal upwelling current, the freshwater in the outer part of the bulge flows downstream at the speed of the current and forms a widening and deepening buoyant plume over the shelf. The plume axis gradually shifts offshore of the current maximum as a result of currents induced by the contrasting density at the nose of plume and by the intensified Ekman drift in the plume. In this plume–current system, the fraction of the discharged freshwater volume accumulated in the bulge reaches a steady state and the volume of newly discharged freshwater is transported downstream by the upwelling current. Enhancement of stratification by the plume thins the surface frictional layer and enhances the cross-shelf circulation in the upper water column such that the surface Ekman current and compensating flow beneath the plume are amplified while the shoaling of the deeper dense water in the upwelling region changes minimally. The pressure gradient generated between the buoyant plume and ambient seawater accelerates the wind-driven current along the inshore edge of the plume but retards it along the offshore edge. Along the plume, downward momentum advection is strong near the highly nonlinear source region and a weaker upward momentum advection occurs in the far field over the shelf. Typically, the plume is shaped by the current over the shelf while the current itself is adjusting to a new dynamic balance invoked by the plume-induced changes of vertical viscosity and the horizontal pressure gradient. The spatial variation of this new balance leads to a coherent change in the cross-isobath transport in the upper water column during upwelling.     

南海台风与上层海洋相互作用的数值模拟研究

本文建立了一个综合考虑大气-海流-海浪相互作用的区域海-气耦合模式系统,利用该系统模拟研究了南海台风发生发展的大气、海洋动力学机理.结果表明:耦合模式较真实地反映了台风和上层海洋的相互作用过程,提高了对台风路径和强度的模拟准确率;在台风充分发展阶段,上层海洋的反馈作用使台风路径发生左偏,并抑制了台风强度的发展;三种海洋反馈作用(海面降温、飞沫效应和波浪作用)对台风系统的影响程度不同,海面降温和波浪作用阻碍台风系统的发展,而飞沫效应增强了海气界面的热量传递,促进台风系统的发展;与海面降温和飞沫效应相比,波浪作用对台风系统的影响较小.只有综合考虑各种海洋反馈作用才能更好地解释和预测台风等海上灾害性天气的发生和演变过程.