Influence of vertical motions on maintaining the nitrate balance in the Black Sea based on numerical simulation

The upwelling of deep water associated with the influence of cyclonic wind curl and the difference in the buoyancy of the inflows in the lower and upper water layers is observed in the central part of the Black Sea. The resulting vertical water motions contribute to the transport of ammonium to the upper boundary of the anaerobic zone. In the suboxic zone, ammonium is converted to nitrate via nitrite as a result of the nitrification, and thus it can supply the nitrocline in the water basin. Within the framework of this paper we discuss the effectiveness of this mechanism on the basis of the numerical simulation. The calculations were performed using a one-dimensional physical-biogeochemical model for the upper 600-m sea water layer, which takes into account seasonal variations in atmospheric parameters and vertical motions. The model describes the biological and redox processes in the suboxic zone. We have estimated the contribution of different constituents into the balance of nitrogen compounds in the euphotic water layer. It is shown that ammonium nitrogen coming from the deep water due to vertical water motion plays a significant role in maintaining the balance of nitrates in the central part of the Black Sea.     

Climatic structure of the wind fields in the Black-Sea region

For the Black-Sea region, we perform the dynamic reanalysis of the data on atmospheric circulation for the period 1958–2001 by using the HadRM3P model with a space resolution of 25 km. We estimate the mean climatic atmospheric fields of vorticity and divergence of the wind velocity and study their space structure and seasonal variability. The climatic estimates of the annual course of vorticity of the wind velocity over the sea are presented. The obtained large annual average values of vorticity of the velocity reveal the predominant role played by the wind action in the generation not only of the seasonal variability but also of the mean cyclonic circulation of waters in the Black Sea.     

Modeling of Long-Term Evolution of Hydrophysical Fields of the Black Sea

The long-term evolution of the Black Sea dynamics (1980–2020) is reconstructed by numerical simulation. The model of the Black Sea circulation has 4.8 km horizontal spatial resolution and 40 levels in z-coordinates. The mixing processes in the upper layer are parameterized by Mellor-Yamada turbulent model. For the sea surface boundary conditions, atmospheric forcing functions were used, provided for the Black Sea region by the Euro mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) from the COSMO-CLM regional climate model. These data have a spatial resolution of 14 km and a daily temporal resolution. To evaluate the quality of the hydrodynamic fields derived from the simulation, they were compared with in-situ hydrological measurements and similar results from physical reanalysis of the Black Sea.     

Climatic parameters of wind-field variability in the Black Sea region: Numerical reanalysis of regional atmospheric circulation

A reanalysis of atmospheric circulation in the Black Sea region is performed with a high spatial resolution of 25 × 25 km for the period from 1958 to 2001. Climatic wind speed fields are estimated, as are their spatial structure and seasonal variability. Mesoscale regions of cyclonic and anticyclonic speed vorticity, which are connected with edge effects and orography, are distinguished. To single out the monsoon mechanism in the annual votricity cycle, numerical experiments on the sensitivity that the regional atmospheric circulation has to the sea-surface temperature perturbations have been carried out. Large-scale regional peculiarities of the surface wind field are considered for different seasons. The vorticity of the surface wind speed and strength is assessed. Large annual average values of the vorticity are obtained which are comparable with the range of seasonal variability; they evidence the defining role that wind plays in the generation and seasonal variability, as well as the average cyclonic water circulation in the Black Sea.     

南沙群岛海域混合层深度季节变化特征

基于南沙群岛海域综合科学考察11个航次的实测资料,研究了南沙群岛海域的混合层深度季节变化特征。研究结果表明,南沙群岛海域混合层深度存在明显的季节变化,并且与季风和海表热通量的变化密切相关。春季,风速较小且风向不稳定,海面得到的净热通量全年最大,上层水体层结稳定,混合层深度较小;夏季,南海西南季风盛行,上层为反气旋式环流,海面得到的净热通量减少,混合层呈加深的趋势;秋季,海面净热通量继续减少,混合层深度达到最大值;冬季,东北季风驱动下形成的上层气旋式环流引起深层冷水的上升,限制了混合层的加深。     

Features of the hydrological structure and circulation in the north-western Black Sea: shipboard and satellite observations in 1989–1990

The results of shipboard and satellite observations of the synoptic variability in the region of the continental slope south of the Tarkhankut Cape are considered. Ship observations revealed a two-layer circulation system of currents. An anticyclonic meander is localized within the upper mixed layer. A cyclonic disturbance, related to the main Black Sea current, occupies the water column below the seasonal thermocline. The interaction between the thermohaline fields is presumably induced by the anticyclonic atmospheric circulation. The satellite-derived images revealed a complex pattern of the large-scale dynamics of seawater over the entire north-western Black Sea.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

On the cyclonic circulation mechanism in the Black Sea

This paper discusses the results of numerical experiments on the generation of a large-scale circulation in the sea carried out in the framework of a multilayer quasi-isopycnic model. The role played by wind vorticity, non-uniformity of the heat flux through the sea surface, and the fluxes of mass, salt, and heat across the liquid lateral boundaries is studied separately. It is shown that wind with cyclonic vorticity induces cyclonic vorticity in the upper layers of the sea and anticyclonic vorticity in the lower layer. A uniform wind having even a non-uniform heat flux does not give rise to a cyclonic circulation in the sea. Within the period calculated (410 years), the heat, mass, and salt fluxes through the lateral boundaries also do not result in a cyclonic circulation; this is apparently connected with the fact that the solution has not reached steady-state conditions in this period.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

南海大尺度动力场年循环和年际变化

应用COADS风应力、Levitus温度资料，描述南海上层海洋动力场的年循环及其与热力场之间的关系和南海大尺度动力场的年际变化。针对冬、夏2个季节，分析Sverdrup环流场与上层海温之间的关系。研究发现，上层海温变化与上层海洋环流基本结构非常相似，即上层海温变化在一定程度上反映了南海Sverdrup平衡，而且随着浓度的增加，平均海温场与流函数场之间的对应关系更好。本文还着重分析了El Nino期间和La Nina期间的南海异常流函数场。研究发现，异常流函数场在El Nino期间的夏季主要是强化南海自身的环流结构，即强化南部反气旋式涡流（gvre)和强化北部气旋式涡流；冬季则削弱整个南海的气旋式流场。LaNina期间对夏季环流态的影响主要集中在南海北部，即削弱北部气旋式涡流，而对于南海南部的影响甚微；冬季则强化整个南海的气旋式流场。     

东北季风与南海海洋环流的相互作用

针对冬、春季南海区风场，表层海流、海温场的季节变化，选用了２＾１／３层海洋模式和简单一层大气边界层模式，研究了冬、春季我作用下南海上层海洋环流的基本形态及其对ＳＳＴ的影响，估算了这种影响对海南风场的反馈效应。研究结果表明，冬、春季东北 与南海五流的相互作用对吕宋岛西部海域的气旋式冷涡的形成和维持有利。冬季（１月）强东北风作用使南海上层为一气旋式环流，上层环流对季风的反馈作用可使南海西北部东北风减弱     

Numerical modeling of the influence of land–sea temperature contrasts on the atmospheric circulation in the Black-Sea region

The formation of the fields of surface winds over the Black Sea occurs under the action of numerous physical factors. One of the most important factors is the monsoon mechanism connected with the seasonal variations of buoyancy contrasts over the sea and surrounding land. To separate the effects caused by this mechanism, we performed and described the numerical experiments aimed at the evaluation of the sensitivity of the regional model of atmospheric circulation to the variations of land–sea temperature contrasts. It is shown that the influence of these effects is restricted to the lower part of the atmosphere. The presented estimates of the climatic fields of disturbances enable us to describe the monsoon mechanism specifying the seasonal variability of the field of vorticity of the wind velocities and, as a consequence, the seasonal variability of the large-scale circulation of waters in the Black Sea.     

Numerical modeling of the influence of exchange through the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits on the hydrophysical fields of the Marmara Sea

A long-term (18 years) prognostic experiment on the formation of the Marmara Sea hydrodynamic structure driven by the exchange through straits with zero atmospheric forcing is carried out using a numerical nonlinear circulation model. The seasonal variability is taken into account by specifying the water temperature in the Bosporus. It is shown that the mutual adaptation of hydrophysical fields and their adjustment to the physical and geographical conditions of the sea are caused by rapid (tens of days) and slow (several tens of years) adjustment mechanisms. An S-shaped jet current directed from the Bosporus Strait to the Dardanelles is formed in the upper 20-m layer. A cyclonic eddy is periodically formed near the northern boundary of the Marmara Sea. An anticyclonic pattern is well defined in the central part of the sea. In deeper layers there is an abyssal jet current formed by the inflow of the high-density Aegean water to the Marmara Sea. These features of the Marmara Sea circulation are confirmed by observational data.     

Seasonal and interannual variations in the velocity field of the South China Sea

A three-dimensional numerical model is used to simulate sea level and velocity variations in the South China Sea for 1992–1995. The model is driven by daily wind and daily sea surface temperature fields derived from the NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. The four-year model outputs are analyzed using time-domain Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF). Spatial and temporal variations of the first two modes from the simulation compare favorably with those derived from satellite altimetry. Mode 1, which is associated with a southern gyre, shows symmetric seasonal reversal. Mode 2, which contributes to a northern gyre, is responsible for the asymmetric seasonal and interannual variations. In winter, the southern and northern cyclonic gyres combine into a strong basin-wide cyclonic gyre. In summer, a cyclonic northern gyre and an anticyclonic southern gyre form a dipole with a jet leaving the coast of Vietnam. Interannual variations are particularly noticeable during El Niño. The winter gyre is generally weakened and confined to the southern basin, and the summer dipole structure does not form. Vertical motions weaken accordingly with the basin-wide circulation. Variations of the wind stress curl in the first two EOF modes coincide with those of the model-derived sea level and horizontal velocities. The mode 1 wind stress curl, significant in the southern basin, coincides with the reversal of the southern gyre. The mode 2 curl, large in the central basin, is responsible for the asymmetry in the winter and summer gyres. Lack of the mode 2 contribution during El Niño events weakens the circulation. The agreement indicates that changes in the wind stress curl contribute to the seasonal and interannual variations in the South China Sea.     

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.     

The dependence of precipitation on wind direction over the Kuroshio front in the winter East China Sea

This study investigates atmospheric responses to the directions of surface wind over the Kuroshio front in the East China Sea, using wintertime satellite-derived data sets. Composite maps of sea surface temperature, wind speed, precipitation, turbulent heat flux, surface wind divergence, and the curl of wind vectors above the atmospheric boundary layer are depicted based on the classification of intense northeasterly (along the front) and northwesterly (across the front) winds over the East China Sea. When northeasterly winds prevail, considerable precipitation occurs on the offshore side of the Kuroshio front, in contrast to periods when northwesterly winds prevail. First, the northeasterly winds strengthen above the front because of the downward transfer of momentum from the fast-moving air at higher levels and/or an adjustment of sea level pressure over the oceanic front, although the process by which the influence of the Kuroshio penetrates beyond the marine atmospheric boundary layer remains unclear. Second, a cyclonic vortex forms above the marine atmospheric boundary layer (at 850-hPa height) on the offshore side of the front, and thereafter, surface wind convergence via Ekman suction (hence, enhanced precipitation) occurs over the East China Sea shelf breaks. The northeasterly winds blow over the East China Sea when the Aleutian Low retreats to the east and when high sea level pressure covers the northern Sea of Japan.     

Analyzing intraannual variations in the energy characteristics of circulation in the Black Sea

The energy characteristics of circulation in the Black Sea have been numerically analyzed for 2006. The annually and seasonally averaged integral components of the budget of both kinetic and potential energies are considered. It is shown that, over the period under study, wind forcing, buoyancy force, and friction are the main factors determining variations in the mechanical energy of the Black Sea. During the cold months, wind forcing maximally contributes to the kinetic energy. In spring, the contribution made by buoyancy force is dominant. The values of buoyancy force are maximum within the upper quasi-homogeneous layer during the warm season and on horizons, where the waters of the cold intermediate layer are concentrated, during the fall–winter season.     

The Circulation in the Upper and Intermediate Layers of the South China Sea

The circulation in the basin of the South China Sea is reproduced using a four-layer numerical model. Current fields in the second (upper) and third (intermediate) layers are emphasized. Three eddies coexist in the upper layer in summer. The circulation pattern in this layer is similar to that in the first (surface) layer. In winter, a cyclonic circulation occupies the entire basin of the South China Sea in the upper layer as in the surface layer. On the other hand, the circulation pattern in the intermediate layer is fairly different from that in upper two layers especially in winter. A double-gyre pattern appears in the intermediate layer during winter. The pattern is caused by the propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave of the second mode. This wave is excited at onset of the winter monsoon wind. Such circulation pattern well explains the observed salinity distribution in the intermediate layer. Although the double-gyre pattern in the intermediate layer is revealed even in summer in this model, it is restricted in the western part of the basin. Besides, its current speed is small compared to that in winter.     

Long-term variations of the location of the upper boundary of the hydrogen-sulphide zone in the Black Sea

We analyze the dependence of climatic variations of the location of the upper boundary of the hydrogen-sulphide zone in the Black Sea on the variations of the sea level and various types of atmospheric circulation (according to A.A. Girs). It is discovered that the level of correlation between the indicated parameters is high and that the corresponding plots are in good qualitative agreement. The accumulated results enable us to make an assumption that there exists an 80–100-yr cycle of variation of all analyzed parameters and that the long-term variations of the location of the upper boundary of the hydrogen-sulphide zone can be regarded as a manifestation of global climatic variations. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev