Thermal, pressure and wind fields at ground level in the area of the Italian base at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica, as observed by a network of automatic weather stations

Ground temperature, pressure and wind speed monthly averages in the area of the Italian Station at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, were analyzed for the period 1987–1991 by means of a network of nine AWS (automatic weather stations). Spatial configurations of temperature show a well-defined, relatively warm island in the area of Terra Nova Bay, between Drygalsky and Campbell ice tongues, throughout the year. A second warm island is present to the north along the coast, between Aviator and Mariner ice tongues, for most of the year. From February to March a rapid drop in temperature is observed at all stations. A strong thermal gradient develops during February, March, April and October, November, December, between the coastal region and inner highlands. The baric configuration follows the elevation of the area. Annual average pressure and temperature as functions of stations altitude show linear trends. Severe katabatic wind episodes are recorded at all stations, with wind speed exceeding 25 ms^–1 and direction following the orographic features of the inner areas. Co-occurrences of these episodes were observed for stations located along stream lines of cold air drainage. The autocorrelation function of maximum wind speed time series shows wind persistence of 2–3 days and wind periodicity of about one week.     

南极中山站至Dome A考察断面湍流参数特征近地层湍流参数特征

利用南极中山站至Dome A考察断面上3个自动气象站2005～2007年的观测资料和2008年夏季在中山站附近冰盖获取的湍流观测资料,应用空气动力学方法和涡动相关法计算分析了中山站至Dome A断面上近地层各种湍流参数(感热通量,潜热通量,湍流温度、湿度和速度尺度,地表粗糙度,大气稳定度及动量输送系数)的季节变化、日变...     

The pattern of surface wind flow in Antarctica

Summary The main characteristics of surface winds are tabulated for 34 Antarctic stations. Using these data, supplemented by traverse records, the average wind flow is interpolated for each region and presented as a map showing the pattern of surface wind flow for the whole continent. Attention is focused on the flow in relation to surface contours. Statistics are presented for surface slope, wind speed, temperature, seasonal variations of speed and temperature, diurnal variation (including power spectra) of the wind speed and times of maximum and minimum speed at coastal and inland stations, wind frequency versus direction, the occurrence of calms, the deviation of the plateau wind from the downslope direction, the wind direction near the front of ice shelves, the proportion of cloud cover, and wind chill factors. In all cases data are grouped according to the environs of the stations in an attempt to isolate systematic differences depending on location: coastal stations near the foot of the ice slope and fully exposed to katabatic flow, coastal stations on offshore islands, coastal stations on peninsulas, coastal stations on extensive rock areas, ice shelf stations and inland stations.     

Solar wind influence on atmospheric processes in winter Antarctica

Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) altered by solar wind are traditionally regarded as the most plausible agent of solar activity influence on the Earth's atmosphere. However, it is well known that severe reductions in the GCRs flux, known as Forbush decreases (FDs), are caused by solar wind of high speed and density, which sweeps away the GCRs on its way. Since the FD beginnings are registered at the Earth's orbit simultaneously with dramatic disturbances in the solar wind, the atmospheric effects, assigned to FDs, can be, in reality, the results of the solar wind influence on the atmospheric processes. This paper presents a summary of the experimental results demonstrating the strong influence of the interplanetary electric field on atmospheric processes in central Antarctica, where the large-scale system of vertical circulation is formed during winter seasons. The influence is realized through acceleration of the air masses, descending into the lower atmosphere from the troposphere, and the formation of cloudiness above the Antarctic Ridge, where the descending air masses enter the surface layer. The acceleration is followed by a sharp increase of the atmospheric pressure near-pole region, which gives rise to the katabatic wind strengthening above the entire Antarctica. The cloudiness formation results in the sudden warmings in the surface atmosphere, since the cloud layer efficiently backscatters the long wavelength radiation from the ice sheet, but does not affect the adiabatic warming process of the descending tropospheric air masses. When the drainage flow strengthening the circumpolar vortex around the periphery of the Antarctic continent decays, the surface easterlies typical of the coast stations during the winter season are replaced by southerlies and the cold Antarctic air masses flow out to the Southern ocean.     

Application of HF radar currents to oil spill modelling

In this work, the benefits of high-frequency (HF) radar currents for oil spill modeling and trajectory analysis of floating objects are analyzed. The HF radar performance is evaluated by means of comparison between a drifter buoy trajectory and the one simulated using a Lagrangian trajectory model. A methodology to optimize the transport model performance and to calculate the search area of the predicted positions is proposed. This method is applied to data collected during the Galicia HF Radar Experience. This experiment was carried out to explore the capabilities of this technology for operational monitoring along the Spanish coast. Two long-range HF radar stations were installed and operated between November 2005 and February 2006 on the Galician coast. In addition, a drifter buoy was released inside the coverage area of the radar. The HF radar currents, as well as numerical wind data were used to simulate the buoy trajectory using the TESEO oil spill transport model. In order to evaluate the contribution of HF radar currents to trajectory analysis, two simulation alternatives were carried out. In the first one, wind data were used to simulate the motion of the buoy. In the second alternative, surface currents from the HF radar were also taken into account. For each alternative, the model was calibrated by means of the global optimization algorithm SCEM-UA (Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis) in order to obtain the probability density function of the model parameters. The buoy trajectory was computed for 24 h intervals using a Monte Carlo approach based on the results provided in the calibration process. A bivariate kernel estimator was applied to determine the 95% confidence areas. The analysis performed showed that simulated trajectories integrating HF radar currents are more accurate than those obtained considering only wind numerical data. After a 24 h period, the error in the final simulated position improves using HF radar currents. Averaging the information from all the simulated daily periods, the mean search and rescue area calculated using HF radar currents, is reduced by approximately a 62% in comparison with the search area calculated without these data. These results show the positive contribution of HF radar currents for trajectory analysis, and demonstrate that these data combined with atmospheric forecast models, are of value for trajectory analysis of oil spills or floating objects.     

Meteorological features in Adélie Land during the austral summer season

Intensive meteorological observations were carried out at three sites along the slope of Adélie Land, Antarctica, with the goal of documenting summertime meteorological features of the katabatic zone. Three observational sites were placed at 5 km (D10), 110 km (D47), and 210 km (D57) from the coast, and frequency distributions of meteorological parameters were obtained at each site. Some meteorological features at D47 and D57 (interior sites) were different than at D10 (the coastal site); namely, mean air temperatures averaged for the whole observational period showed more pronounced diurnal variations at the interior sites than at the coastal site. These variations could be represented by sinusoidal curves. Wind speeds also showed diurnal variations, whose extremes appeared several hours later than the temperature extremes. The prevailing wind direction for all sites was southerly, about 30° east of the fall line, with small variations in wind direction. The strength and the height of temperature inversions were examined in two different layers (0 to 50 m, 50 to 300 m) at D47. A strong, shallow inversion layer formed at night, however, completely vanished during the day. On the other hand, an upper level inversion whose strength was weak persisted. The katabatic characteristics of the surface wind found at D47 in summer could be due to this upper level temperature inversion.A contribution to I.A.G.O. (Interaction-Atmosphere-Glace-Ocean).     

Assessment of meteorological climate models as inputs for coastal studies

Modeling studies of future changes in coastal hydrodynamics, in terms of storm surges and wave climate, need appropriate wind and atmospheric forcings, a necessary requirement for the realistic reproduction of the statistics and the resolution of small scale features. This work compares meteorological results from different climate models in the Mediterranean area, with a focus on the Adriatic Sea, in order to assess their capability to reproduce coastal meteorological features and their possibility to be used as forcings for hydrodynamic simulations. Five meteorological datasets are considered. They are obtained from two regional climate models, implemented with different spatial resolutions and setups and are downscaled from two different global climate models. Wind and atmospheric pressure fields are compared with measurements at four stations along the Italian Adriatic coast. The analysis is carried out both on simulations of the control period 1960–1990 and on the A1B Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change scenario projections (2070–2100), highlighting the ability of each model in reproducing the statistical coastal meteorological behavior and possible changes. The importance of simulated global- and regional-scale meteorological processes, in terms of correct spatial resolution of the phenomena, is also discussed. Within the Adriatic Sea, the meteorological climate is influenced by the local orography that controls the strengthening of north-eastern katabatic winds like Bora. Results show indeed that the increase in spatial resolution provides a more realistic wind forcing for the hydrodynamic simulations. Moreover, the chosen setup and the global climate models that drive the regional downscalings appear to play an important role in reproducing correct atmospheric pressure fields. The comparison between scenario and control simulations shows a small increase in the mean atmospheric pressure values, while a decrease in mean wind speed and in extreme wind events is observed, particularly for the datasets with higher spatial resolution. Finally, results suggest that an ensemble of downscaled climate models is likely to provide the most suitable climatic forcings (wind and atmospheric pressure fields) for coastal hydrodynamic modeling.     

The characteristics and dynamics of tar pollution on the beaches of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago beaches were periodically sampled for tar between July 1980 and September 1981. This project was carried out by the Institute of Marine Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations. The Caribbean coasts of both islands were almost pristine, whereas pollution on the Atlantic coast beaches was comparable to that of other coasts along major tanker routes. The source of high tar concentrations on the Atlantic coasts may be attributed to the residues from tanker bilge cleanings, which are carried along the South Equatorial Current, eventually to strand on the islands' beaches. In the dry season (January to April) north-westerly currents and north-easterly winds prevail and more tar strands on Trinidad than on Tobago. In the wet season (June to November), however, when currents are more northerly and south-easterly wind prevail, the reverse situation holds and more tar strands on Tobago.     

Investigations of Microtremors in the Akita plain in Japan

Summary Microtremor observations at 59 stations in the Akita plain in Japan were carried out during November 23 through November 28, 1969 using magnetic tape recorder. The period distribution curves from these measurements showed that only very few locations (7 out of 58) indicated good ground conditions in the low land along the coast of the Japan sea from Akita to Oga. Most of the locations fell under the category of C type distribution curve (predominant periods in the range 0.35–0.40) suggesting underground alluvium of very soft nature over wide area.     

Characteristics of coastal trapped waves along the northern coast of the South China Sea during year?1990

The structures and evolution of the coastal-trapped waves (CTW) along the northern coast of the South China Sea (SCS) in the year?1990 are studied using observed hourly sea level records collected from four sites around the northern SCS and a three-dimensional numerical model with realistic bathymetry and wind forcing. Analysis of the yearlong records of the observed sea level data indicates that the sea level variations are highly correlated between the stations and the sea level variability propagates southwestward along the coast. The sea level signals traveling from northeast to southwest along the coast with a propagation speed of 5.5–17.9?m?s^?1 during both the typhoon season and the winter month show the characteristics of a CTW. The wave speed is faster between stations Shanwei and Zhapo than that between Xiamen and Shanwei. Sea level variations during both typhoon season and winter month are reasonably well represented by the numerical model. The model runs focused on the wave signals related to typhoons and winter storm show that the CTW propagating southwestward along the coast can be reinforced or decreased by the local wind forcing during its propagation and there are apparent differences in the propagation characteristics between the waves along the mainland and those traveling around Hainan Island. The abrupt change of the shelf width and coastline around Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island are responsible for strong scattering of CTWs from one mode into higher modes. The alongshore velocities across different transects associated with CTW are investigated to examine the vertical structures of the waves. The alongshore velocity structures at transects during different events are related to the combined effect of stratification and shelf profile, which can be estimated using the Burger number. The empirical orthogonal function analysis of alongshore velocity and nodal lines of the mode structure suggest mode two CTWs in transect S2 during typhoon season and mode 1 CTWs during winter. Sensitivity model experiments are also performed to demonstrate the effects of local wind and topography on the wave propagation.     

Effects of onshore and offshore topography on sea breeze circulation: An observational study at eastern Attica,Greece

Field measurements of wind, air temperature and humidity were taken at the eastern part of the Attika district in June 1991, to examine the topographic influences exerted on the local sea breezes. These influences are due either to the elongated Evia island, faced by the northern half of Attica coastline some tens of kilometers offshore, or to the coast-parallel range of Hymettos mountain, rising steeply 12 km onshore. The instrumentation consisted mainly of three tethered meteorological balloons released at characteristic sires (i.e., the coast, a location between shoreline and mountain foot and the mountain top) and three autographic ground-based anemometers operating at selected locations. Data from the ground-based and upper air stations of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, as well as the diurnal weather maps were also obtained and analyzed. Observations were made under different synoptic wind and the latter was found to determine remarkably the significance of the topographic effects. A preliminary two-dimensional numerical approach was also made concerning the sea breeze capability to reach the Hymettos mountain top in the case of a weak opposing geostrophic flow.     

Near-surface flow structure over wind-generated water waves,part I: wave-induced flow characteristics

We report on an experimental study conducted to investigate the influence of small-scale wind waves on the airflow structure in the immediate vicinity of the air–water interface. PIV technique was used to measure the two-dimensional velocity fields at wind speeds of 3.7 and 4.4 m?s^?1 and at a fetch of 2.1 m. The flow structure was analyzed as a function of wave phase. In the near-surface region, significant variations were observed in the flow structure over the waveform. The phase-averaged profiles of velocity, vorticity, and Reynolds stress showed different behavior on the windward and leeward sides of the wave in the near-surface region. The influence of wave-induced velocity was restricted within a distance of three significant wave heights from the surface, which also showed opposite trends on the windward and leeward sides of the crest. The results also show that the turbulent Reynolds stress mainly supports downward momentum transfer whereas the wave-induced Reynolds stress is responsible for the upward momentum transfer from wave to wind. In the immediate vicinity of the air–water interface, the momentum is transferred from waves to wind along the windward side, whereas, the momentum transfer is from wind to waves along the leeward side.     

FIELD EXPERIMENTS ON PHYSICAL WEATHERING AND WIND EROSION IN AN ANTARCTIC COLD DESERT

Field experiments were carried out over a five year period with the aim of understanding contemporary weathering and erosional environments in the Sør Rondane Mountains, an Antarctic cold desert region. These include observations of (1) scaling from rockwalls, (2) disintegration of tuff blocks with or without saline solutions, and (3) abrasion of artificial walls by wind. Monitoring was also made of rock surface temperature and wind speed. Despite frequent temperature oscillations across 0°C, rock scaling due to frost action was generally very slow because of low moisture content in the rockwalls. Exposure to the cold, dry climate led to the rapid disintegration of porous tuff blocks including soluble salts like halite and thenardite. This indicates that rates of weathering are increased greatly with the accumulation of such salts in the bedrock. Although gypsum did not cause any visible damage over four years, its widespread occurrence in heavily damaged rocks demonstrates that increasing gypsum contents may also intensify rock breakdown. The snow-laden katabatic wind resulted in rapid wearing of the windward face of an asbestos board with the peak erosion at 30–40 cm above the ground. Nonetheless, the landforms expected from the unidirectional wind characteristics are by no means common features because of lack of abrasive materials, such as snow and sand particles. These experiments suggest that frost weathering and wind erosion are only locally effective where plenty of moisture or an abrasive material is available, whilst salt weathering and removal of the waste by wind play a major role in constructing erosional landforms over the mountains.     

Combination of Multisatellite Altimetry and Tide Gauge Data for Determining Vertical Crustal Movements along Northern Mediterranean Coast

Sea level variations (SLV) can be measured by tide gauges (TG) at the coast and by altimeters onboard satellites. The former measures the SLV relative to the coast, whereas altimetry provides the SLV with respect to a geocentric reference frame. The differences between SLV measurements from these two techniques can be used as an indirect assessment of vertical crustal motions at the TG sites. In this study, we exploit this idea, analyzing differences between sea level signals as measured by altimetric missions (TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1) and by 47 TG stations along northern Mediterranean coasts for the period 1993–2007. This allows us to estimate the vertical land motion along these coasts at the TG sites in this time window. For those sites where the TG is co-located or has a nearby global positioning system (GPS) station, these estimates are compared with the vertical rates derived from GPS measurements. Our results on vertical ground motion along the Mediterranean coast provide a useful source of data for studying, contrasting, and constraining tectonic models for the region.     

Analysis of the effect of the coastal discontinuity on near-surface flow

Conditional sampling is used herein to examine the effect of fetch, stability, and surface roughness changes on wind speeds in the coastal zone. Using data from an offshore wind farm it is shown that at a distance of 1.2–1.7 km from the coast, up to a height of 20 m above the surface, differences in wind speed distributions from onshore and offshore masts are statistically significant for flow moving offshore under all stability conditions. In contrast, differences between the distribution of wind speeds at 38 and 48 m at masts located at the coast and in the coastal zone are not significant for flow moving offshore, indicating that flow at these heights is not fully adjusted to the change in surface roughness (land to sea). These findings are in accordance with calculations of the internal boundary layer (IBL) height which indicate that the IBL would frequently be below the two upper measurement heights at 1.2–1.6 km from the coast. The analyses presented here indicate that the wind speed distribution at a potential offshore wind farm site is not solely dependent on fetch (distance from the coast) but also depends on the stability climate.     

1980 volcanic eruption reported on Marion Island

The first volcanic eruption in the recorded history of Marion Island (46°54′S, 37°45′E) occurred between February and October 1980 at a locality on the west coast. It was a minor event that passed unnoticed at the meteorological station 20 km distant. The discovery was made on November 4, by five expedition members who walked around the island. When examined in more detail on November 25, the lava was still warm in places and numerous fumaroles existed. Three blocky flows emanated from two adjacent cinder cones built-up on a pre-existing phreatomagmatic tuff cone known as Kaalkoppie. The largest flow covers an area of about seven hectares and a further two hectares have been inundated by ash. Another flow poured seawards to form a new beach front, blocking access to what was previously the largest elephant seal wallowing ground on the island. No earth tremors were felt and the activity seems to have ended for the time being.     

Impact of South China Sea Cold Surges and Typhoon Peipah on Initiating Cyclone Sidr in the Bay of Bengal

In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the role of South China Sea (SCS) convection associated with northerly cold surges and Typhoon Peipah in initiating Cyclone Sidr in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). The variation of air sea fluxes during the entire history of Cyclone Sidr tracking before its landfall over Bangladesh was also studied. The presence of cold surges in the north SCS associated with heavy rainfall episodes has been noticed at the southern Gulf of Tonkin coast prior to the formation of Typhoon Peipah. Subsequently, these surges migrated south, which resulted in intensification of a deep convection on reaching the Vietnamese coast. During the same period in the western Pacific, Typhoon Peipah developed, propagating in the westward direction and entering the SCS. Analysis of geostationary water vapour images, mean sea level pressure, and surface wind maps clearly depicted the transport of convective cloud clusters, moisture, and westward momentum from Typhoon Peipah to the deep convection cells over the SCS. Consequently, the existing deep convection over the Vietnamese coast resulted in a westward direction and entered the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea. The availability of higher latent heat fluxes, warmer sea surface temperatures, and suitable atmospheric conditions over this region favoured the formation of a tropical depression in the Andaman Sea. This depression further intensified in the southeast BoB, resulting in the formation of Cyclone Sidr. NCEP/NCAR wind fields and air-sea fluxes revealed left asymmetry surface winds and higher latent heat flux on the left side of the track during the intensification phase of Sidr.     

Vertical structure of the stable boundary layer detected by RASS-SODAR and in-situ measurements in SABLES 2006 field campaign

Data from the SABLES 2006 field campaign are used in order to analyse some of the main processes present along the nocturnal periods: surface-based inversions, low level jets, katabatic winds, wave-like motions, pressure perturbations, etc. These processes have an important influence on the vertical structure (both thermal and dynamical) of the atmospheric boundary layer, and can be better described with the synergetic combination of RASS-SODAR data and in-situ measurements (such as sonic anemometer data and high-resolution pressure series from microbarometers). It is shown how the different air masses and their evolution are easily identified when pressure and RASS-SODAR wind and temperature data are presented together. Likewise, periodic pressure fluctuations observed in the surface array of microbarometers reveal the existence of gravity wave motions whose propagation is better understood after locating the wave ducting layers with the help of RASS-SODAR average wind ant temperature profiles.     

Dispersion in the Yucatan coastal zone: Implications for red tide events

The mechanisms governing dispersion processes in the northern Yucatan coast are investigated using a barotropic numerical model of coastal circulation, which includes wind-generated and large scale currents (i.e. Yucatan Current). This work provides the foundations for studying the dispersion of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the area. Modelling experiments include effects of climatic wind (from long term monthly mean NCEP reanalysis), short term wind events (from in situ point measurements), and Yucatan Current (YC) characteristics. Its magnitude was approximated from published reports, and its trajectory from geostrophic current fields derived from altimeter data. These provided a range of real and climatic conditions to study the routes in which phytoplankton blooms may travel. The 2-D model results show that a synthetic and conservative bloom seeded in the Cabo Catoche (CC) region (where it usually grows), moves along the coast to the west up to San Felipe (SF), where it can either move offshore, or carry on travelling westwards. The transport to the west up to SF is greatly influenced by the trajectory, intensity and proximity of the YC jet to the peninsula, which enhances the westward circulation in the Yucatan Shelf. Numerical experiments show that patch dispersion is consistently to the west even under the influence of northerly winds. When the YC flows westward towards the Campeche Bank, momentum transfer caused by the YC jet dominates the dispersion processes over wind stress. On the other hand, when it flows closer to Cuba, the local processes (i.e. wind and bathymetry) become dominant. Coastal orientation and the Coriolis force may be responsible for driving the patch offshore at SF if external forcing decreases.     

Variations in wind direction and speed from arctic to the Caspian Sea as a manifestation of modern climate changes

The regularities in present-day variations in the wind speed vector are examined at 18 stations along the section from Kola Peninsula to the Caspian Sea. Data on long-term variations in the major climate-forming factors and climatic parameters are generalized. The statistically significant tendency toward a considerable decline in the wind speed with a maximum module and the most frequent wind speeds of zonal, mostly western, directions (this tendency has been revealed earlier for the eastern coast of the middle and southern Caspian Sea) was found to hold for the greater part of the European Russia. Possible causes of present-day climate changes and their manifestations at the regional level are analyzed. A possible mechanism of present-day climate changes is proposed