The frontal system at the boundary of the East China Sea: Its variability and response to large-scale atmospheric forcing

High-resolution satellite sea surface temperature measurements (PATHFINDER dataset) indicate that the fronts at the boundary of the East China Sea (Taiwan front, Kuroshio frontal zone, and South Korean coastal front) appear as a unified dominating frontal structure when climatological averaging is applied. This structure is about 1200 km in length, spreads over the continental shelf from Taiwan to the Tsushima Islands, and separates productive seawaters from the oligotrophic oceanic waters. The Kuroshio frontal zone, incorporated into this structure, reveals interannual variability with periods consistent with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (4–5 years).     

Local oceanic response to atmospheric forcing in the Gulf Stream region

The dominance of shifts in the location of the Gulf Stream (GS) in the local heat balance was observed in an hourly 15-month record of unprecedented surface mooring measurements at a site in the western North Atlantic occupied from November 2005 to January 2007. Instrumentation on the buoy provided a high quality record of air-sea exchanges of momentum, heat, and freshwater flux; and oceanographic sensors recorded ocean variability in the upper 640 m. The mooring was at times in the GS and at other times north of the GS. Our intent was to isolate the local oceanic response to the atmosphere from the influence of the GS shifts. A one-dimensional heat budget analysis indicated that the advective contribution from the GS shifts dwarfed the heat contribution by atmospheric forcing and therefore played the dominant role for upper oceanic thermal variability during the whole time record. A GS case study (i.e., when the surface mooring was in the GS), isolated the upper oceanic response to the atmospheric forcing in the GS and supported the critical role of GS shifts in total oceanic heat content. Through both an Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis and by referencing temperatures to that observed at 200 m, the impact of GS shifts and atmospheric forcing were decomposed, allowing the local oceanic thermal response to be isolated. This local oceanic response was particularly prominent during the period of sustained heating during summer. A case study of summer conditions revealed a near surface flow consistent with Ekman dynamics within a shallow, warm ocean mixed layer.     

北极海冰变率的独特模式及其与大气强迫的关系

The spatial structure of the Arctic sea ice concentration(SIC) variability and the connection to atmospheric as well as radiative forcing during winter and summer for the 1979–2017 period are investigated. The interannual variability with different spatial characteristics of SIC in summer and winter is extracted using the empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis. The present study confirms that the atmospheric circulation has a strong influence on the SIC through both dynamic and thermodynamic processes, as the heat flux anomalies in summer are radiatively forced while those in winter contain both radiative and "circulation-induced" components. Thus,atmospheric fluctuations have an explicit and extensive influence to the SIC through complex mechanisms during both seasons. Moreover, analysis of a variety of atmospheric variables indicates that the primary mechanism about specific regional SIC patterns in Arctic marginal seas are different with special characteristics.     

Thermohaline characteristics of large-scale irregularities and frontal zones of the Tropical Atlantic

We determine the zones of maximum horizontal gradients of thermohaline characteristics and climatic frontal zones in the Tropical Atlantic and their behavior as functions of time and spatial variables on the basis of the climatic array of data on temperature and salinity. It is shown that the zones, where the maximum horizontal temperature, salinity, and density gradients coincide, are located in the northern and southern tropical frontal zones. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Interdecadal modulation of interannual atmospheric and oceanic variability over the North Pacific

The interdecadal modulation of interannual variability of the atmosphere and ocean is examined over the North Pacific by using Wavelet Transform combined with Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) or Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) analysis. For the period of record 1899–1997, the interannual variability of the wintertime Aleutian Low, identified by either the North Pacific Index or the leading eigenvector (EOF-1) of North Pacific sea level pressure (SLP), exhibits an interdecadal modulation. Interannual variance in the strength of the Aleutian Low was relatively large from the mid-1920s to mid-1940s and in the mid-1980s, but relatively small in the periods from 1899 to the mid-1920s and from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s. The periods of high (low) interannual variability roughly coincide with pentadecadal regimes having a time averaged relatively intense (weak) Aleutian Low. Consistent with this SLP variability the interannual variance in the zonal wind stress is strengthened in the central North Pacific after the 1970s. The SLP EOF-2, which is related to the North Pacific Oscillation, exhibited a strengthening trend from the beginning of this century to the mid-1960s. After the 1970s, the interannual variance of SLP EOF-2 is generally smaller than that in the period from 1930 to 1970. Similar interdecadal changes in interannual variance are found in expansion coefficients for the first two EOFs of the Pacific sector 500 hPa height field for the period 1946–1993. EOF-1 of Pacific sector 500 hPa corresponds to the Pacific/North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern, while EOF-2 is related to the Western Pacific (WP) pattern. The relative influence of the atmospheric PNA and WP interannual variability on North Pacific SSTs appears to have varied at pentadecadal time scales. Results from an SVD analysis of winter season (December–February) 500 hPa and North Pacific spring season (March–May) SST fields demonstrate that the PNA-related SST anomaly exhibited larger interannual variance after the 1970s, whereas the interannual variance of the WP related SST anomaly is larger before the 1970s. Correlations between the coastal North Pacific SST records and gridded atmospheric field data also change on interdecadal time scales. Our results suggest that the SST records from both the northwest and northeast Pacific coasts were more closely coupled with the PNA teleconnection pattern during the periods of 1925–1947 and 1977–1997 than in the regime from 1948 to 1976. Teleconnections between ENSO and preferred patterns of atmospheric variability over the North Pacific also appear to vary on interdecadal time scales. However, these variations do not reflect a unique regime-dependent influence. Our results indicate that ENSO is primarily related to the PNA (WP) pattern in the first (last) half of the present century. Correlation coefficients between indices for ENSO and PNA-like atmospheric variability are remarkably weak in the period from 1948 to 1976.     

Plankton distribution associated with frontal zones in the vicinity of the Pribilof Islands

We studied the effect of four types of fronts, the coastal front, the middle front, the shelf partition front and the shelf break front on the quantitative distribution and the composition of plankton communities in the Pribilof area of the eastern Bering Sea shelf in late spring and summer of 1993 and 1994. The coastal fronts near St. Paul and St. George Islands and the coastal domains encircled by the fronts featured specific taxonomic composition of planktonic algae, high abundance and production of phytoplankton, as well as large numbers of heterotrophic nanoplankton. The coastal fronts also were characterized by high values of total mesozooplankton biomass, high concentrations of Calanus marshallae, as well as relatively high abundances of Parasagitta setosa and Euphausiacea compared to surrounding shelf waters. We hypothesize that wind-induced erosion of a weak thermocline in the inner part of the coastal front as well as transfrontal water exchange in subthermocline layers result in nutrient enrichment of the euphotic layer in the coastal fronts and coastal domains in summer time. This leads to prolonged high primary production and high phytoplankton biomass. In this paper a new type of front—the shelf partition front located 45–55 km to the north-east off St. Paul Island—is described, which is assumed to be formed by the flux of oceanic domain waters onto the shelf. This front features a high abundance of phytoplankton and a high level of primary production compared to the adjacent middle shelf. Near the southwestern periphery of the front a mesozooplankton peak occurred, composed of C. marshallae, with biomass in the subthermocline layer, reaching values typical for the shelf break front and the highest for the area. High abundance of phyto- and zooplankton as well as heterotrophic nanoplankton and elevated primary production were most often observed in the area adjacent to the shelf break front at its oceanic side. The phyto- and mesozooplankton peaks here were formed by oceanic community species. The summer levels of phytoplankton numbers, biomass and primary production in the shelf break frontal area were similar to those reported for the outer and middle shelf during the spring bloom and the coastal domains and coastal fronts in summer. In the environment with a narrow shelf to the south of St. George Island, the mesozooplankton peak was observed at the inner side of the shelf break front as close as 20 km from the island shore and was comprised of a “mixed” community of shelf and oceanic species. The biomass in the peak reached the highest values for the Pribilof area at 2.5 g mean wet weight m⁻³ in the 0–100 m layer. Details of the taxonomic composition and the numbers and production of phytoplankton hint at the similarity of processes that affect the phytoplankton summer community in the coastal domains of the islands, at the coastal fronts, and at the oceanic side of the shelf break front. The middle front was the only one that had no effect on plankton composition or its quantitative characteristics in June and July. Location of a variety of frontal productive areas within 100 km of the Pribilof Islands creates favorable foraging habitat for higher trophic level organisms, including sea birds and marine mammals, populating the islands.     

Tectonic role of oceanic fracture zones

A critical analysis of the geometric properties of oceanic fracture zones leads to the conclusion that their identification with ridge—ridge transform faults is an oversimplification. Models are presented, and examples are given, of processes (asymmetric spreading and differential spreading) which can alter the ridge-fracture zone pattern and extend active shear within lithospheric plates. These processes have a number of interesting tectonic consequences and could offer an explanation for, among other things, belts of intra-plate seismic activity and reversal of slip directions along a strike-slip fault.     

Coastal sea level variability in the Bohai Bay: influence of atmospheric forcing and prediction

The sea level variabilities, especially the atmosphere-driven sea level variabilities, which are diff erent in studies on diverse areas and timescales, need to be further documented in the Bohai Bay. Coastal sea level data and coincident meteorological data collected hourly at two observation stations (E1 and E2) in the Bohai Bay, which is a typical semi-enclosed coastal sea in China, are analyzed for the period from 19 August 2014 to 18 November 2014. The sub-sampled low-pass (<0.8 cpd) sea levels (SLSLs) at E1 and E2 are almost the same as each other, while the winds are not. On the whole, SLSLs at E1 and E2 are dominantly influenced by the across-shore wind;in detail, the dominant wind orientation at E1 is 65° measured clockwise from north, and SLSL at E2 is significantly influenced by the sub-sampled wind (SW) at 55°. Regression of SLSL onto the corresponding SW in dominant orientation and the atmospheric pressure is used to predict SLSL, which make the frequency of occurrences when the predicted total sea level is within 0.15 m from the observed values increase to 66.03% and 58.08% at E1 and E2 from original 36.71% and 34.80% without using it, respectively. The results indicate that for the prediction of the total sea level variability in the coastal shallow waters, the SLSL influenced by the atmospheric forcing, including local wind and atmospheric pressure, can be predicted using the multivariable linear regression model.     

Persistent thermal fronts in the Black Sea: Existence,variability, and response to atmospheric forcing

High-resolution satellite sea surface temperature (SST) measurements (PATHFINDER dataset) have been used to confirm an existence of persistent thermal frontal zones in the Black Sea. Fronts have been revealed in the winter season between the intensively cooling shallow northwestern area and warmer waters of central part, and in spring-summer season between the actively warming waters of the southeastern part and cooler central area. Interannual and quasi-decadal variability of the northwestern front have been documented, as well as a high negative correlation of its intensity with the winter-mean SST.     

Comparison of atmospheric forcing in four sub-arctic seas

A comparative analysis was conducted on climate variability in four sub-arctic seas: the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea shelf, the Labrador Sea, and the Barents Sea. Based on data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, the focus was on air–sea interactions, which influence ice cover, ocean currents, mixing, and stratification on sub-seasonal to decadal time scales. The seasonal cycles of the area-weighted averages of sea-level pressure (SLP), surface air temperature (SAT) and heat fluxes show remarkable similarity among the four sub-arctic seas. With respect to variation in climate, all four seas experience changes of comparable magnitude on interannual to interdecadal time scales, but with different timing. Since 2000 warm SAT anomalies were found during most of the year in three of the four sub-arctic seas, with the exception of the Sea of Okhotsk. A seesaw (out of phase) pattern in winter SAT anomalies between the Labrador and the Barents Sea in the Atlantic sector is observed during the past 50 years before 2000; a similar type of co-variability between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea shelf in the Pacific is only evident since 1970s. Recent positive anomalies of net heat flux are more prominent in winter and spring in the Pacific sectors, and in summer in the Atlantic sectors. There is a reduced magnitude in wind mixing in the Sea of Okhotsk since 1980, in the Barents Sea since 2000, and in early spring/late winter in the Bering Sea shelf since 1995. Reduced sea-ice areas are seen over three out of four (except the Sea of Okhotsk) sub-arctic seas in recent decades, particularly after 2000 based on combined in situ and satellite observations (HadISST). This analysis provides context for the pan-regional synthesis of the linkages between climate and marine ecosystems.     

Overwash sedimentation associated with a large-scale northeaster

The December 1, 1974 northeaster was a significant event in terms of sediment transport with 20 m³ of sand per meter of dune breach being carried onto the backdune area of Assateague Island, Maryland as overwash. Previous investigators have reported larger transport rates for landfall hurricanes, but this is the largest amount recorded for a winter northeaster. The Ash Wednesday Storm, March 6–8, 1962, was a much larger event, but no quantitative data exists for overwash deposition.The resulting sedimentary deposit can be interpreted by defining sedimentation units. Inverse sediment grading was predominant, but normal grading occurred when the material was monomineralic and the unit totally depositional in nature. The timing of the storm surge was recorded in some sections as a distinctive heavy mineral enrichment in the sediment.     

ENSO循环过程中次表层海洋信号的传播和变化

利用SODA等资料分析了热带太平洋次表层海洋要素的变化特征,结果表明,ENSO循环过程中次表层异常海温信号在赤道外向西传播的路径与温跃层深度的分布有一定关系,10oN附近是气候平均温跃层深度的极小值区域,温跃层在该区域形成了一个从东到西的阻隔带,阻挡了来自赤道地区的ENSO信号继续向北传播,从而转向西传播;而南半球温跃层深度的气候分布不具备这一特征,不利于ENSO信号在南半球的向西传播。进一步的研究还表明,ENSO信号在整个循环过程中,异常海温的主周期是变化的,特别是在沿10oN附近向西传播的过程中,ENSO信号的主周期变化较大。推断西太平洋暖池区域的ENSO信号除了在循环过程中自东太平洋10oN传来的以外,还受其他因素的影响,例如局地的大气变化引起的海温异常,以及来自中高纬度的异常海温信号等因素。     

Seasonal variation of atmospheric coupling with oceanic mesoscale eddies in the North Pacific Subtropical Countercurrent

This study investigated the seasonal variation in the atmospheric response to oceanic mesoscale eddies in the North Pacific Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC) and its mechanism, based on satellite altimetric and reanalysis datasets. Although mesoscale eddy in the study area is more active in summer, the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly associated with mesoscale eddies is more intense and dipolar in winter, which is largely due to the larger background SST gradient. Similarly, the impact of the oceanic eddy on sea surface wind speed and heat flux is strongest in winter, whereas its effect on precipitation rate is more significant in summer. The study revealed that the SST gradient in STCC could impact the atmosphere layer by up to 800 hPa (900 hPa) in boreal winter (summer) through the dominant vertical mixing mechanism. Moreover, the intensity of the SST gradient causes such seasonal variation in mesoscale air-sea coupling in the study region. In brief, a stronger (weaker) background SST gradient field in wintertime (summertime) leads to a larger (smaller) eddy-induced SST anomaly, thus differently impacting atmosphere instability and transitional kinetic energy flux over oceanic eddies, leading to seasonal variation in mesoscale air-sea coupling intensity.     

An analysis of regional climate model performance over the tropical Americas. Part I: simulating seasonal variability of precipitation associated with ENSO forcing

Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) constitute a major source of predictability in the tropics. We evaluate the ability of a regional climate model (the Rossby Centre Atmospheric Model; RCA) to downscale SST and large-scale atmospheric anomalies associated with ENSO. RCA is configured over the tropical east Pacific and tropical Americas and runs for the period 1979–2005, using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) lateral and surface boundary conditions. We study the ability of RCA to represent regional patterns of precipitation, with respect to both the climatology and interannual variability associated with ENSO. The latter is achieved by grouping the simulations into El Niño and La Niña composites and studying the delayed response of precipitation to SST forcing in four regions of Central and South America.
In this paper, we concentrate on seasonal mean timescales. We find that RCA accurately simulates the main features of the precipitation climatology over the four regions and also reproduces the majority of the documented regional responses to ENSO forcing. Furthermore, the model captures the variability in precipitation anomalies between different ENSO events. The model exhibits a wet bias over the northern Amazon and slightly overestimates the magnitude of ENSO anomalies over Central America.