Seasonal and long-term dynamics of the chlorophyll concentration in the Black Sea according to satellite observations

The spatial and temporal variability of the chlorophyll (Chl) concentration in the surface water layer of the Black Sea in 1998–2008 has been analyzed using the data obtained by the SeaWiFS satellite sensor. In the deep-sea areas, the seasonal pattern of the Chl concentration is represented by a U-shape curve. The maximal concentrations are observed in the winter-spring and autumn periods, while the minimal, in the summertime. In the northwestern Black Sea, the maximal concentrations are registered in mostly the summer and autumn periods. Pronounced interannual variability is found for the summer concentrations of Chl observed for an 11-year period. After a cold winter, the concentration of Chl in the spring period is 3–5 times higher compared to the mild-winter years. In December–March, a negative correlation between the water temperature and the average Chl concentration is registered.     

Coastal upwelling in the Gelendzhik area of the Black Sea: Effect of wind and dynamics

Long series data of a thermistor chain in the Black Sea coastal zone near Gelendzhik were analyzed. A thermistor chain installed 1 km offshore and at a depth of 22 m. There are full and incomplete upwelling events observed. The study of upwelling genesis based on: wind speed data from the NCEP/CFSR reanalysis and Gelendzhik weather station, velocity and direction of coastal currents measured by ADCP profiler moored on the bottom near the thermistor chain. Over the whole observation period (warm seasons of 2013–2015), more than 40 events of upwelling were registered four of them were full upwellings, when presence of under-thermocline water was observed near the sea surface. For every upwelling event, conditions prior to the changes in thermic structure, were analyzed. It is found that full upwelling generally occur under synergistic wind and current forcing. Fairly strong forcing of one of these factors is sufficient for partial upwelling to occur.     

Evaluation of the level of technogenic pollution in the coastal zone of the Black Sea near Gelendzhik

The content of technogenic pollutants in the coastal zone of the northeastern part of the Black Sea was evaluated. The quantitative evaluation of the level of technogenic load on the waters of Gelendzhik and Golubaya (Rybatskaya) bays was performed. A list of pollutants exceeding MPC standards was compiled.     

Evaluation of the coefficients of horizontal exchange in the Black Sea according to the data of drifter experiments

We generalize the method used for the evaluation of the coefficients of horizontal diffusion of Brownian particles to the nonstationary case, as applied to the drifter experiments. The limits of applicability of the proposed procedure are determined. The coefficients of horizontal exchange are computed with an aim to compare them with the estimates obtained earlier by using the generalized Taylor theory. The mutual agreement of these estimates is demonstrated. It is shown that the difference between the values of the zonal (0.19⋅10⁴ m²/sec) and meridional (0.11⋅10⁴ m²/sec) coefficients of exchange in the Black Sea cannot be explained by the effect of increase in the longitudinal component of pulsations of the velocity as a result of its transverse shear relative to the mean current. A conclusion is made that the processes of horizontal exchange in the Black Sea are geographically anisotropic.     

Formation of the vertical salinity profile in the Black Sea

The vertical distribution of salts brought by the Bosphorus undercurrent is numerically evaluated. By multiplying the average vertical salinity gradient by the diffusion coefficient,K _z , and the cross-section of the sea at the appropriate depth, we can determine the total vertical salt flux,Q(z). The derivative ofQ with respect toz depicts the salt source intensity distribution over depth. The highest intensity, Q/z, matches the 200 m depth level, i.e. the shelf edge. Below 1500 m, Q/z equals merely 0.1% of the value observed at a depth of 200 m. Above 37 m, salts are noted to sink, which corresponds to their outflow with the Bosphorus current. The distribution of Q/z and the respective values of mineral phosphorus and hydrogen sulphide are matched up.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

阿拉伯海东南海域盐度收支的季节变化

采用SODA海洋同化产品的月平均资料,本文分析了阿拉伯海东南海域表层盐度的季节变化特征,发现局地海面淡水通量不能解释盐度的变化。两个典型区域的表层海水盐度收支分析表明,海洋的平流输送是造成阿拉伯海东南海域盐度冬季降低、夏季升高的主要原因,而淡水通量仅在夏季印度西侧沿岸区域造成盐度降低。冬季,东北季风环流将孟加拉湾北部的低盐水沿同纬度输送到阿拉伯海,然后向北输送,使表层海水盐度降低;夏季,西南季风环流把阿拉伯海西北部的高盐水向南、向东输送,使阿拉伯海东南海域盐度升高。受地理位置因素的影响,阿拉伯海东南海域表层盐度的变化冬季明显强于夏季。     

Age of the western Black Sea basin according to an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field and geological data

Until recently, the ideas about the age of the Black Sea deep-water basin have been based on land geological observations in the coastal areas at the interaction periphery, underwater observations from manned submersibles, and on the data of seismic reflection and refraction studies and drilling. Formerly, the scarcity of the information led to a wide scattering of the age determinations: from the Jurassic to the Eocene. Recently, with the appearance of reliable geological and geophysical data, the range of the age estimates has been considerably reduced during the last few years, although there is no commonly accepted opinion on this issue. Therefore, the first attempt to determine the age of the Western Black Sea basin using an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field is of certain interest. The following results were obtained: the basin probably opened between 71.338 and 71.587 My B.P. (subchron C32n.1r). During the interval 68.737–71.071 My B.P. (subchron C31r), extinction of the spreading axes took place. Thus, the total duration of the Campanian-Maestrichtian phase of the opening was about 3 My (interval from 71.587 to 68.737 My B.P.). This result does not agree with the geological and geophysical data available to date. To solve this problem, collection of new geological data and further studies of the structure of the anomalous magnetic field are required.     

Vertical structure of currents in the upper part of the continental slope of the Black Sea in the Region of Gelendzhik

The results of a joint analysis of the synchronous-profile ensemble of density and current velocity measured using the autonomous moored Aqualog profiler at the Gelendzhik experimental site of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in 2013–2015 are presented. The distribution of probability density of current velocity by directions reveals the presence of two well-pronounced maxima in the southeastern and northwestern sectors at all depths of measurements, which confirms the bimodal direction of the currents in the study site. We consider in detail the vertical structure of the density stratification and the current velocity corresponding to the modes determined from the maximum of the probability density distribution of the current velocity by directions. The averaged profiles of the kinetic, potential, and total energies are given. The results of isopycnic averaging over the entire ensemble of profiles indicate that possible self-similarity exists in the dependence of the vertical distribution of density and kinetic energy.     

Optical characteristics of the Kara Sea derived from shipborne and satellite data

Results of optical studies of the Kara Sea waters are considered. The data of ship borne measurements are compared with satellite observations. The maximum values of the beam attenuation coefficient, the chlorophyll, and the yellow substance fluorescence were observed in the Ob gulf and in the coastal waters west of the Yamal Peninsula. The minimum values were observed in the central and western parts of the Kara Sea. Frontal zones with sharp changes of the parameters involved were observed. The distribution of the seawater’s optical characteristics was closely related to the hydrological structure of the Kara Sea’s waters. The data of the shipborne measurements were consistent with the satellite observations.     

Seasonal variability of geostrophic currents in the Atlantic Ocean according to the altimetry data

The monthly average values of the anomalies of the ocean level (according to the satellite data for 1992–2002) and the annual average dynamic heights (hydrological data) are used to compute the seasonal cycle of geostrophic currents on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. It is shown that the west and east currents are intensified with a phase difference of several months. At the same time, their latitudinal displacements are quasisynchronous. A delay of the seasonal signal in the east-west direction of about 2–3 months (on the average) is typical of currents in the tropical zone of the Northern Hemisphere. On the contrary, in the South Atlantic, the seasonal signal propagates in the west-east direction and its phase delay can be as large as almost six months. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, pp. 60–71, May–June, 2006.     

Seasonal fields of tangenital wind stress over the Black Sea

Tangential wind stress fields with a 40×60 spatial step are calculated from the data on atmospheric pressure distribution over the Black Sea over a decade. Their space-time variability is studied. It is shown that maximum values of the tangential wind stress in all seasons are located in the areas southwest of the Crimea and south of the Taman Peninsula. The tangenital wind stress retrieved from wind measurements is compared with the one determined from the atmospheric pressure data.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

Seasonal variations in the low-salinity intermediate water in the region south of sub-polar front of the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Seasonal variations in the low-salinity intermediate water (ESIW) in the region south of the sub-polar front of the East Sea were investigated by using historical hydrographic data. The salinity of the representative density (sigma-0=27.2) of the ESIW was minimal in summer and maximal in winter in the region south of the sub-polar front. The selected four subregions showed different salinity variations. In the west of Oki Spur and the Yamato Basin, salinity fluctuated similarly, with a minimum during summer. In the Ulleung Basin and northwest of Sado Island, however, variations in salinity showed two minima, one is in winter and the other is in summer. These results imply differences in the flow path of the ESIW into the region south of the sub-polar front over time.     

Characteristics of the mixing effect of small-scale internal waves in the upper layer of the Black Sea according to the data of fine-structure sounding

A method of statistical separation of fine-structure fluctuations according to their origin is applied to the analysis of the characteristics of mixing in a layer located below the summer temperature minimum in the Black Sea. The simplification of the procedure of numerical evaluation of the coefficient of vertical wave exchange enabled us to perform the comprehensive fine-structure processing of the data of regular surveys of the Black Sea with an aim to determine the spatial distribution of the field intensity of small-scale internal waves and the intensity of mixing caused by these waves in the analyzed layer. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Seasonal variations of water temperature and salinity in Osaka Bay

The characteristics of seasonal variations of water temperature, salinity and density in the upper, middle and lower layers in Osaka Bay are described. Osaka Bay is considered to be an estuary, because the weak mixed state appears in spring and summer and the moderate mixed state in autumn and winter. Osaka Bay is divided into three areas, the eastern shallow area that has a large amplitude of seasonal variation of water temperature and low average salinity, the southwestern deep area which has small amplitude of seasonal variation of water temperature and high average salinity, and the northwestern deep area, which has small amplitude of seasonal variation of water temperature and low average salinity.     

Seasonal Variability of Temperature Fronts in the Black Sea from Satellite Data

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The structure and seasonal variability of temperature frontal zones and fronts in the Black Sea are studied on the basis of a modern high-resolution...     

Statistical structure of the large-scale fields of temperature and salinity in the Black Sea

In order to reconstruct the large-scale temperature and salinity fields by the method of optimal interpolation of the archival data, we compute the correlation functions and analyze the space and time variations of the statistical structure of the fields. On the sea surface, the thermohaline fields are spatially inhomogeneous. Thus, the correlation functions are anisotropic in the region of the northwest shelf and close to isotropic in the inner parts of the sea. The values of correlation length vary from season to season. In the layer of pycnocline, the temperature and salinity fields are anisotropic. In the zonal direction, the correlation length is 2–3 times greater than in the meridional direction. The indicated anisotropy becomes stronger in the winter season and weaker in the summer season as a consequence of the seasonal variability of large-scale circulation. We study the dependence of the error of reconstruction of the fields by the method of optimal interpolation on the form of approximation of the correlation functions with regard for anisotropy. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, pp. 51–65, January–February, 2008.     

Black Sea Intrapycnocline Lenses according to the Results of a Numerical Simulation of Basin Circulation

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The exact scenario of the propagation of highly saline Marmora Sea waters in the Black Sea basin is not clear. Together with river runoff, they form the...     

Seasonal variation of water temperature in the Seto Inland Sea

The seasonal variation of water temperature in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan is examined using data analysis and numerical experiments and is shown to be controlled by heat exchange through the sea surface and horizontal heat dispersion from the Pacific Ocean. The average water temperature goes down from the Pacific Ocean to the center of the Seto Inland Sea indicating that 4.0 to 6.0×10¹⁵ cal day^?1 (1.6 to 2.5×10¹⁶ joule day^?1) of heat is transported from the Pacific Ocean to the Seto Inland Sea and is lost through the sea surface. The amplitude of seasonal variation of water temperature is large at the center of the Seto Inland Sea and the maximum water temperature is reached first at Bisan Straits and last at Iyo-Nada.