On the Lagrangian residual current and residual transport in a multiple time scale system of shallow seas

A multiple time scale perturbation method is used to discuss the Lagrangian residual current and residual transport on the basis of a weakly nonlinear dynamic model of shallow seas. The governing equations for the long-term variation of zero order “apparent concentration” (which is a linear combination of salinity, temperature of seawater and the concentration of any tracer which is conservative and passive) and its mean value over tidal cycles are obtained for the system with single tidal constituent, and for the one with multi-constituents, winds and thermohaline. The equations for the two cases are in the same form and show this long-term variation resulted from the cumulative effect of residual convection and turbulent diffusion. The multiple time scale variation of current is caused by tides, winds, and the thermohaline and the nonlinear effects of the system. The derived set of governing field equations of the Lagrangian current for this multiple time scale system is also in the same form as that for a single time scale system.     

The observed currents in summer in the Bohai Sea

A harmonic method was used to analyze the tidal currents observed in summer at 11 stations made from 1996 to 2001 in the Bohai Sea, China. Data was compared among different instruments and intervals. Elliptic elements were calculated based on harmonic constants, of which vertical distributions of the maximum speed and rotation direction were discussed for understanding the characteristics of diurnal and semi-diurnal tidal current components. The results indicate that the maximum speed of M2 tidal current component is much larger than that of K1; the rotation direction of M2 tidal current constituent is clockwise in the central part of the Bohai Sea and in the Laizhou Bay, but anticlockwise in the Liaodong Bay and Bohai Bay. For K1 tidal current constituent, it is clockwise in the central Bohai Sea but anti-clockwise in the Laizhou Bay and Liaodong Bay. The tidal currents in most stations in the Bohai Sea were regular semidiurnal except for those in the central Bohai Sea, being irregular semidiurnal.     

COMPARISON OF THE EULERIAN AND LAGRANGIAN TIDAL RESIDUALS IN THE BOHAI SEA

Tidal residual is very important to the transport of water particles, nutrients, plank-ton, etc. in the coastal sea. Eulerian scheme and Lagrangian scheme are two different ways to get the time averaged residual. Solution of the Bohai Sea‘s hydrodynamic system using a semi-implicit layer aver-aged numerical model yielded different direction Eulerian and Lagrangian tidal residuals. The latter were stronger than the former in most sea areas. Their different directions produced different ciretdation pattern in some areas. Compared with the Eulerian residual, the Lagranglan residual seemed to be more in accord with the observation.     

Numerical Study on Density Residual Currents of the Bohai Sea in Summer

M2 tide and density residual currents in the Bohai Sea were examined using the Blumberg and Mellor 3D nonlinear numerical coastal circulation model incorporating,Mellor and Yamada level 2.5 turbulent closure model.The tidal results showed good agreement with previous work.The model results indicated that the density residual currents are robust in summer;and that at the transition zone between well-mixed and stratified water,the horizontal velocity is high and the vertical velocity is positive.     

Formation of well-mixed warm water column in central Bohai Sea during summer: Role of high-frequency atmospheric forcing

The influence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing on the formation of a well-mixed summer warm water column in the central Bohai Sea is investigated comparing model simulations driven by daily surface forcing and those using monthly forcing data. In the absence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing, numerical simulations have repeatedly failed to reproduce this vertically uniform column of warm water measured over the past 35 years. However, high-frequency surface forcing is found to strongly influence the structure and distribution of the well-mixed warm water column, and simulations are in good agreement with observations. Results show that high frequency forcing enhances vertical mixing over the central bank, intensifies downward heat transport, and homogenizes the water column to form the Bohai central warm column. Evidence presented shows that high frequency forcing plays a dominant role in the formation of the well-mixed warm water column in summer, even without the effects of tidal and surface wave mixing. The present study thus provides a practical and rational way of further improving the performance of oceanic simulations in the Bohai Sea and can be used to adjust parameterization schemes of ocean models.     

Effect of tidal currents on the transport of saline water from the North Branch in the Changjiang River estuary

Based on the MIKE 21 numerical model combined with measured data, a numerical model for the coupling of water and salinity in the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary was established, and based on good verification, the influence of the tidal current intensity on the transport and variations of salinity concentrations in saline water from the North Branch to the South Branch was numerically evaluated. The time and space mean root mean square of the tidal current velocity can be expressed as a parabolic function of an adjustment coefficient for the amplitude of the M2 tidal constituent along the open boundaries of the model. Under the advection of runof f and tidal currents, the saline pool is transported downstream in an oscillatory pattern. With the enhancement of tidal current intensity, the oscillatory motion of the saltwater pool is increasingly significant in a tidal cycle forced by rising and falling tides. Along four set paths, the daily average concentrations of the saline core were generally similar, and in the process of transportation downstream, the concentrations of saltwater declined. The decay of the tidal-period-averaged salinity of the saltwater was linearly related to the square of the tidal current. Thus, the tidal current has a significant and direct impact on saltwater transport and diffusion in the Changjiang River estuary.     

Comparisons of several evaporation/precipitation datasets for the Bohai Sea based on salinity simulation

Evaporation (E) rate and precipitation (P) rate are two significant meteorological elements required in the ocean baroclinic modeling as external forcings. However, there are some uncertainties in the currently used E/P rates datasets, especially in terms of the data quality. In this study, we collected E/P rates data from ERA-40, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, HOAPS for the Bohai Sea and nine routine stations around Laizhou Bay, and made comparisons among them. It was found that the differences in E/P rates between land and sea are remarkable, which was due to the difference in underlying surfaces. Therefore, the traditional way of using E/P rates acquired on land directly at sea is not correct. Since no final conclusion has been reached concerning the net water transport between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, it is unfeasible to judge the adequacy of the four kinds of data by using the water budget equation. However, the E/P rates at ERA-40 sea points were considered to be the optimal in terms of temporal/spatial coverage and resolution for the hindcast of salinity variation in the Bohai Sea. Besides, using the 3-D hydrodynamic model HAMSOM (HAMburg Shelf Ocean Model), we performed numerical experiments with different E/P datasets and found that the E/P rates at sea points from ERA-40 dataset are better than those from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis dataset. If NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis E/P rates are to be used, they need to be adjusted and tested prior to simulation so that more close-to-reality salinity values can be reproduced.     

Study on numerical simulation and dynamic mechanism of winter-time circulation in the eastern China seas

An MOM2 based 3-dimentional prognostic baroclinic Z-ordinate model was established to study the circulation in eastern China seas, considering the topography, inflow and outflow on the open boundary, wind stress, temperature and salinity exchange on the sea surface. The results were consistent with observation and showed that the Kuroshio intrudes in large scale into the East China Sea continental shelf East China, during which its water is exchanged ceaselessly with outer sea water along Ryukyu Island. The Tsushima Warm Current is derived from several sources, a branch of the Kuroshio, part of the Taiwan Warm Current, and Yellow Sea mixed water coming from the west of Cheju Island. The water from the west of Cheju Island contributes approximately 13% of the Isushima Warm Current total transport through the Korea Strait. The circulation in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea is basically cyclonic circulation, and is comprised of coastal currents and the Yellow Sea Warm Current. Besides simulation of the real circulation, numerical experiments were conducted to study the dynamic mechanism. The numerical experiments indicated that wind directly drives the East China Sea and Yellow Sea Coastal Currents, and strengthens the Korea Coastal Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current. In the no wind case, the kinetic energy of the coastal current area and main YSWC area is only 1% of that of the wind case.Numerical experiments also showed that the Tsushima Warm Current is of great importance to the formation of the Korea Coastal Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current.     

Observed characteristics of the North Yellow Sea water masses in summer

In this paper, we characterize the North Yellow Sea (NYS) water masses in summer by analyzing temperature and salinity data surveyed in 2006. The Liaonan Coastal Water is characterized by low salinity westward and southward flow paths. The westward path flows parallel to land, turns to the south, then to the southeast adjacent to the mouth of the Lüshun River, where it mixes with other coastal water directly to the southwest. It becomes the main source of low salinity water in the deep water area west of 123°E. The high-salinity Lubei Coastal Water is the remnant of the winter Lubei Coastal Water, which is located mostly in a small area between Yantai and Weihai, and does not originate in the Bohai Sea Coastal Water. The two NYS zones demarcated at 123°E have distinctly different temperature and salinity characteristics. There are two high-salinity centers east of 123°E, whereas there is low-salinity water to the west whose temperature and salinity structures are complex, composed of the coastal water south of Chengshantou, the Liaonan Coastal Water and the Bohai Sea Water.     

A three-dimensional weakly nonlinear dynamics on tide-induced Lagrangian residual current and mass-transport

In recent years, studies of the environmental hydrodynamics in coastal seas and tidal estuaries have placed focus on the processes which determine the “fate” of longer-term transport. The lagrangian residual current has been recognized as an important factor which affects the longer term transport processes since it is more relevant to use a Lagrangian mean velocity rather than an Eulerian mean velocity to determine the origin of Water masses. In the present paper, an attempt is made to formulate a three-dimensional dynamics on the tideinduced Lagrangian residual current and mass-transport based upon a three-dimensional weakly-nonlinear model of tides. The Lagrangian residual velocity is shown to be the sum of the mass-transport velocity, which is the sum of the Eulerian residual velocity and the Stokes’ drift velocity, and the Lagrangian residual drift velocity which is dependent on the tidal current phase. This reveals that it is the mass-transport velocity which is the tidal cycle Eulerian mean of the Lagrangian residual velocity and that the mass-transport velocity is correct to the second order of approximation rather than to the first order. And then, a new longer-term transport equation which correctly describes the Lagrangian nature of transport processes without introducing the Fickian hypothesis for tidal dispersion is derived. In fact, the convection can be correctly represented by the Eulerian mean of the Lagrangian residual velocity, as the convective velocity in the longer-term transport equation is nothing but the mass-transport velocity. Submitted for IAMAP/IAPSO Joint Assembly, August 5–16, 1985, Honolulu, Hawaii U.S.A.     

Estimates of autumntime benthic secondary production in Laizhou Bay and adjacent Bohai Sea waters

The whole metazoan community inhabiting Laizhou Bay and adjacent Bohai Sea waters were sampled in late autumn,2006.Secondary production estimates for macrofauna and meiofauna were made separately.Total benthic secondary production was as high as 8.38 ± 4.08 g ash-free dry weight(AFDW) m-2 a-1,which represented the autumn production level.In general,macrofaunal secondary production in Laizhou Bay was much lower than that in adjacent Bohai Sea areas.In contrast,meiofaunal secondary production in Laizhou Bay was higher than that in adjacent Bohai Sea areas.Macrofauna contributed 61% to benthic secondary production(5.09 ± 3.26 g AFDW m-2 a-1),lower than the value in previous studies in Bohai Sea.Sediment granulometric characteristics and bottom-water salinity could explain the substantial variability in the macrofauna biomass and production.Meiofaunal production was an important component of benthic production and exceeded macrofauna production under exceptional conditions,e.g.in Laizhou Bay,where macrofauna was restricted.Chlorophyll pigments(Chl-a) concentrations in sediment explained the general meiofaunal biomass and production distribution here.     

A two-dimensional numerical model of the tidal motions in the Bohai sea

The motions of diurnal, semidiurnal, and shallow-water tides and tidal current in the Bohai Sea are computed using a finite-difference method based on two-dimensional tidal wave equations. Good agreement of the computed results with the observed data is achieved for diurnal and semidiurnal tides. The general pattern of the computed quarterdiurnal tide conforms to the observed pattern, but the computed amplitudes are on the high side. This is attributed to the ineligibility of the friction terms in the two-dimensional governing equations to dissipate the energy of high frequency tidal waves. It is found that the existing semidiurnal cotidal charts have considerable differences in Laizhou Bay. The difference is likely caused by the movement of the coastline of the Yellow River Delta. The present result coincides with the recent empirical cotidal chart. The computation shows a new current-amphidromic point for both semidiurnal and durnal tidal currents. The diurnal current has two current-amphidromic points in the Bohai Sea with co-phase lines progressing clockwise round these points. The semi-diurnal current has also two current-amphidromic points with co-phase lines progressing counterclockwise. The distributions of tide-induced residual elevation and currents are illustrated, and the tidal energy fluxes are computed. Institute of Marine Scientific and Technological Information, State Oceanic Administration Contribution No. 1125, Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica, Qingdao, China.     

Impact of tropical cyclone Matmo on mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas

The Bohai Sea is a low-lying semi-enclosed sea area that is linked to the Yellow Sea via the Bohai straits(mixed zone). Its of fshore seabed is shallow, which makes it vulnerable to serious marine meteorological disasters associated with the northward passage of Pacific tropical cyclones. Analyses on data of remote sensing and buoy of the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai seas indicate that all the wind speed, significant wave height, and salinity(SAL) increased, sea surface temperature decreased, and wind energy density changed considerably during the passage of tropical cyclone Matmo on July 25, 2014. It was found that the SAL inversion layer in the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas was caused by the tropical cyclone. Furthermore, it was found that the tropical cyclone transported the northern Yellow Sea cold water mass(NYSCWM) into the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas. The NYSCWM has direct influence on both the aquaculture and the ecological environment of the region. Therefore, further research is needed to establish the mechanism behind the formation of the SAL inversion layer in the mixed zone, and to determine the influence of tropical cyclones on the NYSCWM.     

Current and thermohaline characteristics of the Arabian Sea during January 1998

Based on a ship survey during January 1998, the characteristics of the flow, the thermohaline properties and the volume transport of the Arabian Sea are discussed. A strong westward flow exists between 10.5?N and 11?N, part of which turns to the south as the Somali current near the coast at about 10?N and the rest turns north. At the passage between the African continent and the So- cotra Island, the northern branch separates into two flows: the left one enters the passage and the right one flows eastward along the southern slope of the island. Off the island the flow separates once more, most of it meandering northeast and a small fraction flow- ing southeast. Volume transport calculation suggests that the tidal transport is one or two orders of magnitude smaller than the total transport in this region and it becomes more important near the coast. The average velocity of the flow in the upper layer (0-150 m) is about 20 cm s-1, with a maximum of 53 cm s-1 appearing east of the Socotra Island, and the subsurface layer (200-800 m) has an aver- age velocity of 8.6 cm s-1; the velocity becomes smaller at greater depths. The depth of the seasonal thermocline is about 100 m, above which there is a layer with well mixed temperature and dissolved oxygen. High-salinity and oxygen-rich water appears near the surface of the northern Arabian Sea; a salinity maximum and oxygen minimum at 100 m depth along 8?N testifies the subduction of surface water from the northern Arabian Sea. Waters from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf also influence the salinity of the area.     

Radial tidal current field in a semi-enclosed rectangular basin: formation and evolution

The radial tidal current field accounts for the formation of the radial sand ridges in the South Yellow Sea. Understanding the formation and evolution of this radial tidal current field is vital to assessing the morphodynamic features in the area. A semi-enclosed rectangular basin with and without a coastal barrier was schematized from the topography of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. The 2D tidal current field in this basin was simulated using the DELFT3D-FLOW model. The concept of tidal wave refraction, which highlights the effect of the sloped or stepped submarine topography on the propagation of the tidal waves, was introduced to explain the formation of the radial tidal current field. Under the effect of tidal wave refraction, co-phase lines of the counterclockwise rotating tidal wave and incident tidal wave are transformed into clockwise and counterclockwise deflections, respectively, leading to the convergence and divergence of the flow field. Regardless of whether a coastal barrier exists or not, the outer radial tidal current field might emerge over certain topography. The responses of the radial tidal current field in this basin to the environmental variations such as coastline changes and bottom erosions were discussed. Results show that local protrusion near the focal point of the radial tidal current field will have limited effects on the location of the tidal system. However, a remarkable shift of the amphidromic point toward the entrance and central axis of this basin and a movement of the focal point of the radial tidal current field toward the entrance could be caused by the significant seaward coastline advance and submarine slope erosion.     

SHORT TIME DYNAMICS OF CILIATE ABUNDANCE IN THE BOHAI SEA （CHINA）

The ciliate community in the Bohai Sea (China) was studied from 23 September to 7 October 1998. A hurricane struck the study area between the two grid station investigations, which were six days apart. Six tintinnid species ( Favella panamensis, Leptotintinnus nordqvisti, Tintinnopsis but-schlii, T. karajacensis , T. Radix and Wangiella dicollaria ) were identified. Total cililate abundance in the surface layer ranged from 20 to 770 ind/l. In the first grid investigation, Tintinnopsis karajacensis dominated in the warm, low salinity waters at the Huanghe River mouth. Aloricate ciliate sp. 1 dominated in the cold, high salinity waters in the northwest of the study area and the Bohai Strait. In the second grid investigation, T. Karajacensis almost disappeared. The abundance of aloricate ciliate sp. 1 decreased drastically. The aloricate ciliate sp. 2 dominated at the Bohai Strait. The change of ciliate abundance may be due to the disturbance of hurricane.     

The impact of physical processes on pollutant transport in Hangzhou Bay

A Lagrangian tracer model is set up for Hangzhou Bay based on Coupled Hydrodynamical Ecological model for Regional Shelf Sea (COHERENS). The study area is divided into eight subdomains to identify the dominant physical processes, and the studied periods are March (the dry season) and July (the wet season). The model performance has been first verified by sea-surface elevation and tidal current observations at several stations. Eight tracer experiments are designed and Lagrangian particle tracking is simulated to examine the impact of physical processes (tide, wind and river runoff) on the transport of passive tracer released within the surface layer. Numerical simulations and analysis indicate that: (1) wind does not change the tracer distribution after 30 days except for those released from the south area of the bay during the wet season; (2) the tide and the Qiantang River runoff are important for particle transport in the head area of the bay; (3) the Changjiang River runoff affects the tracer transport at the mouth of the bay, and its impact is smaller in the dry season than in the wet season. Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40576080); National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, No. 2007AA12Z182)     

Dynamical Control of Asymmetrically Oblique Tidal Currents to the Sedimentary Characteristics and Development of Linear Sand Ridges in the Liaodong Shoal,East Bohai Sea

The Liaodong Shoal is a group of linear sand ridges located in the east Bohai Sea of China.In this study,54 surface sediment samples have been collected,current measurements at 4 stations have been carried out and bathymetric data were obtained.The current directions are rightward deflected relative to the strikes of the sand ridges.Affected by the narrowing effect of the ridge,the current velocities exhibited an anti-‘C’type vertical profile.The velocities of the lower currents linearly correlate with the water depths.The near-bed current velocities over the troughs are estimated to be higher than those over the ridges,and this feature could be explained by the loss of kinetic energy together with the conversion between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy.The sedimentary characteristics that are compatible with the tidal dynamics are developed across the ridges and troughs,including grain size compositions,grain size parameters,mineral compositions and Dhm indexes.The existence of the angles between the current directions and the strikes of the sand ridges is the key factor for the growth of the sand ridges.The asymmetric hydrodynamic features between the flood and ebb currents lead to the differences in the topographical and sedimentary characteristics on both sides of a sand ridge.Insufficient material supply led to the degradation of the sand ridges,and the reduction of the tidal current intensity has led to the development of the subordinate sand ridges in the troughs.Sand ridges are migrating.     

Numerical simulation and dynamic study of the wintertime circulation of the Bohai Sea

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Distribution of vertical turbulent mixing parameter caused by internal tidal waves and solitary waves in the South Yellow Sea

Many observations show that in the Yellow Sea internal tidal waves (ITWs) possess the remarkable characteristics of internal Kelvin wave, and in the South Yellow Sea (SYS) the nonlinear evolution of internal tidal waves is one of the mechanisms producing internal solitary waves (ISWs), which is different from the generation mechanism in the case where the semidiurnal tidal current flows over topographic drops. In this paper, the model of internal Kelvin wave with continuous stratification is given, and an elementary numerical study of nonlinear evolution of ITWs is made for the SYS, using the generalized KdV model (GKdV model for short) for a continuous stratified ocean, in which the different effects of background barotropic ebb and flood currents are considered. Moreover, the parameterization of vertical turbulent mixing caused by ITWs and ISWs in the SYS is studied, using a parameterization scheme which was applied to numerical experiments on the breaking of ISWs by Vlasenko and Hutter in 2002. It is found that the vertical turbulent mixing caused by internal waves is very strong within the upper layer with depth less than about 30m, and the vertical turbulent mixing caused by ISWs is stronger than that by ITWs.