Short-period fluctuations in the atmospheric electric field over the ocean

Fluctuations of short period in the atmospheric electric field were studied through the measurements of electric field and space charge density on the Mid-Pacific Ocean. The amplitude of fluctuation is about one third of the mean electric field, and the period mainly ranges from 2 to 5 min. The fluctuations are considered to be under the influence of spatial and temporal variation of space charge layer that possibly originates from the electrode effect above the sea surface. The unit of electrical irregularities in the atmosphere above the ocean has horizontal scale of the order of 1.5 km and indicates a tendency to become large as the wind speed increases. The vertical scale of space charge layer is estimated at several tens meters.     

Decadal variability and trends of oceanic barrier layers in tropical Pacific

Decadal variability and trends of the isothermal layer depth (ILD), mixed layer depth (MLD), and barrier layer thickness (BLT) were analyzed for the tropical Pacific during 1979–2015. The decadal variability of ILD, MLD, and BLT shows a close connection with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). At PDO positive phase, the eastward shift of precipitation and weakened trade winds result in thinner BLT in western Pacific and thicker BLT in central and eastern Pacific. The situation is reversed at PDO negative phase. The differences in BLT can be up to 9–15 m. The spatial distributions of decadal trends of ILD and MLD are complex, but a thickening of BLT in the western tropical Pacific is clearly present. The raw trends of ILD, MLD, and BLT averaged in the tropical Pacific (30° N–30° S, 120° E–75° W) from 1979 to 2015 are 1.62, 1.20, and 0.51 m per decade, respectively. PDO can explain about 25% of the increasing trends of BLT, while El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) only explains about 1.7%. Global warming and/or variability at longer time scales is responsible for the remaining increasing trends. The BLT change is related to the warming and freshening of the western Pacific warm pool in recent decades. The ocean-atmosphere interactions about trade winds, wind-driven ocean circulation, temperature, and precipitation/evaporation are discussed.     

Modelling atmospheric and induced non-tidal oceanic loading contributions to surface gravity and tilt measurements

We investigate the contribution of atmospheric and its induced non-tidal oceanic loading effects on surface time-varying gravity and tilt measurements for several stations in Western Europe. The ocean response to pressure forcing can be modelled accordingly to the inverted barometer, i.e. assuming that air pressure variations are fully compensated by static sea height changes, or using ocean general circulation models. We validate two runs of the HUGO-m barotropic ocean model by comparing predicted sea surface height variations with hundred tide-gauge measurements along the European coasts. We then show that global surface pressure field, as well as a barotropic high-resolution ocean model forced by air pressure and winds allow in most cases a significant reduction of the variance of gravity residuals and, to a smaller extends tilt residuals.We finally show that precise gravity measurements with superconducting gravimeters allow the observation of large storm surges, occurring in the North Sea, even for inland stations. However, we also confirm that the continental hydrology contribution cannot be neglected. Thanks to their specific sensitivity feature, only tiltmeters closest to the coast can clearly detect the loading due to these storm surges.     

The relationship between the growth process of the ferromanganese crusts in the pacific seamount and Cenozoic ocean evolvement

Base on the Os isotope stratigraphy together with the empirical growth rate models using Co concentrations, the growth ages of the ferromanganese crusts MHD79 and MP3D10 distributed in the seamount of Pacific are confirmed. Through the contrast and research on the previous achievements including ODP Leg 144 and the crusts CD29-2, N5E-06 and N1–15 of the seamount of the Central Pacific, the uniform five growth and growth hiatus periods of them are found, and closely related to the Cenozoic ocean evolvement process. In the Paleocene Carbon Isotope Maximum (PCIM), the rise of the global ocean productivity promoted the growth of the seamount crust; the first growth hiatus (I) of the ferromanganese crust finished. In the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), though the vertical exchange of seawater was weakened, the strong terrestrial chemical weathering led to the input of a great amount of the terrigenous nutrients, which made the bioproductivity rise, so there were no crust hiatuses. During 52–50 Ma, the Early Eocene Optimum Climate (EECO), the two poles were warm, the latitudinal temperature gradient was small, the wind-driven sea circulation and upwelling activity were weak, the terrestrial weathering was also weakened, the open ocean bioproductivity decreased, and the ferromanganese crust had growth hiatus again (II). From early Middle Eocene-Late Eocene, Oligocene, it was a long-term gradually cooling process, the strengthening of the sea circulation and upwelling led to a rise of bioproductivity, and increase of the content of the hydrogenous element Fe, Mn and Co and the biogenous element Cu, Zn, so that was the most favorable stage for the growth of ferromanganese crust (growth periods III and IV) in the studied area. The hiatus III corresponded with the Eocene- Oligocene boundary, is inferred to relate with the global climate transformation, celestial body impact event in the Eocene-Oligocene transition. From the early to the middle Miocene, a large-scale growth hiatus (hiatus period IV) of the ferromanganese crust in the studied area is inferred to relate with temporary warm up climate and ephemeral withdrawal of Antarctic bottom water in the early Miocene. After that, the Antarctic ice sheets extended, the bottom water circumfluence strengthened, the ocean fertility increased, and the once interrupted crust continued to grow in the late Miocene (growth period V). Supported by China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association “10th Five Year” Topic (Grant No. DY105-01-04-14)     

A new approach to the Nd residence time in the ocean: the role of atmospheric inputs

Concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and Nd isotopic ratios were analyzed for seawater, filtered suspension and sediment trap samples collected in the tropical Atlantic Ocean (EUMELI program, EUtrophic, MEsotrophic and oLIgotrophic sites, 20°N, 18°–21°W). This is the first REE/Nd dataset on solution and different-sized particles collected at the same site. We present direct evidence of the Nd isotopic exchange between particulate lithogenic fraction and seawater without significant mass transfer. This exchange is probably one of the main factors that simultaneously constrains the Nd concentration and isotopic ratio budget. We propose a new approach to estimate the residence time of Nd in the ocean (τ_Nd) based on isotopic exchange: 200 yr < τ_Nd< 1000 yr. The exchange requires a partial dissolution of lithogenic Nd. We estimate that the fraction of soluble Nd proportion in atmospheric dust is of the order of 20% based on the isotopic ratios. We suggest that the partial dissolution of atmospheric fallout is probably one of the main REE sources of the ocean.     

华北降水年代际变化特征及相关的海气异常型

利用近50年华北地区26个站逐月降水观测资料和全球大气海洋分析资料,分析了华北降水的年代际变化特征及其和全球海气系统年代际变化的关系.对华北降水距平指数变化分析表明,近50年来华北降水具有减少的总体趋势,叠加在该趋势之上的是年代际变化,其中1965年和1980年发生了两次跃变,使得20世纪80年代干旱尤为严重.在对华北地区降水年代际变化特征分析的基础上,揭示了与华北降水年代际异常相伴随的大气环流和上层海洋热力异常型.结果表明,华北降水年代际异常与太平洋上层海洋热力状况异常有显著关系,主要表现为太平洋年代际振荡（PDO）与华北降水异常的相关.在年代际时间尺度上,华北干旱与上层海洋热力及大气环流异常的配置关系如下：当华北地区干旱时,则热带中东太平洋海温偏高,北太平洋中部海温偏低,即太平洋上主要表现为PDO暖位相,全球大部分地区（包括华北地区）气温偏高,青藏高原地区气温偏低,日本北部及东西伯利亚气压异常偏低,华北及其以南大片地区气压偏高,华北地区由异常西北风控制,不利于水汽向华北地区输送.     

Maintenance of the mean kinetic energy in the global ocean by the barotropic and baroclinic energy routes: the roles of JEBAR and Ekman dynamics

In order to determine the maintenance mechanisms of the currents of the global ocean, this study investigates the budget of the annual mean kinetic energy (KE) in a high-resolution (0.1° × 0.1°) semi-global ocean simulation. The analysis is based on a separation of the mean KE using the barotropic (i.e., depth-averaged) and baroclinic (the residual) components of velocity. The barotropic and baroclinic KEs dominate in higher and lower latitudes, respectively, with their global average being comparable to each other. The working rates of wind forcing on the barotropic and baroclinic circulations in the global ocean are 243 and 747 gigawatts, respectively. This study presents at least three new results for the budget of the barotropic KE. Firstly, an energy diagram is rederived to show that the work of the barotropic component of the horizontal pressure gradient (HPG) is connected to the work related to the joint effect of baroclinicity and bottom relief (JEBAR), and then to the budget of potential energy (PE). Secondly, the model analysis shows that the globally averaged work of the barotropic HPG (which is connected to the work related to JEBAR and then to the budget of the PE) is nearly zero. This indicates that the wind- and buoyancy-induced barotropic circulations in the global ocean are of the same strength with opposite sign. Thirdly, it is found that the work of the wind forcing on the barotropic component of the simulated Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is canceled by the combined effect, in equal measure, of the work of the barotropic HPG and the work of dissipative processes for mean KE. This result makes a significant contribution to the discussion on the depth-integrated momentum balance of the ACC. The barotropic KE is dissipated by the effects of bottom frictional stress, lateral frictional stress, and the Reynolds stress, of which more than half is attributed to an unexpectedly large contribution from biharmonic horizontal friction. Future studies should pay more attention to the role of biharmonic friction used in high-resolution numerical models.     

In-situ dissolution experiment of radiolaria in the central North Pacific ocean

Monospecific phaeodarian radiolarian assemblages of Castanidium longispinum were suspended in plastic cages built with 225 μm nylon mesh at different water depths from 378 to 5582 m in the central North Pacific. Weight losses of these samples after a suspension period of 61 days were used to determine dissolution rates. The highest weight losses were observed at 378 m where samples lost ～90% of their initial weight. Through the main thermocline weight losses decreased from 90 to 60% and reached a constant value of 40% below it. These weight losses are roughly an order of magnitude higher than those reported by earlier workers. The higher weight losses can be attributed in part to the more soluble nature of the phaeodarian radiolarian skeletons and in part to the improved experimental technique. Kinetic considerations show that temperature is the major factor that controls silica dissolution rates in the ocean. Using an Arrehnius plot for the apparent rate constants, it can be shown that in surface water dissolution rats should be two orders of magnitude higher than in deep water below the main thermocline.     

环太平洋俯冲带内双地震带及其成因机制研究进展

俯冲带作为地球最为庞大的循环系统的重要组成部分,已成为地球科学的研究热点之一.很多俯冲带,特别是环太平洋俯冲带内的中深源地震,在空间上呈明显的分层分布,并且各层地震具有不同的震源机制,即所谓的双地震带现象.本文简要介绍了环太平洋双地震带形态特征与震源机制的空间分布,并回顾了双地震带的几种成因模型.根据形态特征和震源机制的差异,中源深度的双地震带可以分为两类,其中,一类双地震带对应上、下二层分别为压缩和张性的地震分布;另一类双地震带的震源分布较浅,且其浅部地震以横向压缩为主.此外,日本本州东北俯冲带的地震分布可能是由三层地震带组成的,而且汤加、伊豆-小笠原地区还发现深源深度的双地震带.通过对双地震带的形态特征以及其热力学条件的研究,人们从抗弯作用、脱水脆化、相变断层等多方面,尝试建立解释双地震带成因的模型.目前,大多数研究利用数值计算结果,结合蛇纹石脱水脆化、相变断层模型,能够不同程度地分别解释中源和深源双地震带成因.不过,这些模型几乎相互独立,并不能同时解释中源和深源双地震带.有人试图尝试用统一模型解释中深源地震成因,例如,先前存在的断层模型,不过该模型还不很具有说服力.也可能是多种因素的联合作用,共同影响着俯冲板内的温度场、应力场分布.     

Compositions of deep-sea ash layers derived from north pacific volcanic arcs: variations in time and space

Glass separates from 115 ash layers derived from the Kamchatkan (DSDP Site 192; 34 layers), the eastern Aleutian (DSDP Site 183; 56 layers) and the Alaska Peninsula (DSDP Site 178; 25 layers) volcanic arcs have been analyzed for up to 28 elements. In addition, the abundance and diversity of associated mafic phenocrysts have been evaluated. The resulting data set has made possible an evaluation of the late Miocene to Recent changes in composition of ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs and of the factors controlling the evolution of highly siliceous magmas.We find no evidence for a general transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic magma parentage of ashes derived from the volcanic arcs during the last 10 m.y., but instead find 0.1- to 0.5-m.y. intervals during which particular types of volcanism are prevalent. Most convincing is the transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic for ashes derived from Kamchatka during the last 0.8 m.y., a change believed to be associated with a landward shift in the site of magma generation. Considered together, ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs have been becoming more siliceous during the last 1.5 m.y. and may be associated with accelerated subduction during the same time interval.Hydrous phenocrysts (e.g., biotite) are typically associated with low-silica deep-sea ashes, but not with terrestrial volcanic rocks of comparable silica contents, suggesting the important role of water in the evolution of siliceous magma. REE patterns and relative abundances of mafic phenocrysts demonstrate the importance of fractional crystallization in controlling the evolution of highly siliceous arc magmas. REE increase with increasing silica, but become less concentrated in ashes with SiO₂ > 64%. Eu anomalies increase throughout the SiO₂ range. Initial fractionation is dominated by clinopyroxene and plagioclase with amphibole strongly influencing fractionation above 64% SiO₂.     

Tectonic evolution of the Tongbai-Hong'an orogen in central China: From oceanic subduction/accretion to continent-continent collision

The Tongbai-Hong'an orogen is located in a key tectonic position linking the Qinling orogen to the west and the Dabie-Sulu orogen to the east. Because the orogen preserves a Paleozoic accretionary orogenic system in the north and a latest PaleozoicMesozoic collisional orogenic system in the south, it may serve as an ideal place to study the tectonic evolution between the North and South China Blocks. The available literature data in the past 20 years indicate that the tectonic processes of the Tongbai-Hong'an orogen involved four stages during the Phanerozoic:(1) Early Paleozoic(490–420 Ma) oceanic subduction, arc magmatism and arc-continent collision created a new Andean-type active continental margin on the North China Block;(2) Late Paleozoic(340–310 Ma) oceanic subduction and accretion generated separated paired metamorphic belts: a medium P/T Wuguan-Guishan complex belt in the south of the Shandan-Songpa fault and a high P/T Xiongdian eclogite belt in the northern edge of the Mesozoic HP metamorphic terrane;(3) Latest Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic(255–200 Ma) continental subduction and collision formed the Tongbai HP terrane in the west and the Hong'an HP/UHP terrane in the east as a consequence of deep subduction towards the east and syn-subduction detachment/exhumation of the down-going slab;(4) Late Mesozoic(140–120 Ma) extension, voluminous magma intrusion and tectonic extrusion led to the final exhumation of the Tongbai-Hong'an-Dabie HP/UHP terrane and the wedge-shaped architecture of the terrane narrowing towards the west. However, many open questions still remain about the details of each evolutionary stage and earlier history of the orogen. Besides an extensive study directly on the Tongbai-Hong'an orogen in the future, integrated investigation on the "soft-collisional" Qinling orogen in the west and the "hard-collisional" Dabie-Sulu orogen in the east is required to establish a general tectonic model for the whole Qinling-TongbaiHong'an-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt.     

雅可比椭圆函数在大气和海洋动力学中的应用:二维非线性Rossby波研究

提出了扩展雅可比椭圆函数方法,来求得Petviashvili方程的精确解析解.Petviashvili方程被视为正压准地转位涡度方程的非地转扩展,应用该方法可以得到很多二维非线性Rossby波的周期波解,在取极限情况下,也可以得到二维Rossby孤立子解.     

The seasonal cycle of redistribution of atmospheric mass between continent and ocean in the Northern Hemisphere

Using NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40 reanalyses,we studied the seasonal cycle of redistribution of air mass between continents and oceans over the Northern Hemisphere.Our results demonstrate that air mass in the Northern Hemisphere shifts clearly between continents and oceans when the season cycles.In July,the air mass reaches its lowest over Eurasia and its highest over the Pacific,and the opposite occurs in January.However,a different scenario is observed over the north Atlantic;the accumulated air mass reaches its maximum there in May.The maintenance of the accumulation or loss of air mass in a region is found to be related to the areal mean air mass flux divergence and the difference between precipitation and evaporation in an air column.The zonal-vertical circulations change with season,with the air ascent and decent reversed between land and sea.Besides,there also exists a noticeable difference of water vapor content of the air between continents and oceans,and this difference is season-dependent.Physically,the vapor content is able to significantly affect the atmosphere in absorbing solar short-and earth’s long-wave radiations,hence influencing atmospheric thermal conditions.The land-sea thermal contrasts inclusive of the diabatic heating rate changes their signs with season going on,resulting in the reversal of orientations of the temperature gradient.These thermal forcings not only facilitate the formation of the monsoons but also indirectly induce the seasonal cycle of the air mass exchanging over regions between continents and oceans.     

Coupled conduit and atmospheric dispersal dynamics of the AD 79 Plinian eruption of Vesuvius

The AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius is certainly one of the most investigated explosive eruptions in the world. This makes it particularly suitable for the application of numerical models since we can be quite confident about input data, and the model predictions can be compared with field-based reconstruction of the eruption dynamics. Magma ascent along the volcanic conduit and the dispersal of pyroclasts in the atmosphere were simulated. The conduit and atmospheric domain were coupled through the flow conditions computed at the conduit exit. We simulated two different peak phases of the eruption which correspond to the emplacement of the white and gray magma types that produced Plinian fallout deposits with interlayered pyroclastic flow units during the gray phase. The input data, independently constrained and representative of each of the two eruptive phases, consist of liquid magma composition, crystal and water content, mass flow rate, and pressure–temperature–depth of the magma at the conduit entrance. A parametric study was performed on the less constrained variables such as microlite content of magma, pressure at the conduit entrance, and particle size representative of the eruptive mixture. Numerical results are substantially consistent with the reconstructed eruptive dynamics. In particular, the white eruption phase is found to lead to a fully buoyant eruption plume in all cases investigated, whereas the gray phase shows a more transitional character, i.e. the simultaneous production of a buoyant convective plume and pyroclastic surges, with a significant influence of the microlite content of magma in determining the partition of pyroclast mass between convective plumes and pyroclastic flows.     

全球海洋碳循环模式MOM4_L40对碳和营养物自然分布的模拟

本文介绍了国家气候中心发展的一个全球海洋碳循环环流模式,并分析评估了该模式的基本性能.该模式是在美国地球物理流体动力学实验室(GFDL,Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory)的全球海洋环流模式MOM4(Modular Ocean Model Version 4)基础上发展的一个垂直方向40层、包含生物地球化学过程的全球三维海洋碳循环环流模式,简称为MOM4_L40(Modular Ocean Model Version 4 With 40Levels).该模式在气候场强迫下长期积分1000年,结果分析表明,与观测相比,模式较好地模拟了海洋温度、盐度、总二氧化碳、总碱、总磷酸盐的表面和垂直分布特征.模拟的海洋总二氧化碳分布与观测基本相符,表层为低值区,其下为高值区,高值区域位于10°S—60°N之间,但2000m以上模拟值较观测偏小,2000m以下模拟值较观测偏大.总体来说,MOM4_L40模式是一个可信赖的海洋碳循环过程模拟研究工具.     

Formulation of a new ocean salinity boundary condition and impact on the simulated climate of an oceanic general circulation model

The salinity boundary condition at the ocean surface plays an important role in the stability of long-term integrations of an oceanic general circulation model(OGCM) and in determining its equilibrium solutions.This study presents a new formulation of the salt flux calculation at the ocean surface based on physical processes of salt exchange at the air-sea interface.The formulation improves the commonly used virtual salt flux with constant reference salinity by allowing for spatial correlations between surface freshwater flux and sea-surface salinity while preserving the conservation of global salinity.The new boundary condition is implemented in the latest version of the National Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics/Institute of Atmospheric Physics Climate Ocean Model version 2(LICOM2.0).The impact of the new boundary condition on the equilibrium simulations of the model is presented.It is shown that the new formulation leads to a stronger Atlantic meridional overturning circulation(AMOC) that is closer to observational estimates.It also slightly improves poleward heat transport by the oceans in both the Atlantic and the global oceans.     

Turbulence avoidance and the wind-driven transport of plankton in the surface Ekman layer

Observations of turbulence avoidance in zooplankton are compared to estimates of the wind-driven turbulence in the upper ocean. Plankton that avoid wind-driven turbulence by moving deeper are no longer transported by the wind-driven Ekman currents near the surface because they are no longer near the surface. Here, a threshold level of turbulence that triggers an avoidance response is estimated, and is used to infer the wind speed and water column stratification conditions that would lead to zooplankton leaving the Ekman layer. Turbulence avoidance is argued to lead to near-shore retention in wind-driven upwelling systems, and to a reduction of the delivery of zooplankton to Georges Bank from the deeper waters of the Gulf of Maine.