Buoy measured wind, wind stress and wind stress curl over the shelf off Bodega Bay, California

An array of five buoys and three coastal stations is used to characterize the winds, stress, and curl of the wind stress over the shelf off Bodega Bay, California. The wind and wind stress are strong and persistent in the summer and weak in the winter. In the summer, wind and stress decrease strongly across the shelf, toward the coast. Combinations of buoys are used to compute the curl of the wind stress over different portions of the shelf. The mean summer 2001 curl of the wind stress over the array depends upon the area selected, varying between −1.32×10⁻⁶ and +7.80×10⁻⁶ Pa m⁻¹. The winter 2002 wind-stress curl also depends on location, varying from −2.06×10⁻⁶ to +2.78×10⁻⁶ Pa m⁻¹. Mean monthly curl of the wind stress is a maximum in the summer and a minimum near zero in the winter. In both the summer and the winter, the correlation between the wind-stress curl for different portions of the shelf varies between moderate negative, though insignificance, to high positive. A wind measurement at a single point can be poorly related to the measured curl of the wind stress at other locations over the shelf. The measurements show that the use of one wind measurement to characterize the curl of the wind stress over the shelf without further investigation of the local wind-stress curl structure is risky.     

A numerical study of the effect of hurricane wind asymmetry on storm surge and inundation

The influence of the asymmetric structure of hurricane wind field on storm surge is studied with five types of numerical experiments using a three-dimensional storm surge model. The results from the case of Hurricane Floyd (1999) show that Floyd-induced peak surge would have been much higher had the region of maximum wind rotated 30–90° counterclockwise. The idealized cases (the hypothetical hurricanes) with a wind speed asymmetry of 20 m s^?1 show that the peak (negative) surge varied from 4.7 to 6.0 m (?5 to ?5.7 m) or equivalent to ?8.8% and 16.3% (2.8% and ?10.4%) differences as compared to the control experiment. The area of flooding varied from 3552 to 3660 km². The results from two other idealized cases of varying degree of wind speed asymmetry further show that with decreasing (increasing) asymmetry of wind fields, the variations of peak surge and peak negative surge caused by the rotation of wind fields decrease (increase) accordingly. The results suggest that in storm surge simulations forced by winds derived from balanced models, considerable uncertainty in storm surge and inundation can result from wind asymmetries. This is true even if all other storm parameters, including maximum wind speed, the radius of maximum winds (storm size), minimum central pressure, storm translation speed, drag coefficient, and model settings (domain size and resolution) are identical. Thus, when constructing ensemble and probabilistic storm surge forecasts, uncertainty in wind asymmetry should be considered in conjunction with variations in storm track, storm intensity and size.     

Response of a two-layer ocean with a baroclinic current to a moving storm,part I

A storm moves with a constant speed parallel to a stationary geostrophic current which flows only in the upper layer of a two-layer, infinite ocean. It is assumed that the lower layer is motionless. The quasi-geostrophic approximation is valid for a moving speed less than 4 ms^–1 for a storm radius of 100 km. The primary change of the upper layer thickness is caused by the wind stress divergence and the time integral of the wind stress curl. A cyclonic storm generates upwelling in its wake. The effect of the stationary flow similar to a western boundary current is minor by an order of magnitude and noticeable only on the left edge of the flow. Scaling of equations of motion and continuity for a more general upper geostrophic flow leads to expansion with a parametera ²=gH _m(fL)^–2, whereg is reduced gravity,H _m is the maximum thickness of the upper layer,f is Coriolis' parameter andL is the storm radius. The zeroth order perturbations of transport and thickness do not include the stationary flow which appears only in the first order perturbations ina ². When there is a coast, the change of the interface near the coast is dependent on the time integral of the wind stress component parallel to the coast, thus leading to upwelling or downwelling according to the center being to the left or right of the coastline.     

Copper in the resurrection fjord, Alaska

Copper concentrations have been measured in more than 200 samples collected from an Alaskan fjord and continental shelf and slope regions in the northwestern Gulf of Alaska. Concentrations were lowest (2·1 nmol kg⁻¹) at depths of 400–1000 m in the continental slope waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Copper increased systematically with decreasing salinities shoreward to concentrations >30 nmol kg⁻¹ in fjord surface waters during summer months of high freshwater runoff. Copper concentrations increased with depth at an inner fjord station where deep basin waters have restricted circulation, and these data together with surface (<5 cm) pore water copper concentrations (mean=122 nmol kg⁻¹) about an order of magnitude higher than bottom water copper concentrations are indicative of a flux of copper across the sediment-seawater interface. This latter was estimated at 32±12 nmol cm⁻² annually, and represented less than 20% of the annual input to fjord surface water (228–411 nmol cm⁻²) added during summer months. Mass balances in bottom waters indicate a vigorous recycling of copper with a residence time estimated at 21±11 days. Most copper that is remobilized in surface sediments is returned to bottom waters and little (3%) is removed by subsequent diagenetic reaction in the buried sediments. However, an estimate of copper accumulating in anoxic fjord sediments was comparable with copper added to fjord surface waters suggesting that input-removal reactions rather than internal cycling controls copper geochemistry in this estuary.     

The hydrodynamic response of the York River estuary to Tropical Cyclone Isabel, 2003

Hurricane Isabel made landfall along the North Carolina coast on September 18, 2003 (UTC 17:00) and the storm surge exceeded 2.0 m in many areas of the Chesapeake Bay and in the York River estuary. River flooding occurred subsequently, and the peak river discharge reached 317 and 104 m³ s⁻¹ in the Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers, respectively. The York River estuary experienced both storm surge and river flooding during the event and the estuary dynamics changed dramatically. This study investigates the hydrodynamics of the York River estuary in response to the storm surge and high river inflows. A three-dimensional model was used to investigate the changes of estuarine stratification, longitudinal circulation, salt flux mechanisms, and the recovery time required for the estuary to return to its naturally evolved condition without the storm. Results show that the salt flux was mainly caused by advection, which was induced by the barotropic gradient during the storm event. The net salt flux increased by a factor of 30 during the rise of the storm surge. However, the large amount of salt transported into the estuary was quickly transported out of the estuary as the barotropic gradient reversed during the descent of the storm surge. Subsequent high freshwater inflow influenced the estuarine circulation substantially. The estuary changed from a partially mixed estuary to a very stratified estuary for a prolonged period. The model results show that it will take about 4 months for the estuary to recover to its naturally evolved salinity distribution after the impacts of the storm surge and freshwater pulse.     

Modeling of coupled tide–wave–surge process in the Yellow Sea

A coupled wave–tide–surge model has been developed in this study in order to investigate the effect of the interactions among tides, storm surges, and wind waves. The coupled model is based on the synchronous dynamic coupling of a third-generation wave model, WAM cycle 4, and the two-dimensional tide–surge model. The surface stress, which is generated by interactions between wind and wave, is calculated by using the WAM model directly based on an analytical approximation of the results using the quasi-linear theory of wave generation. The changes in bottom friction are created by the interactions between waves and currents and calculated by using simplified bottom boundary layer model. In consequence, the combined wave–current-induced bottom velocity and effective bottom drag coefficient were increased in the shallow waters during the strong storm conditions.     

Influence of discrete step size on wind setup component of storm surge

Open coast storm surge water levels consist of wind setup due to wind shear at the water surface; a wave setup component caused by wind induced waves transferring momentum to the water column; an atmospheric pressure head component due to the atmospheric pressure deficit over the spatial extent of the storm system; a Coriolis forced setup or setdown component due to the effects of the rotation of the earth acting on the wind driven alongshore current at the coast; a possible seiche component due to resonance effects initiated by moving wind system, and, if astronomical tides are present, an astronomical tide component (although the tide is typically considered to be a forced astronomical event and not really a direct part of the external wind-driven meteorological component of storm surge). Typically the most important component of a storm surge is the wind setup component, especially on the U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico shorelines. In many approaches to storm surge modeling, a constant depth approximation is invoked over a limited step size in the computational domain. The use of a constant depth approximation has received little attention in the literature although can be very important to the resulting magnitude of the computed storm surge. The importance of discrete step size to the wind setup storm surge component is considered herein with a simple case computation of the wind setup component on a linear slope offshore profile. The present study findings show that the constant depth approximation to wind setup storm surge estimation is biased on the low side (except in extremely shallow water depths) and can provide large errors if discrete step size is not sufficiently resolved. Guidance has been provided on the error that one might encounter for various step sizes on different slopes.     

Landward limit of wind setup on beaches

Open coast storm surge water levels consist of a wind shear forcing component generally referred to as wind setup; a wave setup component caused by wind-induced waves transferring momentum to the water column; an atmospheric pressure head component due to the atmospheric pressure deficit over the spatial extent of the storm system; a Coriolis-forced component due to effects of the rotation of the earth acting on the wind-driven alongshore current at the coast; and, if astronomical tides are present, an astronomical tide component. Astronomical tide is considered to be predictable and, therefore, not a meteorological driven component of storm surge although there may be interaction between the tide and meteorological driven water levels. Typically the most important component of storm surge on the US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico shorelines is the wind setup component. The importance of inland flooding due to the wind setup component of storm surge is considered herein with special reference to the effect of subaerial slope on inland flooding where three different linear slopes are considered and storm surge is calculated for the region above still water level, using an analytic solution. The present study findings show that the inland storm surge from the wind setup component can be of considerable importance and lead to significantly higher storm surges than found for storm surge at the still water level intersection of the beach/land. It is shown that mild slopes can lead to very high water levels at the land–water interface (i.e. above the still water level intersection of the beach).     

Neural network prediction of a storm surge

The occurrence of storm surge does not only destroy the resident's lives, but also cause the severe flooding in coastal areas. Therefore, accurate prediction of storm surge is an important task during the coming typhoon. Conventional numerical methods and experienced methods for storm surge prediction have been developed in the past, but it is still a complex ocean engineering problem which many factors, including the central pressure of typhoon, the speed of the typhoon, the heavy rainfall, coastal topography and local features influence the variation of storm surge. In fact, this problem is still a complex nonlinear relationship that can not solved efficiently by these two methods. Therefore, this paper presents an application of the neural network for forecasting the storm surge. The original data of Jiangjyun station in Taiwan will be used to test the performance of the present model. The results indicate that the neural network can be efficiently forecasted storm surge using the four input factors, including the wind velocity, wind direction, pressure and harmonic analysis tidal level.     

典型海湾风暴潮特征数值模拟与研究

铁山港海湾是一个遭受风暴潮灾害影响较为严重的半封闭型海湾,基于有限元海洋数学模型ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation Model)研究了1409号"威马逊"台风期间铁山港海湾的风暴潮特征及非线性作用。结果表明:当考虑天文潮与风暴潮之间的相互作用时,风暴潮水位的计算结果更加准确,只考虑纯台风影响时,计算结果会低估风暴潮增水值,高估减水值,对预报结果造成较大的误差。海湾内部的增水要远大于湾外,但是减水值则相差不大。通过对天文潮和风暴潮非线性作用的影响因子进行分析,风应力的浅水效应可以忽略,但底摩擦项和对流项影响较大。在海湾内部对流项占主导地位,与天文潮的耦合作用也较强;而在湾外,底摩擦项占优势,耦合作用在海湾内外都较强。天文潮与风暴潮相互作用产生的非线性水位在湾顶处最大可达0.94 m,出现在风暴潮最大减水时刻,风暴潮增水发生后有所减弱,非线性水位表现出从湾外向湾内递增的规律。     

Surface boundary-layer variability off Northern California, USA, during upwelling

A five-element mooring array is used to study surface boundary-layer transport over the Northern California shelf from May to August 2001. In this region, upwelling favorable winds increase in strength offshore, leading to a strong positive wind stress curl. We examine the cross-shelf variation in surface Ekman transport calculated from the wind stress and the actual surface boundary-layer transport estimated from oceanic observations. The two quantities are highly correlated with a regression slope near one. Both the Ekman transport and surface boundary layer transport imply curl-driven upwelling rates of about 3×10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹ between the 40 and 90 m isobaths (1.5 and 11.0 km from the coast, respectively) and curl-driven upwelling rates about 1.5×10⁻⁴m s⁻¹ between the 90 and 130 m isobaths (11.0 and 28.4 km from the coast, respectively). Thus curl-driven upwelling extends to at least 25 km from the coast. In contrast, upwelling driven by the adjustment to the coastal boundary condition occurs primarily inshore of the 40-m isobath. The upwelling rates implied by the differentiating the 40-m transport observations with the coastal boundary condition are up to 8×10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹. The estimated upwelling rates and the temperature–nitrate relationship imply curl-driven vertical nitrate flux divergences are about half of those driven by coastal boundary upwelling.     

A synchronously coupled tide–wave–surge model of the Yellow Sea

A coupled wave–tide–surge model has been established in this study in order to investigate the effect of tides, storm surges, and wind waves interactions during a winter monsoon on November 1983 in the Yellow Sea. The coupled model is based on the synchronous dynamic coupling of a third-generation wave model, WAM-Cycle 4, and the two-dimensional tide–surge model. The surface stress generated by interactions between wind and waves is calculated using the WAM-Cycle 4 directly based on an analytical approximation of the results obtained from the quasi-linear theory of wave generation. The changes of bottom friction factor generated by waves and current interactions are calculated by using simplified bottom boundary layer model. The model simulations showed that bottom velocity and effective bottom drag coefficient induced by combination of wave and current were increased in shallow waters of up to 50 m in the Yellow Sea during the wintertime strong storm conditions.     

How storm size matters for surge height

The observed trend of peak storm surge η_max increasing with storm size R_max, roughly as η_max ∞ R_max^0.22, particularly on gently sloping coasts, is discussed in relation to the simple 1D analytical solutions for forced long waves due to respectively surface pressure p_s and wind stress τ_w. At constant depth h, the τ_w-driven surge is proportional to storm size while the p_s-driven part is not. This could perhaps be seen to explain why the size-dependence is stronger on flatter slopes where the τ_w-driven surge dominates. However, this direct size dependence disappears in the sloping beach scenario if the typical depth is assumed proportional to storm size. The observed size dependence is then more likely due to a combination of two 2D effects: Firstly, the sideways radiation from a travelling surge which exceeds the “stationary height” Δ_p/ρg is relatively weaker for a wider system. Secondly, the wind stress field is a dipole, and the mutual cancellation of the two poles is weaker for larger systems.     

不依赖天气预报具有一定预报时效的风暴潮预报

本文试图从大气运动方程出发,提出一种极坐标形式的风暴潮定解问题,并用作者以前导出的一种风场公式,求解风暴潮高。然后用相关统计方法确定风暴潮预报式的系数,以期寻找一种不依赖天气预报又具有一定预报时效的风暴潮预报方法。     

风暴潮三维数值计算模式的研究及在渤海湾的应用

以实验室二维温带风暴潮数值模型为基础,综合考虑海洋潮波动力与风应力联合作用,建立温带风暴潮三维数值计算模型.模型从推导三维风暴潮基本控制方程出发,并应用交替方向隐格式(ADI)方法对方程进行离散求解.对于浅水动边界,模型采取局部深槽、缩小水域的活动边界处理方法.利用拟三维数值计算方法,并提出了非平面水深等分模式和平面等水深分布模式,应用这两种计算模式分别对渤海湾2009年5月8～10日发生的风暴潮过程进行了数值模拟.将风暴潮位计算结果和增水位计算结果与塘沽验潮站的实际观测数值进行对比验证,结果显示受风应力与潮波联合作用的风暴潮位和增水位与实测数据吻合良好;通过比较得到了平面等水深分布模式的计算成果要比非平面水深等分模式的计算成果更接近观测资料的结论,为风暴潮预报提供了理论依据.     

A numerical model study of barotropic subtidal water exchange between estuary and subestuaries (tributaries) in the Chesapeake Bay during northeaster events

Northeasters are storms that affect the Chesapeake Bay area more frequently, last for longer periods and impact larger areas than hurricanes. Their impacts on storm surge development and the water exchange between estuary and subestuaries (tributaries) in the Bay vary from one event to another. In this study, three different northeaster events were selected based on their tracks when passing through the Chesapeake Bay area. An unstructured grid finite volume model ELCIRC was utilized to examine the response of the water level of the Chesapeake Bay to three selected northeasters, and the barotropic subtidal water exchanges between the tributaries and the estuary in the Bay. Model sensitivity tests were conducted to examine various effects induced by, for example, tide–surge interaction, open boundary condition, river inflow, wetting-and-drying of the low-lying land area and the usage of 2-D or 3-D mode. The results show that excluding tide–surge interaction did not deteriorate the model performance in the lower Bay but it increased the model inaccuracy in the upper Bay and in the tributaries; using radiation boundary condition decreased the sea level variation in the Bay without appropriately specifying incoming wave; excluding wetting-and-drying of low-lying land area reduced the volume flux by approximately 5%; and using 3-D mode generally increased the water level variation in the Bay. The model predicted storm surges well for three northeaster events. Further diagnostic experiments show that the relative importance of the local and remote winds in generating storm surges in the Bay varied with different northeasters. The inverse barometeric effect played an important role in inducing storm surges for two selected northeasters. The interaction between the tributaries and the Bay proper is considerable. The impacts of the remote wind and Bay wind can be much larger than that of the tributary wind and, thus, control the hydrodynamics and mass transport in the tributaries. The Bay wind and tributary wind effects are largely affected by the wind direction and wind phase, and geographic locations of the tributaries in the Bay. The tributary wind can be dominant over the remote wind and Bay wind effects when the local wind stress and barometric pressure changes are large.     

The herbivorous impact of microzooplankton during two short-term Lagrangian experiments off the NW coast of Galicia in summer 1998

Microzooplankton (heterotrophic microplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates) and their herbivorous activity were estimated from dilution experiments in August 1998 during two Lagrangian drift experiments that sampled contrasting conditions—an upwelling/relaxation event along the shelf edge and an oligotrophic offshore filament. During upwelling/relaxation, heterotrophic microplankton were present at mean surface concentrations between 15,000 and 48,000 cells l⁻¹. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate concentrations were between 200 and 700 cells ml⁻¹ and the most abundant component of the heterotrophic microplankton was the aloricate choreotrich ciliates which increased dramatically in concentration from 6,000 to 24,000 cells l⁻¹ during the first 4 days of the study. Total microzooplankton biomass reached a maximum of 39mgC.m⁻³. In the filament, which developed from the upwelling, cell concentrations were lower and averaged 4,500 cells l⁻¹ for heterotrophic microplankton and 250 cells ml⁻¹ for heterotrophic nanoflagellates. Total microzooplankton biomass was about 10–12mgC.m⁻³. Microzooplankton turned over between 40 and 85% of the phytoplankton standing stock, thereby consuming between 5 and 78mg phytoplankton carbon.m⁻³.d⁻¹. The magnitude of this activity was highest during upwelling/relaxation and was positively correlated to heterotrophic nanoflagellate biomass and chlorophyll-a concentration but not heterotrophic microplankton biomass. The proportion of primary production grazed decreased from 160 to 59% d⁻¹ during upwelling/relaxation and ranged between 60 and 90% d⁻¹ in the filament. Microzooplankton herbivory within the euphotic zone increased from 684 to >2000mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹ during upwelling/relaxation and was between 327 and 802mgC.m⁻².d⁻¹ in the filament. Although microzooplankton herbivory was lower and less variable during the filament study, microzooplankton consumed on average 60% of the phytoplankton standing stocks which was higher than found during upwelling/relaxation. Microzooplankton assimilation efficiency ranged between 3 and 33% during upwelling/relaxation and between 0 and 13% in the filament. Our data demonstrate a close coupling between phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton herbivory in surface waters off the Galician Coast and suggest that microzooplankton may have been a significant sink for phytogenic carbon during August 1998.     

Sedimentation in mangroves and coral reefs in a wet tropical island, Pohnpei, Micronesia

A six-month-long study was conducted of the fate of turbid river plumes from the Enipein watershed in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on earth, with a mean annual rainfall exceeding 4 m in the lowlands and 8 m in the highlands. The river waters were clear of sediment except after major storms with rainfall exceeding 5 cm day⁻¹. Following a storm, the river plume spread in the mangrove fringed estuary and in the coral reef lagoon. The waters were highly stratified in temperature, salinity, and suspended sediment concentration. The brackish water was flushed out in four days, while the suspended sediment all settled out in the estuary, in the mangroves, and in the lagoon including on the coral reefs, in less than one day. The mean rate of sedimentation exceeded 35 mg cm⁻² d⁻¹ both over the mangroves and on the adjacent coral reefs. While this leads to no detrimental effects on the mangroves, sediment smothers corals and leads to substantial coral mortality in the lagoon. The mud is not flushed out from the lagoon because there are no strong currents from waves or tides. This high sedimentation rate is attributable to poor farming and land-use practices on the upland areas.     

Seasonal phytoplankton composition, productivity and biomass in the Neuse River estuary, North Carolina

Phytoplankton community composition, productivity and biomass characteristics of the mesohaline lower Neuse River estuary were assessed monthly from May 1988 to February 1990. An incubation method which considered water-column mixing and variable light exposure was used to determine phytoplankton primary productivity. The summer productivity peaks in this shallow estuary were stimulated by increases in irradiance and temperature. However, dissolved inorganic nitrogen loading was the major factor controlling ultimate yearly production. Dynamic, unpredictable rainfall events determined magnitudes of seasonal production pulses through nitrogen loading, and helped determine phytoplankton species composition. Dinoflagellates occasionally bloomed but were otherwise present in moderate numbers; rainfall events produced large pulses of cryptomonads, and dry seasons and subsequent higher salinity led to dominance by small centric diatoms. Daily production was strongly correlated (r = 0·82) with nitrate concentration and inversely correlated (r = −0·73) with salinity, while nitrate and salinity were inversely correlated (r = −0·71), emphasizing the importance of freshwater input as a nutrient-loading source to the lower estuary. During 1989 mean daily areal phytoplankton production was 938 mgC m⁻², mean chlorophyll a was 11·8 mg m⁻³, and mean phytoplankton density was 1·56 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹. Estimated 1989 annual areal phytoplankton production for the lower estuary was 343 gC m⁻².     

风暴潮模拟中潮位对风拖曳力系数的影响研究

近年来,应用数值模型模拟台风引起的风暴潮运动越来越普遍,模型中对于风拖曳力系数的确定,一般都从相对风速出发,可引用的公式也较多,但这些公式很少考虑潮位变化对此系数的影响.在强潮河口、海岸海域,潮位变幅大,最高潮位甚至可达风速参考高度(10m)的近一半,如长江口和杭州湾.在数值模拟中不考虑风暴潮和天文潮共同引起的潮位变化,会造成风应力高潮时被低估、低潮时被高估的现象,从而影响风暴潮模拟的精度.为此本文对现有的风拖曳力系数加以改进,提出了考虑潮位影响的风拖曳力系数表达式,并应用于长江口、杭州湾9711号台风风暴潮的模拟中,增水模拟结果得到了明显改善,可进一步推广应用于强潮河口、海岸的风暴潮增水模拟中.