Analysis of cost functions for retrieving sea surface salinity

Two kinds of Bayesian-based cost functions (i.e., the unconstrained cost function and parameter-constrained cost function) are investigated for retrieving the sea surface salinity (SSS). In low SSS regions, we have analyzed the sensitivity of the two cost functions to geophysical parameters. The results show that the unconstrained cost function is valid for retrieving several parameters (including SSS, wind speed and significant wave height), and the constrained cost function, which largely depends on the accuracy of reference values, may lead to large retrieval biases. Furthermore, as a retrieval parameter, the sea surface temperature (SST) can re-sult in the divergence of other geophysical parameters in an unconstrained cost function due to the strong sensitivity of brightness temperature to SST. By using the unconstrained cost function and the simulated brightness temperature TB with white noises, the retrieval biases of SSS are discussed with the following two procedures. Procedure a): the simulated TB values are first averaged, and then SSS is retrieved. Procedure b): the SSS is directly retrieved from the simulated TB , and then the retrieved SSS values are aver-aged. The results indicate that, for low SSS and SST distributions, the SSS retrieval by procedure a) has less biases compared with that by procedure b), while the two procedures give almost the same retrieval results for high SSS and SST sea regions.     

Brightness Temperature Model of Sea Foam Layer at L-band

Permittivity of a sea foam layer is very important in investigating ocean brightness temperature model. At microwave frequency, the Rayleigh method is developed to estimate the effective permittivity of the sea foam layer. To simplify the tedious calculation of sea foam effective permittivity at L band(1.4 GHz), Pade’ approximation is adopted to fit the sea foam effective permittivity computed by the Rayleigh method. With this fitting formula, a new brightness temperature model of sea foam layer defined by certain geophysical parameters, such as air volume fraction(AVF), sea surface temperature(SST), sea surface salinity(SSS) and thickness of foam layer d, is given. Furthermore, the sensitivities of the brightness temperature model to SST, SSS, d and AVF of a sea foam layer at L band are discussed. The sensitivities are ranked from most to least in the order:(1) d;(2) AVF;(3) SSS;(4) SST. This result indicates that the measurement errors of d and AVF have significant impacts on the retrievals of SSS and SST. With the experimental brightness temperature data, the SSS and AFV are retrieved by cost function.     

Seasonal and intraseasonal variations of the surface Taiwan Warm Current

To study seasonal and intraseasonal variations of the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) in detail Rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function (REOF) and Extended Associate Pattern Analysis (EAPA) are jointly adopted with daily sea surface salinity (SSS), sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) datasets covering 1126 days from American Navy Experimental Real-Time East Asian Seas Ocean Nowcast System in the present paper. Results show that the first and second REOFs of SST in the southern East China Sea (SECS) account for 50.8% and 39.8% of the total variance. The surface TWC contains persistent (multi-year mean), seasonal and intraseasonal components. The persistent one mainly inosculates with the Kuroshio but the seasonal and intraseasonal ones are usually active only on the continental shelf. Its persistent component is produced by inertial flow of the Kuroshio, however its seasonal and intraseasonal ones seems coming from seasonal and intraseasonal oscillations of monsoon force. The seasonal one reaches its maximum in late summer,lasting about four months and the intraseasonal one takes place at any seasons, lasting more than 40 days.     

Analysis on long-term change of sea surface temperature in the China Seas

Long-term change of sea surface temperature (SST) in the China Seas from 1900 to 2006 is examined based on two different observation datasets (HadISST1 and HadSST3). Similar to the Atlantic, SST in the China Seas has been well observed dur-ing the past 107 years. A comparison between the reconstructed (HadISST1) and un-interpolated (HadSST3) datasets shows that the SST warming trends from both datasets are consistent with each other in most of the China Seas. The warming trends are stronger in winter than in summer, with a maximum rate of SST increase exceeding 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait during winter based on HadISST1. However, the SST from both datasets experienced a sudden decrease after 1999 in the China Seas. The estimated trend from HadISST1 is stronger than that from HadSST3 in the East China Sea and the east of Taiwan Island, where the difference in the linear SST warming trends are as large as about 1℃ (100 year)-1 when using respectively HadISST1 and HadSST3 datasets. When compared to the linear winter warming trend of the land surface air temperature (1.6℃ (100 year)-1), HadSST3 shows a more reasonable trend of less than 2.1℃ (100 year)-1 than HadISST1’s trend of larger than 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The results also indicate large uncertainties in the estimate of SST warming patterns.     

Impact of climatic change on sea surface temperature variation in Subei coastal waters,East China

Sea surface temperature （SST） variation in the Subei coastal waters, East China, which is important for the ecological environment of the Yellow Sea where Enteromorphaprolifera blooms frequently, is affected by the East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM）, El Nifio-Southem Oscillation （ENSO）, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. In this study, correlations between climatic events and SST anomalies （SSTA） around the Subei （North Jiangsu Province, East China） Coast from 1981-2012 are analyzed, using empirical orthogonal function （EOF） and correlation analyses. First, a key region was determined by EOF analysis to represent the Subei coastal waters. Then, coherency analyses were performed on this key region. According to the correlation analysis, the EAWM index has a positive correlation with the spring and summer SSTA of the key region. Furthermore, the Nifio3.4 index is negatively correlated with the spring and summer SSTA of the key region 1 year ahead, and the PDO has significant negative coherency with spring SSTA and negative coherency with summer SSTA in the key region 1 year ahead. Overall, PDO exhibits the most significant impact on SSTA of the key region. In the key region, all these factors are correlated more significantly with SSTA in spring than in summer. This suggests that outbreaks ofEnteromorpha prolifera in the Yellow Sea are affected by global climatic changes, especially the PDO.     

Seasonality and causes of the Yellow Sea Warm Current

To study the seasonality and causes of the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) in detail, rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF) and extended associate pattern analysis are adopted with daily sea surface salinity (SSS), sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) datasets covering 1126 days from American Navy Experimental Real-Time East Asian Seas Ocean Nowcast System in the present paper. Results show that in the Yellow and East China Seas, the YSWC is a mean barotropic flow as compensation of winter-monsoon-driven surface currents, which has been directly observed. When East Asia winter monsoon weakens, so do the meridional pressure gradient of the surface seawater and the YSWC, while the transversal pressure gradient changes rather slowly that results in the YSWC left turning. In addition, there is southward mean flow compensation of summer-monsoon-driven surface currents, which actually was also directly ob-served.     

Statistical analysis of surface hydrography and circulation variations in northern South China Sea

1 INTRODUCTIONThe South China Sea (SCS) is a semi-enclosedmarginal sea in western North Pacific Ocean withvery complex topography and is the important pas-sage connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Ithas great impact to the global climate and a greatinterest of many oceanography researchers. Twodominant surface hydrographic and circulation fea-tures in the northern SCS are a strong fresh waterexpansion and a warm and high-salinity seawaterintrusion such as the SCS Diluted Water…     

Seasonal response of surface wind to SST perturbation in the Northern Hemisphere

The seasonal response of surface wind speed to sea surface temperature(SST)change in the Northern Hemisphere was investigated using 10 years(2002-2011)high-resolution satellite observations and reanalysis data.The results showed that correlation between surface wind speed perturbations and SST perturbations exhibits remarkable seasonal variation,with more positive correlation is stronger in the cold seasons than in the warm seasons.This seasonality in a positive correlation between SST and surface wind speed is attributable primarily to seasonal changes of oceanic and atmospheric background conditions in frontal regions.The mean SST gradient and the prevailing surface winds are strong in winter and weak in summer.Additionally,the eddy-induced response of surface wind speed is stronger in winter than in summer,although the locations and numbers of mesoscale eddies do not show obvious seasonal features.The response of surface wind speed is apparently due to stability and mixing within the marine atmospheric boundary layer(MABL),modulated by SST perturbations.In the cold seasons,the stronger positive(negative)SST perturbations are easier to increase(decrease)the MABL height and trigger(suppress)momentum vertical mixing,contributing to the positive correlation between SST and surface wind speed.In comparison,SST perturbations are relatively weak in the warm seasons,resulting in a weak response of surface wind speed to SST changes.This result holds for each individual region with energetic eddy activity in the Northern Hemisphere.     

Warming trend in northern East China Sea in recent four decades

Global warming has become a notable trend especially since an abrupt climate change in 1976. Response of the East China Sea (ECS) to the global warming trend, however, is not well understood because of sparse long-term observation. In this paper, hydrographic observation data of 1957–1996 are collected and reviewed to study climatological variability in northern ECS. Significant warming trends are found in both summer and winter. In summer, the average SST is about 0.46°C higher during the period of 1977-19...     

Retrieve sea surface salinity using principal component regression model based on SMOS satellite data

The sea surface salinity(SSS) is a key parameter in monitoring ocean states. Observing SSS can promote the understanding of global water cycle. This paper provides a new approach for retrieving sea surface salinity from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity(SMOS) satellite data. Based on the principal component regression(PCR) model, SSS can also be retrieved from the brightness temperature data of SMOS L2 measurements and Auxiliary data. 26 pair matchup data is used in model validation for the South China Sea(in the area of 4?–25?N, 105?–125?E). The RMSE value of PCR model retrieved SSS reaches 0.37 psu(practical salinity units) and the RMSE of SMOS SSS1 is 1.65 psu when compared with in-situ SSS. The corresponding Argo daily salinity data during April to June 2013 is also used in our validation with RMSE value 0.46 psu compared to 1.82 psu for daily averaged SMOS L2 products. This indicates that the PCR model is valid and may provide us with a good approach for retrieving SSS from SMOS satellite data.     

Major mid-late Holocene cooling in the East China Sea revealed by an alkenone sea surface temperature record

Although the mid-late Holocene cold and dry event about 4000 years ago(the 4 ka event) has been observed almost globally, it was most prominent in terrestrial climate proxies from the lower latitudes. Here we evaluate the oceanic response to this event in terms of a Holocene sea surface temperature(SST) record reconstructed using the K'37U index for Core B3 on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The record reveals a large temperature drop of about 5℃ from the mid-Holocene(24.7℃ at 5.6 ka) to the 4 ka event(19.2℃ at 3.8 ka). This mid-late Holocene cooling period in Core B3 correlated with(i) decreases in the East Asia summer monsoon intensity and(ii) the transition period with increased El Nino/Southern Oscillation activities in the Equatorial Pacific. Our SST record provides oceanic evidence for a more global nature of the mid-late Holocene climate change, which was most likely caused by a southward migration of the Intertropical Converge Zone in response to the decreasing summer solar insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the large SST drop around Core B3 indicates that the mid-late Holocene cooling was regionally amplified by the initiation/strengthening of eddy circulation/cold front which caused upwelling and resulted in additional SST decrease. Upwelling during the mid-late Holocene also enhanced with surface productivity in the East China Sea as reflected by higher alkenone content around Core B3.     

Preliminary validation of SMOS sea surface salinity measurements in the South China Sea

The SMOS(soil moisture and ocean salinity) mission undertaken by the European Space Agency(ESA) has provided sea surface salinity(SSS) measurements at global scale since 2009.Validation of SSS values retrieved from SMOS data has been done globally and regionally.However,the accuracy of SSS measurements by SMOS in the China seas has not been examined in detail.In this study,we compared retrieved SSS values from SMOS data with in situ measurements from a South China Sea(SCS) expedition during autumn 2011.The comparison shows that the retrieved SSS values using ascending pass data have much better agreement with in situ measurements than the result derived from descending pass data.Accuracy in terms of bias and root mean square error(RMS) of the SSS retrieved using three different sea surface roughness models is very consistent,regardless of ascending or descending orbits.When ascending and descending measurements are combined for comparison,the retrieved SSS using a semi-empirical model shows the best agreement with in situ measurements,with bias-0.33 practical salinity units and RMS 0.74.We also investigated the impact of environmental conditions of sea surface wind and sea surface temperature on accuracy of the retrieved SSS.The SCS is a semi-closed basin where radio frequencies transmitted from the mainland strongly interfere with SMOS measurements.Therefore,accuracy of retrieved SSS shows a relationship with distance between the validation sites and land.     

Sea surface height oscillation with quasi-four-month period along the continental slope in the northern South China Sea

The sea surface height oscillation with a quasi-four-month period (SSHO4) along continental slope in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) is detected using satellite altimeter data and an ocean model simulation. The SSHO4 is at southwest of Dongsha Island, and is characterized by a wavelength of ~600 km and a southwestward phase speed of ~0.1 m/s. Crossing the climatological background SST front, geostrophic currents corresponding to the SSHO4 generally induce sea surface temperature (SST) "tongues" during January-March. The cold and warm SST tongues appear southwest of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, respectively. The distance between the warm and cold SST tongues is about half the wavelength of the SSHO4. The geostrophic currents play an important role in lateral mixing, as manifested by the SST tongue phenomena in the NSCS.     

Coral reef bleaching at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep atolls, India

A survey on coral bleaching was carried out at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep from May to June 2010.Elevated sea surface temperatures(SSTs)of the region exceeded the seasonal average and delayed the onset of monsoon,which triggered widespread bleaching of corals.The Agatti reefs showed an average of 73%bleached corals with apparent bleaching-related mortality of sea anemones(87%)and giant clams(83%).The SST increased up to 34℃with an average maximum SST of 32.5℃ during the study period between May and June 2010.Coral reefs on the southern side of the island are fully or partially exposed to sun light during low tide in contrast to the other side.This suggests that the mortality is more likely due to the low tide exposure than exclusively due to the elevated SST.Observations indicated a clear increase in coral bleaching during April 2010,at levels higher than that in normal summer.     

The regional air-sea coupled oscillation in the South China Sea

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The modeled atmospheric and oceanic response to the South China Sea SST anomaly

The sensitivity of the global atmospheric and oceanic response to sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) throughout the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated using the Fast Ocean-Atmosphere Model (FOAM). Forced by a warming SST, the experiment explicitly demonstrates that the responses of surface air temperature (SAT) and SST exhibit positive anomalous center over SCS and negative anomalous center over the Northern Pacific Ocean (NPO). The atmospheric response to the warm SST anomalies is characterized by a barotropical anomaly in middle-latitude, leading to a weak subtropical high in summer and a weak Aleutian low in winter. Accordingly, Indian monsoon and eastern Asian monsoon strengthen in summer but weaken in winter as a result of wind convergence owing to the warm SST. It is worth noting that the abnormal signals propagate poleward and eastward away in the form of Rossby Waves from the forcing region, which induces high pressure anomaly. Owing to action of the wind-driven circulation, an anomalous anti-cyclonic circulation is induced with a primary southward current in the upper ocean. An obvious cooling appears over the North Pacific, which can be explained by anomalous meridional cold advection and mixing as shown in the analysises of heat budget and other factors that affect SST.     

Interannual variability of SST,SLA and wind waves in the Hawaii area and their responses to ENSO

Time series of sea surface temperature (SST),wind speed and significant wave height (SWH) from meteorologicalbuoys of the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) are useful for studying the interannual variability and trend of these quantities at the buoy areas.The measurements from 4 buoys (B51001,B51002,B51003 and B51004) in the Hawaii area are used to study theresponses of the quantities to EI Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO).Long-term averages of these data reflect precise seasonaland climatological characteristics of SST,wind speed and SWH around the Hawaii area.Buoy observations from B51001 suggest asignificant warming trend which is,however,not very clear from the other three buoys.Compared with the variability of SST andSWH,the wind speeds from the buoy observations show an increasing trend.The impacts of El Nifio on SST and wind waves arealso shown.Sea level data observed by altimeter during October 1992 to September 2006 are analyzed to investigate the variabilityof sea level in the Hawaii area.The results also show an increasing trend in sea level anomaly (SLA).The low-passed SLA in theHawaii area is consistent with the inverse phase of the low-passed Sol (Southern Oscillation Index).Compared with the low-passedSOl and PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation),the low-passed PNA (Pacific-North America Index) has a better correlation with thelow-passed SLA in the Hawaii area.     

Interannual Variability of the Hadley Circulation Associated with Tropical Pacific SST Anomaly

The seasonal and interannual variability of zonal mean Hadley circulation are analyzed, and the important effects of sea surface temperature(SST), especially the tropical Pacific SST, on the meridional circulation are discussed. Following results are obtained: 1) the Hadley circulation presents a single clockwise(anticlockwise) cross-equator circulation in the Northern(Southern) Hemisphere winter,while it is a double-ring-shaped circulation quasi-symmetric about the equator in spring and autumn. The annual mean state just indicates the residual of the Hadley cell in winter and summer. 2) The first mode of interannual anomalies shows a single cell crossing the equator like the climatology in winter and summer but with narrower width. The second mode shows a double ring-shaped cell quasi-symmetric about the equator which is similar to the Hadley cell in spring or autumn. 3) Vertical motion of the Hadley circulation is driven by sea surface temperature(SST) through latent and sensible heat in the tropics, and the interannual anomalies are mainly driven by the SST anomaly(SSTa) in the tropical Pacific. 4) The meridional gradient of SSTa is well consistent with the lower meridional wind of Hadley circulation in the interannual part. For the spatial distribution, the meridional gradient of SSTa in the Pacific plays a major role for the first two modes while the effects of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean can be ignored.     

Comparison Between Early and Late 21~(st)C Phytoplankton Biomass and Dimethylsulfide Flux in the Subantarctic Southern Ocean

Time-series of chlorophyll-a(CHL),a proxy for phytoplankton biomass,and various satellite-derived climate indicators are compared in a region of the Subantarctic Southern Ocean(40°-60°S,110°-140°E)for years 2012-2014.CHL reached a minimum in winter(June)and a maximum in late summer(early February).Zonal mean CHL decreased towards the south.Mean sea surface temperature(SST)ranged between 8℃and 15℃and peaked in late February.CHL and SST were positively correlated from March to June,negatively correlated from July to September.CHL and wind speed(WIND)were negatively correlated with peak WIND occurred in winter.Wind direction(WIRD)was mostly in the southwest to westerly direction.The Antarctic Oscillation index(AAO)and CHL were negatively correlated(R=−0.58),indicating that as synoptic wind systems move southwards,CHL increases,and conversely when wind systems move northwards,CHL decreases.A genetic algorithm is used to calibrate the biogeochemical DMS model’s key parameters.Under 4×CO2(after year 2100)Regional mean SST increases 12%-17%,WIND increases 1.2ms−1,Cloud Cover increases 4.8%and mixed layer depth(MLD)decreases 48m.The annual CHL increases 6.3%.The annual mean DMS flux increase 25.2%,increases 37%from day 1 to day 280 and decrease 3%from day 288 to day 360.The general increase of DMS flux under 4×CO2 conditions indicates the Subantarctic regional climate would be affected by changes in the DMS flux,with the potential for a cooling effect in the austral summer and autumn.     

北极海冰范围时空变化及其与海温气温间的数值分析

本文利用美国国家冰雪中心提供的1989-2014年海冰范围资料,分析了北极海冰范围的年际变化和季节变化规律。分析发现,北极海冰范围呈减少趋势,每年减小\begin{array}{c}5.91\times {10}^4\mathit{k}{m}^2\end{array},夏季减少趋势显著,冬季减少趋势弱。北极海冰范围显现相对稳定的季节变化规律,海冰的结冰和融化主要发生在各个边缘海,夏季期间的海冰具有融化快、冻结快的特征。结合海温、气温数据,进行北极海冰范围与海温、气温间的数值分析,结果表明北极海冰范围变化通过影响北极海温变化进而影响北极气温变化。海冰范围的季节变化滞后于海温和气温的季节变化。基于北极考察走航海温气温数据,进行楚科奇海海冰范围线与海温气温间的数值分析,发现楚科奇海海冰范围线所在区域的海温、气温与纬度高低、离陆地远近有关。