The Mediterranean response to different space–time resolution atmospheric forcings using perpetual mode sensitivity simulations

The Mediterranean basin features a semi-enclosed sea, where interactions and feedbacks between the atmosphere and the Sea at various temporal and spatial scales play a predominant role in the regional climate. This study analyzes the Mediterranean Sea response in sensitivity experiments conducted by driving the NEMO-MED12 oceanic model in perpetual mode with various atmospheric forcings, all produced by the WRF non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model, but differing by their resolutions: two horizontal resolutions (20 km at basin scale and 6.7 km in the North-Western [NWE] area) and two temporal resolutions (daily and three-hourly). The atmospheric fields available from August 1998 to July 1999 are in good agreement with estimates derived from satellite data. The heat budget of the Mediterranean Sea represents an heat loss of 5 W/m² and the annual freshwater budget is ?1.04 m, in agreement with climatologies. An increase in the spatial resolution in the NWE area modifies the modeled circulation from ?10% to +15% for the SST, from ?30% to +50% for the SSS, from ?10% to +30% for the MLD and from ?10% to +30% for the EKE in surface. The increase in the wind speed with a better chanelling by the land orography enhances in particular the oceanic convection process in the NWE area. On the other hand, the increase in the temporal resolution reduces the convection process, because of the diurnal restratification of the oceanic upper layer. It also reduces the surface parameters high-frequency variability, whereas it increases the EKE values in surface, due to the rapid response to the wind.     

High resolution downscaled ocean waves (DOW) reanalysis in coastal areas

Large-scale wave reanalysis databases (0.1°–1° spatial resolution) provide valuable information for wave climate research and ocean applications which require long-term time series (> 20 years) of hourly sea state parameters. However, coastal studies need a more detailed spatial resolution (50–500 m) including wave transformation processes in shallow waters. This specific problem, called downscaling, is usually solved applying a dynamical approach by means of numerical wave propagation models requiring a high computational time effort. Besides, the use of atmospheric reanalysis and wave generation and propagation numerical models introduce some uncertainties and errors that must be dealt with. In this work, we present a global framework to downscale wave reanalysis to coastal areas, taking into account the correction of open sea significant wave height (directional calibration) and drastically reducing the CPU time effort (about 1000 ×) by using a hybrid methodology which combines numerical models (dynamical downscaling) and mathematical tools (statistical downscaling). The spatial wave variability along the boundaries of the propagation domain and the simultaneous wind fields are taking into account in the numerical propagations to performance similarly to the dynamical downscaling approach. The principal component analysis is applied to the model forcings to reduce the data dimension simplifying the selection of a subset of numerical simulations and the definition of the wave transfer function which incorporates the dependency of the wave spatial variability and the non-uniform wind forcings. The methodology has been tested in a case study on the northern coast of Spain and validated using shallow water buoys, confirming a good reproduction of the hourly time series structure and the different statistical parameters.     

Offshore wind farm impacts on surface waves and circulation in Eastern Lake Ontario

A coupled wave and hydrodynamic model was applied to the Kingston Basin of eastern Lake Ontario, a region with bathymetric variability due to channels and shoals, to assess the potential impacts on surface waves and wind-driven circulation of an offshore wind farm. The model was used to simulate a series of storm events with time-varying wind forcing and validated against wave, current and water level observations. The wind farm was simulated by adding semi-permeable structures in the surface wave model to represent the turbine monopiles, and by adding an energy loss term to the fluid momentum equations in the hydrodynamic model to represent the added drag of the monopiles on the flow. The results suggest that the wind farm would have a small influence on waves and circulation throughout the wind farm area, with spatial variability due to focussing of wave energy and re-direction of the flow. Overall, the results indicate that the wave height in coastal areas will be minimally affected with changes in significant wave height predicted to be < 3%. Larger changes to the strength of circulation occur inside the wind farm region with localized changes in current magnitude of up to 8 cm s^− 1. The results of this study may help to understand the impacts of future offshore wind farms and other offshore structures in the Great Lakes.     

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.     

How does multiscale modelling and inclusion of realistic palaeobathymetry affect numerical simulation of the Storegga Slide tsunami?

The ∼8.15 ka Storegga submarine slide was a large (∼3000 km³), tsunamigenic slide off the coast of Norway. The resulting tsunami had run-up heights of around 10–20 m on the Norwegian coast, over 12 m in Shetland, 3–6 m on the Scottish mainland coast and reached as far as Greenland. Accurate numerical simulations of Storegga require high spatial resolution near the coasts, particularly near tsunami run-up observations, and also in the slide region. However, as the computational domain must span the whole of the Norwegian-Greenland sea, employing uniformly high spatial resolution is computationally prohibitive. To overcome this problem, we present a multiscale numerical model of the Storegga slide-generated tsunami where spatial resolution varies from 500 m to 50 km across the entire Norwegian-Greenland sea domain to optimally resolve the slide region, important coastlines and bathymetric changes. We compare results from our multiscale model to previous results using constant-resolution models and show that accounting for changes in bathymetry since 8.15 ka, neglected in previous numerical studies of the Storegga slide-tsunami, improves the agreement between the model and inferred run-up heights in specific locations, especially in the Shetlands, where maximum run-up height increased from 8 m (modern bathymetry) to 13 m (palaeobathymetry). By tracking the Storegga tsunami as far south as the southern North sea, we also found that wave heights were high enough to inundate Doggerland, an island in the southern North Sea prior to sea level rise over the last 8 ka.     

Solitary wave generation dynamics at Luzon Strait

A high resolution modeling study is undertaken, with a 2.5-dimensional nonhydrostatic model, of the generation of internal waves induced by tidal motion over the ridges in Luzon Strait. The model is forced by the barotropic tidal components K1, M2, and O1. These tidal components, along with the initial density field, were extracted from data and models. As the barotropic tide moves over the Luzon Strait sills, there is a conversion of barotropic tidal energy into baroclinic tidal energy. Depressions are generated that propagate towards the Asian Seas International Acoustics Experiment (ASIAEX) test site on the Chinese continental shelf. Nonlinear effects steepen the depressions, frequency and amplitude dispersion set in, and disintegration into large amplitude solitary waves occurs. The effects of varying the initial density field, tidal component magnitudes, as well as adding a steady background current to represent the occasional excursions of the Kuroshio Current into the strait, are considered.Depressions are generated at each of the two sills in Luzon Strait which radiate away, steepening and evolving into internal solitary wave trains. Baroclinic fluxes of available potential energy, kinetic energy and linear are calculated for various parameter combinations. The solitary wave trains produced in the simulations generally consist of large amplitude wave trains alternating with small amplitude wave trains. During strong tidal flow, Kelvin–Helmholtz type instabilities can develop over the taller double-humped sill. The solitary waves propagating towards the ASIAEX test site have been observed to reach amplitudes of 120–250 m, depending on the tidal strength. ASIAEX observations indicate amplitudes up to 150 m and the Windy Island Experiment (WISE) measurements contain magnitudes over 200 m. The model results yield solitary wave amplitudes of 70–300 m and half widths of 0.60–3.25 km, depending on parameter values. These are in the range of observations. Measurements by Klymak et al. (2006), in the South China Sea, exhibit amplitudes of 170 m, half widths of 3 km and phase speeds of 2.9 m s^?1. Model predictions indicate that the solitary waves making up the wave packet each experience different background currents with strong near surface shear.The energy in the leading soliton of the large amplitude wave trains ranges between 1.8 and 9.0 GJ m^?1. The smaller value, produced using barotropic tidal currents based on the Oregon State University data base, is the same as the energy estimated to be in a solitary wave observed by Klymak et al. (2006). Estimates of the conversion of barotropic tidal energy into radiating internal wave energy yield conversion rates ranging between 3.6% and 8.3%.     

Short-term statistics of waves measured off Ratnagiri,eastern Arabian Sea

The short-term wave characteristics are required for design and operation of industrial facilities within the coastal areas. Water surface displacement measured using waverider buoy moored at 13 m water depth in the eastern Arabian Sea off the west coast of India have been analyzed to study the short-term statistics of waves covering full one year period. The study indicates that the values of the observed maximum wave height as a function of duration are not consistent with the theoretical expected value. There is significant variation (1.29–2.19) in the ratio between highest 1% wave and significant wave height compared to the theoretical value of 1.67. The data recorded at 13 m water depth indicates that the significant wave height is ∼8% lower than that predicted by the conventional Rayleigh distribution. The theoretical bivariate log-normal distribution represents the joint distributions of wave heights and periods for the study area.     

Coastal defence through wave farms

The possibility of using wave farms for coastal defence warrants investigation because wave energy is poised to become a major renewable in many countries over the next decades. The fundamental question in this regard is whether a wave farm can be used to reduce beach erosion under storm conditions. If the answer to this question is positive, then a wave farm can have coastal defence as a subsidiary function, in addition to its primary role of producing carbon-free energy. The objective of this work is to address this question by comparing the response of a beach in the face of a storm in two scenarios: with and without the wave farm. For this comparison a set of ad hoc impact indicators is developed: the bed level impact (BLI), beach face eroded area (FEA), non-dimensional erosion reduction (NER), and mean cumulative eroded area (CEA); and their values are determined by means of two coupled models: a high-resolution wave propagation model (SWAN) and a coastal processes model (XBeach). The study is conducted through a case study: Perranporth Beach (UK). Backed by a well-developed dune system, Perranporth has a bar between − 5 m and − 10 m. The results show that the wave farm reduces the eroded volume by as much as 50% and thus contributes effectively to coastal protection. This synergy between marine renewable energy and coastal defence may well contribute to improving the viability of wave farms through savings in conventional coastal protection.     

Rhenium in rivers and estuaries of India: Sources,transport and behaviour

The concentration of dissolved and particulate Re have been measured in the Narmada, Tapi and the Mandovi estuaries in the Arabian Sea and the Hooghly estuary in the Bay of Bengal. Re concentration in water and particulate matter of these estuaries is highly variable. Re in river waters analysed varies from 1 to 41 pmol/kg, the lowest in the Mandovi and the highest in the Mahi river. Re concentrations in the rivers analysed except in the Mandovi river are higher than the average global riverine Re concentration of 2.1 pmol/kg. Based on this study and the available data, the contemporary global annual flux of dissolved riverine Re is estimated to be ~ 350 × 10³ mol with an average concentration of ~ 9.2 pmol/kg, much higher than the earlier estimates. Residence time of Re in the oceans based on this estimate is 175,000 years, ~ 4 times lower compared to earlier estimates. Re behaves conservatively in all the estuaries studied. Re concentrations of seawater in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea, estimated from the data of the Hooghly and the Mandovi estuaries respectively are ~ 40 pmol/kg, similar to the open ocean Re values of the Arabian Sea measured in this study and the values reported for in other oceanic regions. However, the dissolved Re in the Gulf of Cambay is 2 to 5 times higher, consistent with the high Re measured in the Mahi estuary and in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Cambay. The source of high Re in the Gulf of Cambay seems to be anthropogenic, measurements of Re in rivers and industrial waste waters draining into the Gulf supply amount to ~ 2300 mol of Re annually. This anthropogenic supply coupled with high residence time of water in the Gulf contribute to its high Re. Re concentration in suspended sediments of the Narmada estuary varies from 1 to 2 pmol/g, and does not show any discernible trend with salinity.The contemporary global riverine Re supply to the oceans estimated in this study is ~ 2–4 times higher compared to its removal in the reducing (anoxic/suboxic) sediments, indicating non-steady state of Re in the ocean. High dissolved riverine Re flux coupled with high Re content in the Gulf of Cambay highlights the need of a detailed study of Re in the various global rivers and in oceans including coastal regions and semi enclosed basins of the world to understand its behaviour in various reservoirs and to constrain the residence time of Re in the ocean.     

Long-term hydrographic changes at 52 and 66°W in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre & Caribbean

In July–September 1997 two hydrographic lines were done in the western N. Atlantic along longitudes of 52 and 66°W as part of the WOCE one-time hydrographic survey of the oceans. Each of these two lines approximately repeated earlier ones done during the International Geophysical Year(s) (IGY) and the mid-1980s. Because of this repeated sampling, long-term hydrographic changes in the water masses can be examined. In this report, we focus on temperature and salinity changes within the subtropical gyre mainly between latitudes of 20 and 35°N and compare our results to those presented by Bryden et al. (1996), who examined changes along a zonal line at 24°N, most recently occupied in 1992. Since this most recent 24°N section in 1992, substantial changes have occurred in the western part of the subtropical gyre at the depths of the Labrador Sea Water (LSW). In particular, we see clear evidence for colder, fresher Labrador Sea Water throughout the gyre on our two recent sections that was not yet present in 1992 at similar longitudes along 24°N. At shallower depths inhabited by waters that are an admixture of Mediterranean (MW) and Antarctic Intermediate Waters (AAIW), our recent survey shows an increase in salinity, which can only be attributed to changes in water masses on potential temperature or neutral density surfaces. Furthermore, waters above the MW/AAIW layer and into the deeper part of the main pycnocline have continued to become saltier and warmer throughout the 40-year period spanned by our sections. These latter changes have been dominantly due to a vertical sinking of density surfaces as T/S changes in density surfaces are small, but depths of individual T/S horizons have increased with time. The net change since the IGY shows a mean temperature increase between 800 and 2500 m depth at a rate of 0.57°C/century with a corresponding steric sea level rise of 1 mm/yr, and a net downward heave with small values near the top and bottom, and a maximum rate of −2.7 m/yr at 1800 m depth. Changes in the deep Caribbean indicate a warming since the IGY due to temperature increases of the inflowing source waters in the subtropical gyre at 1800m depth, but no significant change in the deep salinity.     

The influence of sea state on formation speed of alongshore variability in surf zone sand bars

The formation time of alongshore morphological variability in surf zone sand bars has long been known to differ from one beach to the other and from one post-storm period to another. Here we investigate whether the type of sea state, i.e. distant swell waves or locally generated short period wind sea, affects the formation time of the emerging alongshore topographic variability.A numerical modeling approach is used to examine the emergence of alongshore variability under different shore-normal wave forcing. A research version of Delft3D, operating on the time-scale of wave groups, is applied to a schematised bathymetry with a single bar. The model is then used to investigate several wave scenarios, examining the impact of peak period, frequency spread and directional spread on the formation time of alongshore variability.Results show that an increase in wave period has a large effect, changing the formation time up to O (250%) in case the wave period is changed from a representative value for the Dutch coast (T_p ~ 5–6 s) to an Australian South East coast value (T_p ~ 10–12 s). In contrast, modifications in the directional and frequency spread of the wave field result only in a minor change in the formation time.Examination of hydrodynamics and potential sediment transport shows that the variations in formation time are primarily related to changes in the magnitude of the time-averaged flow conditions. Variations in the magnitude of very low frequency (f < 0.004 Hz) or infragravity (0.004 < f < 0.04 Hz) surf zone flow velocities do not affect the mean sediment transport capacity. Consequently the formation speed of patterns is primarily governed by positive feedback between mean flow and morphology, and low frequency flow fluctuations are of minor importance.These findings indicate that the development of alongshore topographic variability may be faster at swell dominated open coasts, primarily due to the occurrence of longer period swell. Also, at a given site, the arrival of a long wave period swell after a storm can accelerate the emergence of variability.     

Retrieval of sea surface specific humidity based on AMSR-E satellite data

A new algorithm using a multivariate regression technique for retrieving sea surface specific humidity (Q) from remote sensing data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) is proposed. Daily and monthly specific humidity data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis dataset and data of sea surface temperature, atmospheric total water vapor, and wind speed from AMSR-E oceanographic products were used to derive the regression coefficients of the algorithm, and all the data for derivation are from the year 2003. An F-test was applied to the regression, and small P-values indicate that the regressions are significant to a high level of confidence. The derived coefficients have been validated using similar data from the year 2004. The root mean square (rms) error of the algorithm for daily retrieved Q over the global oceans is 1.05 g kg⁻¹, and the rms error for monthly retrieved Q is 0.61 g kg⁻¹.     

Deep-towed High Resolution multichannel seismic imaging

High Resolution (220–1050 Hz) seismic acquisition performed in deep water using deep-towed systems provides unrivalled lateral resolution when compared to conventional surface seismic. The lateral resolution of these acquisitions is controlled by the width of the first Fresnel zone, taking advantage of their positions close to the sea bottom. No current existing deep towed equipment can benefit from seismic imaging processing techniques to improve this resolution as a consequence of positioning inaccuracies. The technological developments of a digital deep-towed multichannel streamer are presented with a particular attention to positioning: each hydrophone incorporates a pitch, roll and heading sensor in order to monitor the constant deformation of the streamer in operation. The sea trials took place in July 2013 in the Mediterranean Sea. Pre-stack depth migration applied to the deep-towed multichannel data illustrates the potential of this emerging methodology in terms of penetration (12 dB improvement in Signal/Noise) and lateral resolution (mean signal wavelength: 3 m) when compared with deep-towed single-channel acquisition.     

A probabilistic method for constructing wave time-series at inshore locations using model scenarios

Continuous time-series of wave characteristics (height, period, and direction) are constructed using a base set of model scenarios and simple probabilistic methods. This approach utilizes an archive of computationally intensive, highly spatially resolved numerical wave model output to develop time-series of historical or future wave conditions without performing additional, continuous numerical simulations. The archive of model output contains wave simulations from a set of model scenarios derived from an offshore wave climatology. Time-series of wave height, period, direction, and associated uncertainties are constructed at locations included in the numerical model domain. The confidence limits are derived using statistical variability of oceanographic parameters contained in the wave model scenarios. The method was applied to a region in the northern Gulf of Mexico and assessed using wave observations at 12 m and 30 m water depths. Prediction skill for significant wave height is 0.58 and 0.67 at the 12 m and 30 m locations, respectively, with similar performance for wave period and direction. The skill of this simplified, probabilistic time-series construction method is comparable to existing large-scale, high-fidelity operational wave models but provides higher spatial resolution output at low computational expense. The constructed time-series can be developed to support a variety of applications including climate studies and other situations where a comprehensive survey of wave impacts on the coastal area is of interest.     

Assessment of extreme wind and waves in the Colombian Caribbean Sea for offshore applications

Interest in Colombia’s offshore industry has increased over the past years. Therefore a detailed characterization of extreme wind and waves, in terms of return periods, numbers of events and its duration during the annual cycle, is needed. Two sets of high-resolution data are used in the statistical extreme value analysis (EVA). The significant wave height data (0.125°, 6 h) are from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis available for the past 35 years (1979–2014). Surface winds (0.25°, 6 h) from the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform Ocean Surface Wind Vector Analyses (CCMP) of NASA/GSFC/NOAA (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are available for the past 24 years (1987–2011). Three well-known methods are applied to the data: the Block Maxima (BM), the Peak-Over-Threshold (POT) and the Method of Independent Storm (MIS). Several probabilistic models (Gumbel, Generalized Extreme Value, Weibull and Pareto) are evaluated for the BM and different threshold values for the POT and MIS. The results show that waves can reach up to 3.8 m and winds can be as strong as 31 m/s when considering the 50–100-year return periods. However, the wave model could underestimate values by up to one meter; hence, there is a probability of higher values in the region. Seasonally, most extreme events occur during the dry season (December–March) and during the Mid-Summer-Drought (MDS) or Veranillo months (June–July). Local conditions, including the reinforcement of the Caribbean Low Level Jet (CLLJ) and the occurrence of cold atmospheric fronts, are important drivers of extreme metoceanic variability. The total number of extreme wind events varied spatially and temporally from 15 to 65 and the mean duration from 15 to 25 h. A total number of extreme wave events ranging from <10 to 80 were computed during the annual cycle in the areas of interest, with a mean duration of less than 40 h.     

Wave climate scatter performance of a cycloidal wave energy converter

A lift based cycloidal wave energy converter (WEC) was investigated using potential flow numerical simulations in combination with viscous loss estimates based on published hydrofoil data. This type of wave energy converter consists of a shaft with one or more hydrofoils attached eccentrically at a radius. The main shaft is aligned parallel to the wave crests and submerged at a fixed depth. The operation of the WEC as a wave-to-shaft energy converter interacting with straight crested waves was estimated for an actual ocean wave climate. The climate chosen was the climate recorded by a buoy off the north-east shore of Oahu/Hawaii, which was a typical moderate wave climate featuring an average annual wave power P_W = 17 kWh/m of wave crest. The impact of the design variables radius, chord, span and maximum generator power on the average annual shaft energy yield, capacity factor and power production time fraction were explored. In the selected wave climate, a radius R = 5 m, chord C = 5 m and span of S = 60 m along with a maximum generator power of P_G = 1.25 MW were found to be optimal in terms of annual shaft energy yield. At the design point, the CycWEC achieved a wave-to-shaft power efficiency of 70%. In the annual average, 40% of the incoming wave energy was converted to shaft energy, and a capacity factor of 42% was achieved. These numbers exceeded the typical performance of competing renewables like wind power, and demonstrated that the WEC was able to convert wave energy to shaft energy efficiently for a range of wave periods and wave heights as encountered in a typical wave climate.     

Modeling wave-mud interaction on the central chenier-plain coast,western Louisiana Shelf,USA

The strong coupling between hydrodynamics and seafloors on shallow muddy shelves, and resulting bed reworking, have been extensively documented. On these shelves, spectral wave transformation is driven by a complex combination of forcing mechanisms that include nonlinear wave interactions and wave energy dissipation induced by fluid-mud at a range of frequencies. Wave-mud interaction is investigated herein by using a previously validated nonlinear spectral wave model and observations of waves and near-bed conditions on a mildly-sloping seafloor off the muddy central chenier-plain coast, western Louisiana Shelf, United States. Measurements were made along a cross-shelf transect spanning 1 km between 4 and 3 m water depths. The high-resolution observations of waves and near-bed conditions suggest presence of a fluid mud layer with thickness sometimes exceeding 10 cm under strong long wave action (1 meter wave height with 7 s peak period at 4 meter depth). Spectral wave transformation is modeled using the stochastic formulation of the nonlinear Mild Slope Equation, modified to account for wave-breaking and mud-induced dissipation. The model is used in an inverse manner in order to estimate the viscosity of the fluid mud layer, which is a key parameter controlling mud-induced wave dissipation but complicated to measure in the field during major wave events. Estimated kinematic viscosities vary between 10⁻⁴-10⁻³ m²/s. Combining these results of the wave model simulations with in-depth analysis of near-bed conditions and boundary layer modeling allows for a detailed investigation of the interaction of nonlinear wave propagation and mud characteristics. The results indicate that mud-induced dissipation is most efficient when the wave-induced resuspensions of concentrations  > 10 g/L settle due to relatively small bottom stresses to form a fluid mud layer that is not as thin and viscous as a consolidated seafloor in absence of wave action but also not as thick and soft as a near-bed high concentration layer that forms during strong wave action.     

Influence of surface forcing on near-surface and mixing layer turbulence in the tropical Indian Ocean

An autonomous upwardly-moving microstructure profiler was used to collect measurements of the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (ε) in the tropical Indian Ocean during a single diurnal cycle, from about 50 m depth to the sea surface. This dataset is one of only a few to resolve upper ocean ε over a diurnal cycle from below the active mixing layer up to the air–sea interface. Wind speed was weak with an average value of ~5 m s⁻¹ and the wave field was swell-dominated. Within the wind and wave affected surface layer (WWSL), ε values were on the order of 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ W kg⁻¹ at a depth of 0.75 m and when averaged, were almost a factor of two above classical law of the wall theory, possibly indicative of an additional source of energy from the wave field. Below this depth, ε values were closer to wall layer scaling, suggesting that the work of the Reynolds stress on the wind-induced vertical shear was the major source of turbulence within this layer. No evidence of persistent elevated near-surface ε characteristic of wave-breaking conditions was found. Profiles collected during night-time displayed relatively constant ε values at depths between the WWSL and the base of the mixing layer, characteristic of mixing by convective overturning. Within the remnant layer, depth-averaged values of ε started decaying exponentially with an e-folding time of 47 min, about 30 min after the reversal of the total surface net heat flux from oceanic loss to gain.     

Consumption and production on scales of a few days of inorganic carbon,nitrate and oxygen by the planktonic community: results of continuous measurements at the Dyfamed Station in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (May 1995)

Continuous measurements between 0 and 200 m depth were performed every 2 h over two separate periods of four days at a station in the open northwestern Mediterranean Sea (Dyfamed Station) during the Dynaproc cruise in May 1995. Estimates of the daily variations in profiles of temperature, partial pressure of CO₂, oxygen, chlorophyll a and nutrients were obtained. The distributions of the various physical and chemical properties were clearly different during the two time series, which were separated by a period of 11 days during which a wind event occurred. The mean daily utilization or production due to biological processes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), nitrate+nitrite and oxygen were calculated along isopycnals using a vertical diffusion model. Between the surface and about 20 m depth, DIC was consumed and O₂ released during the two time series while the nitrate+nitrite concentrations as well as supplies were zero. After the wind event, the O₂ : C : N ratios of consumption (or production) were, on average, near the Redfield ratios, but during the first time series, the C : N utilization ratio between 20 and 35 m was two to three times that of Redfield stoichiometry and the oxygen release was low. The integrated net community production (NCP) in terms of carbon was equivalent during the two time series, whereas the chlorophyll a biomass was twice as high, on average, during the first time series but did decrease. These results imply that the production systems were different during the two periods. The first time series corresponds to a period at the end of production, due to the nutrient depletion in the euphotic layer. The formation of degradation products of the living material in dissolved organic form is probably important as indicated by the high C : N utilization ratios. The second time series corresponds to a reactivation of the primary production due to the upward shift of nutrients after the wind event.     

Simulation of storm surge,wave, and coastal inundation in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico region during Hurricane Ivan in 2004

Hurricane-induced storm surge, waves, and coastal inundation in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico region during Hurricane Ivan in 2004 are simulated using a fine grid coastal surge model CH3D (Curvilinear-grid Hydrodynamics in 3D) coupled to a coastal wave model SWAN, with open boundary conditions provided by a basin-scale surge model ADCIRC (Advanced CIRCulation) and a basin-scale wave model WW3 (WaveWatch-III). The H1wind, a reanalysis 10-m wind produced by the NOAA/AOML Hurricane Research Division (HRD), and a relatively simple analytical wind model are used, incorporating the effect of land dissipation on hurricane wind. Detailed comparison shows good agreement between the simulated and measured wind, waves, surge, and high water marks. Coastal storm surge along the coast is around 2–3 m, while peak surge on the order of 3.5 m is found near Pensacola, which is slightly to the east of the landfall location on Dauphin Island. Wind waves reach 20 m at the Mobile South station (National Data Buoy Center buoy 42040) on the shelf and 2 m inside the Pensacola/Escambia Bay. Model results show that wave-induced surge (total surge subtracted by the meteorologically-induced surge due to wind and pressure) accounts for 20–30% of the peak surge, while errors of the simulated surge and waves are generally within 10% of measured data. The extent of the simulated inundation region is increased when the effects of waves are included. Surge elevations simulated by the 3D model are generally up to 15% higher than that by the 2D model, and the effects of waves are more pronounced in the 3D results. The 3D model results inside the Pensacola/Escambia Bay show significant vertical variation in the horizontal currents. While the estuary has little impact on the surge elevation along the open coastal water, surge at the head of Escambia Bay is more than 50% higher than that at the open coast with 1.5 h delay.