Study of the air-sea interactions at the mesoscale: the SEMAPHORE experiment

The SEMAPHORE (Structure des Echanges Mer-Atmosphère, Propriétés des Hétérogénéités Océaniques: Recherche Expérimentale) experiment has been conducted from June to November 1993 in the Northeast Atlantic between the Azores and Madeira. It was centered on the study of the mesoscale ocean circulation and air-sea interactions. The experimental investigation was achieved at the mesoscale using moorings, floats, and ship hydrological survey, and at a smaller scale by one dedicated ship, two instrumented aircraft, and surface drifting buoys, for one and a half month in October-November (IOP: intense observing period). Observations from meteorological operational satellites as well as spaceborne microwave sensors were used in complement. The main studies undertaken concern the mesoscale ocean, the upper ocean, the atmospheric boundary layer, and the sea surface, and first results are presented for the various topics. From data analysis and model simulations, the main characteristics of the ocean circulation were deduced, showing the close relationship between the Azores front meander and the occurrence of Mediterranean water lenses (meddies), and the shift between the Azores current frontal signature at the surface and within the thermocline. Using drifting buoys and ship data in the upper ocean, the gap between the scales of the atmospheric forcing and the oceanic variability was made evident. A 2 °C decrease and a 40-m deepening of the mixed layer were measured within the IOP, associated with a heating loss of about 100 W m⁻². This evolution was shown to be strongly connected to the occurrence of storms at the beginning and the end of October. Above the surface, turbulent measurements from ship and aircraft were analyzed across the surface thermal front, showing a 30% difference in heat fluxes between both sides during a 4-day period, and the respective contributions of the wind and the surface temperature were evaluated. The classical momentum flux bulk parameterization was found to fail in low wind and unstable conditions. Finally, the sea surface was investigated using airborne and satellite radars and wave buoys. A wave model, operationally used, was found to get better results compared with radar and wave-buoy measurements, when initialized using an improved wind field, obtained by assimilating satellite and buoy wind data in a meteorological model. A detailed analysis of a 2-day period showed that the swell component, propagating from a far source area, is underestimated in the wave model. A data base has been created, containing all experimental measurements. It will allow us to pursue the interpretation of observations and to test model simulations in the ocean, at the surface and in the atmospheric boundary layer, and to investigate the ocean-atmosphere coupling at the local and mesoscales.     

Physical mechanisms of man-made influences on the magnetosphere

Since the discovery of the Luxembourg effect in the 1930s, it is clear that man-made activities can perturb the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. The anthropogenic effects are mainly due to different kinds of waves coming from the Earth's surface. Acoustic-gravity waves are generated by large explosions, spacecraft launches, or flight of supersonic planes. Electromagnetic waves are active in different frequency ranges. Power line harmonic radiation which is radiated in the ELF range by electrical power systems can be observed over industrial areas. At VLF and HF, the ground-based transmitters used for communications or radio-navigation heat the ionosphere and change the natural parameters. A large variety of phenomena is observed: wave-particle interaction, precipitation of radiation belt electrons, parametric coupling of EM whistler waves, triggered emissions, frequency shift, and whistler spectrum broadening. This paper will review the different physical mechanisms which are relevant to such perturbations. The possibility of direct chemical pollution in the ionosphere due to gas releases is also discussed.     

ENSO cycle in a coupled ocean-atmosphere model and its negative feedback mechanism

Summary A coupled ocean-atmosphere anomaly model has been developed for simulating ENSO cycle and its mechanism-study in this paper. After a long model run, the coupled model is successful in demonstrating ENSO-like irregular interannual variability and corresponding horizontal spatial structures. Based on the simulated results, the dynamics and the thermodynamics of the model ENSO cycle have been investigated, and in particular the negative feedback mechanisms that act to oppose instability of air-sea interaction, inducing termination of warm and cold events, have been examined. A detailed analysis of the oceanic wave dynamical properties and heat budget of the SST changes in a representative cycle suggest that the negative feedback mechanism to check the unstable growth of a warm event obviously differs from that of a cold event. The mechanism that induces decay and termination of a cold event is closely related to the negative, delayed feedback effect produced by the oceanic dynamical wave reflection at the western boundary. However, independent of the wave reflection effect, the negative feedback mechanism by which the coupled system returns from a warm event is associated with a slowly eastward-propagating coupling mode. Accompanied with the strong unstable development of the equatorial positive SST anomaly, the anomalous upwelling of cold water generated off the equator and the nonlinear anomalous meridional advection generated in the equator west of instability area jointly restrain the instability and finally plunge the system from a mature warm phase into a weak cold phase. A comparison between the results from the present model and the previous works is also discussed in this paper.With 16 Figures     

Interannual and interdecadal variabilities in the Pacific in an MRI coupled GCM

Interannual and interdecadal variabilities in the Pacific are investigated with a coupled atmosphere-ocean GCM developed at MRI, Japan. The model is run for 70 years with flux adjustments. The model shows interannual variability in the tropical Pacific which has several typical characteristics shared with the observed ENSO. A basin-scale feature of the principal SST variation for the ENSO time scale shows negative correlation in the central North Pacific with the tropical SST, similar to that of the observed one. Associated variation of the model atmosphere indicates an intensification of the Aleutian Low and a PNA-like teleconnection pattern as a response to the tropical warm SST anomaly. The ENSO time scale variability in the midlatitude ocean consists of the westward propagation of the subsurface temperature signal and the temperature variation within the shallow mixed layer forced by the anomalous atmospheric heat fluxes. For the interdecadal time scale, variation of the SST is simulated realistically with a geographical pattern similar to that for the ENSO time scale, but it has a larger relative amplitude in the northern Pacific. For the atmosphere, spatial structure of the variation in the interdecadal time scale is also similar to that in the ENSO time scale, but has smaller amplitude in the northern Pacific. Long oceanic spin-up time (>∼10 y) in the mid-high latitude, however, makes oceanic response in the interdecadal time scale larger than that in the ENSO time scale. The lagged-regression analysis for the ocean temperature variation relative to the wind stress variation indicates that interdecadal variation of the ocean subsurface at the mid-high latitudes is considered as enhanced ocean gyre spin-up process in response to the atmospheric circulation change at the mid-high latitudes, remotely forced by the interdecadal variation of the tropical SST. Received: 6 November 1995 / Accepted: 19 April 1996     

Siberian CO2 efflux in winter as a CO2 source and cause of seasonality in atmospheric CO2

Over three years, we found a consistent CO₂ efflux from forest tundra of the Russian North throughout the year, including a large (89 g C m^–2 yr^–1) efflux during winter. Our results provide one explanation for the observations that the highest atmospheric CO₂ concentration and greatest seasonal amplitude occur at high latitudes rather than over the mid-latitudes, where fossil fuel sources are large, and where high summer productivity offset by winter respiration should give large seasonal oscillations in atmospheric CO₂. Winter respiration probably contributed substantially to the boreal winter CO₂ efflux. Respiration is an exothermic process that produces enough heat to warm soils and promote further decomposition. We suggest that, as a result of this positive feedback, small changes in surface heat flux, associated with human activities in the North or with regional or global warming, could release large quantities of organic carbon that are presently stored in permafrost.     

Efficacy of Selected Compounds on Thermocyclops oblongatus,one of the Main Intermediate Hosts of Guinea Worm in Africa

Ten selected compounds were tested on Thermocyclops oblongatus to determine their ability to be used for treatment of drinking water sources. None were shown to be interesting for individual application in household water tanks. Tested compounds, such as potassium permanganate or chlorine-releasing products, were ineffective or affected dramatically the taste or colour of the water. For collective application in water sources, temephos appeared to be the most valuable pesticide because it was effective against cyclops and harmless for environment. Other pesticides should be proposed as substitutes in case of cyclops resistance to temephos.     

Disturbed vertical E×B plasma drifts in the equatorial F2 region at solar minimum deduced from observed NmF2 and hmF2 variations

Ground-based ionosonde and magnetic-field observations on the equatorial station Huancayo, ESRO4 neutral-composition measurements, and theoretical model calculations were used to analyze disturbed E×B vertical plasma drift during the phase of solar minimum in 1973. Vertical drifts calculated for disturbed days do not show the systematic decrease often mentioned in publications, and demonstrate strong dependence on IMF-B_z changes. It is confirmed with the help of our drift calculations that B_z turnings to a northward direction result in a decrease (up to reversal) of normal Sq (eastward during daytime and westward at nighttime) in the zonal component of electric field. Southward B_z excursions enhance normal E_y both in daytime and nighttime hours. Model predictions of E_y’s reaction to IMF-B_z changes are discussed.     

Mesozoic radiolarians and radiolarian-bearing sequences in the circum-Pacific regions: A report of the symposium-'Radiolarians and Orogenic Belts'

Abstract This paper contains extended abstracts of the seven papers presented at the symposium 'Radiolarians and Orogenic Belts' held at the seventh meeting of the International Association of Radiolarian Paleontologists (INTERRAD). Important results of the symposium include the following: (1) Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic cherts are widely distributed within accretionary complexes in the circum-Pacific orogenic belt. Radiolarian dating reveals that long durations of chert sedimentation in a pelagic environment are recorded on both sides of Pacific-rim accretionary complexes (e.g. New Zealand, Japan, Russian Far East, Canadian Cordillera). (2) Triassic radiolarian faunas from New Zealand and the Omolon Massif, northeast Siberia are similar in composition and are characterized by the absence of typical Tethyan elements. This suggests that radiolarian faunal provincialism may have been established as early as the Triassic. High-latitude radiolarian taxa exhibit a bi-polar distribution pattern. (3) The Lower Triassic interval in chert dominant pelagic sequences is mechanically weaker than other levels and acted as a décollement in accretionary events. This lithologic. contrast in physical property is considered to reflect radiolarian evolution, such as the end-Permian mass extinction.     

A SIMPLIFIED APPROACH TO MODELING 3D SEDIMENT-LADEN TURBULENT FLOWS

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