The Intra-Seasonal Oscillation and its control of tropical cyclones simulated by high-resolution global atmospheric models

Project Athena is an international collaboration testing the efficacy of high-resolution global climate models. We compare results from 7-km mesh experiments of the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) and 10-km mesh experiments of the Integrated Forecast System (IFS), focusing on the Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (ISO) and its relationship with tropical cyclones (TC) among the boreal summer period (21 May–31 Aug) of 8?years (2001–2002, 2004–2009). In the first month of simulation, both models capture the intra-seasonal oscillatory behavior of the Indian monsoon similar to the observed boreal summer ISO in approximately half of the 8-year samples. The IFS simulates the NW–SE-oriented rainband and the westerly location better, while NICAM marginally reproduces mesoscale organized convective systems and better simulates the northward migration of the westerly peak and precipitation, particularly in 2006. The reproducibility of the evolution of MJO depends on the given year; IFS simulates the MJO signal well for 2002, while NICAM simulates it well for 2006. An empirical orthogonal function analysis shows that both models statistically reproduce MJO signals similar to observations, with slightly better phase speed reproduced by NICAM. Stronger TCs are simulated in NICAM than in IFS, and NICAM shows a wind-pressure relation for TCs closer to observations. TC cyclogenesis is active during MJO phases 3 and 4 in NICAM as in observations. The results show the potential of high-resolution global atmospheric models in reproducing some aspects of the relationship between MJO and TCs and the statistical behavior of TCs.     

A Numerical Simulation of the Seasonal Cycle of Temperature, Salinity and Velocity Fields in Tokyo Bay

To understand when oxygen-depleted waters occur, how they develop and when they dissipate in inner Tokyo Bay, realistic simulations were attempted with fine spatial and temporal resolution by applying realistic time dependent external forcing. A 3D hydrodynamic model was driven by time-dependent external forcing factors/parameters such as solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity, and fluvial discharge, under the open boundary conditions of 1995. A simulated time series of salinity and temperature agreed fairly well with observed data, except in summer. The model failed to reproduce the development of the surface mixed layer in summer. Several sensitivity analyses on the external forcing parameters such as wind velocity and vertical diffusivity were conducted to reproduce the mixed layer. However, changing these parameter values did not improve the model results.     

Meteorological features in Adélie Land during the austral summer season

Intensive meteorological observations were carried out at three sites along the slope of Adélie Land, Antarctica, with the goal of documenting summertime meteorological features of the katabatic zone. Three observational sites were placed at 5 km (D10), 110 km (D47), and 210 km (D57) from the coast, and frequency distributions of meteorological parameters were obtained at each site. Some meteorological features at D47 and D57 (interior sites) were different than at D10 (the coastal site); namely, mean air temperatures averaged for the whole observational period showed more pronounced diurnal variations at the interior sites than at the coastal site. These variations could be represented by sinusoidal curves. Wind speeds also showed diurnal variations, whose extremes appeared several hours later than the temperature extremes. The prevailing wind direction for all sites was southerly, about 30° east of the fall line, with small variations in wind direction. The strength and the height of temperature inversions were examined in two different layers (0 to 50 m, 50 to 300 m) at D47. A strong, shallow inversion layer formed at night, however, completely vanished during the day. On the other hand, an upper level inversion whose strength was weak persisted. The katabatic characteristics of the surface wind found at D47 in summer could be due to this upper level temperature inversion.A contribution to I.A.G.O. (Interaction-Atmosphere-Glace-Ocean).     

Radiative characteristics in a Japanese forested drainage basin during snowmelt

Radiative characteristics in a forested drainage basin during the snowmelt season were examined in order to better understand and predict snowmelt runoff in the basin. A method for estimating net radiation in a forest (R_nf) was presented using the total sky view factor (P) and the sun path sky view factor (Q). Solar radiation, albedo, atmospheric radiation and air temperature observed at an open site were also required. The total and the sun path sky view factors were determined from all‐sky photographs. Q was expressed as a linear function of P for 0·15<P<0·86 regardless of forest type. For P<0·15, Q was set to zero, and for P>0·86, Q was equal to unity. The short‐wave radiation budget at the forest floor (S_nf) increased with P, whereas the long‐wave radiation budget (L_nf) decreased with P. R_nf increased with P for 0·15<P<0·86, and changed little with P for P<0·15 and P>0·86, as the increase in S_nf was offset by the decrease in L_nf . The forest effect on R_nf was diminished under cloudy or high albedo conditions, because S_nf was easily offset by L_nf . This estimation method was extended to the whole basin, and R_nf was obtained over a watershed covered by trees. At the beginning of the snowmelt season when the albedo remained high, the forest effect became null because the decrease in S_nf was balanced by the increase in L_nf . As the albedo gradually lowered with the advance of the snowmelt season, the decrease in S_nf owing to forest covers exceeded the increase in L_nf , and the forest effect to decrease R_nf became evident. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩石磁组构可以揭示应变吗？——以华南地块早三叠世灰岩为例

一般认为磁组构能有效地反映岩石所经历的应变特征.为了研究不同类型的磁组构和不同期次应变之间的关系,对来自华南地块两个地区的早三叠世灰岩样品进行了岩石磁学、磁组构以及应变特征的对比分析.来自湖北通山县的样品经历了三期构造变形,这为解析磁组构和多期次应变提供了理想的机会.岩石磁学结果显示携磁矿物主要为磁铁矿.磁化率各向异性（AMS）和非磁滞剩磁各向异性（AAR）结果显示其最小轴与层面垂直,最大轴和中间轴分布于层面内,反映了沉积和压实作用产生的应变,而后期构造应变在磁组构中没有体现.来自广东连县的样品发育有渗透性压溶缝面理和方解石脉,说明经历了构造应变.AMS结果没有显示占优势的组构方向.AAR结果显示三轴组构,其最大轴分布于最大应力方位,与构造应变特征吻合,最初的压实组构被构造应变组构所代替.上述结果表明：（1）AAR可以很好地反映渗透性应变的特征,而AMS有时会失效;（2）应变的尺度要小于样品的尺度,磁组构才能有效地反映应变.     

Basin-scale distribution of NH<Subscript>4</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> and NO<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>−</Superscript> in the Pacific Ocean

We used more than 25,000 nutrient samples to elucidate for the first time basin-scale distributions and seasonal changes of surface ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) and nitrite (NO₂ ^?) concentrations in the Pacific Ocean. The highest NH₄ ⁺, NO₂ ^?, and nitrate (NO₃ ^?) concentrations were observed north of 40°N, in the coastal upwelling region off the coast of Mexico, and in the Tasman Sea. NH₄ ⁺ concentrations were elevated during May–October in the western subarctic North Pacific, May–December in the eastern subarctic North Pacific, and June–September in the subtropical South Pacific. NO₂ ^? concentrations were highest in winter in both hemispheres. The seasonal cycle of NH₄ ⁺ was synchronous with NO₂ ^?, NO₃ ^?, and satellite chlorophyll a concentrations in the western subtropical South Pacific, whereas it was synchronous with chlorophyll-a but out of phase with NO₂ ^? and NO₃ ^? in the subarctic regions.     

Volcanic history and tectonics of the Southwest Japan Arc

Abstract Remarkable changes in volcanism and tectonism have occurred in a synchronous manner since 1.5–2 Ma at the junction of the Southwest Japan Arc and the Ryukyu Arc. Although extensive volcanism occurred in Kyushu before 2 Ma, the subduction-related volcanism started at ca 1.5 Ma, forming a NE–SW trend volcanic front, preceded by significant changes in whole-rock chemistry and mode of eruptions at ca 2 Ma. The Median Tectonic Line has intensified dextral motion since 2 Ma, with a northward shift of its active trace of as much as 10 km, accompanied by the formation of rhomboidal basins in Central Kyushu. Crustal rotation and incipient rifting has also occurred in South Kyushu and the northern Okinawa Trough over the past 2 million years. We emphasize that the commencement age of these events coincides with that of the transition to the westward convergence of the Philippine Sea plate, which we interpret as a primary cause of these synchronous episodes. We assume that the shift in subduction direction led to an increase of fluid component contamination from subducted oceanic slab, which then produced island-arc type volcanism along the volcanic front. Accelerated trench retreat along the Ryukyu Trench may have caused rifting and crustal rotation in the northern Ryukyu Arc.     

Environmental control of short-term variation in the plankton community of inner Tokyo Bay, Japan

Water temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations and the composition of the plankton community were recorded at three stations in inner Tokyo Bay over a period of 328 days (from June 8, 1995 to April 30, 1996) with a nominal sampling frequency of once per day. Inspection of the results revealed that the data could be divided into two blocs as an aid to analysis: the period from June to October was characterized by the development of stratification of temperature and salinity (stratification period), and November to March was characterized by uniform temperature and salinity in the water column due to vertical mixing (mixing period). Oxygen-depleted water forms in the bottom layer during the stratification period, but vertical mixing of the water column, due to changing wind and rainfall conditions caused by passing weather fronts, results in the breakdown of the oxygen-depleted water mass. Nutrient loads are high in the surface water due to the freshwater supply, but occasional pulses of primary production cause a depletion of phosphate in the surface water, suggesting that the phosphorus becomes a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in this period. Several short-term peaks of plankton abundance (blooms) occurred as responses to temporal changes in water quality from June to November, with consequent species succession. Significant fluctuations in the densities of the diatom Skeletonema costatum and several species of ciliates corresponded to the daily changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the coastal environment. During the mixing period, when water temperature and solar radiation decreased, there were no short-term variations in water quality and although nutrient concentrations gradually increased from November to February, primary production remained low. This study shows that the short-term dynamics of the phytoplankton community are closely coupled to fluctuations in environmental forcing, and that the degree of coupling is stronger during periods when solar radiation is greater. The results provide a novel typological understanding of seasonal plankton dynamics in a shallow, eutrophicated marine embayment, and suggest how such systems may be treated in simulation modeling.     

Analysis of rainfall characteristics of the Madden–Julian oscillation using TRMM satellite data

Rainfall characteristics of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) are analyzed primarily using tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR), TRMM microwave imager (TMI) and lighting imaging sensor (LIS) data. Latent heating structure is also examined using latent heating data estimated with the spectral latent heating (SLH) algorithm.The zonal structure, time evolution, and characteristic stages of the MJO precipitation system are described. Stratiform rain fraction increases with the cloud activity, and the amplitude of stratiform rain variation associated with the MJO is larger than that of convective rain by a factor of 1.7. Maximum peaks of both convective rain and stratiform rain precede the minimum peak of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomaly which is often used as a proxy for the MJO convection. Stratiform rain remains longer than convective rain until 4000 km behind the peak of the mature phase. The stratiform rain contribution results in the top-heavy heating profile of the MJO.Associated with the MJO, there are tri-pole convective rain top heights (RTH) at 10–11, 7 and 3 km, corresponding to the dominance of afternoon showers, organized systems, and shallow convections, respectively. The stratiform rain is basically organized with convective rain, having similar but slightly lower RTH and slightly lags the convective rain maximum. It is notable that relatively moderate (7 km) RTH is dominant in the mature phase of the MJO, while very tall rainfall with RTH over 10 km and lightning frequency increase in the suppressed phase. The rain-yield-per flash (RPF) varies about 20–100% of the mean value of 2–10 × 10⁹ kg fl⁻¹ over the tropical warm ocean and that of 2–5 × 10⁹ kg fl⁻¹ over the equatorial Islands, between the convectively suppressed phase and the active phase of MJO, in the manner that RPF is smaller in the suppressed phase and larger in the active phase.