Effects of ship motion on a neutrally-stable towed fish

Digital computer simulation in two dimensions of a neutrally-stable fish towed on a faired cable has been used to investigate the response of the fish to disturbances in the ship motion. The numerical methods used are described broadly, excluding mathematical detail, and selected results are presented which indicate typical behaviour of the system.The free oscillations of the fish-cable system and its response to deterministic and random ship disturbances are investigated. This reveals the dynamic principles governing the motion and allows the formulation of simple rules to give a first approximation to the magnitude of the fish response. It is shown that, provided resonances of the ship and fish-cable system do not coincide, the overall amplitude of motion of the fish is proportional to the sine of the angle made by the top of the cable with the horizontal. Formulae are given for calculating approximately the resonant frequencies of the towed system.     

An experimental study of elastohydrodynamics of towed flexible cylinders aided by video image processing

Experimental studies of the elastohydrodynamics of towed flexible cylinders aided by video image processing are reported. A scale model of a prototype hydrophone array has been designed, fabricated, and tested in a speed range of 1.0 to 4.5 m/sec. The experiments were conducted in a 67-m long towing tank. The instrumented flexible member, 12.7 mm in diameter and 13.55 m long, was fixed at the one end and free at the other and was slightly lighter than neutrally bouyant. Three tail drogue configurations were employed. An integral part of the physical model tests was the development and utilization of a microcomputer based video image processing system for model configuration reconstitution. Instability characteristics, tail acceleration spectral densities, lift force due to curvature, and drag coefficients are quantified and discussed.     

Investigation of a eutrophic tidal basin: part 1—factors affecting the distribution and biomass of macroalgae

The distribution and biomass of macroalgae, principally Enteromorpha spp., have been estimated in Langstone Harbour, a 19 km² tidal basin in southenrn England. Comprehensive mapping was carried out annually at the time of maximum biomass and monthly mapping of selected areas allowed seasonal changes to be studied. Aerial false-colour photography and ground-level mapping were used for assessing the area and density of cover of macroalgae, but have identified no continuous trends between 1973 and 1982. In nine years, some 48% of the intertidal mudflat has supported >75% macroalgal cover at some stage, but generally only one-third of this potential has been achieved annually. The average peak biomass was determined by a stratified sampling method and varied about a mean of 38.5 g dry weight per square metre and showed significant annual differences. The processes controlling macroalgal growth and distribution reviewed, but, in general, factors other than nutrient availability are effective in determining areas supporting high macroalgal cover in any particular year.     

Turbulent structure of the subsurface layer of the sea according to the data of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sigma-1</Emphasis> measuring complex

We present the results of experimental investigations of the characteristics of turbulence in the layer of wave-induced mixing. The data on the fluctuations of velocity, temperature, and conductivity are obtained with the help of a Sigma-1 measuring complex. The computed values of the dissipation rate of turbulent energy are compared with different models proposed for the subsurface layer. It is shown that the available models fail to guarantee satisfactory agreement of the numerical results with the experimental data for the layer of active wave action and, in particular, in the presence of swell. This leads us to the conclusion concerning the necessity of parametrization and assimilation of more complete data on the state of the sea surface, the structure of currents, and the surface layer of the atmosphere in the models. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 15–28, March–April, 2007.     

Cross-shelf distribution of copepods and the role of event-scale winds in a northern California upwelling zone

Cross-shelf distribution and abundance of copepod nauplii and copepodids were measured during three summer upwelling seasons (2000–2002) in a coastal upwelling zone off northern California. These 3 years varied considerably in the intensity of winds, abundance of chlorophyll, and water temperature. The cruises in 2000 were characterized by relaxation conditions, with generally high levels of chlorophyll and high water temperature. The cruises in 2001 and 2002 were dominated by strong and persistent upwelling events, leading to lower chlorophyll and water temperatures. The copepod assemblage was dominated by Oithona spp., Acartia spp. and Pseudocalanus spp., with Metridia pacifica (lucens), Microsetella rosea, Oncaea spp. and Tortanus discaudatus also common during all 3 years. The cross-shelf distribution of copepods was generally shifted offshore during upwelling and onshore during relaxation events, although some variability between species occurred. Abundance of all life stages generally exhibited a negative correlation with cross-shelf transport averaged over at least 1–4 days and lagged by 0–3 days, indicating lower abundances during and immediately after active upwelling. However, copepod nauplii seemed to respond positively to wind events lasting 1–5 days followed by a period of relaxation lasting 6 or 7 days. These rapid rates of change in abundance are probably too great to be due to in situ growth and reproduction alone; physical processes must also play a role. These results suggest a highly dynamic relationship between copepods and upwelling events off northern California, with species-specific responses to upwelling to be expected.     

Trends in the solubility of iron,aluminium, manganese and phosphorus in aerosol collected over the Atlantic Ocean

The solubility of iron, aluminium, manganese and phosphorus has been determined in aerosol samples collected between 49°N and 52°S during three cruises conducted in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the European Union funded IRONAGES programme. Solubilities (defined at pH 4.7) determined for Fe and Al in samples of Saharan dust were significantly lower (medians 1.7% and 3.0%, respectively) than the solubilities of these metals in aerosols from other source regions (whole dataset medians 5.2% and 9.0%, respectively). Mn solubility also varied with aerosol source, but the median solubility of Mn in Saharan dust was very similar to the median for the dataset as a whole (55% and 56%, respectively). The observed solubility of aerosol P was ∼ 32%, with P solubility in Saharan aerosol perhaps as low as 10%. Laboratory studies have indicated that aerosol Fe solubility is enhanced by acid processing. No relationship could be found between Fe solubility and the concentrations of acid species (non-seasalt SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻) nor the net acidity of the aerosol, so we are unable to confirm that this process is significant in the atmosphere. In terms of the supply of soluble Fe to oceanic ecosystems on a global scale, the observed higher solubility for Fe in non-Saharan aerosols is probably not significant because the Sahara is easily the dominant source of Fe to the Atlantic. On a smaller scale however, higher solubility for aerosol Fe may alter our understanding of Fe cycling in regions such as the remote Southern Ocean.     

Experimental study of the breaking limit of multi-directional random waves passing over an impermeable submerged breakwater

This study investigates experimentally the breaking wave height of multi-directional random waves passing over an impermeable submerged breakwater. Experiments have been conducted in a three-dimensional wave basin equipped with a multi-directional random wave generator. A special type of wave gauge has been newly devised to record the water surface elevations in the breaker zone as accurately as possible. The records are analyzed to estimate the location and limit of wave breaking. Comparisons have also been made with the results of regular waves. The influence of the incident wave conditions on the breaking wave height normalized by the breakwater dimensions has been investigated. Empirical formulae have been presented to estimate the breaking limit of multi-directional random waves based on the experimental records. The formulae have been tested and found to work well not only for multi-directional random waves, but for regular waves as well.     

The Southern Ocean’s grip on the northward meridional flow

A ‘quasi-island’ approach for examining the meridional flux of warm and intermediate water from the Southern Ocean into the South Atlantic, the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean has recently been proposed ( [Nof, 2000a] and [Nof, 2002]). This approach considers the continents to be ‘pseudo islands’ in the sense that they are entirely surrounded by water, but have no circulation around them. The method employs an integration of the linearized momentum equations along a closed contour containing the continents. This allows the meridional transport into these oceans to be computed without having to find the detailed solution to the complete wind-thermohaline problem.The solution gives two results; one expected, the other unexpected. It shows that, as expected, about 9±5 Sv of upper and intermediate water enter the South Atlantic from the Southern Ocean. The unexpected result is that the Pacific-Indian Ocean system should contain a ‘shallow’ meridional overturning cell carrying 18±5 Sv. What is meant by shallow here is that the cell does not extend all the way to the bottom (as it does in the Atlantic) but is terminated at mid-depth. (This reflects the fact that there is no bottom water formation in the Pacific.) Both of these calculations rely on the observation that there is almost no flow through the Bering Strait and on the assumption that there is a negligible pressure torque on the Bering Strait’s sill.Here, we present a new and different approach, which does not rely on either of the above two conditions regarding the Bering Strait and yet gives essentially the same result. The approach does not involve any quasi-island calculation but rather employs an integration of the linearized zonal momentum equation along a closed open-water latitudinal belt connecting the tips of South Africa and South America. The integration relies on the existence of a belt (corridor) where the linearized general circulation equations are valid. It allows for a net northward mass flux through either the Sverdrup interior or the western boundary currents. It is found that the belt-corridor approach gives 29±5 Sv for the total meridional flux of surface and intermediate water from the Southern Ocean. This agrees very well with the quasi-island calculations, which give a total northward flux of 27±5 Sv. Given the spacing between the continents and the small variability of the southern winds with longitude, one may assume that 9 Sv of the total 29 Sv enters the Atlantic and the other 20 Sv enters the combined Pacific-Indian Ocean system, which is also in agreement with the quasi-island calculation. These agreements indicate that the assumptions made in the earlier studies regarding the Bering Strait are probably valid.