The relationship between tidal current field and sediment transport in the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea

-Based on a two-dimensional numerical M2 tidal model of the Huanghai and Bohai Seas, sediment transport of particles with different sizes in the computational area is given. It is concluded that tidal currents play an important role in sediment transport and deposition in the Huanghai and Bohai Seas.     

Simulations of Annual Cycle of Phytoplankton Production and the Utilization of Nitrogen in the Yellow Sea

A nutrient dynamic model coupled with a 3D physical model has been developed to study the annual cycle of phytoplankton production in the Yellow Sea. The biological model involves interactions between inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium), phosphate and phytoplankton biomass. The model successfully reproduces the main features of phytoplankton-nutrient variation and dynamics of production. 1. The well-mixed coastal water is characterized by high primary production, as well as high new production. 2. In summer, the convergence of tidal front is an important hydrodynamic process, which contributes to high biomass at frontal areas. 3. The evolution of phytoplankton blooms and thermocline in the central region demonstrate that mixing is a dominant factor to the production in the Yellow Sea. In this simulation, nitrate- and ammonium-based productions are estimated regionally and temporally. The northern Yellow Sea is one of the highly ranked regions in the Yellow Sea for the capability of fixing carbon and nitrogen. The annual averaged f-ratio of 0.37 indicates that regenerated production prevails over the Yellow Sea. The result also shows that phosphate is the major nutrient, limiting phytoplankton growth throughout the year and it can be an indicator to predict the bloom magnitude. Finally, the relative roles of external nutrient sources have been evaluated, and benthic fluxes might play a significant role in compensating 54.6% of new nitrogen for new production consumption.     

济州岛南部海区的双跃层现象

本文分析了济州岛南部区域温度双跃层现象的类型及其成因。特别阐明了双跃层的波状现象,指出:强流锋区的侧向效应,黑潮次—中层混合水的爬升,黄海冷水团边缘密度环流引起的侧向流动,以及上、下层流速、流向不一致引起的剪切作用,是导致双跃层波状现象的主要原因。发现上、下跃层之间存在着“跃层间环流”,这是一个有趣的海洋学现象,它将导致双扩散的发生和有利于双跃层的维持。     

Mechanisms controlling the temporal variation of the sea ice edge in the Southern Ocean

This paper examines the mechanism controlling the short time-scale variation of sea ice cover over the Southern Ocean. Sea ice concentration and ice velocity datasets derived from images of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) are employed to reveal this mechanism. The contribution of both dynamic and thermodynamic processes to the change in ice edge location is examined by comparing the meridional velocity of ice edge displacement and sea ice drift. In the winter expansion phase, the thermodynamic process of new ice production off the ice edge plays an important role in daily advances of ice cover, whereas daily retreats are mostly due to southward ice drift. On the other hand, both advance and retreat of ice edges in the spring contraction phase are mostly caused by the dynamic process of the ice drift. Based on the above mechanism and the linear relation between the degree of ice production at the ice edge and northward wind speed, the seasonal advance of ice cover can be roughly reproduced using the meridional velocity of ice drift at the ice edge.     

The Levant Slumps and the Phoenician Structures: collapse features along the continental margin of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea

Two distinct series of slumps deform the upper part of the sedimentary sequence along the continental margin of the Levant. One series is found along the base of the continental slope, where it overlies the disrupted eastern edge of the Messinian evaporites. The second series of slumps transects the continental margin from the shelf break to the Levant Basin. It seemed that the two series were triggered by two unrelated, though contemporaneous, processes. The shore-parallel slumps were initiated by basinwards flow of the Messinian salt, that carried along the overlying Plio-Quaternary sediments. Seawater that percolated along the detachment faults dissolved the underlying salt to form distinctly disrupted structures. The slope-normal slumps are located on top of large canyons that cut into the pre-Messinian sedimentary rocks. A layer of salt is found in the canyons, and the Plio-Quaternary sediments were deposited on that layer. The slumps are bounded by large, NW-trending faults where post-Messinian faulted offset was measured. We presume that the flow of the salt in the canyons also drives the slope-normal slumps. Thus thin-skinned halokynetic processes generated the composite post-Tortonian structural patterns of the Levant margin. The Phoenician Structures are a prime example of the collapse of a distal continental margin due to the dissolution of a massive salt layer.     

Practical implementation of Hilbert-Huang Transform algorithm

Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) is a newly developed powerful method for nonlinear and non-stationary time series analysis. The empirical mode decomposition is the key part of HHT, while its algorithm was protected by NASA as a US patent, which limits the wide application among the scientific community. Two approaches, mirror periodic and extrema extending methods, have been developed for handling the end effects of empirical mode decomposition. The implementation of the HHT is realized in detail to widen the application. The detailed comparison of the results from two methods with that from Huang et al. (1998, 1999), and the comparison between two methods are presented. Generally, both methods reproduce faithful results as those of Huang et al. For mirror periodic method (MPM), the data are extended once forever. Ideally, it is a way for handling the end effects of the HHT, especially for the signal that has symmetric waveform. The extrema extending method (EEM) behaves as good as MPM, and it is better t     

南海东北部表层沉积中生源和矿物碎屑组分分析及其古环境意义

通过对南海东北部128个表层沉积样品的定量研究，揭示隆源和矿物碎屑各组分的分布，也显示了组分分析作为一种简单、快速的研究方法在海洋古环境研究中的潜力，研究区生源碎屑的分布明显受与水深相关的深海溶解作用所控制，水深3500-4000m的现代南海CCD以下，钙质生物的含量急剧减少，而硅质生物的含量急剧增加，研究区表层沉积中的碎屑矿物主要来源于亚洲大陆，吕宋镐的风化产物只起次要作用，且其分布主要受与离岸距离远近和海流相关的搬运作用所控制。     

Mixed layer variability in Northern Arabian Sea as detected by an Argo float

Seasonal evolution of surface mixed layer in the Northern Arabian Sea (NAS) between 17° N–20.5° N and 59° E-69° E was observed by using Argo float daily data for about 9 months, from April 2002 through December 2002. Results showed that during April - May mixed layer shoaled due to light winds, clear sky and intense solar insolation. Sea surface temperature (SST) rose by 2.3 °C and ocean gained an average of 99.8 Wm⁻². Mixed layer reached maximum depth of about 71 m during June - September owing to strong winds and cloudy skies. Ocean gained abnormally low ∼18 Wm⁻² and SST dropped by 3.4 °C. During the inter monsoon period, October, mixed layer shoaled and maintained a depth of 20 to 30 m. November - December was accompanied by moderate winds, dropping of SST by 1.5 °C and ocean lost an average of 52.5 Wm⁻². Mixed layer deepened gradually reaching a maximum of 62 m in December. Analysis of surface fluxes and winds suggested that winds and fluxes are the dominating factors causing deepening of mixed layer during summer and winter monsoon periods respectively. Relatively high correlation between MLD, net heat flux and wind speed revealed that short term variability of MLD coincided well with short term variability of surface forcing.     

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Sound Speed at the PN Section

Gridded sound speed data were calculated using Del Grosso's formulation from the temperature and salinity data at the PN section in the East China Sea covering 92 cruises between February 1978 and October 2000. The vertical gradients of sound speed are mainly related to the seasonal variations, and the strong horizontal gradients are mainly related to the Kuroshio and the upwelling. The standard deviations show that great variations of sound speed exist in the upper layer and in the slope zone. Empirical orthogonal function analysis shows that contributions of surface heating and the Kuroshio to sound speed variance are almost equivalent. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.