Treatment of Hydrodynamic Loading for Random Sea State

- In order to employ cost effective frequency domain analysis for off-shore structures treatment of hydrodynamic loading is essential. Drag and inertia dominated, resonating and antiresonating cases under random sea states are analyzed to highlight the implications and relative merits of four salient linearization techniques.     

Growth of Five Species of Gorgonians (Sub-Class Octocorallia) in the Sedimented Waters of Singapore

Abstract. Annual growth rates of gorgonians in the Indo-Pacific region are reported ror the first tinie. A method of measuring gorgonian growth using periodic photographic monitoring that is sensitive to horizontal growth and changes in growth foci but that does not require tedious underwater measurements is applied. Growth parameters of five species of gorgonians from three Families ( Plexauridae. Melithaeidae . and Subergorgiidae ) were monitored over a period of 18 months using this method. Growth rates ranged from 2.30 cm a^-1 to 7.88 cm. a ^-1 in the highly sedimented waters of Singapore. The maximum number of branches added per year ranged from 1.7 to 14.5.     

On the application of the units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter in oceanology

We consider the procedures of conversion of the conventional and out-of-system units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter used in oceanology to the International System of Units (SI). The coefficients of conversion are presented in the form of a table. We present the data on the units of measurement of mineralization (scales of salinity) of seawater for the oceanic range of its variability, freshened waters of internal seas, and brines. The contemporary concept of salinity as a dimensionless quantity is discussed.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 61–72, July–August, 2004.     

Temperature of the ocean surface as an indicator of thermodynamic processes in the northwest Pacific

The numerical computations and analysis of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface in the northwest part of the Pacific Ocean were carried out on the basis of the archival data for 1960 and 1964–1985. A five-year period of general instability of the annual average temperature was revealed (1973–1977). In this period, the year 1974 was the coldest and the year 1977 was characterized as extremely warm. We performed the analysis of the interannual and annual variability of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface and revealed common features and distinctions of the seasonal evolution of these anomalies for years with substantially different temperature conditions. A quasistationary zone of maximally heated waters was discovered in the band located (independently of the year and season) between 36 and 46°N to the east of 140°E. This zone coincides in space with the zone of the subarctic front and the south part of the subarctic region. The influence of the meanders of the Kuroshio Current was demonstrated. It is shown that their activity increases after the events of El-Niño and, hence, the thermal energy of the water area considerably increases and remains elevated for a period of 1–2 yr after the indicated events.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 45–52, September–October, 2004.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to cover date.     

Circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea: Overview and review

A review is made of circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea (the Ulleung Basin), and the Korea/Tsushima Strait which is a unique conduit for surface inflow into the Ulleung Basin. The review particularly concentrates on describing some preliminary results from recent extensive measurements made after 1996. Mean flow patterns are different in the upstream and downstream regions of the Korea/Tsushima Strait. A high velocity core occurs in the mid-section in the upstream region, and splits into two cores hugging the coasts of Korea and Japan, the downstream region, after passing around Tsushima Island located in the middle of the strait. Four-year mean transport into the East/Japan Sea through the Korea/Tsushima Strait based on submarine cable data calibrated by direct observations is 2.4 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). A wide range of variability occurs for the subtidal transport variation from subinertial (2–10 days) to interannual scales. While the subinertial variability is shown to arise from the atmospheric pressure disturbances, the longer period variation has been poorly understood.Mean upper circulation of the Ulleung Basin is characterized by the northward flowing East Korean Warm Current along the east coast of Korea and its meander eastward after the separation from the coast, the Offshore Branch along the coast of Japan, and the anticyclonic Ulleung Warm Eddy that forms from a meander of the East Korean Warm Current. Continuous acoustic travel-time measurements between June 1999 and June 2001 suggest five quasi-stable upper circulation patterns that persist for about 3–5 months with transitions between successive patterns occurring in a few months or days. Disappearance of the East Korean Warm Current is triggered by merging the Dok Cold Eddy, originating from the pinching-off of the meander trough, with the coastal cold water carried Southward by the North Korean Cold Current. The Ulleung Warm Eddy persisted for about 20 months in the middle of the Ulleung Basin with changes in its position and spatial scale associated with strengthening and weakening of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. The variability of upper circulation is partly related to the transport variation through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. Movements of the coastal cold water and the instability of the polar front also appear to be important factors affecting the variability.Deep circulation in the Ulleung Basin is primarily cyclonic and commonly consists of one or more cyclonic cells, and an anticyclonic cell centered near Ulleung Island. The cyclonic circulation is conjectured to be driven by a net inflow through the Ulleung Interplain Gap, which serves as a conduit for the exchange of deep waters between the Japan Basin in the northern East Sea and the Ulleung Basin. Deep currents are characterized by a short correlation scale and the predominance of mesoscale variability with periods of 20–40 days. Seasonality of deep currents is indistinct, and the coupling of upper and deep circulation has not been clarified yet.     

Structure of the mesoscale variability of the troposphere and stratosphere found from radio refraction measurements via CHAMP satellites

Data of an experiment on radio occultation sounding of the atmosphere with the use of GPS signals were used to obtain global distributions of the variances of mesoscale variations in the refractive index in the troposphere and stratosphere. The experiment was carried out with the CHAMP satellite during the period 2001–2005. Measured vertical profiles were smoothed inside 5–10-km-thick layers centered at different altitudes in the troposphere and stratosphere with the use of second-degree polynomials. Deviations from the smoothed quantities and the corresponding variances were obtained for each profile and averaged for each month during the analyzed interval of the CHAMP experiment. Altitude-longitude-latitude inhomogeneities in the distribution of refractive index variances were analyzed. Altitude and latitude distributions of maxima and minima of refractive index variances depend on altitude and season. Turbulence and acoustic gravity waves can be the causes of small-scale and mesoscale variations in the refractive index of the troposphere and stratosphere. The variances of variations in the refractive index are greater in the regions of tropospheric jet streams and in the zones of near-equatorial deep convection. Atmospheric disturbances increase over mountain systems.     

Vegetation change and surface elevation dynamics in estuarine wetlands of southeast Australia

Vertical accretion and surface elevation trends were studied in mangrove and saltmarsh wetlands in southeast Australia. A total of 69 surface elevation tables, each associated with three feldspar marker horizons, was deployed in 10 wetlands across 7 estuaries, and monitored for three years. Saltmarsh and mangrove vegetation distributions were mapped for the same estuaries, and elevation characteristics of the wetlands were modelled. Rates of vertical accretion were found to correlate with tidal range. No relationship was found between rates of vertical accretion and surface elevation increase. A positive relationship was demonstrated between contemporary rates of saltmarsh surface elevation change and longer-term rates of mangrove encroachment into saltmarsh. We conclude that landward mangrove encroachment may be facilitated by local factors contributing to saltmarsh compaction during drought conditions.     

Acoustic imaging,visualization, and quantification of buoyant hydrothermal plumes in the Ocean

We develop and apply visualization and quantification methods to reconstruct hydrothermal plumes in 3D from acoustic images and to make the first direct measurements from the reconstructions of scalar properties that describe the behavior of two buoyant plumes discharging from adjacent black smoker chimneys. The actual behavior is then compared to that predicted by a classic simple buoyant plume model. The images are reconstructed as isointensity surfaces of backscatter from particulate matter suspended in the plumes. The measurements pertinent to the role of the plumes as agents of dispersal of heat and mass into the ocean include change with height of diameter, particle distribution, dilution, centerline attitude, surface protrusions, and connectivity. The protrusions are the surface expression of eddies and appear to follow a bifurcating helical flow pattern that resemble simulation of the naturally forced flow of coherent vortex rings as the eddies rise with the buoyant plume. These direct measurements and the derived entrainment coefficient are generally consistent with behavior predicted by the simple buoyant plume model and support engulfment by vortex shedding as a primary mechanism for entrainment of surrounding seawater. Deviations from predicted buoyant plume behavior are diagnostic of particle dynamics.     

Velocity-Interface Structure of the Southwestern Ryukyu Subduction Zone from EW9509-1 OBS/MCS Data

A wide-angle seismic survey, combining ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) and multi-channel seismic (MCS) profiling, was implemented in the southwestern Ryukyu subduction zone during August and September 1995. In this paper, we present the data analysis of eight OBSs and the corresponding MCS line along profile EW9509-1 from this experiment. Seismic data modeling includes identification of refracted and reflected arrivals, initial model building from velocity analysis of the MCS data, and simultaneous and layer-stripping inversions of the OBS and MCS arrivals. The velocity-interface structure constructed along profile EW9509-1 shows that the northward subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate has resulted in a northward thickening of the sediments of the Ryukyu Trench and the Yaeyama accretionary wedge north of the trench. The boundary between the subducting oceanic crust and the overriding continental crust (represented by a velocity contour of 6.75 km/s) and a sudden increase of the subducting angle (from 5 degrees to 25 degrees) are well imaged below the Nanao Basin. Furthermore, velocity undulation and interface variation are found within the upper crust of the Ryukyu Arc. Therefore, the strongest compression due to subduction and a break-off of the slab may have occurred and induced the high seismicity in the forearc region. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.