The linear steady response of a stratified baroclinic atmosphere to elevated diabatic forcing

Abstract

A parameter study is presented of the linear steady response to an elevated diabatic forcing in a Boussinesq baroclinic atmosphere. The model is two‐dimensional on the vertical plane; the basic wind is perpendicular to this plane with horizontal and vertical shear. The intensity of the circulation is sensitive to the strength of the baroclinic zone only for weak static stability. A scale analysis supports this conclusion: the importance of baroclinic effects depends on the ratio of the aspect ratio of the circulation to the aspect ratio of the baroclinic basic state. Baroclinicity also leads to a tilt of the circulation due to enhanced horizontal temperature advection, and the corresponding vertical flux of horizontal momentum. The magnitude of the latter can be large when the Richardson number approaches its critical value from above, i.e. for slightly symmetrically stable basic flows; this is true even with viscosity. The resonant limit where the Richardson number approaches the critical value for symmetric instability is also examined. For non‐zero dissipation, the critical value is smaller than that of the inviscid limit.     

Geochemical and isotopic evidence for seawater contamination of the hydrothermal system of Taal Volcano, Luzon, the Philippines

 The hydrologic structure of Taal Volcano has favored development of an extensive hydrothermal system whose prominent feature is the acidic Main Crater Lake (pH<3) lying in the center of an active vent complex, which is surrounded by a slightly alkaline caldera lake (Lake Taal). This peculiar situation makes Taal prone to frequent, and sometimes catastrophic, hydrovolcanic eruptions. Fumaroles, hot springs, and lake waters were sampled in 1991, 1992, and 1995 in order to develop a geochemical model for the hydrothermal system. The low-temperature fumarole compositions indicate strong interaction of magmatic vapors with the hydrothermal system under relatively oxidizing conditions. The thermal waters consist of highly, moderately, and weakly mineralized solutions, but none of them corresponds to either water–rock equilibrium or rock dissolution. The concentrated discharges have high Na contents (>3500 mg/kg) and low SO₄/Cl ratios (<0.3). The Br/Cl ratio of most samples suggests incorporation of seawater into the hydrothermal system. Water and dissolved sulfate isotopic compositions reveal that the Main Crater Lake and spring discharges are derived from a deep parent fluid (T≈300  °C), which is a mixture of seawater, volcanic water, and Lake Taal water. The volcanic end member is probably produced in the magmatic-hydrothermal environment during absorption of high-temperature gases into groundwater. Boiling and mixing of the parent water give rise to the range of chemical and isotopic characteristics observed in the thermal discharges. Incursion of seawater from the coastal region to the central part of the volcano is supported by the low water levels of the lakes and by the fact that Lake Taal was directly connected to the China sea until the sixteenth century. The depth to the seawater-meteoric water interface is calculated to be 80 and 160 m for the Main Crater Lake and Lake Taal, respectively. Additional data are required to infer the hydrologic structure of Taal. Geochemical surveillance of the Main Crater Lake using the SO₄/Cl, Na/K, or Mg/Cl ratio cannot be applied straightforwardly due to the presence of seawater in the hydrothermal system. Received: 12 February 1997 / Accepted: 26 January 1998