Numerical experiments on double-diffusive intrusions in the ocean and their relation to laboratory experiments

Numerical experiments on double-diffusive intrusions are reviewed briefly. Though the number of studies is very limited at present, they have undoubtedly an advantage that a heat–salt system can be studied without undesired heat loss from the boundaries.Several possibilities for future numerical experiments are summarized.     

Meanders in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone and their impact on phytoplankton

The Antarctic Polar Front is a complex set of meandering jets, which appear to support enhanced primary productivity. The US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study conducted a series of survey and process studies in part to study the processes regulating primary productivity in this high nutrient, low chlorophyll region. We deployed a set of surface velocity drifters, some of which were equipped with bio-optical sensors, to study the temporal and spatial scales of biological and physical processes in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone. There were two primary sets of deployments: November 1997 before the spring bloom and January 1998 after the spring bloom. The November deployment revealed a strong spring bloom that lasted about 10 days. In late spring, when incoming solar radiation began to increase, the vertical motions associated with the meanders strongly affected the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, primarily through their impact on light availability. Weaker meandering was observed in the January deployment, and chlorophyll values remained relatively constant. As the bloom began to decay, it appears that nutrient availability became more important in regulating phytoplankton photosynthesis. Some of the drifters in the November deployment were deployed in coherent clusters, thus allowing us to calculate vertical velocities associated with the meanders. Estimates of fluorescence/chlorophyll suggest that areas of upwelling and downwelling alternately decrease and increase photosynthetic stress, perhaps as a result of changes in the availability of iron or light during the formation of the bloom.     

Sedimentology of a subtidal,tide-dominated sand body in the Yellow Sea,southwest Korea

Odanam Satoe, a subtidal, tide-dominated sand body in the Yellow Sea, Korea, is linear in plan and asymmetrical in cross-section. It consists of fine- to medium-grained, well-sorted subangular sand. Bedforms consist of high-amplitude (1–2 m) sandwaves on the lower flanks of the gentler-sloping bar surface, and medium-amplitude (0.5-1 m) sandwaves on the sand body trough adjoining the steeper face, the bar crest and shallower parts of the gently sloping bar surface. Bedforms are absent on the relatively steeper bar surface, which is characterized by 2° slopes. Bedform orientation on the gentler slope is oblique by 30° to the bar crest, parallel to the sand-body crest on the crest itself, and opposite to the steeper sand-body face in the trough below the steeper slope of the bar.Bottom current velocity data show that tidal currents are semi-rotary with a flood time—velocity asymmetry over the gentler slope, and ebb time—velocity asymmetry over the steeper slope during most of the tidal cycle. Tidal-current flow parallels bar elongation over the steeper slope, whereas over the gentler slope, tidal-current flow is directed at 30° to the bar crest and changes to normal to the crest one hour prior to low tide. Bedform orientation mapped with side-scan sonar shows agreement with these flow directions.Sand dispersal around the sand body is controlled by time—velocity asymmetry and partial rotary flow directions of tidal currents. This circulation causes not only a trapezoidal mode of grain dispersal, but also westerly migration of the sand body documented from comparative bathymetric surveys in 1964 and 1980.     

Breaking wave impact on vertical and sloping coastal structures

The results of laboratory experiments on the maximum and bottom impact pressures from waves breaking directly on vertical and sloping faced coastal structures are presented. Direct wave breaking on a wall is classified as early, late, and perfect breaking. Although the present study is aimed at dealing with the type of impact resulting from the perfect breaking, to some extent the occurrence of early and late breaking are unavoidable. The wave impact pressures, therefore, have a random nature of variation from impact-to-impact under the same conditions. The maximum and bottom impact pressures on walls are treated statistically. The effects of the wall angle and foreshore slope on these two quantities are examined. The results show that for practical applications, the still-water level can be taken as the acting place for the maximum impact pressure on the wall. Simultaneous impact pressure distribution below and above still-water level may be approximated as parabolic and linear, respectively. Finally, using a wall deflection criterion, a water depth region in front of the wall is defined, where the breaking wave forces may reach a critical level.     

满足给定数字特征和谱的随机信号的产生

本文给出了满足给定数字特征和谱的随机序列的产生方法，即用无记忆非线性变换实现非正态随机信号的模拟．该法与Ｇｕｊａｒ法相比较，放宽了变量概率分布的限制，只要求变量矩的存在。同时考虑无记忆非线性变换对谱的影响，用异于Ｌｉｕ的方法在频域上求解输入正态分布随机序列的谱．     

渤海风暴潮的初步探讨

根据山东渤海沿岸各县县志记载的不完全统计,自汉朝初元(公元前48年)至民国27年(公元1938),渤海南部沿海发生的特大潮灾有79次之多(见表1)。其中特大潮灾如唐朝高宗上元三年(公元676年)八月,“青州大风,海溢,漂民五千余家,齐淄等七州大水”;明朝万历四十一年(公元1613年)七月,“海水溢逾百余里,坏民舍无算”。再如1938年8月31日,台风由青岛登陆,横断山东半岛西部(见图1),晚间抵达黄河口,逐渐停滯减弱,变成一个低气压。这次台风不仅在青岛造成严重灾情,整个渤海沿岸都深受其害,并且出现了历史最高水位。解放后,渤海又多次受到强风暴潮的危害。历史资料表明,渤海的菜州湾和渤海湾地区是风暴潮的多发区和严重区,这种潮灾大都出现于春秋过渡季节和盛夏台风频繁活动季节。 近几年来,国内对渤海局部地区风暴潮的研究已有许多论述,但大都是对冷锋所导致的单站风暴潮的研究,对台风潮的研究则较少。本文试图对冷锋和台风两种灾害性天气所导致的整个渤海风暴潮的一些现象作一较全面的讨论,并对其一些基本特性作一理论分析。