Flow of Canadian basin deep water in the Western Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean

The LOMROG 2007 expedition targeted the previously unexplored southern part of the Lomonosov Ridge north of Greenland together with a section from the Morris Jesup Rise to Gakkel Ridge. The oceanographic data show that Canadian Basin Deep Water (CBDW) passes the Lomonosov Ridge in the area of the Intra Basin close to the North Pole and then continues along the ridge towards Greenland and further along its northernmost continental slope. The CBDW is clearly evident as a salinity maximum and oxygen minimum at a depth of about 2000 m. The cross-slope sections at the Amundsen Basin side of the Lomonosov Ridge and further south at the Morris Jesup Rise show a sharp frontal structure higher up in the water column between Makarov Basin water and Amundsen Basin water. The frontal structure continues upward into the Atlantic Water up to a depth of about 300 m. The observed water mass division at levels well above the ridge crest indicates a strong topographic steering of the flow and that different water masses tend to pass the ridge guided by ridge-crossing isobaths at local topographic heights and depressions. A rough scaling analysis shows that the extremely steep and sharply turning bathymetry of the Morris Jesup Rise may force the boundary current to separate and generate deep eddies.     

Climate Change Policy Targets and the Role of Technological Change

In this paper, we present results of simulationexperiments with the TIME-model on the issue ofmitigation strategies with regard to greenhouse gases.The TIME-model is an integrated system dynamics worldenergy model that takes into account the fact that the systemhas an inbuilt inertia and endogenouslearning-by-doing dynamics, besides the more commonelements of price-induced demand response and fuelsubstitution. First, we present four scenarios tohighlight the importance of assumptions on innovationsin energy technology in assessing the extent to whichCO₂ emissions have to be reduced. The inertia ofthe energy system seems to make a rise ofCO₂ emissions in the short term almostunavoidable. It is concluded that for the populationand economic growth assumptions of the IPCC IS92ascenario, only a combination of supply- anddemand-side oriented technological innovations incombination with policy measures can bring the targetof CO₂-concentration stabilization at 550 ppmv bythe year 2100 within reach. This will probably beassociated with a temporary increase in the overallenergy expenditures in the world economy. Postponingthe policy measures will be more disadvantageous,and less innovation in energy technology willhappen.     

Consistent scale-dependency of future increases in hourly extreme precipitation in two convection-permitting climate models

Climate Dynamics - Convection-permitting models (CPMs) have been proven successful in simulating extreme precipitation statistics. However, when such models are used to study climate change,...     

Enhancing accessibility to web mapping systems with technology-aligned adaptive profiles

Web-based geographic information systems have advanced rapidly on the back of web-based technologies, increased bandwidths and access to Digital Earth imagery and functionality. However, these advances are causing its capabilities to slowly overtake those of end-users. Additionally, the introduction of non-desktop devices such as smartphones, tablets and netbooks is starting to undo progress made towards standardisation of web-based technology. Large variations in screen sizes, computational power, bandwidth, and operating environments are once again introducing the need to ensure software remains functional across different platforms, standards-compliant or not. These two issues highlight the need for a mechanism to tune content and capability to end-users and their environment, to prevent information and complexity overload in a field already troubled by poor usability, while promoting cross-platform compatibility. This paper proposes the use of adaptivity to accommodate for users from different backgrounds accessing web mapping systems in different technical environments. It describes adaptive profiles aligned to the finite number of states a system can adopt, rather than the limitless range of user or environment characteristics that cannot be adapted to. Each profile consists of a combination of adaptive states comprising functionality, information detail, or technical demands to optimise for individual users or technical environments.     

Impact of horizontal eddy diffusivity on Lagrangian statistics for coastal pollution from a major marine fairway

Lagrangian trajectory methods are often applied as deterministic transport models, where transport is due strictly to advection without taking into account stochastic elements of particle dispersion, which raises questions about validity of the model results. The present work investigates the impact of horizontal eddy diffusivity for a case study of coastal pollution in the Gulf of Finland, where the pollutants are assumed to originate from a major fairway and are transported to the coast by surface currents. Lagrangian trajectories are calculated using the TRACMASS model from velocity fields calculated by the Rossby Centre circulation model for 1982 to 2001. Three cases are investigated: (1) trajectory calculation without eddy diffusivity, (2) stochastic modelling of eddy diffusivity with a constant diffusion coefficient and (3) stochastic modelling of eddy diffusivity with a time- and space-variable diffusion coefficient. It is found that the eddy diffusivity effect increases the spreading rate of initially closely packed trajectories and the number of trajectories that eventually reach the coast. The pattern of most frequently hit coastal sections, the probability of hit to each such section and the time the pollution spends offshore are virtually invariant with respect to inclusion of eddy diffusivity.     

Coastal morphometry as regulator of water exchange—a Swedish example

This is a paper from the Swedish research project ‘The coastal zone—scientific criteria for planners’. The goal has been to establish simple, general scientific methods for management of Swedish coastal waters. In this paper the focus is on a set of empirical data from 21 so-called type areas and on the exchange of surface water. The working hypothesis has been that the water retention (or residence) time is regulated by the morphometry. The theory has been verified. It has been shown that the water retention time can be determined from a formula based on only two key morphometric parameters, the exposure and the mean coastal width. It provides an 86% degree of explanation (r²=0·86) of the variation in empirically determined retention times and can be physically linked to the basic mass balance equation. The formula is valid for the bioproductive season (May–Oct.) and for small (1–100 km²) Swedish coastal areas. It cannot be directly applied to areas affected by heavy tides.