Stable carbon isotope distribution of particulate organic matter in the ocean: a model study

The stable carbon isotopic composition of particulate organic matter in the ocean, δ¹³C_POC, shows characteristic spatial variations with high values in low latitudes and low values in high latitudes. The lowest δ¹³C_POC values (−32‰ to −35‰) have been reported in the Southern Ocean, whereas in arctic and subarctic regions δ¹³C_POC values do not drop below −27‰. This interhemispheric asymmetry is still unexplained. Global gradients in δ¹³C_POC are much greater than in δ¹³C_DIC, suggesting that variations in isotopic fractionation during organic matter production are primarily responsible for the observed range in δ¹³C_POC. Understanding the factors that control isotope variability is a prerequisite when applying δ¹³C_POC to the study of marine carbon biogeochemistry. The present model study attempts to reproduce the δ¹³C_POC distribution pattern in the ocean. The three-dimensional (3D) Hamburg Model of the Oceanic Carbon Cycle version 3.1 (HAMOCC3.1) was combined with two different parametrizations of the biological fractionation of stable carbon isotopes. In the first parametrization, it is assumed that the isotopic fractionation between CO₂ in seawater and the organic material produced by algae, _P, is a function of the ambient CO₂ concentration. The two parameters of this function are derived from observations and are not based on an assumption of any specific mechanism. Thus, this parametrization is purely empirical. The second parametrization is based on fractionation models for microalgae. It is supported by several laboratory experiments. Here the fractionation, _P, depends on the CO₂ concentration in seawater and on the (instantaneous) growth rates, μ_i, of the phytoplankton. In the Atlantic Ocean, where most field data are available, both parametrizations reproduce the latitudinal variability of the mean δ¹³C_POC distribution. The interhemispheric asymmetry of δ¹³C_POC can mostly be attributed to the interhemispheric asymmetry of CO₂ concentration in the water. However, the strong seasonal variations of δ¹³C_POC as reported by several authors, can only be explained by a growth rate-dependent fractionation, which reflects variations in the cellular carbon demand.     

Improved Estimates of Wide-Ranging Sea Surface Temperature from GMS S-VISSR Data

We have developed an algorithm to estimate the wide-ranging Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data from the GMS-5 (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite) S-VISSR (Stretched-Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer). Better SST estimates are realized by averaging the temporal variation of the VISSR calibration table and decreasing noise of the split-window terms using a spatial filter. The effects of the satellite zenith angle were examined in detail for better estimates, and VISSR-derived SSTs with root-mean-square (rms) error of 0.8 K were achieved using a new algorithm. The accuracy of SST estimates has been improved by using the temporal-spatial average of the split-window terms. Using the new techniques, we demonstrate that the hourly wide-ranging SST image data can be used to study the daily variations of SSTs in the Northern and Southern Pacific Oceans.     

NATURE OF PRECIPITATION AND ACTIVITY OF CUMULUS CONVECTION DURING THE 1991 MEIYU SEASON OF CHANGJIANG-HUAIHE RIVER BASIN*

Seasonal variability regarding the nature of precipitation and the activity of cumulus convection during the 1991 Meiyu season of Changjiang-Huaihe River Basin(Jianghuai)has been investigated by calculating apparent heat source/apparent moisture sink and analyzing TBB(cloud-top blackody radiation temperature)data.It is found that three periods of strong ascending motion during the Meiyu season lead to three episodes of heavy rain,and the latent heat due to the precipitation is of the sole heat source of the atmosphere.The nature of precipitation shows distinct seasonal variability,from frontal precipitation of the first episode to the extremely strong convective precipitation of the third episode.TBB field of East Asia may well reflect not only the intensity of convection and rainfall,but also the movement of rain belt and convection belt.In the whole Meiyu season.convection belt mainly stays in Jianghuai.but may shift within the domain of East Asia.Its locating in Jianghuai or not determines the maintenance or break of Meiyu.In the third episode,the narrow convection belt over Jianghuai is mainly caused by southwest monsoon which takes moist and convective atmosphere from tropical ocean.     

南海大气季节内振荡特征及其与ENSO循环的关系

采用1979—2009年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料、NOAA向外长波辐射(outgoing long-wave radiation,简称OLR)及扩展重建海表面温度资料,对南海大气季节内振荡(Intra-seasonal Oscillation,简称ISO)特征及其与ENSO循环的关系进行了诊断分析。结果表明:1)南海大气ISO的30~60 d周期在5—10月均显著。一般年南海大气ISO的对流传播在纬向上存在东传和西传,在经向上具有南北半球季节性摆动的特征。以低频动能表征的南海大气ISO强度年代际变化特征明显,近31 a来趋势增强,年变化呈单峰结构,峰值在7—8月。2)南海大气ISO的对流与ENSO循环显著相关,其强度在El Nio(La Nia)年减弱(增强)。与一般年对比,南海大气ISO对流在El Nio和La Nia年均表现为西传减弱、北传显著。北传特征表现为强对流活跃带于春季(4—5月)北跳至北半球(在La Nia年最北可至35°N),但在北半球的传播方向与一般年相比存在显著差异。3)南海大气ISO强度与ENSO循环关系密切,在El Nio(La Nia)年减弱(增强),两者表现为约半年(6~8个月)的滞后相关。Nio3区海表面温度异常序列与南海大气ISO强度的相关在中西太平洋地区和El Nio成熟前的春、秋季最显著,同时相关中心伴随低频动能高值区东移。     

与季节内振荡-超级云团系统相关的赤道波的识别

文中重点研究与热带季节内振荡－超级云团系统相关联的赤道波的识别。考虑到赤道波的本质为截获在赤道地区的一般的气候平衡场附近的线性动力过程的固有模态,首先从原理上阐明了ＰＯＰｓ分析技术对于分离各类赤道波动的有效性,以后利用这种分析方法对日本静止气象卫星所观测到的黑体红外辐射温度资料进行了ＰＯＰｓ分析。结果表明,在热带季节内振荡－超级云团系统中,对应于４０ｄ振荡的模态基本表现为Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波的结构;对应于１０ｄ左右的模态,亦为Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波,而在２ｄ尺度上,则分别存在经向模态序号ｎ＝１和ｎ＝２的西进和东进惯性重力波。分析中还发现了西进的混合Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ重力波的存在。     

Performance assessment of three convective parameterization schemes in WRF for downscaling summer rainfall over South Africa

Austral summer rainfall over the period 1991/1992 to 2010/2011 was dynamically downscaled by the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model at 9 km resolution for South Africa. Lateral boundary conditions for WRF were provided from the European Centre for medium-range weather (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA) interim data. The model biases for the rainfall were evaluated over the South Africa as a whole and its nine provinces separately by employing three different convective parameterization schemes, namely the (1) Kain–Fritsch (KF), (2) Betts–Miller–Janjic (BMJ) and (3) Grell–Devenyi ensemble (GDE) schemes. All three schemes have generated positive rainfall biases over South Africa, with the KF scheme producing the largest biases and mean absolute errors. Only the BMJ scheme could reproduce the intensity of rainfall anomalies, and also exhibited the highest correlation with observed interannual summer rainfall variability. In the KF scheme, a significantly high amount of moisture was transported from the tropics into South Africa. The vertical thermodynamic profiles show that the KF scheme has caused low level moisture convergence, due to the highly unstable atmosphere, and hence contributed to the widespread positive biases of rainfall. The negative bias in moisture, along with a stable atmosphere and negative biases of vertical velocity simulated by the GDE scheme resulted in negative rainfall biases, especially over the Limpopo Province. In terms of rain rate, the KF scheme generated the lowest number of low rain rates and the maximum number of moderate to high rain rates associated with more convective unstable environment. KF and GDE schemes overestimated the convective rain and underestimated the stratiform rain. However, the simulated convective and stratiform rain with BMJ scheme is in more agreement with the observations. This study also documents the performance of regional model in downscaling the large scale climate mode such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and subtropical dipole modes. The correlations between the simulated area averaged rainfalls over South Africa and Nino3.4 index were ?0.66, ?0.69 and ?0.49 with KF, BMJ and GDE scheme respectively as compared to the observed correlation of ?0.57. The model could reproduce the observed ENSO-South Africa rainfall relationship and could successfully simulate three wet (dry) years that are associated with La Niña (El Niño) and the BMJ scheme is closest to the observed variability. Also, the model showed good skill in simulating the excess rainfall over South Africa that is associated with positive subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole for the DJF season 2005/2006.     

Impact of intra-daily SST variability on ENSO characteristics in a coupled model

This paper explores the impact of intra-daily Sea Surface Temperature (SST) variability on the tropical large-scale climate variability and differentiates it from the response of the system to the forcing of the solar diurnal cycle. Our methodology is based on a set of numerical experiments based on a fully global coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation in which we alter (1) the frequency at which the atmosphere sees the SST variations and (2) the amplitude of the SST diurnal cycle. Our results highlight the complexity of the scale interactions existing between the intra-daily and inter-annual variability of the tropical climate system. Neglecting the SST intra-daily variability results, in our CGCM, to a systematic decrease of 15% of El Ni?o—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) amplitude. Furthermore, ENSO frequency and skewness are also significantly modified and are in better agreement with observations when SST intra-daily variability is directly taken into account in the coupling interface of our CGCM. These significant modifications of the SST interannual variability are not associated with any remarkable changes in the mean state or the seasonal variability. They can therefore not be explained by a rectification of the mean state as usually advocated in recent studies focusing on the diurnal cycle and its impact. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SST high frequency coupling is systematically associated with a strengthening of the air-sea feedbacks involved in ENSO physics: SST/sea level pressure (or Bjerknes) feedback, zonal wind/heat content (or Wyrtki) feedback, but also negative surface heat flux feedbacks. In our model, nearly all these results (excepted for SST skewness) are independent of the amplitude of the SST diurnal cycle suggesting that the systematic deterioration of the air-sea coupling by a daily exchange of SST information is cascading toward the major mode of tropical variability, i.e. ENSO.     

Sodium clouds in the lower thermosphere

Very large short lived enhancements observed in Na nightglow measurements are described. Only nine such events have been observed in about 8 years of regular nocturnal observations at 23°S. These enhancements are believed to be due to excess sodium deposited in the upper atmosphere by meteoroid ablation. The cases observed are not always correlated with known meteor showers, except perhaps in June with χ Scorpiids and θ Ophiuchids.     

Tidal and solar cycle effects on the OI 5577 Å, NaD and OH(8,3) airglow emissions observed at 23°S

The upper mesosphere airglow emissions OI 5577, NaD and OH have been observed at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S; 45.0°W) Brazil. Nocturnal variations and their seasonal dependencies in amplitude and phase, and the annual variations of these emissions are presented, analysing the data obtained from 1977 to 1982 during the ascending phase of the last solar cycle. The nocturnal variations of the OI 5577 emission and the OH rotational temperature showed a significant semidiurnal oscillation, with the phase of maximum moving from midnight in January to early morning in June. Semiannual variation of the OI 5577 and NaD emissions with the maximum intensities in April/May and October/November were observed. The OH rotational temperature, however, showed an annual variation, maximum in summer and minimum in winter, while no significant seasonal variation was found in the OH emission intensities. Long-term intensity variations are also presented with the solar sunspot numbers and the 10.7 cm flux.