Surface inflow into the South China Sea through the Luzon Strait in winter

We studied the driving force of the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea (SCS) during the winter monsoon, using satellite-tracked drifters entering the Luzon Strait (LS) through the Balintany and Babuyan Channels from the Philippine Sea. Most drifters passing through the Babuyan Channel in winter entered the interior SCS without a significant change in velocity. However, half of the drifters passing through the Balintany Channel entered the SCS at ~30 cm/s, which was faster than when they entered the LS. The other half continued moving northwestward into the Kuroshio and returned to the North Pacific. Quantitative analyses, using surface climatological wind and sea surface height anomaly (SSHa) data explained both the difference in velocity of drifters between the two channels and their acceleration through the Balintany Channel. The results suggest that the positive meridional gradient of sea surface height in the Luzon Strait, caused by the pileup of seawater driven by the Northeast monsoon, as well as Ekman flow, contribute to the Kuroshio intrusion into the SCS through the Babuyan and Balintany Channels. The former may be the main driving force.     

Observation and simulation of a floe drift near the North Pole

The drift trajectory of a floe near the North Pole (87° N, 175° W) was observed during 8–19 August, 2010 based on the fourth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition. The trajectory of the floe showed circular motions superimposed on straight drift. Each cycle had a period of about 12?h. The circular motion is inertial oscillation. The largest amplitude of inertial oscillation speed can reach 20?cm/s. After removing the inertial oscillation, the floe drift direction is about 40° on average to the right of the observed 10-m wind which is much larger than previous reports on the angle between sea-ice velocity and the geostrophic wind, and floe drift moves with a speed of about 1.4?% of the observed 10-m wind speed throughout the whole observation period. A simple dynamic sea ice-ocean coupled model and a three-dimensional sea ice-ocean coupled model are employed to simulate the floe drift. Both numerical models are with the widely used quadratic water-drag formulation, i.e., the stress is proportional to the square of the ice velocity relative to the ocean surface current. The inertial oscillation of the floe is successfully simulated by the simple passive drag model, while the floe drift amplitudes simulated from the three-dimensional model are relatively small.     

2011年日本Mw 9.0级地震的GPS响应研究

2011年3月11日日本宫城县以东太平洋海域发生Mw9.0级特大地震,造成了地表的严重错位并引发海啸。文中利用位于日本及周边国家的IGS站和国家海洋局GPS业务站观测数据,采用作者研制的精密单点定位(PPP)软件UniP,对此次地震的GPS数据响应进行了研究。结果表明:(1)GPS观测数据能清晰、连续地记录震时地表形变的过程,我国CHAN,NCST等站点水平方向的震时最大位移在10 cm以内,高程方向的震时最大位移在15 cm以内,且形变以可恢复性的弹性形变为主。(2)我国距震中较远,受此次日本地震的影响较小,且大部分站点是在东坐标方向出现不同程度的震后永久性位移。其中CHAN站点的震后位移最为明显,东向形变量为(1.8±0.11)cm;NCST、NLHT站点次之,东向形变量分别为(1.1±0.26)cm和(1.0±0.18)cm。(3)地震波传输到国家海洋局GPS业务站NCST、NLHT等的时间约为10 min,比海啸在深海的传播速度快约14倍,可为海啸预警提供所需的时间差。这些结果显示出GPS能够为地震监测和动力学特征研究提供有价值的基础资料,也表明中国沿海GPS业务观测系统在海底地震监测、海啸预警服务中的应用潜力。     

Effects of horizontal mixing on the upper ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

The influence of horizontal mixing on the thermal structure of the equatorial Pacific Ocean is examined based on a sigma coordinate model.In general,the distributions of the temperature and currents si...     

Sensitive study of the long and short surface wave-induced vertical mixing in a wave-circulation coupled model

The previous studies by the MASNUM research team have shown the effectiveness of the wave-induced mixing (Bv) in improving the simulation of upper-ocean thermal structure. The mechanisms of Bv are further investigated by incorporating different Bv products into the MASNUM wave-circulation coupled model. First, experiments were designed to explore the effects of Bv, which contain the contributions at different wave lengths (l). The results of three experiments, the non-Bv case, the short-wave case (l <300 m), and the long-wave case (l >300 m) are compared, and it is found that the long waves are the most important component for Bv to generate mixing in the upper ocean. As the swell plays dominant role in mixing, the parameterization of Bv into wind may be not a proper way. Second, Bv effects at different time-scales, including daily and monthly, were examined. The results show that the monthly averaged Bv has larger impact than the daily averaged Bv, especially in summer.     

北部湾冷水团的季节变化及其机制的数值研究

A wave-tide-circulation coupled model based on the Princeton Ocean Model is established to explore the seasonal variation of the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf and its mechanisms. The results show that the cold water mass starts forming in March, reaches the maximum strength during June and July, and fades away since October. Strong mixing in winter transports the cold water from sea surface to bottom. The cold water mass remains in the bottom layer as the thermocline strengthens during spring, except for the shallow water where the themocline is broken by strong tidal mixing, which gradually separate the cold water mass from its surrounding warm water. Further analysis on the ocean current and stream function confirms that the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf is locally developed, with an anticlockwise circulation caused by a strong temperature gradient. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the cold water mass is controlled by the sea surface heat flux, while the terrain and tidal mixing also play important roles.     

Interocean circulation and heat and freshwater budgets of the South China Sea based on a numerical model

The South China Sea (SCS) interocean circulation and its associated heat and freshwater budgets are examined using the results of a variable-grid global ocean model. The ocean model has a 1/6° resolution in the SCS and its adjacent oceans. The model results from 1982 to 2003 show that the western Pacific waters enter the SCS through the Luzon Strait with an annual mean volume transport of 4.80 Sv, of which 1.71 Sv returns to the western Pacific through the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea and 3.09 Sv flows toward the Indian Ocean. The heat in the western Pacific is transported to the SCS with a rate of 0.373 PW (relative to a reference temperature 3.72 °C), while the total heat transport through the outflow straits is 0.432 PW. The net heat transport out of the SCS is thus 0.059 PW, which is balanced by a mean net downward heat flux of 17 W/m² across the SCS air–sea interface. Therefore, the interocean circulation acts as an “air conditioner”, cooling the SCS and its overlaying atmosphere. The SCS contributes a heat transport of 0.279 PW to the Indian Ocean, of which 0.240 PW is from the Pacific Ocean through the Luzon Strait and 0.039 PW is from the SCS interior gained from the air–sea exchange. The Luzon Strait salt transport is greater than the total salt transport leaving the SCS by 3.97 Gg/s, implying a mean freshwater flux of 0.112 Sv (or 3.54 × 10¹² m³/year) from the land discharge and P − E (precipitation minus evaporation). The total annual land discharge to the SCS is estimated to be 1.60 × 10¹² m³/year, the total annual P − E over the SCS is thus 1.94 × 10¹² m³/year, equivalent to a mean P − E of 0.55 m/year. The SCS freshwater contribution to the Indian Ocean is 0.096 Sv. The pattern of the SCS interocean circulation in winter differs greatly from that in summer. The SCS branch of the Pacific-to-Indian Ocean throughflow exists in winter, but not in summer. In winter this branching flow starts at the Luzon Strait and extends to the Karimata Strait. In summer the interocean circulation is featured by a north-northeastward current starting at the Karimata Strait and extending to the Taiwan and Luzon Straits, and a subsurface inflow from the Luzon Strait that upwells into the surface layer in the SCS interior to supply the outward transports.     

珠三角北部一次暖区强降水过程中的地形作用

基于ERA5再分析资料、广东省风廓线雷达、雷达拼图产品和实况观测数据,分析了2020年6月7日夜间—8日珠三角（珠江三角洲）北部暖区强降水过程中主雨带与南岭南部地形走势一致的原因,阐释地形对此次强降水的触发和维持作用。结果表明：（1）此次过程发生在典型的暖区暴雨环流特征的背景下,主要影响系统为对流层中层弱短波槽扰动、低空急流和边界层急流脉冲等;（2）雷达回波表现为团状结构,多以对流单体形态生消,伴随明显的“列车效应”现象,但3个不同发展阶段内回波的持续时间、强度,以及触发地、传播和移动方向等均存在差异;（3）由于边界层西南（偏南）风增强和地形作用,新的对流单体在珠江口附近和珠三角西北侧被触发,同时由于南岭南侧地形对边界层暖湿气流的阻挡和拦截等作用,使得气流在珠三角北部形成明显的辐合抬升,造成该区域内对流单体移速减慢和汇聚,增强了降水强度;（4）强降水长时间的持续与海陆热力差异、冷池和边界层暖湿气流增强等引起的地面露点锋和中尺度辐合线有关。露点锋为强降水的发展和维持提供了热力不稳定条件,地面辐合线加强了对流层底层气流的辐合抬升,进一步增强了强降水区的降水强度。研究结果有助于认识珠三角北部...     

Using ensemble adjustment Kalman filter to assimilate Argo profiles in a global OGCM

An ensemble adjustment Kalman filter (EAKF) is used to assimilate Argo profiles of 2008 in a global version of the Modular Ocean Model version 4. Four assimilation experiments are carried out to compare with the simulation without data assimilation, which serves as the control experiment. All experiment results are compared with dataset of Global Temperature–Salinity Profile Program and satellite sea surface temperature (SST). The first experiment (Exp 1) is implemented by perturbing temperature of upper layers in the initial conditions (ICs) with an amplitude of 1.0°C and no ensemble inflation. The results from Exp 1 show that the simulated temperature (salinity) deviation in the upper 400 m (500 m) is reduced through Argo data assimilation; however, these deviations are increased in deeper layers. The error reduction in SST is much greater during January to June than during the rest of the year. Three more experiments are designed to understand the responses in different layers and months. Two of them test model sensitivities to ICs by perturbing them vertically: one over the vertical extent of the whole water column (Exp 2) and the other employs smaller perturbation amplitude of 0.1°C (Exp 3). Exp 2 shows that the simulated temperature and salinity deviations are systematically improved in the whole water column. Comparison between Exps 2 and 3 suggests that perturbation amplitude is important. Exp 4 tests the influence of the optimal inflation factor of 5%, which is determined by other set of numerical tests. Exp 4 improves assimilation performance much more than the other three experiments without inflation. Therefore, we conclude that the perturbation should be introduced to all model layers, proper perturbation amplitude is important for Ocean data assimilation using EAKF, and the ensemble inflation by an optimal inflation is critical to improve the skill of the EAKF analysis.     

A Note on the South China Sea Shallow Interocean Circulation

1. IntroductionThe South China Sea (SCS) has many channelsconnecting with the outer oceans/seas (Fig. 1). Thewidest and deepest channel is the Luzón Strait, whichis the main entrance to the SCS from the WesternPacific Ocean, having a sill depth of about 2500 m.On the north, the Taiwan Strait connects with theEast China Sea, with a sill depth of about 70 m. Inthe vicinity of Mindoro Island, there are a numberof channels connecting the SCS with the Sulu Sea.The main channel is the M…