Airborne Gravity Surveys Over Taiwan Island and Strait,Kuroshio Current and South China Sea: Comparison of GPS and Gravity Accuracies at Different Flight Altitudes

We compare the accuracies of GPS and gravity observations obtained from three airborne gravity surveys over Taiwan Island at altitude 5000 m and over Kuroshio Current, Taiwan Strait, and Dongsha Atoll at altitude 1500 m. A kinematic network adjustment was used to determine the positions of the aircrafts. GPS positioning errors are at the decimeter-level, which are not entirely propagated to velocity and acceleration errors due to cancellation of long wavelength errors. Outliers are downweighted in the Gaussian filtering to improve the gravity accuracy, especially at altitude 1500 m. Compared with the upward-continued gravity, the gravity anomalies from the 1500-m surveys show a consistent accuracy of about 3 mgal; the accuracy from the 5000-m survey is degraded, especially over high mountains. The RMS crossover differences at 1500 m and 5000 m are all below 3 mgal, suggesting flight altitudes do not affect the crossover difference. Coherence analysis suggests that the spatial resolvable wavelengths of the airborne gravity range from 4 km (altitude 1500 m) to 6 km (altitude 5000 m).     

Interannual Sea Level Variations and Annual Tides in the Northwestern Pacific

Specific properties of the interannual sea level variations and annual tides in the Northwestern Pacific were studied. Several tide stations were monitored. The monthly mean sea level for the year of 1995 was analyzed at each tide station. A seismic event in 1995, some tectonic activity around the subject area, and the Kuroshio (the oceanic western boundary current) may possibly contaminate results which would have occurred from the astronomical annual tide alone.     

Territorial behaviour in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

The recapture of tagged brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in two experimental streams gave over 60% recapture in the section of stream where they were released, and over 80% when adjacent areas were included. Operation of a downstream trap showed that there was little emigration from the area above the trap and it is concluded that most of the fish which disappear die.     

ENSO循环相联系的北太平洋低纬度异常西边界流

用SODA海洋同化和NCEP大气再分析资料,分析了热带太平洋次表层海温异常主要模态与北太平洋低纬度西边界流海域上层海洋环流和亚洲-北太平洋地区大气垂直和水平流场变化之间的关系,得到以下结果:（1） 在热带太平洋海洋次表层ENSO事件具有两种模态,二者组合构成ENSO循环。第一模态为ENSO成熟期,主要出现在冬季,第二模态为ENSO过渡期,主要出现夏季。（2） ENSO循环对北太平洋低纬度西边界流区上层海洋环流有重要影响。在El Niño发展期或La Niña 衰退期,该区出现气旋性异常环流,北赤道流（NEC）加强,NEC分叉位置北移,棉兰老海流（MC）加大,菲律宾以东黑潮（KC）减小,北赤道逆流（NECC）最强。在El Niño（La Niña）成熟期,该区气旋性（反气旋性）异常环流达最强,NEC最强（最弱）,NEC分叉位置最北（最南）,MC最大（最小）,KC最小（最大）,NECC减弱（加强）。在El Niño衰退期或La Niña发展期与El Niño发展期相反,该区出现反气旋性异常环流,由此导致相应流系异常发生反位相变化。（3） ENSO循环对北太平洋低纬度西边界流海域上层海洋环流的影响是通过ENSO事件期间热带太平洋热力状况异常改变上空大气环流来实现的。ENSO事件首先造成热带太平洋海洋热力状况异常,导致其上空对流活动异常,后者直接或间接通过“大气桥”能量传输引起相关地区大气环流场的变化,致使海面风应力场异常,进而强迫上层海洋环流场的相应变化。文章最后还分析了ENSO事件期间菲律宾附近异常反气旋或异常气旋性风场的产生和持续原因,讨论了北太平洋低纬度西边界流海域海气相互作用在ENSO循环中的贡献。     

Velocity measurements in the East Auckland Current north‐east of North Cape,New Zealand

Flow in the East Auckland Current (EAUC) system to the north‐east of North Cape, New Zealand is examined using data from two current meter mooring arrays, with supporting data from conductivity/temperature/depth (CTD) and satellite altimetry. Variable currents up to 45 cm s_–1 were observed. The variability was partly attributable to changes in position and strength of the North Cape Eddy whose centre lies some 150 km offshore. The observed flows across the mooring line correlate well with those estimated from satellite altimetry. This gives confidence in the use of the satellite data to estimate the transport variability in the EAUC in the 1992–2001 period. No seasonal cycle was found in the volume transports but rather broadband variability at periods longer than 100 days.     

Distribution,seasonality, lengths,and feeding behaviour of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) observed in New Zealand waters

Data from 36 whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) sightings off north‐east North Island, New Zealand are summarised. Sightings were concentrated over the outer shelf and shelf break in areas influenced by the East Auckland Current at sea surface temperatures (SST) of 21–24°C. Sightings occurred from late spring to early autumn (November‐April) but were most frequent in midsummer (February) when upwelling along the north‐east shelf is weakest. The data indicate whale sharks occur off north‐east New Zealand most summers, including those when SST is colder than usual. A cluster of sightings and three observations of whale sharks feeding on schools of anchovy (Engraulis australis) near Whale Island, Bay of Plenty, suggest whale sharks may aggregate seasonally in this area. Estimated total lengths (TL) of 26 whale sharks ranged from 3.5 to 15 m, with 73% between 6 and 9 m TL.     

Antarctic Intermediate Water variability in the northern New Zealand region

In the region between 30°S and northern New Zealand, vertical salinity profiles through the core of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) show a high degree of spatial and temporal variability, and this variability is much larger than that found in nearby ocean areas. Characteristic features are interleaving of salinity layers and large changes in the salinity minimum between adjacent stations. Quantifying the changes through the calculation of an intrusion index highlights the degree of variability and the importance of boundary mixing along the New Zealand slope. However, the main cause of the variability is the meeting and mixing of higher salinity AAIW, arriving from the north‐west (having travelled around the subtropical gyre) with lower salinity AAIW arriving by more direct entry from the north‐east. These waters meet in the region through the action of the meso‐scale eddy field. Present data indicate that where strong salinity interleaving occurs, the length scales are of the order of 10 km and the time scales are of the order of a few days. Resolution of the processes at work will require studies on finer scales than presently available.     

基于OFES模式数据的北赤道流分叉研究

利用1957—2006 共50 年高分辨率的长时间序列海洋模式OFES(OGCM for the Earth Simulator)数据, 对北赤道流(NEC)的分叉规律及其与ENSO循环的关系进行了分析。结果表明: (1) NEC分叉纬度具有明显的季节和年际变化, 周期主要呈现为3—6个月的季节内振荡和2年、2—7年左右ENSO尺度周期振荡以及10年以上的年代际变化。在季节尺度上, 分叉位置春季偏南, 秋季偏北, 并且分叉纬度随深度的增加向北移动, 其北移幅度冬季最大, 夏季最小。而在年际变化尺度上, NEC分叉纬度具有较强的年际变化信号, 与ENSO循环密切相关, El Ni?o 年分叉位置偏北, La Ni?a年分叉位置偏南。(2)NEC分叉纬度的变化与北太平洋0—30°N之间的纬向风应力旋度积分零线位置密切相关, 零线的南北偏移导致了分叉位置的改变, 在不同深度上, 零线位置对分叉纬度改变的影响时间不同, 表层需1个月, 而500 m深度则需4个月左右。(3)NEC分叉影响着黑潮(KC)与(棉兰老流)MC的流量分配率, 其年际异常变化与冷、暖ENSO事件发生密切相关, 当El Ni?o发生时, KC流量分配率减少, MC 流量分配率增加; La Ni?a年情况则相反。     

An oceanographic survey of the Tasman Front

Results of a detailed expendable bathythermograph survey in the northern Tasman Sea are presented. The Tasman Front, with its origin in the edge of an East Australian Current eddy, extended throughout the survey region. The front marked a coherent, meandering, zonal jet which crosses the Tasman Sea and hence links at least part of the East Australian Current to the other western boundary currents in the subtropical gyre. The frontal meandering derives from both the variability of the East Australian Current system and the topographic effects of the major ridge systems in the north Tasman Sea. The front is less distinct over the crests of these ridges. The flow field in the survey area contained a number of anticyclonic eddies, and current records show that the oceanic eddies are long‐lived features similar to the eddies in the East Australian Current.