A real-time, event-triggered storm surge forecasting system for the state of North Carolina

A new real-time, event-triggered storm surge prediction system has been developed for the State of North Carolina to assist emergency managers, policy-makers and other government officials with evacuation planning, decision-making and resource deployment during tropical storm landfall and flood inundation events. The North Carolina Forecast System (NCFS) was designed and built to provide a rapid response assessment of hurricane threat, accomplished by driving a high-resolution, two-dimensional, depth-integrated version of the ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) coastal ocean model with winds from a synthetic asymmetric gradient wind vortex. These parametric winds, calculated at exact finite-element mesh node locations and directly coupled to the ocean model at every time step, are generated from National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast advisories the moment they are inserted into the real-time weather data stream, maximizing the number of hours of forecast utility. Tidal harmonic constituents are prescribed at the open water boundaries and applied as tidal potentials in the interior of the ocean model domain. A directional surface roughness parameterization that modulates the wind speed at a given location based on the types of land cover encountered upwind, a forest canopy sheltering effect, and a spatially varying distribution of Manning’s–n friction coefficient used for computing the bottom/channel bed friction are also included in the storm surge model. Comparisons of the simulated wind speeds and phases against their real meteorological counterparts, of model elevations against actual sea surface elevations measured by NOAA tide gauges along the NC coast, and of simulated depth-averaged current velocities against Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data, indicate that this new system produces remarkably realistic predictions of winds and storm surge.     

1961—1987年与1988—2014年辽宁省气候区划界线变化及可能气候成因

基于同一区划方法、指标体系,使用1961—2014年辽宁省52站气象观测资料,分析辽宁省气温、气候区划指标、范围及界线的变动特征。结果表明：辽宁省年均气温在1988年发生一次突变,突变后气温开始显著上升;≥10 ℃积温日数比较显著地响应气温突变,而干燥指数、7月平均气温变化不显著。在空间分布上区划指标值均存在不同程度的变化。① 全省≥10 ℃积温日数均出现增加,但在中西部地区显著增加;② 在盘锦-抚顺一线以北（南）,气候总体呈不显著变湿（干）趋势;③ 7月平均气温呈缓慢上升趋势。区划范围及界线位置出现更加显著地变化：① 暖温带范围主要向北向东扩展,中温带向东收缩;② 半湿润区范围主要向北向西扩展,半干旱区向西北方向收缩,湿润区范围基本不变;③ Tb范围显著向北向东扩展,Ta范围向北向东收缩。在此基础上分析了气候格局变化的可能气候成因,发现突变后≥10 ℃积温日数期间500 hPa高度场增加与4月和10月东亚冬季风减弱,4—10月东北冷涡持续天数增加和7月500 hPa高度场增加,可能分别是温度带,Tb区、Ta区和半湿润区、半干旱区变化的原因。     

岬湾海岸中人工岛建设对岬角涡旋及海湾地形冲淤的影响——以海南岛铺前湾为例

岬湾海岸中一般在岬角的右侧与左侧（面向大海方向）分别发育顺时针与逆时针涡流。这些涡流的存在对泥沙输运、海底地形演变、污染物扩散等都具有重要影响。而在海洋中岛屿的存在将产生局部的岛后尾流。如岛屿与岬角距离较近,岛后尾流可能与岬角涡旋相互作用,反之则相互影响较小。本文以海南岛铺前湾为例,研究在岬湾海岸中湾口处的人工岛建设对湾内涡旋的影响,并进一步分析人工岛建设对整个海湾海底冲淤变化的效应。本项研究主要采用COAWST模型进行研究。结果表明,大潮期在海湾内发育大范围的顺时针涡旋,小潮期涡旋发育不明显,以东向余流为主。人工岛建设并未影响整个海湾的涡旋结构,但人工岛分隔了湾内顺时针涡旋,且在周围产生局部的逆时针与顺时针涡旋。海底冲淤变化的基本格局为湾内以淤积为主,人工岛建设加强了这种趋势,但在人工岛与岸线之间的狭窄通道内,海底出现冲刷。本项研究对岬湾海岸的科学开发管理具有一定意义。     

Properties and stability of a meso-scale line-form disturbance

By using the 3D dynamic equations for small- and meso-scale disturbances, an investigation is performed on the heterotropic instability (including symmetric instability and traversal-type instability) of a zonal line-like disturbance moving at any angle with respect to basic flow, arriving at the following results: (1) with linear shear available, the heterotropic instability of the disturbance will occur only when flow shearing happens in the direction of the line-like disturbance movement or in the direction perpendicular to the disturbance movement, with the heterotropic instability showing the instability of the internal inertial gravity wave; (2) in the presence of second-order non-linear shear, the disturbance of the heterotropic instability includes internal inertial gravity and vortex Rossby waves. For the zonal line-form disturbance under study, the vortex Rossby wave has its source in the second-order shear of meridional basic wind speed in the flow and propagates unidirectionally with respect to the meridional basic flow. As a mesoscale heterotropic instable disturbance, the vortex Rossby wave has its origin from the second shear of the flow in the direction perpendicular to the line-form disturbance and is independent of the condition in the direction parallel to the flow; (3) for general zonal line-like disturbances, if the second-order shear happens in the meridional wind speed, i.e., the second shear of the flow in the direction perpendicular to the line-form disturbance, then the heterotropic instability of the disturbance is likely to be the instability of a mixed Rossby–internal inertial gravity wave; (4) the symmetric instability is actually the instability of the internal inertial gravity wave. The second-order shear in the flow represents an instable factor for a symmetric-type disturbance; (5) the instability of a traversal-type disturbance is the instability of the internal inertial gravity wave when the basic flow is constant or only linearly sheared. With a second or nonlinear vertical shear of the basic flow taken into account, the instability of a traversal-type disturbance may be the instability of a mixed vortex Rossby – gravity wave.     

Middle-high latitude N2O distributions related to the Arctic vortex breakup

The relationship of N2O distributions with the Arctic vortex breakup is first analyzed with a probability distribution function （PDF） analysis. The N2O concentration shows different distributions between the early and late vortex breakup years. In the early breakup years, the N2O concentration shows low values and large dispersions after the vortex breakup, which is related to the inhomogeneity in the vertical advection in the middle and high latitude lower stratosphere. The horizontal diffusion coefficient （Kyy） shows a larger value accordingly. In the late breakup years, the N2O concentration shows high values and more uniform distributions than in the early years after the vortex breakup, with a smaller vertical advection and Kyy after the vortex breakup. It is found that the N2O distributions are largely affected by the Arctic vortex breakup time but the dynamically defined vortex breakup time is not the only factor.     

Influence of Mesoscale Eddies on Variations of the Kuroshio Path South of Japan

The influences of mesoscale eddies on variations of the Kuroshio path south of Japan have been investigated using time series of the Kuroshio axis location and altimeter-derived sea surface height maps for a period of seven years from 1993 to 1999, when the Kuroshio followed its non-large meander path. It was found that both the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies may interact with the Kuroshio and trigger short-term meanders of the Kuroshio path, although not all eddies that approached or collided with the Kuroshio formed meanders. An anticyclonic eddy that revolves clockwise in a region south of Shikoku and Cape Shionomisaki with a period of about 5–6 months was found to propagate westward along about 30°N and collide with the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu or south of Shikoku. This collision sometimes triggers meanders which propagate over the whole region south of Japan. The eddy was advected downstream, generating a meander on the downstream side to the east of Cape Shionomisaki. After the eddy passed Cape Shionomisaki, it detached from the Kuroshio and started to move westward again. Sometimes the eddy merges with other anticyclonic eddies traveling from the east. Coalescence of cyclonic eddies, which are also generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan, into the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu, also triggers meanders which mainly propagate only in a region west of Cape Shionomisaki. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

冬季南海北部中尺度涡旋的数值研究

南海环流的一个主要特征是上层海洋环流具有多涡结构,海洋中尺度涡旋的演变(时间上的生消和空间上的迁移)是南海环流季节调整的可能方式。文中依据卫星遥感海面高度资料和实际海洋观测所揭示的南海北部存在中尺度涡旋体系的基本事实,采用一个改进了涡分辨(eddy-resolving)普林斯顿海洋模式(POM),对冬季处于强盛的东北季风强迫以及黑潮在巴士海峡入侵的共同作用下的南海北部环流的中尺度涡旋体系进行了数值研究,初步再现了冬季南海北部中尺度涡的生命史。计算结果表明,在实际的气候冬季风应力驱动下,具有的实际侧边界地形的南海北部呈现有强烈的中尺度涡旋。文中探讨了中尺度涡的垂直结构、温盐场的配置以及大尺度水平辐合辐散、海洋垂直运动与之相关的时空结构。由此可以得知,在冬季南海北部中尺度涡旋生命史的不同阶段,上述动力学因子的重要性是相对的。不同的敏感性试验表明,斜压调整是形成冬季南海中尺度涡旋体系的决定性因子;边界的入流和风应力驱动是影响中尺度涡旋运动的主要因素。     

0908号台风“莫拉克”异常路径及其对台湾海峡两岸强降水的影响

应用常规资料,结合雷达、卫星云图和其他观测资料,分析了0908号台风＂莫拉克＂异常路径及其对台湾海峡两岸强降水的影响.结果表明：（1）500 hPa欧亚中高纬度为两槽一脊的形势和东北区域大范围的正变高使副热带高压加强西伸,以及0909号热带气旋＂艾涛＂前身低压阻挡了副热带高压南落的共同作用,使＂莫拉克＂台风前期向偏西方向移动.（2）高空冷涡提供了有利于热带低压维持和发展的动力条件,热带低压的维持又对＂莫拉克＂的移动造成影响.（3）冷空气持续南下造成副热带高压减弱,并且在＂莫拉克＂台风北侧形成稳定低能区;高空冷涡引起其北侧中高层高度下降和东风引导气流减弱;在弱环流和多热带气旋的环境场下,以及热带风暴＂天鹅＂（0907号）、＂艾涛＂对＂莫拉克＂台风的反方向作用力等因素的综合作用,是＂莫拉克＂台风在台湾海峡移速异常缓慢的原因.（4）＂莫拉克＂台风在台湾海峡滞留时间长,其北侧强偏东风和南侧强西南风带来充沛的水汽,及迎风坡辐合抬升所产生的中小尺度系统是造成闽北、浙南和台湾岛南部强降水持续时间长、累计雨量大的重要原因.     

不同固有频率比条件下圆柱双自由度涡激振动特性的数值研究

采用RANS方法,结合SST k-ω湍流模型,对不同顺流向与横顺流向固有频率的比值(即固有频率比,fnx/fny)条件下低质量比圆柱体的双自由度涡激振动进行了二维数值模拟。圆柱体的质量比为2.6,雷诺数范围为2 500~18 750,相应的约化速度范围为2~15,包括了经典试验中出现的整个锁定范围。通过研究发现,固有频率比是影响振动特性的重要参数,随着固有频率比的增加,响应幅值逐渐降低且向更高的约化速度偏移;在低约化速度范围内,固有频率比对顺流向和横流向振动之间的相位差以及升力频率有较大影响,从而得到各种不同偏向的8字形轨迹;最后对不同固有频率比条件下的尾涡模式进行了讨论,给出了对应不同约化速度时的尾涡模式。     

2003年北极科考期间一次极涡个例天气学分析

2003年9月3日到14日,"雪龙"号考察船进入北冰洋楚科奇海观测期间,正值一次典型的北极极涡环流过程形成和发展。以往研究大多集中于极涡的平均水平环流特征和季节变化,该例为我们研究它的瞬时环流形势和特征提供了条件。利用NCEP全球分析资料及第二次北极科考资料对这次个例进行天气学分析,通过描述极涡个例的发展情况,平流层、对流层的环流特征以及二者之间的关系,并分析卫星遥感图像及"雪龙"号考察船的气象资料,分析结果发现:2003年中国第二次北极科考期间经历的极涡形成和发展,典型地表现出极地冬夏环流型的转换过程。首先在平流层发生,然后向对流层传播,该个例是一次在平流层西退加强,在对流层东移南下的过程。