Annual and Seasonal Variations of the Sea Surface Heat Fluxes in the East Asian Marginal Seas

Based on the twice-daily marine atmospheric variables which were derived mostly from the weather maps for 18 years period from 1978 to 1995, the surface heat flux over the East Asian marginal seas was calculated at 0.5°×0.5° grid points twice a day. The annual mean distribution of the net heat flux shows that the maximum heat loss occurs in the central part of the Yellow Sea, along the Kuroshio axis and along the west coast of the northern Japanese islands. The area off Vladivostok turned out to be a heat-losing region, however, on the average, the amount of heat loss is minimum over the study area and the estuary of the Yangtze River also appears as a region of the minimum heat loss. The seasonal variations of heat flux show that the period of heat gain is longest in the Yellow Sea, and the maximum heat gain occurs in June. The maximum heat loss occurs in January over the study area, except the Yellow Sea where the heat loss is maximum in December. The annual mean value of the net heat flux in the East/Japan Sea is −108 W/m² which is about twice the value of Hirose et al. (1996) or about 30% higher than Kato and Asai (1983). For the Yellow Sea, it is about −89 W/m² and it becomes −75 W/m² in the East China Sea. This increase in values of the net heat flux comes mostly from the turbulent fluxes which are strongly dependent on the wind speed, which fluctuates largely during the winter season. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

TOPEX Constrained Solution of Mean Sea Surface by Joint Processing of TOPEX,ERS-1 and GEOSAT Altimetric Measurements

We present an improved crossover adjustment procedure to determine mean sea surface height using TOPEX, 35-day repeat phase ERS-1, Geosat, and 168-day repeat phase ERS-1 satellite altimeter data. The mean sea surface frame defined by the TOPEX data is imposed as certain constraints in our crossover adjustment procedure rather than held fixed as in some other procedures. The new procedure is discussed in detail. Equations are developed to incorporate the a priori information of Topex data as well as other satellite altimeter data. The numerical computation result shows that the rms crossover discrepancies are reduced by an order of 1 cm when the Topex data is not fixed. Furthermore, the computed mean sea surface is less noisy and more realistic than that computed by the traditional procedure.     

Using Mean Sea Surface Topography for Determination of Height System Differences across the Baltic Sea

The mean sea surface topography in the Baltic Sea and adjacent waters is reliably known in the Nordic height system NH 60. Using this knowledge we estimate differences between NH 60, based on the Amsterdam zero point, and Russian, Polish, and German height systems along the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea, based on the Kronstadt zero point. The differences agree within a few centimeters. We also make a simple study of the mean sea level difference between Kronstadt and Amsterdam (which is found to have been approximately 25 cm when sea level was still to be seen there).     

南海海平面高度年循环的特征

根据 ＴＯＰＥＸ／ ＰＯＳＥＩＤＯＮ－ＥＲＳ高度计提供的海平面高度异常资料和并行海洋气候模式（ＰＯＣＭ）模拟海平面高度资料，分析了南海海平面高度年循环特征。结果表明：ｌ月，３月和５月海平面高度的异常值分别与７月，９月，１１月的异常值相反。ｌ月（７月），深水海区与吕宋海峡的海平面高度为负（正）异常，在大部分陆架区和南海的西和南部，海平面高度为正（负）异常。在３月（９月），除海平面高度异常的量级已减少，且较小的ＳＳＨ正异常（负异常）出现在南海的中部以外，海平面高度异常的分布型与 １月（７月）类似； ＳＳＨ的年循环的最大振幅出现在吕宋岛的西北海域；风的季节变化是南海ＳＳＨ季节变化的主要原因。     

Gravity torques for surface waves

The effects of the gravity torques acting on the angular momentum of surface gravity waves are calculated theoretically. For short crested waves the gravity torque is caused by the force of gravity on the orbiting fluid particles acting down the slopes of the crests and troughs and in the direction parallel to the crests and troughs. The gravity torque tries to rotate the angular momentum vectors, and thus the waves themselves, counterclockwise in the horizontal plane, as viewed from above, in both hemispheres. The amount of rotation per unit time is computed to be significant assuming reasonable values for the along-crest and trough slopes for waves in a storm area. The gravity torque has a frequency which is double the frequency of the waves. For long crested waves the gravity torque acts in the vertical plane of the orbit and tries to decelerate the particles when they rise and accelerate them when they fall. By disrupting the horizontal cyclostrophic balance of forces on the fluid particles (centrifugal force versus pressure force) the gravity torque accounts qualitatively for the three characteristics of breaking waves: that they break at the surface, that they break at the crest, and that the crest breaks in the direction of wave propagation.     

套子湾表层沉积物地球化学特征的研究

本文对套子湾表层沉积物中的pH、Eh、硫化物、氮、磷、有机质、铜、铅、锌、镉地球化学特征进行了分析研究.并讨论了如下几个关系:①与沉积类型之间的关系;②其相关性与环境的关系。③与矿物的关系;④与水和风等作用的关系;⑤与水化学的关系;⑥重点分析了表层沉积物中化学要素与生物的相互关系。这不仅为该湾的开发治理.生物养殖等提供科学依据.并进一步证明沉积物地球化学.在环境化学和生态学研究等方面的理论意义。     

Levels and distribution of tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate and hexabromocyclododecanes in surface sediments from the Yellow River Delta wetland of China

The levels and distribution of tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate (TBC) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) of surface sediments in the Yellow River Delta wetland had been investigated. The concentrations of TBC and ∑ HBCDs ranged from 0.20 to 29.03 ng·g^? 1 dw and below limits of detections (LODs) to 20.25 ng·g^? 1 dw. The average composition profile of three HBCDs isomers were 10.1%, 6.1% and 83.8% for α-, β- and γ-HBCD, respectively. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated there are similar sources among three isomers and positive correlations between total organic carbon (TOC) content and concentrations of TBC and HBCDs. The mass inventory of TBC,α-, β-, γ-HBCD, ΣHBCDs in surface sediments of Yellow River Delta wetland were estimated about 725.50, 72.76, 44.29, 548.34, 665.39 kg. Therefore, further investigations on potential human health and environmental risk assessments of TBC and HBCDs were needed.     

Possible liquid water origin for Atacama Desert mudflow and recent gully deposits on Mars

Evidence of recent gully activity on Mars has been reported based on the formation of new light toned deposits within the past decade, the origin of which remains controversial. Analogous recent light toned gully features have formed by liquid water activity in the Atacama Desert on Earth. These terrestrial deposits leave no mineralogical trace of water activity but rather show an albedo difference due to particle size sorting within a fine-grained mudflow. Therefore, spectral differences indicating varying mineralogy between a recent gully deposit and the surrounding terrain may not be the most relevant criteria for detecting water flow in arid environments. Instead, variation in particle size between the deposit and surrounding terrain is a possible discriminator to identify a water-based flow. We show that the Atacama deposit is similar to the observed Mars gully deposits, and both are consistent with liquid water activity. The light-toned Mars gully deposits could have formed from dry debris flows, but a liquid water origin cannot be ruled out because not all liquid water flows leave hydrated minerals behind on the surface. Therefore, the Mars deposits could be remnant mudflows that formed on Mars within the last decade.     

The initial responses of hot liquid water released under low atmospheric pressures: Experimental insights

Experiments have been performed to simulate the shallow ascent and surface release of water and brines under low atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure was treated as an independent variable and water temperature and vapor pressure were examined as a function of total pressure variation down to low pressures. The physical and thermal responses of water to reducing pressure were monitored with pressure transducers, temperature sensors and visible imaging. Data were obtained for pure water and for solutions with dissolved NaCl or CO₂. The experiments showed the pressure conditions under which the water remained liquid, underwent a rapid phase change to the gas state by boiling, and then solidified because of removal of latent heat. Liquid water is removed from phase equilibrium by decompression. Solid, liquid and gaseous water are present simultaneously, and not at the 611 Pa triple point, because dynamic interactions between the phases maintain unstable temperature gradients. After phase changes stop, the system reverts to equilibrium with its surroundings. Surface and shallow subsurface pressure conditions were simulated for Mars and the icy satellites of the outer Solar System. Freezing by evaporation in the absence of wind on Mars is shown to be unlikely for pure water at pressures greater than c. 670 Pa, and for saline solutions at pressures greater than c. 610 Pa. The physical nature of ice that forms depends on the salt content. Ice formed from saline water at pressures less than c. 610 Pa could be similar to terrestrial sea ice. Ice formed from pure water at pressures less than c. 100 Pa develops a low thermal conductivity and a ‘honeycomb’ structure created by sublimation. This ice could have a density as low as c. 450 kg m⁻³ and a thermal conductivity as low as 1.6 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, and is highly reflective, more akin to snow than the clear ice from which it grew. The physical properties of ice formed from either pure or saline water at low pressures will act to reduce the surface temperature, and hence rate of sublimation, thereby prolonging the lifespan of any liquid water beneath.     

Impact of sub-pixel heterogeneity on modelled brightness temperature for an agricultural region

Knowledge of sub-pixel heterogeneity, particularly at the passive microwave scale, can improve the brightness temperature (and ultimately the soil moisture) estimation. However, the impact of surface heterogeneity (in terms of soil moisture, soil temperature and vegetation water content) on brightness temperature in an agricultural setting is relatively unknown. The Soil Moisture Active Passive Validation Experiment 2012 (SMAPVEX12) provided an opportunity to evaluate sub-pixel heterogeneity at the scale of a Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) or the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) radiometer footprint using field measured data. The first objective of this study was to determine if accounting for surface heterogeneity reduced the error between estimated brightness temperature (T_b) and T_b measured by SMOS. It was found that when accounting for variation in surface soil moisture, temperature and vegetation water content within the pixel footprint, the error between the modelled T_b and the measured T_b was less than if a homogeneous pixel were modelled. The correlation between the surface parameters and the error associated with not accounting for surface heterogeneity were investigated. It was found that there was low to moderate correlation between the error and the coefficient of variance associated with the measured soil moisture, soil temperature and vegetation volumetric water content during the field campaign. However, it was found that the correlations changed depending on the stage of vegetation growth and the amount of time following a precipitation event. At the start of the field campaign (following a precipitation event), there was strong correlation between the error and all three surface parameters (r ≥ 0.75). Following a precipitation event close to the middle of the field campaign (during which there was rapid growth in vegetation), there was strong correlation between the error and the variability in vegetation water content (r = 0.89), moderate correlation with soil moisture (r = 0.61) and low correlation with soil temperature (r = 0.26).