Low-frequency current variability observed at the shelfbreak in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico: November 2004–May 2005

Fourteen acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) were deployed on the shelf and slope for 1 year just west of the DeSoto Canyon in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) as part of its Slope to Shelf Energetics and Exchange Dynamics (SEED) project. The winter and spring observations are discussed here in regards to the low-frequency current variability and its relation to wind and eddy forcing. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses showed that two modes described most of the current variability. Wind-forced variability of the along-shelf flow was the main contributor in Mode 1 while eddies contributed much of the variability in Mode 2. Wind-stress controlled currents on the shelf and slope at time scales of about a week. On longer time scales, variations in the currents on both the outer shelf and slope appear to be related to seasonal variations in the time-cumulated wind stress curl. Winds were dominant in driving the along-shelf transports, particularly along the slope. However, the effective wind stress component was found to be aligned with the west Florida shelf direction rather than the local shelf direction. Eddy intrusions, which were more numerous in winter and spring than in summer and fall, and winds were found to contribute significantly to cross-shelf exchange processes.     

天然感潮河道水流紊动特性分析

采用多谱勒三相流速仪，在长江口徐六泾水文观测断面分别进行了涨潮、落潮时中泓与近岸垂线的流速观测，根据这些观测资料，对天然感潮河段潮流紊动的周期、频率、概率密度函数等进行了定量的数学描述，并对时均流速、紊动强度、雷诺应力等沿垂线分布进行了分析计算。     

文丘里法在河流流量推算中的应用

流量测验常见方法有常规水文缆道流速仪法、超声波时差法、声学多普勒流速(ADCP)、雷达波流速等,上述方法各有优缺点,适用于不同场合。文丘里现象被广泛用来测量封闭管道中单相稳定流体的流量,依据伯努利定律可知流速的增大伴随流体压力的降低,即受限流动在通过缩小的过流断面时流体出现流速增大的文丘里效应,根据该效应,可通过河段文氏等效,获得估算的天然河流水体流量。经实例验证,该方法计算精度较高,达到流量测验规范要求,可作为流量估算的一种辅助手段。     

底部浮泥表层推移速度分布的ADCP—GPS估测方法

ADCP对底跟踪走航观测的流速数据中包含水体底部浮泥、底沙运动信息,对比GPS定位方法算出的水体流速数据可以分离出浮泥相对于GPS定位的运动信号,从而达到对底质推移观测的目的。     

Southwestward intrusion of korea strait bottom cold water observed in 2003 and 2004

Hydrographic surveys were carried out four times in the western channel of the Korea Strait in March and August 2003 and in June and November 2004. The bottom cold water, which was lower than 10°C, appeared in the channel trough except in March 2003. It flowed southwestward along the shelf of Korean coasts in August 2003 and in November 2004. The width and the maximum speed of the intrusion current were about 20 km and approximately 25 cm s^-1, respectively, off Ulsan, Korea. The volume transport of the bottom cold water was estimated 0.019 Sv (Sv≡10⁶ m³ s^-1) in August 2003 and 0.026 Sv in November 2004.     

珠江口外走航ADCP资料的系统误差订正与质量控制

在对珠江口外2006年冬季航次走航ADCP观测资料处理中发现用Joyce的方法不能有效地订正系统误差,其原因在于订正角与航速、船艏向相关。给出了一个订正角为船艏向余弦的拟合函数,得出良好的订正结果。分析了VmDas软件处理流速结果的精度,给出了系统误差识别的方法。发现观测资料中一些不能为VmDas软件识别的错误数据,分析了海况对观测资料的影响,提出了观测资料质量控制与误差订正的一套程序。     

Spatial and temporal structure of the Denmark Strait Overflow revealed by acoustic observations

In spite of the fundamental role the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays for global climate stability, no direct current measurement of the Denmark Strait Overflow, which is the densest part of the AMOC, has been available until recently that resolve the cross-stream structure at the sill for long periods. Since 1999, an array of bottom-mounted acoustic instruments measuring current velocity and bottom-to-surface acoustic travel times was deployed at the sill. Here, the optimization of the array configuration based on a numerical overflow model is discussed. The simulation proves that more than 80% of the dense water transport variability is captured by two to three acoustic current profilers (ADCPs). The results are compared with time series from ADCPs and Inverted Echo Sounders deployed from 1999 to 2003, confirming that the dense overflow plume can be reliably measured by bottom-mounted instruments and that the overflow is largely geostrophically balanced at the sill.     

Mesoscale Eddies Observed by TOLEX-ADCP and TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter in the Kuroshio Recirculation Region South of Japan

Mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan have been investigated by using surface current data measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed on a regular ferry shuttling between Tokyo and Chichijima, Bonin Islands, and sea surface height anomaly derived from the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter. Many cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were observed in the region. Spatial and temporal scales of the eddies were determined by lag-correlation analyses in space and time. The eddies are circular in shape with a diameter of 500 km and a temporal scale of 80 days. Typical maximum surface velocity and sea surface height anomaly associated with the eddies are 15–20 cm s^–1 and 15 cm, respectively. The frequency of occurrence, temporal and spatial scales, and intensity are all nearly the same for the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, which are considered to be successive wave-like disturbances rather than solitary eddies. Phase speed of westward propagation of the eddies is estimated as 6.8 cm s^–1, which is faster than a theoretical estimate based on the baroclinic first-mode Rossby wave with or without a mean current. The spatial distribution of sea surface height variations suggests that these eddies may be generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region, though further studies are needed to clarify the generation processes.     

A sediment fluxes investigation for the 2-D modelling of large river morphodynamics

A complete understanding of alluvial-bed dynamics is desirable for evaluating a variety of issues related to water resources.Sediment fluxes were investigated in a bifurcation of the large Parana River near Rosario, Argentina. The backscatter estimations from the Doppler profilers provided the suspended load of the sediment forming the riverbed. An echo-sounder was applied to track the dunes yielding the bed-load estimation.Aiming to show the usefulness of the recorded data, a 2-D numerical code was applied to the 10-km long and 2-km wide Rosario reach. The morphodynamic module was un-coupled from the hydrodynamics assessment, which enabled the long-term prediction of the river morphology accounting for the hydrological yearly variation with a quasi-steady approach.Numerical experiments were performed to test the sensitivity of the hydrodynamic model to the computational time-step and mesh size, to test the un-coupling scheme performance regarding the full-dynamic modelling, to test the accuracy of the sediment transport formulae based on the field evidence and, finally, to provide guidance to properly fix the model parameters.     

Three sipunculan species (two new) from New Zealand

Two new species of Sipuncula arc described from New Zealand; Phascolion temporariae from, the empty tubes of the polychaete Temporaria inexpectata (Mestayeri), and Phascolion tortum from the shells of four species of molluscs. Specimens of Golfingia improvisa (Theel) are also reported from the empty frustules of the foraminiferan Ammodiscoides mestayeri (Cushman) and the sandy tubes of the foraminifera Rhizammina sp. All the species were dredged at depths of 370–660 m from Taiaroa and Papanui Canyons, off the Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. The body cavity of several specimens of G. improvisa contained the larval stage of a nematode.