Sea Level Variations Associated with Upwelling/ Downwelling Along the West Coast of India

A three-dimensional numerical model is developed and used to study the coastal upwelling processes and corresponding seasonal changes in the sea level along the west coast of India. The upwelling and associated sea level variations are seen as a response of coastal ocean to pure wind stress forcing. The model is designed to represent coastal ocean physics by resolving surface and bottom Ekman layers as realistically as possible. The prognostic variables are the three components of the velocity field, temperature, salinity and turbulent energy. The governing equations together with their boundary conditions are solved by finite-difference techniques. Experiments are performed to investigate sea level fluctuations associated with the thermal response and alongshore currents of the coastal waters. The model is forced with mean monthly wind stress forcing of January, May, July and September representing northeast monsoon and different phases of the southwest monsoon. It is known from the observational study that the upwelling process reaches to the surface waters by May along the coastal waters of the extreme southwest peninsular region. The process is more intense in July compared to May and September and its strength decreases from south to north. However, during the northeast monsoon season, which is represented by January wind stress forcing in the model, downwelling is simulated along the coast. The model simulations of the coastal response are compared with the observations and are found to be in good agreement. The maximum computed vertical velocity of about 2.0 2 10 -3 cm s -1 is predicted in July in the southern region off the coast.     

Optical properties and surface energy flux of spring fast ice in the Arctic

Over the past decades, sea ice in the polar regions has been significantly affecting local and even hemispheric climate through a positive ice albedo feedback mechanism. The role of fast ice, as opposed to drift ice, has not been well-studied due to its relatively small coverage over the earth. In this paper, the optical properties and surface energy balance of land fast ice in spring are studied using in situ observations in Barrow, Alaska. The results show that the albedo of the fast ice varied between 0.57 and 0.85 while the transmittance increased from 1.3×10?3 to 4.1×10?3 during the observation period. Snowfall and air temperature affected the albedo and absorbance of sea ice, but the transmittance had no obvious relationship with precipitation or snow cover. Net solar shortwave radiation contributes to the surface energy balance with a positive 99.2% of the incident flux, with sensible heat flux for the remaining 0.8%. Meanwhile, the ice surface loses energy through the net longwave radiation by 18.7% of the total emission, while the latent heat flux accounts for only 0.1%. Heat conduction is also an important factor in the overall energy budget of sea ice, contributing 81.2% of the energy loss. Results of the radiative transfer model reveal that the spectral transmittance of the fast ice is determined by the thickness of snow and sea ice as well as the amount of inclusions. As major inclusions, the ice biota and particulates have a significant influence on the magnitude and distribution of the spectral transmittance. Based on the radiative transfer model, concentrations of chlorophyll and particulate in the fast ice are estimated at 5.51 mg/m2 and 95.79 g/m2, which are typical values in the spring in Barrow.     

大西洋上四个爆发性气旋的云微物理参量垂直分布特征分析

利用CloudSat卫星数据处理中心(CloudSat Data Processing Center,CloudSat DPC)提供的CloudSat卫星数据、欧洲中期天气预报中心(European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,ECMWF)提供的ERA5再分析资料和美国国家航空航天局(National Aeronautics and Space Administration,NASA)提供的Aqua卫星可见光云图,对冬春季发生在大西洋上四个爆发性气旋个例的云微物理参量垂直分布特征进行了分析。结果表明:爆发性气旋中心云系多为层积云或积云,中心外围云系以雨层云为主,雨层云外部往往伴随着相似高度的高层云,气旋冷锋云带内以雨层云、高层云和高积云为主,冰粒子出现的最低高度与0℃等温线高度几乎重合;冰粒子有效半径随高度的增加而减小,而冰粒子数浓度随高度增加而增大;冰水含量大值区主要位于雨层云中部;液态水主要分布在高层云和层积云底部,冬季爆发性气旋个例内的液态水含量大于春季。     

Petroleum prospectivity of the Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean

Reconnaissance seismic reflection data indicate that Canada Basin is a >700,000 sq. km. remnant of the Amerasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean that lies south of the Alpha-Mendeleev Large Igneous Province, which was constructed across the northern part of the Amerasia Basin between about 127 and 89-83.5 Ma. Canada Basin was filled by Early Jurassic to Holocene detritus from the Beaufort-Mackenzie Deltaic System, which drains the northern third of interior North America, with sizable contributions from Alaska and Northwest Canada. The basin contains roughly 5 or 6 million cubic km of sediment. Three fourths or more of this volume generates low amplitude seismic reflections, interpreted to represent hemipelagic deposits, which contain lenses to extensive interbeds of moderate amplitude reflections interpreted to represent unconfined turbidite and amalgamated channel deposits.Extrapolation from Arctic Alaska and Northwest Canada suggests that three fourths of the section in Canada Basin is correlative with stratigraphic sequences in these areas that contain intervals of hydrocarbon source rocks. In addition, worldwide heat flow averages suggest that about two thirds of Canada Basin lies in the oil or gas windows. Structural, stratigraphic and combined structural and stratigraphic features of local to regional occurrence offer exploration targets in Canada Basin, and at least one of these contains bright spots. However, deep water (to almost 4000 m), remoteness from harbors and markets, and thick accumulations of seasonal to permanent sea ice (until its possible removal by global warming later this century) will require the discovery of very large deposits for commercial success in most parts of Canada Basin.     

赤道印度洋中部断面东西水交换的季节变化及其区域差异

采用海洋再分析资料和实测资料研究了热带印度洋中部东西水交换特征。结果表明存在两个相互独立的过程,即北印度洋过程(4°~6°N)和赤道过程(2°S-2°N)。北印度洋过程受季风影响显著,11月至翌年3月冬季风期间表现出很强的低盐水向西输送,5-9月夏季风期间则为高盐水向东输送;由于冬季风期间的输送较强,年平均表现为低盐水向西输送。赤道过程分为表层过程和次表层过程。表层赤道过程受局地风场驱动,有明显的半年周期;4-5月和10-11月的东向流将赤道西印度洋的高盐水向东输送,其余月份相反;向东的输送较强,年平均表现为净高盐水向东输送。在次表层赤道过程没有明显的季节变化,海流全年一致向东,将海盆西部的高盐水向东输送。     

Calibration and validation of the ocean color version-3 product from ADEOS OCTS

We present calibration and validation results of the OCTS’s ocean color version-3 product, which mainly consists of the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) and the normalized water-leaving radiance (_nL_w). First, OCTS was calibrated for the inter-detector sensitivity difference, offset, and absolute sensitivity using external calibration source. It was also vicariously calibrated using in-situ measurements for water (Chl-a and_nL_w) and atmosphere (optical thickness), which were acquired synchronously with OCTS under cloud-free conditions. Second, the product was validated using selected 17 in-situ Chl-a and 11 in-situ_nL_w measurements. We confirmed that Chl-a was estimated with an accuracy of 68% for Chl-a less than 2 mg/m³, and_nL_w from 94% (band 2) to 128% (band 4). Geometric accuracy was improved to 1.3 km. Stripes were significantly reduced by modifying the detector normalization factor as a function of input radiance.     

Study of macroaggregate composition using FT-IR and H-NMR spectroscopy

Mucous macroaggregates, recently observed in the northern Adriatic in summer of 1997 and late spring of 2000, are primarily the product of phytoplankton (diatom) exudates during favourable environmental conditions in late spring, and can be viewed as macrogels. The FT-IR and ¹H-NMR spectra of macroaggregate samples from the northern Adriatic, collected in different formation stages in July 1997, August 1997, September 1997 and June 2000, as well as of cultured diatom Skeletonema costatum, showed that they are similar and composed of aliphatic components and polysaccharides bonded through carboxylic and amide groups, and organosilicon compounds. The stability of macrogels of macroaggregates is, according to FT-IR and X-ray analyses, most probably enhanced by interactions with entrapped particles of calcite, quartz and clay minerals. These organic-mineral associations seem to be important for mucous phenomena. According to ¹H-NMR spectra, the temporal differences in macroaggregate composition show a relative increasing percentage of organosilicon compounds and aliphatic components bonded to carbohydrates through ester and amide groups, and an increasing ratio between aliphatic structures and carbohydrates. This indicates that aliphatic chains bonded to Si and carbohydrates may contribute to the persistence and stability of macroaggregates in the summer stratified waters in the northern Adriatic, while the temporal decrease of carbohydrate content is most probably due to microbial and photochemical degradation of algal reserve polysaccharides.     

东太平洋我国开辟区底层海流锚泊观测

“海洋四号”在执行ＤＹ９５－７和ＤＹ９５－９航次调查任务期间,在东太平洋我国开辟区做了２个测站的底层海流观测。观测资料分析表明,底层流的流速在１．２～１２．０ｃｍ／ｓ之间;底层流有月际和日际变化,并发现底层流存在“不活动”期。     

东太平洋多金属结核中铁、锰元素的分形演化及其意义

运用分形理论,通过建立不同的相空间,计算了东太平洋多金属结核中的铁、锰元素的时间序列在各相空间中的关联分维,并与其在沉积物岩心中的关联分维进行了对比.通过研究发现,多金属结核中铁、锰元素和沉积物中Fe₂O₃及MnO在分形演化过程中均存在分维吸引子,认为沉积物中的Fe₂O₃和MnO可以用3个变量来描述,它们可能代表了火山、生物和陆地的三种来源,而描述结核中的铁、锰元素却需要14个变量,反映多金属结核中铁、锰元素的来源和/或赋存非常复杂,至少有14个因素在起作用,可能暗示了结核在形成过程中存在复杂的生物化学作用,为多金属结核的生物成因提供了间接的数学证据,同时也合理解释了结核生长结构所具有的自相似韵律现象.     

The European vision for oceans and seas—Social and political dimensions of the Green Paper on Maritime Policy for the EU

The EU Green Paper on Maritime Policy is the European response to the new generation of ocean strategies based on science, technology and innovation aimed at new objectives, such as the strengthening of security and access to new resources. The European character of the proposal is found in the presence of social, cultural and historical elements, what is called the “European vision”. The viability of a European vision of the oceans and the idea of maritime empire as an extension of the current concept of empire within the general context of emerging ocean strategies are the elements offered up for debate on this European Union initiative.