A Reconstruction of Observed Profiles in the Sea East of Japan Using Vertical Coupled Temperature-Salinity EOF Modes

It is important to estimate hard-to-observe parameters in the ocean interior from easy-to-observe parameters. This study therefore demostrates a reconstruction of observed temperature and salinity profiles of the sea east of Japan (30°≈40°N, 140°≈150°E). The reconstruction was done by estimating suboptimal state from several values of the observed profiles and/or sea surface dynamic height (SDH) calculated from the profiles. The estimation used a variational method with vertical coupled temperature-salinity empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes. Profiles of temperature and salinity in the subtropical region are effectively reconstructed from in situ temperature profile data, or sea surface temperature (SST) and SDH. For example, the analyzed temperature field from SST and SDH has an accuracy to within 1°C in the subtropical region. Salinity in the sea north of Kuroshio, however, is difficult to estimate because of its complex variability which is less correlated with temperature than in the subtropical region. Sea surface salinity is useful to estimate the subsurface structure. We also show the possibility that the estimation is improved by considering nonlinearity in the equation calculating SDH from temperature and salinity analysis values in order to examine the misfit between analysis and observation. Analysis using TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry data instead of SDH was also performed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Two-Dimensional Mathematical Model of Tidal Current and Sediment for Oujiang Estnary and Wenzhou Bay

A 2-D mathematical model of tidal current and sediment has been developed for the Oujiang Estuary and the WenzhouBay. This model accomodates complicated features including multiple islands, existence of turbidity, and significant differ-ence in size distribution of bed material. The governing equations for non-uniform suspended load and bed load transport arepresented in a boundary-fitted orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system. The numerical solution procedures along with theirinitial conditions, boundary conditions, and movable boundary technique are presented. Strategies for computation of thecritical condition of deposition or erosion, sediment transport capacity, non-uniform bed load discharge, etc. are suggested.The model verification computation shows that, the tidal levels computed from the model are in good agreement with the fielddata at the 18 tidal gauge stations. The computed velocities and flow directions also agree well with the values measuredalong the totally 52 synchronously observed verticals distributed over 8 cross sections. The computed tidal water throughputsthrough the Huangda‘ao cross section are close to the measured data. And the computed values of bed deformation fromYangfushan to the estuary outfall and in the outer-sea area are in good agreement with the data observed from 1986 to 1992.The changes of tidal volumes through the estuary, velocities in different channels and the bed form due to the influence of thereclamation project on the Wenzhou shoal are predicted by means of this model.     

A New Methodology for Incorporating Tide Gauge Data in Sea Surface Topography Models

As part of the Vertical Offshore Reference Frames (VORF) project sponsored by the U. K. Hydrographic Office, a new model for Sea Surface Topography (SST) around the British Isles has been developed. For offshore areas (greater than 30 km from the coast), this model is largely derived from satellite altimetry. However, its accuracy and level of detail have been enhanced in coastal areas by the inclusion of not only the 60 PSMSL tide gauges with long-term records around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland but also some 385 gauges established at different epochs and for different observation spans by the U. K. Admiralty. All tide gauge data were brought into a common reference frame by a combination of datum models and direct GPS observations, but a more significant challenge was to bring all short-term sea level observations to an unbiased value at a common epoch. This was achieved through developing a spatial-temporal correlation model for the variations in mean sea level around the British Isles, which in turn meant that gauges with long-term observation spans could be used as control points to improve the accuracy of Admiralty gauges. It is demonstrated that the latter can contribute point observations of mean sea level (MSL) with a precision of 0.078 m. A combination of least squares collocation and interpolation was developed to merge the coastal point and offshore gridded data sets, with particular algorithms having to be developed for different configurations of coastal topology. The resulting model of sea surface topography is shown to present a smooth transition from inshore coastal areas to offshore zones. Further benefits of the techniques developed include an enhanced methodology for detecting datum discontinuities at permanent tide gauges.     

Algorithm for HF radar vector current measurements

A new algorithm is proposed, called the stream function method (SFM) for producing vector current maps from radial data measured by dual-site high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR). In SFM, a scalar stream function is constructed under some oceanographic assumptions. The function describes the two-dimensional (2-D) ocean surface water motion and is used to obtain the distribution of vector currents. The performance of SFM is evaluated using simulated radial data, which demonstrates that SFM has advantages over typical vectorial combination methods (VCM) both in error acceptance and robustness, and excels another method based on least-squares fitting (LSF) in recovering the complicated current models. Furthermore, SFM is capable of providing the total currents based on radials from single-site radar. We also test the assumptions of horizontal non-divergence in the simulation. The new algorithm is applied to the field experiment data of Wuhan University’s ocean state measuring and analyzing radar (OSMAR), collected in the coastal East China Sea during April 11–17, 2004. Quantitative comparisons are given between radar results by three current algorithms and in-situ current meter measurements. Preliminary analysis of the vertical current shear is given based on the current meter measurements.     

Influence of large-diameter pipe pile driving on surrounding marine soils and adjacent submarine pipelines

Abstract

With the large-scale development and utilization of ocean resources and space, it is inevitable to encounter existing submarine facilities in pile driving areas, which necessitates a safety assessment. In this article, by referring to a wharf renovation project as a reference, the surrounding soil response and buried pipe deformation during pile driving in a near-shore submarine environment are investigated by three-dimensional (3D) numerical models that consider the pore water effect. Numerical studies are carried out in two different series: one is a case of a single pile focusing on the effect of the minimum plane distance of the pile–pipe, and the other is a case of double piles focusing on the effect of the pile spacing.     

Effect of dispersion on impulsive waves

The generation and propagation of surface waves resulting from suddenly created disturbances over water surfaces is investigated. The initial boundary conditions defining the disturbance are given either by a velocity of the free surface, an initial elevation of the free surface or a pressure impulsively applied on the free surface. It is shown that the corresponding three forms of solutions are related by a simple time derivative. Linear solutions are obtained in the cases where the wave motion is assumed to be nondispersive, mildly dispersive and fully dispersive, as well as in the case where the motion is given by the method of stationary phase. Criteria are established to indicate the limit of validity of each method.     

Tectonic Significance of the Taitung Canyon, Huatung Basin, East of Taiwan

Since the beginning of formation of Proto-Taiwan, the subducting Philippine (PH) Sea plate has moved continuously through time in the N307° direction with respect to Eurasia (EU), tearing the EU plate. The subducting EU plate includes a continental part in the north and an oceanic part in the south. The boundary B between these two domains corresponds to the eastern prolongation of the northeastern South China Sea ocean-continent transition zone. In the Huatung Basin (east of Taiwan), the Taitung Canyon is N065° oriented and is close and parallel to B. Seismic profiles show that the southern flank of the canyon corresponds to a fault with a normal component of a few tens of meters in the sediments and possible dextral shearing. Several crustal earthquakes of magnitude >%6 are located beneath the trend of the Taitung Canyon and focal mechanisms suggest that the motion is right-lateral. Thus, faulting within the sedimentary sequence beneath the Taitung Canyon is a consequence of underlying dextral strike-slip crustal motions. As the continental part of the EU slab located north of B has been recently detached, some subsequent dextral strike-slip motion might be expected within the EU slab, along the ocean-continent transition zone, which is a potential zone of weakness. We suggest that the dextral strike-slip motion along the ocean-continent boundary of the EU slab might trigger the observed dextral strike-slip motion within the overlying PH Sea crust and the associated faulting within the sediments of the Huatung Basin, beneath the Taitung Canyon. An erratum to this article is available at .     

南黄海表层沉积物中氮的区域地球化学特征

通过分级浸取分离的方法获得了南黄海表层沉积物不同形态的氮，首次探讨其分布的区域性特征：南黄海表层沉积物中各形态氮在不同测线上均呈现出波状分布。B测线的基本上呈现出中部海域高，两边海域低，而西部海域又略高于东部海域的趋势，D和E测线的基本上呈现出西高、东低的趋势，C测线的则呈现出西低、东高的趋势，F测线的变化趋势比较平缓，从整体上看，SOEF—N和TN的分布呈现出西部海区比东部海区低的趋势。受各测线上沉积物种类差异的影响，自北向南各形态氮的变化幅度逐渐减小，其中SOEF-N在各测线上的变化幅度最大，且自北向南降幅最大。受水动力及沉积物粒度的影响，不同形态氮在黄海槽内各站位沉积物中的含量较高。沉积物中各形态氮在不同测线上的分布还表明，陆源输入对南黄海沉积物中氮测线分布有较小的影响，海洋自生氮对南黄海表层沉积物中氮的形态、含量与分布具有重要影响。