On Measurements of the Tide at Churchill,Hudson Bay

Since the late 1990s the semi-diurnal tide at Churchill, on the western shore of Hudson Bay, has been decreasing in amplitude, with M₂ amplitudes falling from approximately 154?cm in 1998 to 146?cm in 2012 and 142?cm in 2014. There has been a corresponding small increase in phase lag. Mean low water, decreasing throughout most of the twentieth century, has levelled off. Although the tidal changes could reflect merely a malfunctioning tide gauge, the fact that there are no other measurements in the region and the possibility that the tide is revealing important environmental changes calls for serious investigation. Satellite altimeter measurements of the tide in Hudson Bay are complicated by the seasonal ice cover; at most locations less than 40% of satellite passes return valid ocean heights and even those can be impacted by errors from sea ice. Because the combined TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2 time series is more than 23 years long, it is now possible to obtain sufficient data at crossover locations near Churchill to search for tidal changes. The satellites sense no changes in M₂ that are comparable to the changes seen at the Churchill gauge. The changes appear to be localized to the harbour, or to the Churchill River, or to the gauge itself.     

渤、黄、东海潮汐开边界的1种反演方法

潮汐潮流数值模拟中的 1个主要难点在于开边界条件的确定。本文采用伴随方法 ,利用渤、黄、东海的 64个验潮站资料 (潮汐调和常数 ) ,通过反演渤、黄、东海的开边界条件 ,来实现渤、黄、东海 M2 潮波的数值模拟。为了取得较好的数值模拟结果 ,同时对给定的底摩擦系数进行校正 ,计算出调和常数的模拟值与实测值之差的绝对平均值 :振幅差为 4 .0 cm,迟角差为 2 .5°。实验结果较好地体现了渤、黄、东海 M2 潮波的特征。     

Water-level fluctuations, emersion regimes, and variations of echinoid populations on a Caribbean reef flat

This paper examines fluctuations in water level over a Caribbean reef flat at Punta Galeta, Panamá. In an analysis of approximately ten years of records, the mean diurnal range of the tides was 24·5 cm and varied <2 cm from year to year. Daily mean water levels varied erratically over a range of approximately 30 cm. Monthly mean water levels fluctuated seasonally over a range of about 10 cm and were consistently higher than those at the regional tidal reference station at Cristóbal. On days with more wave action, water levels at Galeta increased relative to those at Cristóbal, suggesting that waves were ‘pumping’ water onto the reef flat. The monthly mean water levels at the two sites were not correlated, indicating that tidal data from conventional stations in deeper water cannot be extrapolated to reef flats, except as estimates of minimum potential water levels.Most of the reef flat was within 6 cm vertical span just below mean lower low water. The highest elevations within this range were exposed above water level for an average of 918 hours per year, as compared with 144 hours per year at the lowest elevation. Most exposures lasted less than 10 hours, with a modal duration of 3–5 hours; however, exposures longer than 12 hours occurred at nearly all elevations in all years. Exposures of the reef flat were most frequent between February and June and between August and November, a pattern apparently caused by a combination of seasonal oscillations of regional sea levels, the annual pattern of the solstitial tides, and waves generated by seasonal trade winds.The fluctuations in water levels apparently affected the abundances of some species of sea urchins on the reef flat. Populations of Lytechinus variegatus and Diadema antillarum declined or disappeared from the reef flat during seasons of repeated subaerial exposures, but recolonized the habitat in periods of higher water levels. Although they are reported to suffer heavy mortality during emersion, Echinometra lucunter and E. viridis did not exhibit reductions in abundance that were synchronous with the seasonal exposures of the reef flat.     

Effects of Meteorological Factors on Toxic Red Tide Events in Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract. Red tides of the toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum have occurred almost annually since 1976 in the coastal waters of the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Field obSérvations have indicated that the timings of these outbreaks could be linked to meteorological forcings. All the red tides have occurred during either the northeast or southwest monsoon periods. Matching of red tide outbreaks with total monthly rainfall, monthly-averaged index of wind-induced surface water mixing, and monthly-averaged upwelling index for the period from 1975 to 1989 failed to show any definite pattern. However, more red tide events occurred in months with high mixing index values. The absence of definable patterns could be due to the use of monthly, rather than daily, values in the calculations.     

Tidal effects in the earth–moon system and the earth's rotation

Analytical expressions for tidal torques induced by a tide‐arising planet which perturbs rotation of a nonrigid body are derived. Corresponding expressions both for secular and periodic perturbations of the Euler's angles are given for the case of the earth's rotation. Centennial secular rates of the nutation angle θ and of the earth's angular velocity ω, as well as the centennial logarithmic decrement ν of the Chandler wobble are evaluated:  mas, . In the Universal Time (UT) a large out‐of‐phase (sine) dissipative term with the period 18.6 years and the amplitude 2.3 ms is found. Corrections to nutation coefficients, which presumably have not been taken into account in IAU theory, are given. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Extraction of sedimentological information via computer-based image analyses of gray shales in carboniferous coal-bearing sections of Indiana and Kansas, USA

Fine-scale fabric within shales can be used to interpret environments of deposition. In particular, systematic variations in lamina thicknesses can be used to suggest the presence or absence of specific sedimentological controlling factors, such as tides. Herein, shale fabric is analyzed from Carboniferous coal-bearing and siliciclastic-rich formations in Indiana and Kansas. The shales exhibit well developed, normally graded lamina. Sediment grain sizes range from silt and sand at the base of the lamina up to silt and clay at the top. Computer-based optical scanning of prepared shale samples was undertaken so that the lamina thicknesses could be extracted automatically and then used for thickness-series analysis. The sands and silts tend to be very light in color because they consist of well sorted, quartz-rich sands. Conversely, the silt and clay that cap the laminae tend to be dark because of the small grain size; such fine-grained layers also contain large amounts of macerated and coalified plant material. Grain size and sedimentological differences within the laminae can be detected by optical properties and this facilitates automated image processing. Extraction of laminae thicknesses and harmonic analyses of laminae-thickness series can then be used to test the reasonability of specific environmental processes, such as tidal forcing, that were operative during the formation of these shales.     

Effects on the Ionosphere Due to Phenomena Occurring Below it

The terrestrial thermosphere and ionosphere form the most variable part of theEarth's atmosphere. Because our society depends on technological systems thatcan be affected by thermospheric and ionospheric phenomena, understanding,monitoring and ultimately forecasting the changes of the thermosphere–ionosphere system are of crucial importance to communications, navigation and the exploration of near-Earth space. The reason for the extreme variability of the thermosphere–ionosphere system isits rapid response to external forcing from various sources, i.e., thesolar ionizing flux, energetic charged particles and electric fields imposed via the interaction between the solar wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere, as well as coupling from below (meteorological influences) by the upward propagating, broad spectrum,internal atmospheric waves (planetary waves, tides, gravity waves) generated in thestratosphere and troposphere. Thunderstorms, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes andeven seismological events may also have observable consequences in the ionosphere.The release of trace gases due to human activity have the potential to cause changes inthe lower and the upper atmosphere.A brief overview is presented concerning the discoveries and experimentalresults that have confirmed that the ionosphere is subject to meteorologicalcontrol (especially for geomagnetic quiet conditions and for middle latitudes).D-region aeronomy, the winter anomaly of radiowave absorption, wave-liketravelling ionospheric disturbances, the non-zonality and regional peculiaritiesof lower thermospheric winds, sporadic-E occurrence and structure, spread-Fevents, the variability of ionospheric electron density profiles and Total ElectronContent, the variability of foF2, etc., should all be considered in connection withtropospheric and stratospheric processes. Ionospheric weather, as a part of spaceweather, (i.e., hour-to-hour and day-to-day variability of the ionospheric parameters)awaits explanation and prediction within the framework of the climatological, seasonal,and solar-cycle variations.