Deep-circulation flow at mid-latitude in the western North Pacific

Direct current measurements with five moorings at 27–35°N, 165°E from 1991 to 1993 and with one mooring at 27°N, 167°E from 1989 to 1991 revealed temporal variations of deep flow at mid-latitude in the western North Pacific. The deep-circulation flow carrying the Lower Circumpolar Deep Water from the Southern Ocean passed 33°N, 165°E northwestward with a high mean velocity of 7.8 cm s⁻¹ near the bottom and was stable enough to continue for 4–6 months between interruptions of 1- or 2-months duration. The deep-circulation flow expanded or shifted intermittently to the mooring at 31°N, 165°E but did not reach 35°N, 165°E although it shifted northward. The deep-circulation flow was not detected at the other four moorings, whereas meso-scale eddy variations were prominent at all the moorings, particularly at 35°N and 29°N, 165°E. The characteristics of current velocity and dissolved oxygen distributions led us to conclude that the deep-circulation flow takes a cyclonic pathway after passing through Wake Island Passage, passing 24°N, 169.5–173°E and 30°N, 168–169°E northward, proceeds northwestward around 33°N, 165°E, and goes westward through the south of the Shatsky Rise. We did not find that the deep-circulation flow proceeded westward along the northern side of the Mid-Pacific Seamounts and eastward between the Hess Rise and the Hawaiian Ridge toward the Northeast Pacific Basin.     

A model of the upper branch of the meridional overturning of the southern ocean

A zonal-average model of the upper branch of the meridional overturning circulation of the southern ocean is constructed and used to discuss the processes – wind, buoyancy, eddy forcing and boundary conditions – that control its strength and sense of circulation. The geometry of the thermocline ‘wedge’, set by the mapping between the vertical spacing of buoyancy surfaces (the stratification) on the equatorial flank of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and their outcrop at the sea surface, is seen to play a central role by setting the interior large-scale potential vorticity distribution. It is shown that the action of eddies mixing this potential vorticity field induces a residual flow in the meridional plane much as is observed, with upwelling of fluid around Antarctica, northward surface flow and subduction to form intermediate water. Along with this overturning circulation there is a concomitant air-sea buoyancy flux directed in to the ocean.     

南极普里兹湾海域水文特征研究──夏季温、盐分布特征及底层水形成的探讨

分析普里兹湾及其附近海域温、盐分布特征，提出在艾默里冰架外侧有一片温暖水域。指出：１、变性极大的南极绕极深层水的前沿混合水可以影响到陆架上的南纬６７°左右；２、在两个“ＣＴＤ”探头直达海底的测站，深层观测到了温度为负值、盐度为３４．６７。据此，作者指出该水体属于南极底层水。此外，还对整个海区的跃层现象进行分类，计算了跃层的强度、厚度和深度。     

The effect of Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport on the frontal variability in Drake Passage

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is composed of three major fronts: the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF), the Polar Front (PF), the Southern ACC Front (SACCF). The locations of these fronts are variable. The PF can shift away from its historical (mean) location by as much as 100 km. The transport of the ACC in Drake Passage varies from its mean (134 Sv) by as much as 60 Sv. A regional numerical circulation model is used to study frontal variability in Drake Passage as affected by a range of volume transports (from 95 Sv to 155 Sv with an interval of 10 Sv). Large transport shifts the fronts northward while the smaller transport causes a southward shift. The mean shifting distance of the PF from the historical mean location is minimum with 135 Sv transport. The SAF and the SACCF are confined by northern and southern walls, respectively, while the PF is loosely controlled by the topography. Due to impact of the eddies and meanders on the PF at several regions in Drake Passage, the PF may move northward to join the SAF or move southward to combine with the SACCF, especially in central Scotia Sea. The SAF and PF are more stable with higher transport. The SAF behaves as a narrow, strong frontal jet with large transport while displaying meanders with smaller transport. In the model simulations, the Ertel Potential Vorticity (EPV) is strongly correlated with the volume transport stream function. EPV at depths between 1000 and 2500 m is correlated with the transport stream function with a coefficient above 0.9. Near the bottom, the correlation is about 0.6 due to the disruptive influence of bottom topography. Within 750 m of the surface, the correlation is much reduced due to the effect of K-Profile Parameterization (KPP) mixing and eddy mixing.     

Antarctic circumpolar modes in a coupled ocean–atmosphere model

Eastward-propagating patterns in anomalous potential temperature and salinity of the Southern Ocean are analyzed in the output of a 1000-year simulation of the global coupled atmosphere–ocean GCM ECHO-G. Such features can be associated with the so-called Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW). It is found that time–longitude diagrams that have traditionally been used to aid the visualization of the ACW are strongly influenced by the width of the bandpass time filtering. This is due to the masking of considerable low-frequency variability that occurs over a broad range of time scales. Frequency–wavenumber analysis of the ACW shows that the eastward-propagating waves do have preferred spectral peaks, but that both the period and wavenumber change erratically when comparing different centuries throughout the simulation. The variability of the ACW on a variety of time scales from interannual to centennial suggests that the waiting time for a sufficient observational record to determine the time scale of variability of the real world ACW (and the associated decadal time scale predictability of climate for southern landmasses) will be a very long one.Responsible Editor: Dirk Olbers     

Testing theories of the vertical stratification of the ACC against observations

Recent theories of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) suggest that its lateral and vertical stratification is controlled by its baroclinic instability: eddies in the ACC not only feed-off the available potential energy stored in sloping isopycnals but play a central role is setting up that stratification. Simple theory makes predictions about how the depth of the thermocline in the ACC depends on the surface winds, the air–sea buoyancy flux and transfer by baroclinic eddies. By examining gridded hydrographic data, here we test some of these predictions against observations. We show that, to a remarkable degree, the buoyancy field in the ACC decays exponentially with depth beneath the mixed layer. The e-folding depth increases equatorward, from less than 500 m on the poleward flank of the ACC to greater then 1000 m on its equatorial flank, in a manner that is broadly consistent with the theory.     

批判地缘政治学视角下原住民组织对北极事务的参与和影响

从自发组建的非政府组织到北极事务中颇具影响力的权力组织,原住民组织已经成长为北极事务中不可忽视的利益攸关方。在获取北极事务参与权及实施行动决策中,北极原住民组织展现了独特的思考和实践。基于批判地缘政治学的理论视角观察因纽特环北极理事会为代表的原住民组织的发展历程,发现：（1）北极原住民组织强调基于文本生产的知识权力获取方式;（2）制度性参与是原住民组织的主要行动路径。北极事务参与权的获取及针对性行动策略的实施帮助原住民组织成功影响和重塑了北极的治理理念、身份认同与地理空间,推动北极地区向着善治和良治发展。通过对因纽特环北极理事会案例的解析,可以为中国拓展自身在北极地区的合作空间提供参考。     

Water masses and currents of deep circulation southwest of the Shatsky Rise in the western North Pacific

We conducted full-depth hydrographic observations in the southwestern region of the Northwest Pacific Basin in September 2004 and November 2005. Deep-circulation currents crossed the observation line between the East Mariana Ridge and the Shatsky Rise, carrying Lower Circumpolar Deep Water westward in the lower deep layer (θ<1.2 °C) and Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) and North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) eastward in the upper deep layer (1.3–2.2 °C). In the lower deep layer at depths greater than approximately 3500 m, the eastern branch current of the deep circulation was located south of the Shatsky Rise at 30°24′–30°59′N with volume transport of 3.9 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) in 2004 and at 30°06′–31°15′N with 1.6 Sv in 2005. The western branch current of the deep circulation was located north of the Ogasawara Plateau at 26°27′–27°03′N with almost 2.1 Sv in 2004 and at 26°27′–26°45′N with 2.7 Sv in 2005. Integrating past and present results, volume transport southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be a little less than 4 Sv for the eastern branch current and a little more than 2 Sv for the western branch current. In the upper deep layer at depths of approximately 2000–3500 m, UCDW and NPDW, characterized by high and low dissolved oxygen, respectively, were carried eastward at the observation line by the return flow of the deep circulation composing meridional overturning circulation. UCDW was confined between the East Mariana Ridge and the Ogasawara Plateau (22°03′–25°33′N) in 2004, whereas it extended to 26°45′N north of the Ogasawara Plateau in 2005. NPDW existed over the foot and slope of the Shatsky Rise from 29°48′N in 2004 and 30°06′N in 2005 to at least 32°30′N at the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW was estimated to be 4.6 Sv in 2004, whereas that of NPDW was 1.4 Sv in 2004 and 2.6 Sv in 2005, although the values for NPDW may be slightly underestimated, because they do not include the component north of the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW and NPDW southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be approximately 5 and 3 Sv, respectively. The pathways of UCDW and NPDW are new findings and suggest a correction for the past view of the deep circulation in the Pacific Ocean.     

北半球绕极涡的变异及其与我国气候异常的关系

本文利用近50 a大气再分析资料和中国站点观测资料,通过定义绕极涡的总体面积指数,分析了北半球绕极涡的变异特征及其与我国气候异常的关系,通过考虑绕极涡的局地变异和利用SVD分析方法揭示了绕极涡的局地变异与我国气候变异的关系。结果表明:北半球绕极涡的总体面积变异表现为一致性的扩张或收缩变化特征,近50 a来其总体面积具有收缩的趋势,这与全球增暖尤其是极区增暖有密切关系;叠加在这种趋势之上的既有年际变化又有年代际变化,主要周期大约是3~5 a和8~12 a。因此,研究绕极涡与我国气候的相关时分时间尺度来考虑更合理。北半球绕极涡的总体面积变异与我国气候异常的关系主要体现在年代际时间尺度上,当北半球绕极涡总体一致性收缩时,冬季我国大部分地区的气温都会随之变高,而降水偏多;夏季东北、华北、西南和华南地区气温偏高,降水偏少,而江淮流域气温偏低,降水偏多。反之亦然。北半球绕极涡的局地变异主要体现在西风带长波振幅的变异上,而其与我国气候异常的联系主要表现在年际时间尺度上,当东亚大槽减弱时,冬季我国中、东部大部分地区气温偏高,降水偏多;夏季江淮流域和四川盆地气温偏低,其它地区气温偏高,降水变化不明显。反之亦然。     

南极绕极流的表层环流结构和能量分布特征

利用历史的表面漂流浮标资料研究了南极绕极流的平均结构、变化规律和能量特征。强劲的南极绕极流沿着纬向从西向东流动,并伴随着复杂多变的海洋锋面,主导着整个南大洋的海洋环流系统。首先,标准方差椭圆表明,阿加勒斯回流和东澳大利亚暖流是南极绕极流重要的流量补充。在南半球的冬季,南极绕极流的流速随着西风的增强而增强。在南极绕极流经向摆动的影响下,流核上的经向流速比纬向流速具有更加不稳定的特征。另外,南极绕极流从非洲南部开始自西向东逐渐减弱。其次,从能量的角度讨论了南极绕极流的细节特征。平均动能、扰动动能及其均方根在流核区域都很强,扰动动能和平均动能比值的趋势恰恰相反,强(弱)能量分布区域的涡旋耗散反而比较弱(强)。除了扰动动能和平均动能的比值之外,所有的能量形式都呈现了从西向东减弱的趋势。涡动耗散对南大洋北部的平均动能影响更大。