Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific, the oceanic region centered on the eastern Pacific warm pool, but also including the equatorial cold tongue and equatorial current system, and summarizes what is known about oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans there. The eastern tropical Pacific supports on the order of 50 species of seabirds and 30 species of cetaceans as regular residents; these include four endemic species, the world’s largest populations for several others, three endemic sub-species, and a multi-species community that is relatively unique to this ecosystem. Three of the meso-scale physical features of the region are particularly significant to seabirds and cetaceans: the Costa Rica Dome for blue whales and short-beaked common dolphins, the Equatorial Front for planktivorous seabirds, and the countercurrent thermocline ridge for flocking seabirds that associate with mixed-species schools of spotted and spinner dolphins and yellowfin tuna. A few qualitative studies of meso- to macro-scale distribution patterns have indicated that some seabirds and cetaceans have species-specific preferences for surface currents. More common are associations with distinct water masses; these relationships have been quantified for a number of species using several different analytical methods. The mechanisms underlying tropical species–habitat relationships are not well understood, in contrast to a number of higher-latitude systems. This may be due to the fact that physical variables have been used as proxies for prey abundance and distribution in species–habitat research in the eastern tropical Pacific.Though seasonal and interannual patterns tend to be complex, species–habitat relationships appear to remain relatively stable over time, and distribution patterns co-vary with patterns of preferred habitat for a number of species. The interactions between seasonal and interannual variation in oceanographic conditions with seasonal patterns in the biology of seabirds and cetaceans may account for some of the complexity in species–habitat relationship patterns.Little work has been done to investigate effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycles on cetaceans, and results of the few studies focusing on oceanic seabirds are complex and not easy to interpret. Although much has been made of the detrimental effects of El Niño events on apex predators, more research is needed to understand the magnitude, and even direction, of these effects on seabirds and cetaceans in space and time.     

The impact of the M2 internal tide on data-assimilative model estimates of the surface tide

We use a synthetic data experiment to assess the accuracy of ocean tides estimated from satellite altimetry data, with emphasis on the impact of the phase-locked internal tide, which has a surface expression of several centimeters near its sites of genesis. Previous tidal estimates have regarded this signal as a random measurement error; however, it is deterministic and not scale-separated from the barotropic (surface) tide around complex bathymetric features. The synthetic data experiments show that the internal tide has a negligible impact on the barotropic tidal fields inferred under these circumstances, and the barotropic dissipation (a quadratic functional of the tidal fields) is in good agreement with the energetics of the three-dimensional regional primitive equations model which is the source of the synthetic data.     

关中东部连续性冰雹特征分析

利用关中东部各气象站和各县防雹站(点)建站以来的连续性降雹资料,统计分析了连续性降雹的时空分布、环流形势、物理量场以及强回波移动規律,总结出影响关中东部连续性降雹的重要天气特征及渭北多雹和多连续性降雹的重要原因是特殊地形与秦岭背风波相叠加的结果。     

北太平洋副热带向东逆流区Rossby波斜压稳定性

根据对卫星观测的海平面高度资料的分析,进一步证实了在北太平洋副热带两支向东的流（副热带逆流和夏威夷背风逆流）所在的区域内,海平面高度的70～210天周期振荡是主要的低频变化.发现在这两支向东的逆流区Rossby波的特性不同：副热带逆流区70～210天周期振荡对应的Rossby波西传过程中增幅,在台湾以东振幅达到最大;而在夏威夷背风逆流区,70～210天周期Rossby波在西传过程中不出现增幅现象.依据25层海洋模式得到的关于Rossby波振幅、频率与海洋层结之间的关系,揭示了周期为70～210天的Rossby波为不稳定波,这是由于副热带逆流海域模态水存在使得密度的垂直梯度变小的缘故;而在夏威夷背风逆流区位于表层逆流下的北赤道流西深东浅,70～210天周期Rossby长波在逆流的东部有可能不稳定,但其在逆流的西部是稳定的,因此不出现在西传过程中增幅现象;发现在北太平洋副热带两个向东流的海域,年周期Rossby波是稳定的,因此,在该海域海平面周期为70～210天的振荡的振幅要比年周期振荡的振幅大.     

High-pressure partial melting of gabbro and its role in the Hawaiian magma source

We have conducted high-pressure experiments on a natural oceanic gabbro composition (Gb108). Our aim was to test recent proposals that Sr-enrichment in rare primitive melt inclusions from Mauna Loa, Hawaii, may have resulted from melting of garnet pyroxenite formed in the magma source regions by reaction of peridotite with siliceous, Sr-enriched partial melts of eclogite of gabbroic composition. Gb108 is a natural, Sr-enriched olivine gabbro, which has a strong positive Sr anomaly superimposed on an overall depleted incompatible trace element pattern, reflecting its origin as a plagioclase-rich cumulate. At high pressures it crystallises as a coesite eclogite assemblage, with the solidus between 1,300 and 1,350°C at 3.5 GPa and 1,450 and 1,500°C at 4.5 GPa. Clinopyroxenes contain 4–9% Ca-eskolaite component, which varies systematically with pressure and temperature. Garnets are almandine and grossular-rich. Low degree partial melts are highly siliceous in composition, resembling dacites. Coesite is eliminated between 50 and 100°C above the solidus. The whole-rock Sr-enrichment is primarily hosted by clinopyroxene. This phase dominates the mode (>75 wt%) at all investigated PT conditions, and is the major contributor to partial melts of this eclogite composition. Hence the partial melts have trace element patterns sub-parallel to those of clinopyroxene with ≈10× greater overall abundances and with strong positive Sr anomalies. Recent studies of primitive Hawaiian volcanics have suggested the incorporation into their source regions of eclogite, formerly gabbroic material recycled through the mantle at subduction zones. The models suggest that formerly gabbroic material, present as eclogite in the Hawaiian plume, partially melted earlier than surrounding peridotite (i.e. at higher pressure) because of the lower solidus temperature of eclogite compared with peridotite. This produced highly siliceous melts which reacted with surrounding peridotite producing hybrid pyroxene + garnet lithologies. The Sr-enriched nature of the formerly plagioclase-rich gabbro was present in the siliceous partial melts, as demonstrated by these experiments, and was transferred to the reactive pyroxenite. These in turn partially melted, producing Sr-enriched picritic liquids which mixed with normal picritic partial melts of peridotite before eruption. On rare occasions these mixed, relatively Sr-rich melts were trapped as melt inclusions in primitive olivine phenocrysts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

New K–Ar ages for calculating end-of-shield extrusion rates at West Maui volcano,Hawaiian island chain

Thirty-seven new K–Ar ages from West Maui volcano, Hawai‘i, are used to define the waning stages of shield growth and a brief episode of postshield volcanism. All but two samples from shield-stage strata have reversed polarity magnetization, so conceivably the exposed shield is not much older than the Olduvai Normal-Polarity subchron, or about 1.8 Ma. The oldest ages obtained are in the range 1.9–2.1 Ma but have large analytical error. Shield volcanism ended about 1.35 Ma, and postshield volcanism followed soon thereafter, persisting until about 1.2 Ma. Exposed shield-stage strata were emplaced at a rate of about 0.001 km³ per year, a rate smaller than historic Hawaiian magmatic rates by a factor of 100. Stratigraphic accumulation rates are similar to those measured previously at Wai‘anae volcano (O‘ahu) or the upper part of the Mauna Kea shield sequence (Hilo drill core, Hawai‘i). These rates diminish sharply during the final 0.3–0.5 m.y. of the shield stage. Hawaiian shield volcanoes begin waning well before their last 0.5 m.y. of life, then end quickly, geologically speaking, if West Maui is representative.     

Numerical Simulation of Strongly Stratified Flow Over a Three-Dimensional Hill

A numerical study of stably stratified flow over a three-dimensional hill is presented. Large-eddy simulation is used here to examine in detail the laboratory experimental flows described in the landmark work of Hunt and Snyder about stratified flow over a hill. The flow is linearly stratified and U/Nh is varied from 0.2 to 1.0. Here N and U are the buoyancy frequency and freestream velocity respectively, and h is the height of the hill. The Reynolds number based on the hill height is varied from 365 to 2968. The characteristic flow patterns at various values of U/Nh have been obtained and they are in good agreement with earlier theoretical and experimental results. It is shown that the flow field cannot be predicted by Drazin's theory when recirculation exists at the leeside of the hill even at UNh 1. The wake structure agrees well with a two-dimensional wake assumption when U/Nh 1 but lee waves start to influence the wake structure as U/Nh increases. The dividing-streamline heights obtained in the simulation are in accordance with experimental results and Sheppard's formula. The energy loss along the dividing streamline due to friction/turbulence approximately offsets the energy gained from pressure field. When lee waves are present, linear theory always underestimates the amplitude and overestimates the wavelength of three-dimensional lee waves. The simulated variations of drag coefficients with the parameterK (=ND/ U) are qualitatively consistent with experimental data and linear theory. Here D is the depth of the tank.     

A laboratory simulation of mesoscale flow interaction with the Alps

A series of laboratory experiments, aimed at the simulation of some aspects of Alpine lee cyclogenesis has been carried out in the rotating tank of the Coriolis Laboratory of LEGI-IMG in Grenoble. Dynamic and thermodynamic processes, typical of baroclinic development triggered by the orography, were simulated. The background flow simulating the basic state of the atmosphere consisted of a stream of intermediate density fluid introduced at the interface between two fluid layers. The structure of the intermediate current was established by mixing fluid obtained from the upper layer of fresh water with fluid removed from the heavier salty layer below.The dynamical similarity parameters are the Rossby (Ro), Burger (Bu) and Ekman (Ek) numbers, although this last, owing to its small values, need not be matched between model and prototype, since viscous effects are not important for small time scales. The flow in both the prototype and laboratory simulation is characterized by hydrostatics; this requires (Ro²δ²/Bu)1 (where δ=H/L is the aspect ratio of the obstacle) which is clearly satisfied, in the atmosphere and oceans, and for the laboratory experiment.A range of experiments for various Rossby and Burger numbers were conducted which delimited the region of parameter space for which background flows akin to that found to the northwest of the Alps prior to baroclinic cyclogenesis events, were observed.One such experiment was carried out by placing a model of the Alps at the appropriate place in the flow field. The subsequent motion in the laboratory was observed and dye tracer motions were used to obtain the approximate particle trajectories. The density field was also analyzed to provide the geopotential field of the simulated atmosphere. Using standard transformations from the similarity analysis, the laboratory observations were related to the prototype atmosphere. The flow and the geopotential fields gave results compatible with the particular atmospheric event presented.     

On the influence of stratification and tidal forcing upon mixing in sill regions

A cross-sectional non-hydrostatic model with idealized topography was used to examine the processes influencing tidal mixing in the region of sills. Initial calculations with appropriate parameters for the sill at the entrance to Loch Etive showed that the model could reproduce the main features of the observed mixing in the region. In particular, the hydraulic jump in the sill region was reproduced, as was an intense mid-water jet that was observed to separate from the lee side of the sill. Shear instabilities associated with the jet appeared to be a source of mixing within the thermocline. In addition, internal lee waves were generated on the lee side of the sill, with the observed amplification because of trapping during the flood stage. Their magnitude and hence the mixing increased with increasing Froude number (F _r). In the case of vertically varying buoyancy frequency, its value near the sill top determined the F _r number, with its value below influencing internal waves magnitude at depth. At high F _r values particularly with strong currents, short waves and overturning occurred.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE MINDANAO EDDY AND TROPICAL CURRENTS OF PACIFIC OCEAN

Results of numerical simulation of currents in the western North Tropical Pacific Ocean by using a barotropic primitive equation model with fine horizontal resolution agreed well with observations and showed that the Mindanao Cyclonic Eddy located north of the equator and east of Mindanao Island exists during most of the year with monthly (and large seasonal) variations in scope . strength and central location . In June , an anticyclonic eddy occurs northeast of Halmahera Island, strengthens to maximum in August , exists until October and then disappears . The observed large-scale circulation systems such as the North Equatorial Current . the Mindanao Current and the North Equatorial Countercurrent are all very well reproduced in the simulations.