Laboratory experiments on along-slope flows in homogeneous and stratified rotating fluids

Laboratory experiments have been carried out for the flow along isobaths of simulated shelf-continental slope geometry. Cases of both homogeneous and linearly stratified fluids are considered and the background flows are sufficiently strong to have the flow near the bottom boundary range from transitional to fully turbulent. The background motions are impulsively started and flows with a coast on the right (spin-down) and on the left (spin-up) are considered. The homogeneous spin-down and spin-up processes are smooth in the sense that no vortical structures were found to be of the order of the slope width or larger. Flows reach equilibrium more quickly for spin-down cases, and this is attributed to secondary flows forced by the basin geometry. All of the stratified experiments exhibited large-scale instabilities as evidenced by the generation of slope and basin scale eddy structures and a much slower decay than their homogeneous counterparts.     

THE DYNAMICS OF MAINTAINING THE TROPICAL CYCLONE 9012 AFTER ITS LANDING

Using 2.5 ×2.5 winds and pressure grid data, the angular momentum budgets are studied in this paper for TC 9012 (Yancy) which was kept active 65 hours after land fall.It is found that the inland TC 9012 moved into the center of a relatively stable saddle, in which large amount of humid air was entrained into the storm from the southerly jet at low level to bund up the energy of latent heat, the weak cold air coming from the north provided it with baroclinic energy, while the vorticity transfer of geostrophic angular momentum on the radius 4°-8°from the cyclone center at upper troposphere and the input of cyclonic angular momentum produced by the βterm are immediate factors maintaining the central pressure and maximum winds.     

边界层特征参数对旋转减弱的影响

根据作者提出的含边界层层结特征参数如层结稳定度、粗糙度等的Ekman抽吸速度公式,研究了稳定度、粗糙度、斜压性等参数对旋转减弱的影响。计算实例表明,稳定度影响旋转减弱最强,典型的不稳定情况旋转减弱进行的速度比稳定时大一个量级;粗糙度的影响主要表现于层结不稳定时,陆上要比海上快2倍以上。斜压性在不稳定时也有影响,此外风速也是影响旋转减弱的主要因子。本文结论有助于边界层与自由大气间相互作用的认识,并能给出某些气压系统维持与衰减的可能解释。     

我国近海热带气旋强度突变的气候特征分析

利用２．５×２．５格距的风场及气压资料,计算分析９０１２号热带气旋登陆后维持６５小时不消的各标准时次的角动量收支。得到的结果是：９０１２号热带气旋登陆后,进入一个相对稳定的鞍型场的中心,低层有西南风急流将大量潮湿空气卷入热带气旋,为其提供充足的潜热能,北侧弱冷空气的侵入,为其提供了斜压能量;而对流层上部气旋４°－８°半径上的地转角动量的涡旋输送及β项产生的气旋角动量的输入,则是气旋中心气压和最大风速维持的直接因素。     

Ocean Responses to Typhoon Namtheun Explored with Argo Floats and Multiplatform Satellites

Argo salinity and temperature profiles, along with other sea surface measurements, were used to explore the impacts of Typhoon Namtheun (2004) on the ocean. Namtheun took local enthalpy heat from the sea (0.39–0.7?×?10⁸ J m^?2), cooled the sea surface water as a result of vertical mixing (maximum 3–4°C) and produced heavy precipitation over the sea (100–180 mm). During this time, the vast latent heat released (2.6–4.4?×?10⁸ J m^?2) by the precipitation made a larger contribution to the typhoon's energy budget than the local air-sea enthalpy flux. In the upper ocean, the oceanic responses can be separated into two sub-processes, the fast spin-up accompanied by one-dimensional vertical mixing and the slow spin-down accompanied by the convergence of surface water. From Argo profiles on 28 July, it can be seen that the typhoon-induced surface mixing broke down the seasonal thermocline (approximately 20 db) within one day. In addition, the shallower (<200 db) convergence of the sea surface fresh water as a result of precipitation also made the post-typhoon water fresher (0.04 (practical salinity scale used)). In the deep ocean, the rapid upwelling at the top of the permanent thermocline suggests that the fast spin-up is a barotropic mechanism, probably gravity pressure. During the slow spin-down stage, the upwelling signal propagated downward (approximately 2 m h^?1) from the shallow water to the deep ocean for about 10 days; this was a baroclinic process. The baroclinic mechanism was more effective in maintaining a cyclonic eddy than in maintaining an inertial wave, and the low sea surface height anomaly and upwelling lasted much longer than the inertial oscillation (>20 days as opposed to approximately 10 days). This change in vertical structure and long-term upwelling could have impacts on the ocean environment and even on the short-term climate.

RÉSUMÉ?[Traduit par la rédaction] Nous nous sommes servis des profils de salinité et de température Argo, de pair avec d'autres mesures de la surface de la mer, pour explorer les répercussions du typhon Namtheun (2004) sur l'océan. Namtheun a pris de la chaleur enthalpique locale de la mer (0.39–0.7?×?10⁸ J m^?2), a refroidi l'eau de la surface de la mer par suite d'un mélange vertical (maximum 3°–4 °C) et a produit de fortes précipitations au-dessus de la mer (100–180 mm). Durant ce temps, l'importante quantité de chaleur latente (2.6–4.4?×?10⁸ J m^?2) relâchée par les précipitations a apporté une plus grande contribution au bilan énergétique du typhon que le flux enthalpique air-mer local. Dans la couche supérieure de l'océan, les réponses océaniques peuvent être divisées en deux sous-processus, la surgyration rapide accompagnée d'un mélange vertical unidimensionnel et la dégyration lente accompagnée de la convergence d'eau de surface. Sur les profils Argo du 28 juillet, on peut voir que le mélange en surface produit par le typhon a brisé la thermocline saisonnière (approximativement 20 db) à l'intérieur d'une journée. De plus, la convergence moins profonde (<200 db) de l'eau douce à la surface de la mer provenant des précipitations a aussi rendu l'eau post-typhon plus douce (0.04 — en utilisant l’échelle de salinité pratique). Dans l'océan profond, la remonté d'eau rapide au sommet de la thermocline permanente suggère que la surgyration rapide est un mécanisme barotrope, probablement de pression gravitationnelle. Durant la phase de dégyration lente, le signal de remonté d'eau s'est propagé vers le bas (approximativement à 2 m h^?1) de la couche superficielle vers l'océan profond pendant environ 10 jours; c’était un processus barocline. Le mécanisme barocline était plus efficace à entretenir un remous cyclonique qu’à entretenir une onde d'inertie, et l'anomalie de basse hauteur de la surface de la mer ainsi que la remonté d'eau ont duré beaucoup plus longtemps que l'oscillation d'inertie (>20 jours contre environ 10 jours). Ce changement dans la structure verticale et la remontée d'eau à long terme pourrait avoir des répercussions sur l'environnement océanique et même sur le climat à court terme.     

Spin-down of millisecond pulsars owing to gravitational wave emission

The gravitational radiation from millisecond pulsars owing to glitches in their angular velocity is examined. It is assumed that the energy transferred from interior superfluid regions to the crust of a neutron star is converted into gravitational wave energy by damping oscillations of the matter in the star. The gravitational wave intensity and amplitude are calculated for fourteen millisecond pulsars. Gravitational radiation can explain the observed spin-down of millisecond pulsars and an estimate is given for the magnetic field at which the proposed mechanism predominates in the spin-down of these pulsars. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 479–486 (August 2008).