Horizontal Velocity Gradients Research Articles

Variational Algorithms of Deep Kinematic Migration in Two-Dimensional Media with a Horizontal Velocity Gradient

Variational Algorithms of Deep Kinematic Migration in Two-Dimensional Media with a Horizontal Velocity Gradient

Kinetic Energy Exchanges between a Two-Dimensional Front and Internal Waves

Abstract Fronts and near-inertial waves (NIWs) are energetic motions in the upper ocean that have been shown to interact and provide a route for kinetic energy (KE) dissipation of balanced oceanic flows. In this paper, we study these KE exchanges using an idealized model consisting of a two-dimensional geostrophically balanced front undergoing strain-induced semigeostrophic frontogenesis and internal wave (IW) vertical modes. The front–IW KE exchanges are quantified separately during two frontogenetic stages: an exponential sharpening stage that is characterized by a low Rossby number and is driven by the imposed strain (i.e., mesoscale frontogenesis), followed by a superexponential sharpening stage that is characterized by an Rossby number and is driven by the convergence of the secondary circulation (i.e., submesoscale frontogenesis). It is demonstrated that high-frequency IWs quickly escape the frontal zone and are very efficient at extracting KE from the imposed geostrophic strain field through the deformation shear production (DSP). Part of the extracted KE is then converted to wave potential energy. On the contrary, NIWs remain locked to the frontal zone and readily exchange energy with the ageostrophic frontal circulation. During the exponential stage, NIWs extract KE from the geostrophic strain through DSP and transfer it to the frontal secondary circulation via the ageostrophic shear production (AGSP) mechanism. During the superexponential stage, a newly identified mechanism, convergence production (CP), plays an important role in the NIW KE budget. The CP transfers KE from the convergent ageostrophic secondary circulation to the NIWs and largely cancels out the KE loss due to the AGSP. This CP may explain previous findings of KE transfer enhancement from balanced motions to IWs in frontal regions of realistic ocean models. We provide analytical estimates for the aforementioned energy exchange mechanisms that match well the numerical results. This highlights that the strength of the exchanges strongly depends on the frontal Rossby and Richardson numbers. Significance Statement Fronts with large horizontal density and velocity gradients are ubiquitous in the upper ocean. They are generated by a process known as frontogenesis, which is often initialized by straining motions of mesoscale balanced circulations. Here we examine the energy exchanges between fronts and internal waves in an idealized configuration, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms that can drain energy from oceanic balanced circulations. We identify a new mechanism for energy transfers from the frontal circulation to near-inertial internal waves called convergence production. This mechanism is especially effective during the later stages of frontogenesis when the convergent ageostrophic secondary circulation that develops is strong.

Effects of Nonlinearity on Velocity, Acceleration and Pressure Gradient in Free-Stream Zone of Solitary Wave over Horizontal Bed—An Experimental Study

For solitary waves on a horizontal bed, the study deals experimentally with the high ratio of wave height (H0) to still water depth (h0) that amplifies the wave nonlinearity. The value of H0/h0 tested in a wave flume ranges from 0.050 to 0.550, indicating the shift from a quasi-linear solitary wave to a highly nonlinear one. A high-speed particle image velocimetry (HSPIV) and a flow visualization technique of particle-trajectory tracking method are utilized to measure velocity fields and identify near-bed flow structures. The unsteady free-stream velocities with equal magnitude take place in a free-stream zone, FSZ). The FSZ underlies the internal flow zone, over which the external free surface of solitary wave exists and is situated beyond the boundary layer. The spatio-temporal variation of free-stream velocity, moving in phase with the free surface elevation, characterizes the pattern of pressure gradient in the FSZ and thus dominates the behavior of boundary layer flow. Accordingly, nonlinear effects on the time series as well as the maximum values of horizontal velocity, particle acceleration, and pressure gradient in the FSZs of solitary waves are presented. Before, at, and after the wave crest’s intersection with a given measurement location, favorable, zero, and adverse pressure gradients occur in the FSZ, respectively. For H0/h0 = 0.179, 0.363, and 0.550, the values of the dimensionless maximum free-stream velocity are about 3.10, 5.32, and 6.20 times that (= 0.0473) for H0/h0 = 0.050; and the corresponding values of the dimensionless maximum adverse pressure gradient are about 5.74, 14.54 and 19.84 times that (= 0.0061) for H0/h0 = 0.050. This evidence highlights the nonlinear effect on the kinematic and hydrodynamic features of solitary waves. Finally, the effect of nonlinearity on the relationship between the dimensionless time for the maximum adverse pressure gradient in the FSZ and that for the incipient flow reversal in the bottom boundary layer is explored for the first time. It is found that the incipient flow reversal takes place immediately after the maximum adverse pressure gradient, together with a decrease in the dimensionless time for flow reversal if H0/h0 increases. The fact accentuates the nonlinear effect on the incipient flow reversal right above the bed.

Airborne Observations of Shoaling and Breaking Internal Waves

AbstractInternal waves (IW) are crucial contributors to the transport of sediment, heat, and nutrients in coastal areas. While IW have been extensively studied using point measurements, their spatial variability is less well understood. In this paper we present a unique set of high‐resolution infrared imagery collected from a helicopter, hovering over very energetic shoaling and breaking IW. We compute surface velocities by tracking the evolution of thermal structures at the ocean surface and find horizontal velocity gradients with magnitudes that are more than 100 times the Coriolis frequency. Under the assumption of no vertical shear we determine vertical velocities from the obtained horizontal divergence estimates and identify areas of the wave undergoing breaking. The spatial variability of the internal wave occurs on scales from a few to a few hundred meters. These results highlight the need to collect spatio‐temporal observations of the evolution of IW in coastal areas.

On Characterizing Ocean Kinematics from Surface Drifters

Abstract Horizontal kinematic properties, such as vorticity, divergence, and lateral strain rate, are estimated from drifter clusters using three approaches. At submesoscale horizontal length scales , kinematic properties become as large as planetary vorticity f, but challenging to observe because they evolve on short time scales . By simulating surface drifters in a model flow field, we quantify the sources of uncertainty in the kinematic property calculations due to the deformation of cluster shape. Uncertainties arise primarily due to (i) violation of the linear estimation methods and (ii) aliasing of unresolved scales. Systematic uncertainties (iii) due to GPS errors, are secondary but can become as large as (i) and (ii) when aspect ratios are small. Ideal cluster parameters (number of drifters, length scale, and aspect ratio) are determined and error functions estimated empirically and theoretically. The most robust method—a two-dimensional, linear least squares fit—is applied to the first few days of a drifter dataset from the Bay of Bengal. Application of the length scale and aspect-ratio criteria minimizes errors (i) and (ii), and reduces the total number of clusters and so computational cost. The drifter-estimated kinematic properties map out a cyclonic mesoscale eddy with a surface, submesoscale fronts at its perimeter. Our analyses suggest methodological guidance for computing the two-dimensional kinematic properties in submesoscale flows, given the recently increasing quantity and quality of drifter observations, while also highlighting challenges and limitations. Significance Statement The purpose of this study is to provide insights and guidance for computing horizontal velocity gradients from clusters (i.e., three or more) of Lagrangian surface ocean drifters. The uncertainty in velocity gradient estimates depends strongly on the shape deformation of drifter clusters by the ocean currents. We propose criteria for drifter cluster length scales and aspect ratios to reduce uncertainties and develop ways of estimating the magnitude of the resulting errors. The findings are applied to a real ocean dataset from the Bay of Bengal.

Impact of Assimilating Adaptively Thinned AIRS Cloud-Cleared Radiances on the Analysis of Polar Lows and Mediterranean Sea Tropical-Like Cyclone in a Global Modeling and Data Assimilation Framework

Abstract Polar lows, and mesoscale convective cyclones bearing resemblance to tropical cyclones but originating outside of the tropics, are storms that are challenging to represent accurately in global analyses and models because of their small size, rapid growth at subsynoptic scales, occurrence in data poor oceanic regions, and difficulties in objectively validating them in analysis. Building on previous positive results obtained with respect to the representation of tropical cyclones (TCs) in a global model, a set of observing system experiments (OSEs) performed using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS, version 5) are investigated, focusing on three case studies—a polar low in the Sea of Okhotsk, a polar low in the Southern Ocean, and a Mediterranean Sea tropical-like cyclone that occurred during the boreal fall season of 2014. Experiments assimilating adaptively thinned cloud-cleared hyperspectral infrared radiances from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on board the NASA Aqua satellite, with higher density in the vicinity of each storm and its pre-cyclogenesis environment, and lower density elsewhere, demonstrate a positive impact on the analyzed representation of each storm. The adaptive thinning experiments improve the storm intensity and structure, including vertical alignment, depth, symmetry, strength, and compactness of warm core compared to the reference experiments. The results suggest that jet-level processes associated with extremely strong horizontal velocity gradients as represented in the model analysis can be useful to locate dynamically active regions of the extratropical atmosphere where denser data coverage is likely to improve the analyzed representation of polar lows and other similar marine mesoscale convective cyclones. Significance Statement Extratropical maritime mesoscale convective cyclones are short-lived, elusive features that are difficult to represent accurately in global analyses. Previous work by this team demonstrated a positive impact of an adaptive thinning methodology for infrared radiances applied to the tropical cyclone (TC) analysis. The methodology allows a relatively greater volume of radiance data to be assimilated around TCs within a TC-centered moving domain in a global model, yielding an improvement in TC structure and intensity forecast. A similar approach is explored here for two polar lows and a Mediterranean Sea tropical-like cyclone, wherein infrared radiances are more densely assimilated in the vicinity of each storm and its pre-cyclogenesis environment, resulting in a positive impact on the representation of the storm. Strong jet-level horizontal velocity gradients appear to precede each storm, and could be used to automate the adaptive thinning strategy in the future.

Observations of high-frequency acoustic attenuation due to bubble entrainment at estuarine fronts

Frontal boundary features with strong gradients in water properties and velocity are common features in coastal environments where fresh discharge meets ambient ocean waters. Convergence at these fronts results in two features that support the entrainment of bubbles. First, horizontal velocity gradients causes surface waves to steepen and break at these boundaries. Second, localized downwelling can further entrain and transport these bubbles. In experiments using broadband echosounders (45–420 kHz) at the Connecticut River ebb plume front and James River tidal intrusion front, bubble entrainment was observed to cause frequency-dependent excess attenuation. Seabed backscattering near fronts is used as a baseline, whereas a decrease in observed backscattering from the seabed under bubble plumes was attributed to excess attenuation due to bubble concentrations. Despite observing significant (>10 dB in some cases) excess attenuation in lower-frequency channels, we hypothesize that these fronts are unlikely to significantly affect propagation in the horizontal at these frequencies and that factors, such as refraction and three-dimension structure, are more operationally significant. [This work was funded by ONR.]

Well-posedness of the 3D stochastic primitive equations with multiplicative and transport noise

We show that the stochastic 3D primitive equations with the Neumann boundary condition on the top, the lateral Dirichlet boundary condition and either the Dirichlet or the Neumann boundary condition on the bottom driven by multiplicative gradient-dependent white noise have unique maximal strong solutions both in the stochastic and PDE senses under certain assumptions on the growth of the noise. For the case of the Neumann boundary condition on the bottom, global existence is established by using the decomposition of the vertical velocity to the barotropic and baroclinic modes and an iterated stopping time argument. An explicit example of non-trivial infinite dimensional noise depending on the vertical average of the horizontal gradient of horizontal velocity is presented.

On the connection between intermittency and dissipation in ocean turbulence: a multifractal approach

AbstractThe multifractal theory of turbulence is used to investigate the energy cascade in the Northwestern Atlantic ocean. The statistics of singularity exponents of horizontal velocity gradients computed from in situ measurements at 2 km resolution are used to characterize the anomalous scaling of the velocity structure functions at depths between 50 ad 500 m. Here, we show that the degree of anomalous scaling can be quantified using singularity exponents. Observations reveal, on one side, that the anomalous scaling has a linear dependence on the exponent characterizing the strongest velocity gradient and, on the other side, that the slope of this linear dependence decreases with depth. Since the observed distribution of exponents is asymmetric about the mode at all depths, we use an infinitely divisible asymmetric model of the energy cascade, the log-Poisson model, to derive the functional dependence of the anomalous scaling with the exponent of the strongest velocity gradient, as well as the dependence with dissipation. Using this model we can interpret the vertical change of the linear slope between the anomalous scaling and the exponents of the strongest velocity gradients as a change in the energy cascade. This interpretation assumes the validity of the multifractal theory of turbulence, which has been assessed in previous studies.

Departure from Flux-Gradient Relation in the Planetary Boundary Layer

It is well known that when eddies are small, the eddy fluxes can be directly related to the mean vertical gradients, the so-called flux-gradient relation, but such a relation becomes weaker the larger the coherent structures. Here, we show that this relation does not hold at heights relevant for wind energy applications. The flux–gradient relation assumes that the angle (β) between the vector of vertical flux of horizontal momentum and the vector of the mean vertical gradient of horizontal velocity is zero, i.e., these vectors are aligned. Our observations do not support this assumption, either onshore or offshore. Here, we present analyses of a misalignment between these vectors from a Doppler wind lidar observations and large-eddy simulations. We also use a real-time mesoscale model output for inter-comparison with the lidar-observed vertical profiles of wind speed, wind direction, momentum fluxes, and the angle between the horizontal velocity vector and the momentum flux vector up to 500 m, both offshore and onshore. The observations show this within the height range 100–500 m, β=−18∘ offshore and β=−12∘ onshore, on average. However, the large-eddy simulations show β≈0∘ both offshore and onshore. We show that observed and mesoscale-simulated vertical profiles of mean wind speed and momentum fluxes agree well; however, the mesoscale results significantly deviate from the wind-turning observations.

Structure of Submesoscale Fronts of the Mississippi River Plume

AbstractSubmesoscale currents (SMCs), in the forms of fronts, filaments, and vortices, are studied using a high-resolution (~150 m) Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) simulation in the Mississippi River plume system. Fronts and filaments are identified by large horizontal velocity and buoyancy gradients, surface convergence, and cyclonic vertical vorticity with along-coast fronts and along-plume-edge filaments notably evident. Frontogenesis and arrest/destruction are two fundamental phases in the life cycle of fronts and filaments. In the Mississippi River plume region, the horizontal advective tendency induced by confluence and convergence plays a primary role in frontogenesis. Confluent currents sharpen preexisting horizontal buoyancy gradients and initiate frontogenesis. Once the fronts and filaments are formed and the Rossby number reaches O(1), they further evolve frontogenetically mainly by convergent secondary circulations, which can be maintained by different cross-front momentum balance regimes. Confluent motions and preexisting horizontal buoyancy gradients depend on the interaction between wind-induced Ekman transport and the spreading plume water. Consequently, the direction of wind has a significant effect on the temporal variability of SMCs, with more active SMCs generated during a coastally downwelling-favorable wind and fewer SMCs during an upwelling-favorable wind. Submesoscale instabilities (~1–3 km) play a primary role in the arrest and fragmentation of most fronts and filaments. These instabilities propagate along the fronts and filaments, and their energy conversion is a mixed barotropic–baroclinic type with horizontal-shear instabilities dominating.

Точные решения уравнений Обербека – Буссинеска для сдвиговых течений вязкой бинарной жидкости с учетом эффекта Соре

The paper considers an exact solution to the equations of thermal diffusion of a viscous incompressible fluid in the Boussinesq approximation with neglect of the Dufour effect for a steady shear flow. It is shown that the reduced system of constitutive relations is nonlinear and overdetermined. A nontrivial exact solution of this system is sought in the Lin–Sidorov–Aristov class. The resulting family of exact solutions allows one to describe steady-state inhomogeneous shear flows. This class generalizes the classical Couette, Poiseuille, and Ostroumov–Birikh solutions. It is demonstrated that the system of ordinary differential equations reduced within this class retains the properties of nonlinearity and overdetermination. A theorem on solvability conditions for the overdetermined system is proved; it is reported that, when these conditions are met, the solution is unique. The overdetermined system is solvable owing to the algebraic identity relating the horizontal velocity gradients, which are linear functions of the vertical coordinate. The constructive proof of the computation of hydrodynamic fields consists in the successive integration of the polynomials, the polynomial degree being dependent on the values of the boundary parameters.

Submesoscale Kinematic Properties in Summer and Winter Surface Flows in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

AbstractStatistical properties of near‐surface horizontal velocity gradients are obtained from four drifter experiments conducted in the Gulf of Mexico during Summer 2012 and Winter 2016. The data density provided by the near‐simultaneous deployments of 90‐326 surface drifters in each allows direct, drifter‐based estimates of the scale dependence of velocity gradients at separation scales ranging from 200 m to 5 km. The robustness of these estimates, derived from uniquley sampled, nearly equilateral triplets, is confirmed by comparisons with estimates produced from larger drifter clusters, and with estimates based on concurrent Eulerian X‐band radar observations. The winter launches were deployed above a ∼80 m deep mixed layer, one in a region with nearly homogeneous horizontal density structure, the other in a region of strong surface density gradients associated with filaments of fresh Mississippi River water. The summer launches occurred in a shallow (10m) mixed layer, one launched across a mesoscale frontal jet separating regions of horizontally homogeneous density and the other, similar to the corresponding winter launch, also in a region filamented by shallow lenses of cold, fresh water. Seasonal differences are observed, with larger velocity fluctuations and greater variance in divergence and vorticity, especially at the smallest scales, in winter. Differences between same‐season launches are, however, as large as seasonal differences. In both seasons, observations sampling regions directly impacted by fresh water fluxes show strongly skewed vorticity distributions, with cyclonic vorticity dominating strain. For the other launches, one in each season, strain dominated minimally skewed vorticity.

Investigating the Formation of Submesoscale Structures along Mesoscale Fronts and Estimating Kinematic Quantities Using Lagrangian Drifters

Much of the vertical transport near the surface of the ocean, which plays a critical role in the transport of dissolved nutrients and gases, is thought to be associated with ageostrophic submesoscale phenomena. Vertical velocities are challenging not only to model accurately, but also to measure because of how difficult they are to locate in the surface waters of the ocean. Using unique massive drifter releases during the Lagrangian Submesoscale Experiment (LASER) campaign in the Gulf of Mexico and the Coherent Lagrangian Pathways from the Surface Ocean to the Interior (CALYPSO) experiment in the Mediterranean Sea, we investigate the generation of submesoscale structures along two different mesoscale fronts. We use a novel method to project Lagrangian trajectories to Eulerian velocity fields, in order to calculate horizontal velocity gradients at the surface, which are used as a proxy for vertical transport. The velocity reconstruction uses a squared-exponential covariance function, which characterizes velocity correlations in horizontal space and time, and determines the scales of variation using the data itself. SST and towed CTD measurements support the findings revealed by the drifter data. Due to the production of a submesoscale instability eddy in the Gulf of Mexico, convergence magnitudes of up to ∼20 times the planetary vorticity, f, are observed, the value of which is almost 3 times larger than that found in the mesoscale dominated Western Mediterranean Sea.

New insights into active tectonics and seismogenic potential of the Italian Southern Alps from vertical geodetic velocities

Abstract. This study presents and discusses horizontal and vertical geodetic velocities for a low strain rate region of the south Alpine thrust front in northeastern Italy obtained by integrating GPS, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and leveling data. The area is characterized by the presence of subparallel, south-verging thrusts whose seismogenic potential is still poorly known. Horizontal GPS velocities show that this sector of the eastern Southern Alps is undergoing ∼1 mm a−1 of NW–SE shortening associated with the Adria–Eurasia plate convergence, but the horizontal GPS velocity gradient across the mountain front provides limited constraints on the geometry and slip rate of the several subparallel thrusts. In terms of vertical velocities, the three geodetic methods provide consistent results showing a positive velocity gradient, of ∼ 1.5 mm a−1, across the mountain front, which can hardly be explained solely by isostatic processes. We developed an interseismic dislocation model whose geometry is constrained by available subsurface geological reconstructions and instrumental seismicity. While a fraction of the measured uplift can be attributed to glacial and erosional isostatic processes, our results suggest that interseismic strain accumulation at the Montello and the Bassano–Valdobbiadene thrusts it significantly contributing to the measured uplift. The seismogenic potential of the Montello thrust turns out to be smaller than that of the Bassano–Valdobbiadene fault, whose estimated parameters (locking depth equals 9.1 km and slip rate equals 2.1 mm a−1) indicate a structure capable of potentially generating a Mw>6.5 earthquake. These results demonstrate the importance of precise vertical ground velocity data for modeling interseismic strain accumulation in slowly deforming regions where seismological and geomorphological evidence of active tectonics is often scarce or not conclusive.

Experimental study for the breaking properties of internal solitary waves flowing over a bottom step

The breaking properties of internal solitary waves (ISWs) flowing over a bottom step were investigated experimentally. The experiments were performed in a two-layer immiscible system to avoid the influence of diffusion and mixing. The flat bottom condition and the bottom step condition had been conducted respectively. The characteristics of incident ISWs, the process of breaking and the subsequent developments were taken into discussion. A modified internal Iribarren number was introduced, and the critical condition of breaking was considered to be related to its trend change point. The initial stage of the breaking process was found can be divided into spatially discrete characteristic structures other than messy flowing of the full interface. And the characteristic structures have close horizontal lengths for different amplitudes. The horizontal velocity gradient was identified as the key parameter of shear instability. By analyzing the subsequent developments, the completely broken ISWs were found can reform a quasi ISWs propagating upon the bottom step which has a smooth front-face and an ever-breaking back-face. Due to the breaking of the back-face, the amplitude of reformed ISWs continues to decrease. Meanwhile, the attenuation rate was noticed to be related to the incident amplitude, but not be related to whether it is broken or the degree of breaking.

Water flow and substrate preferences of Schizothorax wangchiachii (Fang, 1936)

Understanding the habitat preferences of a fish species is crucial for protecting fish resources because it can guide development of appropriate conservation measures. Field surveys suggest that water flow velocity and substrate are the main influences on fish microhabitat selection. Controlled experiments are better suited to assessing fish microhabitat preferences than field surveys but experimental data are not yet sufficient for cyprinids. We conducted experiments with Schizothorax wangchiachii in an experimental system comprised of four parallel channels, with a different substrate type in each channel. Fish preference for each substrate was tested at four levels of water flow. Results show that flow velocity influences channel preference more than substrate type. Test fish entered channels more frequently as flow velocity increased from 0.01 m/s to 0.37 m/s. Surface stability and interstitial space were the major factors influencing preference for substrate type. The horizontal velocity gradient perpendicular to flow direction, resulting in shear stress, was hypothesized to be a third explanatory variable for channel preference, but it did not significantly influence channel preference. Test fish spent most of the day in a shaded (shelter) area and were far less active during the day than at night. This study provides information on S. wangchiachii preferences for water flow and substrate, circadian rhythm and daylight sheltering, information that will help guide efforts to conserve wild populations of S. wangchiachii.

Wave boundary layers in a stably-neutrally stratified ocean

The theory of wave boundary layers developed in [7], is generalized to the case of stably-neutrally stratified ocean consisting of upper homogeneous and lower stratified layers. In this configuration, in addition to the boundary layers near the ocean bottom and/or surface, a wave boundary layer develops near the interface between the layers in the lower stratified part of basin. Each the boundary layer is a narrow domain characterized by sharp, growing in time, vertical gradients of buoyancy and horizontal velocity. As in [7], the near interface boundary layer arises as a result of free linear evolution of rather general initial fields. An asymptotic solution describing the long-term evolution is presented and compared to exact solution; the asymptotic solution approximates the exact one fairly well even on not very large times.

Wave Boundary Layers in a Stably Neutrally Stratified Ocean

The theory of wave boundary layers developed in [7], is generalized to the case of stably-neutrally stratified ocean consisting of upper homogeneous and lower stratified layers. In this configuration, in addition to the boundary layers near the ocean bottom and/or surface, a wave boundary layer develops near the interface between the layers in the lower stratified part of basin. Each the boundary layer is a narrow domain characterized by sharp, growing in time, vertical gradients of buoyancy and horizontal velocity. As in [7], the near interface boundary layer arises as a result of free linear evolution of rather general initial fields. An asymptotic solution describing the long-term evolution is presented and compared to exact solution; the asymptotic solution approximates the exact one fairly well even on not very large times.

Spatiotemporal Variability of High-Altitude Jet Streams from Satellite Measurements

Results of an investigation into the spatiotemporal variability of the main characteristics of jet streams (JSs) in the upper troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere in the field of view of European geostationary meteorological satellites for the period 2007–2015 are presented. The JS characteristics are obtained using an automated method for calculating the horizontal wind velocity profile based on atmospheric sounding data from the SEVIRI radiometer in the 6.2-μm water vapor channel. Significant linear trends of most JS characteristics are revealed. It is shown that the relative increase in the number of JSs and their effective lifetime were 25 and 22%, respectively, and the relative decrease in the maximum wind speed on the axis and the horizontal velocity gradient on the cyclonic and anticyclonic sides were 7, 13, and 20%. The annual variation is most pronounced for the number of JSs, their maximum velocity, and average area and width. One characteristic feature is the synchronous annual variability of the maximum velocity and width of JSs determined by the isotach level V = 30 m/s. A pronounced horizontal asymmetry of the wind-velocity profile in JSs is noted. A stable annual oscillation and its harmonics are observed in amplitude spectra and waveletograms of time series of most daily and monthly mean characteristics. Significant oscillations were observed with periods of 19–23 and 37–39 days and 26.5–27.5, 35–37, and 42–45 months.