Salinity Fields Research Articles

The north Brazil undercurrent and the wind driven hydrodynamics in Japaratuba submarine canyon, Brazil

Abstract The circulation induced by the wind and the North Brazil Undercurrent (NBU) in and surrounding the Japaratuba submarine canyon on the continental shelf of the basin of Sergipe and Alagoas is described using numerical modeling. The numerical simulations were implemented to determine the canyon influence in the local hydrodynamics and in the volume flow normal to the coast, considering several different scenarios, including a homogeneous and stratified fields of temperature and salinity. Northeast and East winds favor an upward flow in the canyon, while Southeast and South winds privilege subsidence. Winds parallel to the coast cause greater volume flow in the canyon section: 40° winds (relative to true the North, parallel to the coast) caused the highest upward flow, while winds from 215° to 220° caused the highest subsidence. On the other hand, the NBU favors subsidence motion and seems to predominate over the wind forcing.

Circulation patterns in the Gulf of Finland from daily to seasonal timescales

We studied circulation patterns in the Gulf of Finland (GoF), an estuary-like sub-basin of the Baltic Sea. Circulation patterns in the GoF are complex and vary from season to season and year to year. Estuarine circulation in the gulf is heavily modified by many factors, such as wind forcing, topography and geostrophic effects. Based on a 7-year run of the NEMO 3D hydrodynamic model with a 500 m horizontal resolution, we analysed seasonal changes of mean circulation patterns. We found that there were clear seasonal differences in the circulation patterns in the GoF. Features that moved or changed direction from season to season were damped or hidden in the averages. To further study these differences, we also carried out a self-organising map (SOM) analysis of currents for several latitudinal sections. The results of the SOM analysis emphasised the estuary-like nature of the GoF. Circulation changed rapidly from normal estuarine circulation to reverse estuarine circulation. The dominant southwesterly winds supported the reversal of the estuarine circulation. Both normal and reversed estuarine circulation were roughly as common in our data. The SOM analysis also demonstrated how the long-term cyclonic mean circulation field and the average salinity field emerged from the interaction of normal and reversed estuarine circulation.

A numerical analysis of the summertime Pearl River plume from 1999 to 2010: Dispersal patterns and intraseasonal variability

Abstract A three-dimensional unstructured-grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model was applied to investigate the principal dispersal patterns and intraseasonal variability of the Pearl River plume in summer (June–August) during 1999–2010. The favorable forcing conditions and underlying dynamics for the formation of plume patterns were also explored. The model was validated against a suite of water level, salinity and temperature observations collected during the simulation periods. The simulated results agree well with the observed data, indicating that the model reasonably reproduces the main hydrodynamic processes occurring in the Pearl River estuary. Using Self-Organizing Maps, we extracted eight typical dispersal patterns of the Pearl River plume from the multiyear simulated daily surface salinity fields and estimated the occurrence frequency of each pattern. The eight plume patterns were further categorized into five types based on the morphologies and extension distances of each pattern, namely, west alongshore spreading, fettered spreading, offshore bulge spreading, bidirectional spreading and east offshore spreading; these five types account for 26.3%, 9.8%, 11.5%, 29.1% and 23.3% of the total occurrence frequency, respectively. The pattern that is characterized by bidirectional spreading with a strong eastward extension has the largest occurrence frequency among the eight patterns. Through an analysis of the best matching units derived from Self-Organizing Maps and the corresponding river discharge and wind conditions, we find that both wind and river discharge can significantly affect the Pearl River plume patterns. The plume orientation is mainly modulated by the wind, while the plume area and eastward extension distance are mainly affected by the river discharge. Generally, the favorable forcing conditions and underlying dynamics are different for each plume pattern, and various combinations of river discharge and wind can generate different dynamics to form different plume patterns. The climatological surface salinity field in summer shows a bidirectional structure with the plume extending westward attaching to the coast and eastward detaching from the coast. The areas and eastward extension distances of the Pearl River plume gradually decrease from June to August, affected by the intraseasonal changes in river discharge and wind. The statistical results of the daily plume patterns for June–August show that east offshore spreading, bidirectional spreading and west alongshore spreading are the primary types occurring in June, July and August, respectively. Furthermore, the occurrence frequencies of the west alongshore spreading and offshore bulge spreading increase, while the occurrence frequency of the east offshore spreading decreases from June to August.

Jet formation in salt-finger convection: a modified Rayleigh–Bénard problem

Large-scale coherent structures such as jets in Rayleigh–Bénard convection and related systems are receiving increasing attention. This paper studies, both numerically and theoretically, the process of jet formation in two-dimensional salt-finger convection. The approach utilizes an asymptotically derived system of equations referred to as the modified Rayleigh–Bénard convection (MRBC) model, valid in the geophysically and astrophysically relevant limit in which the solute diffuses much more slowly than heat. In these equations, convection is driven by a destabilizing salinity gradient while the effects of the stabilizing temperature gradient manifest themselves as an additional anisotropic dissipation acting on large scales. The MRBC system is specified by two external parameters: the Schmidt number $\mathit{Sc}$ (ratio of viscosity to solutal diffusivity) and the Rayleigh ratio $\mathit{Ra}$ (ratio between the Rayleigh numbers of the destabilizing solutal stratification and the stabilizing thermal stratification). Two distinct $\mathit{Ra}$ regimes are explored for fixed $\mathit{Sc}=1$. In all cases studied the system develops a horizontal jet structure that is maintained self-consistently by turbulent fluctuations, but coarsens over time. For intermediate Rayleigh ratios (e.g. $\mathit{Ra}=6$), the MRBC model captures the relaxation oscillations superposed on the jet structure observed at similar parameter values in direct numerical simulations of the primitive equations. For smaller Rayleigh ratios (e.g. $\mathit{Ra}=2$), a regime for which direct numerical simulation of the primitive equations is difficult because of the presence of fast gravity waves, the MRBC model reveals the existence of statistically steady jets whose properties are studied in detail. Three hierarchical models, the MRBC and further reductions in the form of quasilinear and single-mode approximations, are used to confirm that jets form and are sustained as a result of the interaction between fluctuations (salt fingers) and large-scale horizontally averaged horizontal flows (jets). Even though the small-scale structures exhibited by the three models exhibit clear differences, all three produce the same power-law spectrum of the mean fields at large vertical scales: in all, the spectrum of the mean streamfunction scales as $m^{-3}$ and the mean salinity field scales as $m^{-1}$, with $m$ the vertical wavenumber. A theoretical explanation of these observations based on the dominant balances in the mean and fluctuation equations is provided. As a consequence, the jets have a zigzag profile, a conclusion that is consistent with numerical simulations. Based on numerical observations, a three-component phenomenological model consisting of a linearly growing mode, a linearly damped mode and a mean mode is proposed to explain the observed transition from statistically steady jet structure to jets with superposed oscillations that takes place with increasing Rayleigh ratio.

Partitioning Ocean Motions Into Balanced Motions and Internal Gravity Waves: A Modeling Study in Anticipation of Future Space Missions

AbstractInternal gravity waves (IGWs) and balanced motions (BMs) with scales <100‐km capture most of the vertical velocity field in the upper ocean. They have, however, different impacts on the ocean energy budget, which explains the need to partition motions into BMs and IGWs. One way is to exploit the synergy of using different satellite observations, the only observations with global coverage, and a reasonable spatial and temporal resolution. But we need first to characterize and understand their signatures on the different surface oceanic fields. This study addresses this issue by using an ocean global numerical simulation with high‐resolution (1/48°). Our methodology is based on the analysis of the 12,000 frequency‐wave number spectra to discriminate these two classes of motions in the surface kinetic energy, sea surface height, sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, relative vorticity, and divergence fields and for two seasons. Results reveal a complex picture worldwide of the partition of motions between IGWs and BMs in the different surface fields, depending on the season, the hemisphere, and low and high eddy kinetic energy regions. But they also highlight some generic properties on the impact of these two classes of motions on the different fields. This points to the synergy of using present and future satellite observations to assess the ocean kinetic energy on a global scale. The 12,000 frequency‐wave number spectra represent a World Ocean Atlas of the surface ocean dynamics not fully exploited in the present study. We hope the use of this World Ocean Atlas by other studies will lead to extend much these results.

Role of Penetrative Convection under the Ice in the Formation of the State of the World Ocean

The results of numerical experiments on the sensitivity of the INMCM48 Earth System model (Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Science (INM RAS)) to the various parameterizations of convection induced by the formation of a new ice are presented and analyzed. It is shown that the response in temperature and salinity is observed not only directly under the ice, but in ocean subpolar regions as well, which is especially pronounced in the North Atlantic. An effective parameterization is proposed which significantly reduces the estimation error of the surface salinity in the AO with no formation of the trends of the near-bottom salinity fields, in contrast with the well-known parameterization (Nguyen, Menemenlis and Kwok, 2009).

Freshwater structure and its seasonal variability off western Patagonia

Climatological hydrographic data for the southeastern Pacific from the World Ocean Atlas show an extended low-salinity region associated with high rainfall/river runoff along the Chilean Patagonia coast. However, the structure and variability of this extensive freshwater area is poorly understood due to the lack of periodic hydrographic observations. Here, we use 15 years of satellite observations in combination with hydrographic data from Argo profiling floats to increase our understanding of the freshwater structure and its seasonal variability off western Patagonia. Satellite-derived seasonal fields of surface salinity from Aquarius/SAC-D and SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) satellite missions reveal a prominent coastal band of low-salinity water year-round (fresher during spring and summer). Hydrographic profiles from Argo floats confirm this coastal freshening. The major content of freshwater is located off central Patagonia, where the low-salinity surface layer dominates the stratification of the upper ocean. In contrast, the freshwater content plays a minor role in setting up the stratification off northern and southern Patagonia. A warm surface layer greatly increases the stability of the upper 500 m in the northern sector (especially in summer and fall), whereas cold temperatures in the southern region tend to damp zonal density gradients and decrease the stratification. Future studies at interannual scales are suggested considering the melting of Patagonian icefields since the 1960s.

Precipitation effect on surface salinity and temperature in the Yatsushiro Sea

Field observation was carried out during July 2016 in Minamata Bay of Yatsushiro Sea, measured data of temperature and salinity of five stations has been used for comparing the numerical simulation based on Princeton Ocean Model (POM). Simulation results showed deviations existed between simulated and measured data, especially the salinity field, which was probably caused by the increased precipitation during plum rain season. Therefore, a new precipitation module and modified heat flux forcing for POM were built to present the rainfall effect of salinity and temperature. It is indicated that the accuracy of predicted temperature and salinity was improved to some extent. In contrast with the previous simulation, deviations were reduced significantly. Nevertheless, simulation results of new model under rainy and sunny conditions showed the cooling impact of precipitation was slight, which may be caused by the daytime observation and solar radiation was dominated. However, this study has shown that precipitation effect is an important factor for surface numerical simulation during rainy season.

Impact of freshwater plumes on intraseasonal upper ocean variability in the Bay of Bengal

The Monsoon Intraseasonal Oscillations (MISO) is known to be strongly coupled to the upper ocean variability in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Here, we analyze high-resolution moored observations from the northern BoB (18 °N, in comparison with an array of moorings to the south along 90 °E (8, 12, and 15 °N) to examine the observed temperature and salinity variability during the 2015 summer monsoon season. The heat budget analysis indicates that the mixed-layer (ML) temperature tendency at 18 °N in late summer (August and September) deviated greatly from the tendency that is expected based on surface heat flux alone. Examination of moored ML salinity and satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) fields suggests that southward extension of riverine freshwater plumes to the mooring site in late summer plays an important role in modulating the heat balance. The associated shoaling of the ML results in enhanced penetrative heat loss and warming beneath the surface layer. Price-Weller-Pinkel (PWP) 1-D model simulations, which account for vertical mixing, suggest that the entrainment of this subsurface warm water under monsoon wind improves closure of the temperature balance. Long-term analysis of satellite-based sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall data indicates that late summer ML shoaling is accompanied by amplified intraseasonal (10–60 day) SST variability and reduced MISO precipitation variability. Overall, these results demonstrate the critical importance of freshwater plumes to improved understanding of the upper-ocean heat budget and air-sea interaction in the BoB.

The Interannual Variability of the Breakdown of Fall Stratification on the New Jersey Shelf

AbstractDuring the seasonal evolution of stratification on the New Jersey shelf in the fall, strong thermal stratification that was established in the preceding summer is broken down through wind‐driven processes and surface cooling. Ten years of output from a Regional Ocean Modeling Systems run and a one‐dimensional mixed layer model is used here to examine the interannual variability in the strength of the stratification and in the processes that reduce stratification in fall. Our analysis shows that the strength of the stratification at the end of the summer is not correlated with the timing of shelf destratification. This indicates that processes that occur within the fall are more important for the timing of stratification breakdown than are the initial fall conditions. Furthermore, wind‐driven processes reduce a greater fraction of the stratification in each year than does the surface cooling during the fall. Winds affect the density gradients on the shelf through both changes to the temperature and salinity fields. Processes associated with the downwelling‐favorable winds are more effective than those during upwelling‐favorable winds in breaking down the vertical density gradients. In the first process, cross‐shelf advective fluxes during storms act to decrease stratification during downwelling‐favorable winds and increase stratification during upwelling‐favorable winds. Second, there is also enhanced velocity shear during downwelling‐favorable winds, which allows for more shear instabilities that break down stratification via mixing. Observational data and model output from Tropical Storm Ernesto compare favorably and suggest that downwelling‐favorable winds act through the mechanisms identified from the Regional Ocean Modeling Systems results.

Influence of a Vertical Shift in the Current Velocity during Propagation of Contaminated Water from an Underwater Outfall under Stratified Conditions

The features of the spatial structure of coastal water caused by the impact of a nonstationary deep source of waste under stratified conditions is studied using a numerical hydrothermal model. The task is solved for the case of contaminated water outfall in Golubaya Bay of the city of Sevastopol. It is found that the activity of the source is accompanied by a jet and a stream of contaminated water. The pycnocline layer is mostly polluted with the contaminated area reaching 0.3–0.5 km2. The increase in the vertical shift of the velocity of background current leads to the increase in the existing period of contaminated zones and displacement of the stream of waste water toward the free surface (the stream becomes more localized vertically). The fields of contamination, temperature, and salinity of water have a complex spatial structure.

Assimilation of Sea Surface Temperature in a Global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model

The Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) uses different vertical coordinate choices in different regions. In HYCOM, the prognostic variables include not only the seawater temperature, salinity and current fields, but also the layer thickness. All prognostic variables are usually adjusted in the assimilation when multivariate data assimilation methods are used to assimilate sea surface temperature (SST). This paper investigates the effects of SST assimilation in a global HYCOM model using the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation multivariate assimilation method. Three assimilation experiments are conducted from 2006-08. In the first experiment, all model variables are adjusted during the assimilation process. In the other two experiments, the temperature alone is adjusted in the entire water column and in the mixed layer. For comparison, a control experiment without assimilation is also conducted. The three assimilation experiments yield notable SST improvements over the results of the control experiment. Additionally, the experiments in which all variables are adjusted and the temperature alone in all model layers is adjusted, produce significant negative effects on the subsurface temperature. Also, they yield negative effects on the subsurface salinity because it is associated with temperature and layer thickness. The experiment adjusting the temperature alone in the mixed layer yields positive effects and outperforms the other experiments. The heat content in the upper 300 m and 300-700 m layers further suggests that it yields the best performance among the experiments.

Assessing Coastal SMAP Surface Salinity Accuracy and Its Application to Monitoring Gulf of Maine Circulation Dynamics

Monitoring the cold and productive waters of the Gulf of Maine and their interactions with the nearby northwestern (NW) Atlantic shelf is important but challenging. Although remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST), ocean color, and sea level have become routine, much of the water exchange physics is reflected in salinity fields. The recent invention of satellite salinity sensors, including the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) radiometer, opens new prospects in regional shelf studies. However, local sea surface salinity (SSS) retrieval is challenging due to both cold SST limiting salinity sensor sensitivity and proximity to land. For the NW Atlantic, our analysis shows that SMAP SSS is subject to an SST-dependent bias that is negative and amplifies in winter and early spring due to the SST-related drop in SMAP sensor sensitivity. On top of that, SMAP SSS is subject to a land contamination bias. The latter bias becomes noticeable and negative when the antenna land contamination factor (LC) exceeds 0.2%, and attains maximum negative values at LC = 0.4%. Coastward of LC = 0.5%, a significant positive land contamination bias in absolute SMAP SSS is evident. SST and land contamination bias components are seasonally dependent due to seasonal changes in SST/winds and terrestrial microwave properties. Fortunately, it is shown that SSS anomalies computed relative to a satellite SSS climatology can effectively remove such seasonal biases along with the real seasonal cycle. SMAP monthly SSS anomalies have sufficient accuracy and applicability to extend nearer to the coasts. They are used to examine the Gulf of Maine water inflow, which displayed important water intrusions in between Georges Banks and Nova Scotia in the winters of 2016/17 and 2017/18. Water intrusion patterns observed by SMAP are generally consistent with independent measurements from the European Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. Circulation dynamics related to the 2016/2017 period and enhanced wind-driven Scotian Shelf transport into the Gulf of Maine are discussed.

Use of Landsat 8 data for characterizing dynamic changes in physical and acoustical properties of coastal lagoon and estuarine waters

This study intends to develop methodologies that use high resolution satellite data from Landsat 8 (Operational Land Imager) OLI and (Thermal Infrared Sensor) TIRS sensors for characterizing spatial and temporal changes in physical and acoustical properties of coastal lagoon and estuarine waters. It employs multiple steps to achieve this possibility: a novel atmospheric correction algorithm is applied to OLI spectral data to retrieve water-leaving radiances which are key inputs for the applied models; appropriate parameterizations are developed for the OLI bands and used in conjugation with a hybrid model to produce the spectral absorption coefficients of coloured dissolved organic matter (aCDOM) and to derive surface salinity fields which inversely correspond with the aCDOM values; an efficient algorithm is employed to estimate surface water temperature using thermal infrared bands, and well-known models are employed with the satellite-derived products to determine the acoustical properties (sound attenuation and speed). Results from the above methodology were evaluated using in-situ data and Landsat 8 OLI matchup data acquired over the coastal lagoon systems (e.g., Chilika Lagoon on the coast of Bay of Bengal) during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons. The uncertainties associated with the derived products such as CDOM, salinity, temperature, sound attenuation and speed were found to be within the desirable mission goal. Recognizing the importance of the salinity gradient that plays a unique and fundamental role in defining a transitional ecosystem, spatial and temporal patterns in the structure of the salinity gradient were examined together with the CDOM patterns. High resolution OLI products exhibited a general horizontal gradient with salinity decreasing from the lagoon mouth in the eastern and central sectors to the river mouth in the northern sector and a near uniform gradient with moderate salinity in the adjacent locations (southern sector) of the lagoon. The time-series of OLI products further showed that spatial and temporal structures of the salinity are modulated by the terrestrially delivered freshwater inputs, tidal forcing at the lagoon mouth, mixing of these two waters sources, and local geomorphology. Surface water temperature products derived from the TIRS sensor for the lagoon and its adjoining locations depicted a well pronounced seasonal cycle with warmer temperatures modulated by reduced mixing and increased solar heating and stratification during non-monsoon, summer months and cooler temperatures during monsoon, winter months. The effect of salinity and temperature on the sound attenuation and sound speed was prominent in the locations of the freshwater discharge and tidal mixing regimes, where the salinity exerted a greater influence on both sound attenuation and speed despite the opposing effects of surface water temperatures. In areas of surface heating and stratification, both salinity and temperature increased causing an increase in sound attenuation and speed over the ranges found in the lagoon. These results are important for sonar performance modelling and operation of acoustic devices in such shallow water environments impacted by the terrestrial and ocean forcing factors.

A Multivariate Empirical Orthogonal Function Method to Construct Nitrate Maps in the Southern Ocean

AbstractThe ability to construct nitrate maps in the Southern Ocean (SO) from sparse observations is important for marine biogeochemistry research, as it offers a geographical estimate of biological productivity. The goal of this study is to infer the skill of constructed SO nitrate maps using varying data sampling strategies. The mapping method uses multivariate empirical orthogonal functions (MEOFs) constructed from nitrate, salinity, and potential temperature (N-S-T) fields from a biogeochemical general circulation model simulation Synthetic N-S-T datasets are created by sampling modeled N-S-T fields in specific regions, determined either by random selection or by selecting regions over a certain threshold of nitrate temporal variances. The first 500 MEOF modes, determined by their capability to reconstruct the original N-S-T fields, are projected onto these synthetic N-S-T data to construct time-varying nitrate maps. Normalized root-mean-square errors (NRMSEs) are calculated between the constructed nitrate maps and the original modeled fields for different sampling strategies. The sampling strategy according to nitrate variances is shown to yield maps with lower NRMSEs than mapping adopting random sampling. A k-means cluster method that considers the N-S-T combined variances to identify key regions to insert data is most effective in reducing the mapping errors. These findings are further quantified by a series of mapping error analyses that also address the significance of data sampling density. The results provide a sampling framework to prioritize the deployment of biogeochemical Argo floats for constructing nitrate maps.

The Climatic Characteristics of Surface Salinity in the South China Sea and the Adjacent Northwest Pacific Ocean

Based on the high-resolution SODA oceanographic hydrological reanalysis data, analyzing the climatic characteristics of the surface salinity in the South China Sea and the adjacent Northwest Pacific Ocean during the new climatic baseline period from 1981 to 2010 in this paper. The results showed that: Sea surface salinity (SSS) in the research area could be obviously divided into two areas, the South China Sea and the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The SSS in the South China Sea was lower than that in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The annual amplitude of SSS in the South China Sea varied in different sea areas, but it was smaller and almost same in the Northwest Pacific Ocean area. The inter-monthly variations of SSS were the same at continental shelf side and the sea area near the island in the South China Sea, however differences existed with that in the central of the South China Sea. The inter-monthly variation of SSS in the Northwest Pacific Ocean varied from low latitude to high latitude and the salinity field showed “high-low-high” distribution. According to the climatic characteristics of salinity, the research area could be divided into five climatic zones. Among them, the South China Sea was divided into areas A and B, and the Northwest Pacific Ocean was divided into areas C, D, and E. As water invading from the Northwest Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea area that caused a higher salinity in area B than in area A. The northern equatorial current influenced on the Northwest Pacific Ocean, that caused the salinity in area D lower than in areas C and E.

High-resolution temperature and salinity model analysis using support vector regression

Temperature and salinity in marine data has been studied widely to enhance the marine environmental trend analysis. This work reports a new methodology for deriving high resolution monthly averages of temperature and salinity fields for the Berkeley Canyon based on the use of a support vector regression model. The data used in this paper is from WOA13, BOA Argo and ONC observations. The experimental results show that RBF Kernel function is satisfied with huge, complex marine data. The model is of great robust and adaptability. High resolution climatological means are critical for discerning oceanic features that are of great importance not just to climate systems but also to nutrient cycling and biological habitat. The method will be satisfied with other marine area.

Evaluation of a global ocean general circulation model; The Lat-Lon-Cap (LLC90) configuration of the MITgcm

An evaluation of a general circulation model from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MITgcm) with Lat – Lon – Cap (LLC90) configuration was done. Simulation of 100 years yields the annual means of potential temperature, salinity, meridional overturning stream function and transport of several throughflows. A reference run with widened Davis strait from the model was used to compare with observational WOA09 data, and the MITgcm has reproduced reasonably reliable data. The patterns of potential temperature can resemble the WOA09, however not so for the salinity fields. An experiment to simulate the model in 5 different tuning set were then proceeded. For the potential temperature and salinity fields, the North Pacific and the Southern Ocean still has significant difference to the WOA09. The difference was in the range of -6 to 5 °C for the potential temperature and -0.5 to 3 psu for the salinity field. The meridional overturning circulation stream function was still lower than the observational (± 17 Sv); the MITgcm simulates it 10 ± 1Sv in the experiment. The root mean square (RMS) of the difference were calculated, the surface layer has the largest magnitude of difference due to the forcing dynamics. The best simulation, which has the least difference to WOA09, was the one with the original bathymetry and smallest vertical diffusivity coefficient, 1 x 10-5 m2 s-1.

Upper ocean hydrology of the Northern Humboldt Current System at seasonal, interannual and interdecadal scales

Since the 1960s, the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) collected tens of thousands of in-situ temperature and salinity profiles in the Northern Humboldt Current System (NHCS). In this study, we blend this unique database with the historical in-situ profiles available from the World Ocean Database for the period 1960–2014 and apply a four-dimensional interpolation scheme to construct a seasonal climatology of temperature and salinity of the NHCS. The resulting interpolated temperature and salinity fields are gridded at a high spatial resolution (0.1° × 0.1° in latitude/longitude) between the surface and 1000 m depth, providing a detailed view of the hydrology and geostrophic circulation of this region. In particular, the mean distribution and characteristics of the main water-masses in the upper ocean of the NHCS are described, as well as their seasonal variations between austral summer and winter. The coastal upwelling region is well documented due to the increased data density along 3 highlighted cross-shore vertical sections off Paita (∼5°S), Chimbote (∼9°S) and San Juan (∼16.5°S). The large and long-term database also allowed us, through a composite analysis, to investigate the impact of the eastern Pacific El Niño and La Niña events on the NHCS hydrology. On average, during these periods, large temperature (±3–4 °C) and salinity (±0.1–0.2) anomalies are observed, impacting the water column of the coastal ocean off Peru down to 100–200 m depth. At 100 km from the coast, these anomalies are associated with a maximum deepening (shoaling, respectively) of the thermocline of 60 m (25 m) during composite El Niño (La Niña) events. At interdecadal scale, a similar approach reveals sea-surface temperature variations of ±0.5°C, associated with a deepening (shoaling) of the thermocline of 5–10 m during warm (cold) periods.

Observed winter salinity fields in the surface layer of the Arctic Ocean and statistical approaches to predicting large-scale anomalies and patterns

AbstractSignificant salinity anomalies have been observed in the Arctic Ocean surface layer during the last decade. Our study is based on an extensive gridded dataset of winter salinity in the upper 50 m layer of the Arctic Ocean for the periods 1950–1993 and 2007–2012, obtained from ~20 000 profiles. We investigate the interannual variability of the salinity fields, identify predominant patterns of anomalous behavior and leading modes of variability, and develop a statistical model for the prediction of surface-layer salinity. The statistical model is based on linear regression equations linking the principal components of surface-layer salinity obtained through empirical orthogonal function decomposition with environmental factors, such as atmospheric circulation, river runoff, ice processes and water exchange with neighboring oceans. Using this model, we obtain prognostic fields of the surface-layer salinity for the winter period 2013–2014. The prognostic fields generated by the model show tendencies of surface-layer salinification, which were also observed in previous years. Although the used data are proprietary and have gaps, they provide the most spatiotemporally detailed observational resource for studying multidecadal variations in basin-wide Arctic salinity. Thus, there is community value in the identification, dissemination and modeling of the principal modes of variability in this salinity record.