Sv In Winter Research Articles

On the Layered Structure and Seasonal Variation of the Water Exchanges in the Sulawesi Sea Areas As Well As the Associated Dynamics

AbstractThe layered structure and seasonal variation of the water exchanges in the Sulawesi Sea areas, as well as the corresponding dynamics, are investigated using HYCOM data. A net inward water mass transport is identified in the upper and intermediate layers in the Sulawesi Sea and it is compensated by the net outward transport in the deep layer. As an important source of this net inward transport, the southward flow through the Sibutu Passage (denoted hereafter as Sibutu Flow) reaches 5.06 Sv in winter, accounting for ∼43% of the net inflow. However, it decreases substantially to 1.79 Sv in summer, accounting for only 12% of the inflow. Further analysis reveals that this Sibutu Flow modulates the seasonal variation of the corresponding outward flow at the Makassar Strait, the major exit of the water mass in the Sulawesi Sea. In winter, the enhancement of the Sibutu Flow associated with the greater intrusion of Kuroshio water into the Luzon Strait produces a stronger eastward pressure gradient force, suppressing the surface intrusion of the Mindanao Current. Conversely, this pressure gradient force weakens and shifts westward in summer, permitting a larger water intrusion from the eastern section. Given that the outward Makassar Flow is the main passage of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), our study highlights the essential role of the Sibutu Flow in modulating seasonal variabilities of the ITF via the Makassar Strait and, thus, the transfer of water masses and heat content between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Numerical study of the circulation and water transport in Beibu Gulf: A short communication

The Beibu Gulf, located in the northwestern South China Sea, is rich in oceanic energy and biological resources. Based on the FVCOM model, a three-dimensional numerical model was adopted in the study, which was validated with the observation data. The results show that Beibu Gulf is a typical diurnal tidal area. The K1 and O1 tide have an amphidromic point near Hue, Vietnam, forming a rotary tidal system. From the amphidromic point, the amplitudes increase gradually, eventually reaching more than 80 cm and 100 cm, respectively. The maximum amplitudes of M2 and S2 tide are about 70 cm and 10 cm, respectively. Meanwhile the tidal current presents a typical rectilinear flow in Beibu Gulf, with strong the diurnal tidal currents. Seasonal changes in the circulation structure of Beibu Gulf are obvious. The Beibu Gulf is generally controlled by a non-closed anticlockwise circulation in winter. In summer, there are two counterclockwise eddies. The tidal residual current flowing through Qiongzhou Strait goes west all year round, with the largest average flow flux of 0.07 Sv in winter. Based on DYE module from FVCOM, pollutants from the Pearl River Estuary pass through Qiongzhou Strait, and reach Weizhou Island after 109 days. This is of great significance to the monitoring and control of red tide, and the protection of marine ecological environment in Beibu Gulf.

Features and variability of the South China Sea western boundary current from 1992 to 2011

Different from the traditional definition of the South China Sea western boundary current (SCSWBC), in this paper, only the southwestward and southward currents along the northern and western slopes in the SCS, which are closely associated with the basin-wide wind stress curl, are defined as the SCSWBC, while the flows on the southwestern shelf driven directly by the local wind stress are regarded as part of the shelf circulation. Using a new reanalysis dataset of the SCS in conjunction with the in situ and remote sensing data, the main features and variability of the SCSWBC from 1992 to 2011 were studied. Dictated by the prevailing monsoonal winds and in- and outflows, the SCSWBC in winter extended the full length of the western slope and reached its maximum intensity off the southeast coast of Vietnam, while in summer the main body of the SCSWBC was limited to the northern half of the western slope and merged with the northward coastal current to form the Vietnam Offshore Current (VOC) at about 12° N. Moreover, the respective seasonal patterns of the SCSWBC showed pronounced interannual variations in its structure, including the axis, the width, and the maximum depth. The strength of the SCSWBC, with the transport of −11.8 ± 3.5 Sv in winter and −3.0 ± 1.6 Sv in summer off the central coast of Vietnam, also varied significantly from year to year. It was demonstrated that the monsoonal forcing over the SCS, the interannual variability of which was closely associated with El Nino events, played an important role in modulating the interannual variability of the SCSWBC, whereas the influence from the upper-layer Luzon Strait transport was secondary.

A spectral mixture model analysis of the Kuroshio variability and the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea

For understanding more about the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea, We studied the variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (ECS) in the period of 1991 to 2008 using a three-dimensional circulation model, and calculated Kuroshio onshore volume transport in the ECS at the minimum of 0.48 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3/s) in summer and the maximum of 1.69 Sv in winter. Based on the data of WOA05 and NCEP, The modeled result indicates that the Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan Island decreased since 2000. Lateral movements tended to be stronger at two ends of the Kuroshio in the ECS than that of the middle segment. In addition, we applied a spectral mixture model (SMM) to determine the exchange zone between the Kuroshio and the shelf water of the ECS. The result reveals a significantly negative correlation (coefficient of −0.78) between the area of exchange zone and the Kuroshio onshore transport at 200 m isobath in the ECS. This conclusion brings a new view for the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea. Additional to annual and semi-annual signals, intra-seasonal signal of probably the Pacific origin may trigger the events of Kuroshio intrusion and exchange in the ECS.

Computing cross-isotherm volume transports from ocean temperature observations and surface heat fluxes, with application to the Barents Sea inflow

A method for determining the cross-isotherm ocean transport from surface heat flux and ocean temperature data is derived. By computing the volume flux through the isotherm that extend from 19°E, 74°N to the eastern part of the Kola Peninsula, the flow through the western entrance of the Barents Sea south of 74°N is estimated. Using three different surface heat flux datasets, the inflow is found to range from 2.9 to 4.5 Sv in winter (October–March) and from 0.4 to 1.4 Sv in summer (April–September; 1 Sv=10 6 m 3 s −1). The seasonal variations are stronger than indicated by results from direct current measurements, probably because the seasonal cycle of the surface heat fluxes is overestimated along the considered isotherm. The annual mean inflow ranges from 1.9 to 2.2 Sv during a cold period (1986–1988), and from 2.4 to 3.0 Sv during a warm period (1990–1992), close to reported observations.

Introducing katabatic winds in global ERA40 fields to simulate their impacts on the Southern Ocean and sea-ice

A medium resolution (10–20 km around Antarctica) global ocean/sea-ice model is used to evaluate the impact of katabatic winds on sea-ice and hydrography. A correction is developed to compensate for the drastic underestimation of these katabatic winds in the ERA40 reanalysis. This correction derives from a comparison over 1980–1989 between wind stress in ERA40 and those downscaled from ERA40 by the MAR regional atmospheric model. The representation in MAR of the continental orography surrounding the ocean, like the Transantarctic Mountains, and a specific parameterisation of roughness length in the planetary boundary layer yield a major improvement in the representation of katabatic winds along the coast of Antarctica. Wind stress directions at the first ocean point are remarkably similar in ERA40 and MAR, but MAR wind stress amplitudes are much greater. From this comparison, a scale factor constant in time (i.e. no seasonal variation) but spatially varying (decreasing off-shore over a distance of about 150 km) is created for the meridional and zonal wind stress components and adapted to the wind vector. The correction thus consists of a local amplification of the amplitude of the 6-hourly ERA40 wind vector components at ocean points near the coast. The impact of katabatic wind correction is investigated in 40-year long twin simulations of a global ocean/sea-ice model. The wind stress over polynyas is increased by a factor of 2, and amplitudes of sensible and latent air–sea heat exchanges are increased by 28% and 18%, respectively. Sea-ice thickness and ice-fraction near the coast of Antarctica show a marked decrease. The amplified katabatic winds also increase the extent of coastal polynyas by 24% (i.e. the total polynya area is augmented by 60,000 km 3 around Antarctica), and the winter sea-ice production in polynyas is greater by 42%. Outside polynyas, the impact is a reduction of sea-ice production in the Southern Ocean sea-ice pack. Impacts on the ocean circulation are also marked. Katabatic wind amplification strengthens the local overturning in coastal polynyas with a more intense transformation of Antarctic Surface Waters into colder and denser shelf waters (in total over all polynyas around Antarctica, the overturning reaches 4.7 Sv in annual mean, an increase of 1.8 Sv, and peaks to 6 Sv in winter). The modification of shelf water properties and of the zonal surface winds yields an increase of the amplitude of the seasonal cycle of the Antarctic Coastal Current.

Numerical study of the tides and residual currents in the Qiongzhou Strait

Based on the three-dimensional ECOM model, the tide, tide-induced residual current, wind-driven and density currents in the Beibu (Tonkin) Gulf and Qiongzhou Strait are diagnostically computed in fine grid. The tides and tidal currents in the Beibu Gulf and Qiongzhou Strait are well reproduced. The model results show that the semidiurnal tidal wave propagates eastward from the Beibu Gulf through Qiongzhou Strait, while diurnal tidal waves enter the strait from both the eastern and western sides and interact on the southeast coast of the strait. The formation processes of the residual currents in Qiongzhou Strait in summer (August) and winter (January) are mainly discussed. It is shown that the total residual currents (coupling effect of wind, tide and density) in the strait are westward in both summer and winter. The water volume transported from the east to west into the Beibu Gulf is 0.026 Sv in summer and 0.116 Sv in winter. Numerical experiments indicate that the dominant factor affecting the residual currents in the strait is not the wind stress but the tidal rectification. The westward tide-induced residual current, driven by the tidal rectification, is rather strong in the strait with water volume transport of 0.063 Sv. The wind in summer only reduces the westward tide-induced residual current to a certain extent, and the wind in winter approximately doubles the westward tide-induced residual current through the strait. The density current contributes little to the total residual current in both summer and winter.

Intrusion of Kuroshio water onto the continental shelf of the East China Sea

As a fundamental study to evaluate the contribution of the Kuroshio to primary production in the East China Sea (ECS), we investigated the seasonal pattern of the intrusion from the Kuroshio onto the continental shelf of the ECS and the behavior of the intruded Kuroshio water, using the RIAM Ocean Model (RIAMOM). The total intruded volume transport across the 200m isobath line was evaluated as 2.74 Sv in winter and 2.47 Sv in summer, while the intruded transport below 80m was estimated to be 1.32 Sv in winter and 1.64 Sv in summer. Passive tracer experiments revealed that the main intrusion from the Kuroshio to the shelf area of the ECS, shallower than 80m, takes place through the lower layer northeast of Taiwan in summer, with a volume transport of 0.19 Sv. Comparative studies show several components affecting the intrusion of the Kuroshio across the 200 m isobath line. The Kuroshio water intruded less onto the shelf compared with a case without consideration of tide-induced bottom friction, especially northeast of Taiwan. The variations of the transport from the Taiwan Strait and the east of Taiwan have considerable effects on the intrusion of the Kuroshio onto the shelf.

Dense water formation on the northwestern shelf of the Okhotsk Sea: 2. Quantifying the transports

A combination of direct bottom mooring measurements, hydrographic and satellite observations, and meteorological reanalysis was used to estimate the rate of formation of Dense Shelf Water (DSW) due to brine rejection on the Okhotsk Sea northwestern shelf and the rate of export of DSW from this region. On the basis of remote sensing data, an estimated 8.6 × 1012 m3 of DSW was formed during the winter of 1999–2000, resulting in a mean annual production rate of 0.3 Sv. According to direct observations, the export rate of DSW during this period varied from negligibly small in autumn to 0.75 ± 0.27 Sv in winter (January–February), to 0.34 ± 0.12 Sv in spring (March–April). From these observations the mean annual export rate can be estimated to be 0.27 Sv. The same relationships used to obtain the integral estimates were also applied differentially using an advective approach incorporating realistic flow and heat flux fields, which allowed direct comparison with the moored observations. The comparison highlights the importance of along‐shelf advection and cross‐shelf eddy transport to the accurate parameterization of DSW formation.

Dense water formation in the Southern Adriatic Sea and spreading into the Ionian Sea in the period 1997–1999

Hydrographic and current measurements conducted during the period from March 1997 to March 1999 in the Southern Adriatic and in the Otranto Strait provide clues to the mechanisms of dense water formation and its spreading in the Ionian Sea. The hydrographic surveys covered the successive phases of preconditioning, convection, vertical mixing and spreading. The sub-basin scale cyclonic circulation, the presence of highly saline and dense water in the intermediate layer and winter outbreaks of cold and dry continental air are verified as necessary prerequisites to open-ocean deep convection. However, in two winters, surface cooling and surface buoyancy fluxes were not of sufficient intensity, and the convective mixing reached only intermediate depth of ∼400 m in 1998 and ∼700 m in 1999. The ventilated convective cell in the centre of the gyre had density of ∼29.16 kg m −3, which was lower than the typical density ( σ θ ∼29.24 kg m −3) of the water that resides in the bottom layer of the southern basin (Adriatic Deep Water–ADW). In addition, dense waters from the northern shelf region contributed in filling up the Southern Adriatic deep reservoir. During more severe winter in 1999, two concomitant processes were observed: convection in the centre of the gyre and advection along the shelf of much denser waters ( σ θ ∼29.34 kg m −3), which, originating from the Northern Adriatic (NAdDW), sunk at the shelf-break and mixed with the resident bottom water in the Southern Adriatic. Finally, the fate of the ADW and its spreading into the Ionian has been investigated. Transport rates in the bottom layer across the Strait of Otranto have been estimated from long-term current-meter measurements and are related to the intensity of the ADW formation during the study period (1997–1999). Sub-inertial flow fluctuations reach as much as 1 Sv and occur during post-convection, presumably as a consequence of violent mixing processes and spreading. At longer time-scales (seasonal and yearly), the low-frequency water flux is seasonally modulated and exhibits a maximum during post-convection period. It ranges from 0.1 Sv in winter 1997 to 0.4 Sv in winter 1999, showing a fairly consistent interannual variability related to the intensity of winter convection.

Integrated use of altimeter and in situ data for understanding the water exchanges between the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas

In this paper we examine the relationship between the seasonal and interannual variability observed in the water flow through the Corsica Channel and the sea level difference between the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas. The steric contribution to the sea level difference, computed from historical hydrological data, is in good agreement with the stable presence of the seasonal signal in the water exchanges. We obtain the maximum steric difference in winter (∼16 cm) and the minimum in summer (∼2 cm). These values are consistent with the corresponding estimates of water volume transport (0.8 and <0.1 Sv in winter and summer, respectively). Also, TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) satellite altimetry is shown to be capable of capturing the sea level difference anomaly between the two basins at seasonal and interannual scales. Accuracy of altimeter data in the study region has been checked using measurements from a bottom pressure recorder deployed in Capraia Island (rms difference is found to be ∼2 cm after application of a 30‐day half‐amplitude Gaussian filter). Because of the lack of an accurate geoid, the total water transport cannot be adequately monitored by satellite altimetry alone. However, the recovered signal can be directly related to the water transport anomaly through the channel. The resulting T/P signal can be considered as representing, to a great extent, the real steric variation induced by the net sea surface heat fluxes. The high correlation found between the water transport and sea level difference anomalies confirms the results obtained by the climatological hydrography and provides new evidence that interannual differences in the sea level and water transport can be related to the different heat flux balance in the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas. Moreover, it demonstrates, for the first time in the Mediterranean, the potential of satellite altimetry for long‐term monitoring of the water exchanges between adjacent basins.

Structure and transports of the East Greenland Current at 75°N from moored current meters

The East Greenland Current runs from 80°N to 60°N from the Fram Strait to the Denmark Strait via the Nordic Seas. It transports waters from the Arctic and the Nordic Seas into the Atlantic and also acts as a western‐intensified southward return flow for waters recirculating within the Greenland Sea Gyre, itself an area important for deep water formation. Data from current meters moored across the current at 75°N in 1994–1995 show a large seasonal variation in the current. The annual mean transport is 21±3 Sv (taking 9°W as the eastern boundary), varying from 11 Sv in summer to 37 Sv in winter (errors approximately ±5 Sv). No significant seasonal signal has been observed in the Fram or Denmark Straits, suggesting that the seasonal transport is confined within the Greenland Sea. Using temperature and velocity data, we split the flow at 75°N into two parts, a mainly wind‐driven circulation (annual mean of order 19 Sv), which is trapped within the Greenland Sea Gyre and exhibits a large seasonal cycle, transporting, predominantly, the waters of the Greenland Sea, and a steadier throughflow probably thermohaline‐driven (of order 8 Sv in the annual mean), with very little seasonal variation. Data from previous years, 1987–1994, indicate the interannual variability of the current is low. Assuming a spatially coherent structure to the current, we extend the time series of the transport back to 1991, and suggest it may be possible to monitor the total transport with one suitably placed mooring.

Seasonal cycle of the East Australian Current

The seasonal circulation associated with the East Australian Current is examined using a set of steric heights derived from the historical hydrology and expendable bathythermograph data collected in the region. The data are separated into a network of regional bins allowing for known oceanographic and topographic features and a two‐harmonic best fit to the seasonal cycle is obtained in each bin. Maps of the annual‐frequency component of the surface and depth‐integrated steric heights (h and P) show the development and progression of the EAC flow regime through a complete seasonal cycle. The EAC has a strong seasonal cycle from 25°S to 45°S, with strongest southward flow in austral summer. The seasonal cycle in surface flow over the continental shelf is documented by two independent methods, geostrophically, using cross shelf sea level gradients derived from coastal tide gauge data and steric heights at the continental shelf edge, and directly from merchant ship observations. The two estimates are in good agreement. The seasonal cycle in the EAC is more pronounced than in other midlatitude western boundary currents for which data are available. At 28°S, the strength of the total Tasman Sea transport (southward flow) varies between a minimum transport of 7 Sv in winter (July) to a maximum of 16 Sv in summer. The semiannual frequency components of h and P is important near 30°S near the EAC outflow, but not elsewhere. The seasonal cycle of the EAC is not due to strong seasonal variations in Tasman Sea wind stress curl east of the region of interest. Seasonally reversing zonal flows occur offshore north of 25°S, which are apparently locally forced by reversing wind stress curls; but if these flows were fed from the south by the EAC current system, the EAC would have to be weaker in summer, not stronger. The Leeuwin Current Extension along Australia's west and south coasts may pass up the east coast of Australia, providing an important contribution to the enhanced southward flow of the EAC in summer. The vigorous anticyclonic eddies of the EAC also show a marked seasonal cycle, and this is probably an important part of the mechanism for the strong seasonal cycle of the EAC south of 25°S. The location of the strongest anticyclonic eddy in the EAC moves steadily southward throughout the summer season, and the phase of the coastal EAC appears also to move southward, contrary to the expectations of linear theory and to the hypothesis that the Leeuwin Current Extension is the major cause of the seasonal cycle.

Seasonal variation of the three‐dimensional mean circulation over the Scotian Shelf

The seasonal‐mean circulation over the Scotian Shelf is studied numerically by computing mean and tidal current fields for winter, spring, and summer using a three‐dimensional nonlinear diagnostic model. The mean current fields are forced by seasonal‐mean baroclinic pressure gradients, tidal rectification, uniform wind stresses, and associated barotropic pressure gradients. A historical hydrographic database is used to determine the climatological mean baroclinic forcing. Upstream open boundary conditions are estimated from the density fields to give no normal geostrophic bottom flow and are specified as either along‐boundary elevation gradients or depth‐integrated normal velocities. The numerical solutions for nominal bimonthly periods (January–February, April–May, and July–August) reveal the dominant southwestward nearshore and shelf‐break flows of relatively cool and fresh shelf water from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland Shelf, with speeds up to about 20 cm/s. The seasonal intensification of the southwestward flows is reproduced by the model, with the transport increasing from 0.3 Sv in summer to 0.9 Sv in winter on the inner Halifax section. There are also pronounced topographic‐scale influences of submarine banks, basins, and cross‐shelf channels on the circulation, such as anticyclonic gyres over banks and cyclonic gyres over basins. Baroclinicity is the dominant forcing throughout the domain, but tidal rectification is comparable on the southwestern Scotian Shelf (e.g., about 0.2 Sv recirculating transport around Browns Bank for all the periods). The mean wind stress generates offshore surface drift in winter. The solutions are in approximate agreement with observed currents and transports over the Scotian Shelf, although there are local discrepancies.