Three-dimensional Ocean Research Articles

Detecting the role of Stokes drift under typhoon condition by a fully coupled wave-current model

The impacts of Stokes drift and sea-state-dependent Langmuir turbulence (LT) on the three-dimensional ocean response to a tropical cyclone in the Bohai Sea are studied through two-way coupled wave-current simulations. The Stokes drift is calculated from the simulated wave spectrum of the wave model, Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN), and then input to the Princeton Ocean Model with the generalized coordinate system (POMgcs) to represent the Langmuir effect. The Langmuir circulation is included in the vertical mixing of the ocean model by adding the Stokes drift to the shear of the vertical mean current and by including LT enhancements to the Mellor-Yamada 2.5 turbulent closure submodel. Simulations are assessed through the case study of Typhoon Masta in 2005 with a set of diagnostic experiments that incorporated different terms of Stokes production (SP) respectively. It is shown that with the consideration of SP, a deeper mixed layer, an enhanced vertical mixing coefficient KMS, and a more accurate representation of the vertical temperature distribution could be derived. Moreover, the effect of LT in elevating the turbulence mixing is stronger than that of Coriolis Stokes force (CSF) and Craik-Leibovich vortex force (CLVF). LT has a greater influence on the vertical mixing during typhoon than that in normal weather.

The Inversion of Three-Dimensional Ocean Temperature and Salinity Fields for the Assimilation of Satellite Observations

The lack of dimensionality of ocean observations makes it difficult to utilize multi-scale data assimilation to correct model errors with limited observations. Since satellite observations can provide high-resolution and time-continuous sea surface information, this study utilizes sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), and sea surface height (SSH) anomalies to invert the vertical temperature and salinity fields and thus realize multi-scale data assimilation in the three-dimensional space. We propose a temperature and salinity inversion network (TSI-Net) for reconstructing the mapping of the sea surface’s spatial distribution features to vertical structural features to obtain pseudo-observed fields. In this study, measured satellite remote-sensing data and temperature and salinity profiles are used to correct the model errors in the waters around the China Sea. The sensitivity analysis shows that the multi-component inversion can better fit the temperature field relationship, with a correlation coefficient of about 0.87. The results of the assimilation experiments show that the analytical field obtained by assimilating the pseudo-observed field is more consistent with the target field in terms of the spatial distribution characteristics.

The nonlinear evolution of two surface quasi-geostrophic vortices

We investigate numerically the evolution of a baroclinic vortex in a two-level surface quasi-geostrophic model. The vortex is composed of two circular patches of uniform buoyancy, one located at each level. We vary the vortex radii, the magnitude of buoyancy, and the vertical distance between the two levels. We also study different radial profiles of buoyancy for each vortex. This article considers two main situations: firstly, initially columnar vortices with like-signed buoyancies. These vortices are contra-rotating, are linearly unstable and may break. Secondly, we consider initially tilted vortices with opposite-signed buoyancies, which may align vertically. Numerical experiments show that (1) identical contra-rotating vortices break into hetons when initially perturbed by low azimuthal modes; (2) unstable, vertically asymmetric, contra-rotating vortices can stabilise nonlinearly more often than vertically symmetric ones, and can form quasi-steady baroclinic tripoles; (3) co-rotating vortices can align when the two levels are close to each other vertically, and when the vortices are initially horizontally distant from each other by less than three radii; (4) for initially more distant vortices, two such vortices rotate around the plane center; and(5) in all cases, the vortex boundaries are disturbed by Rossby waves. These results compare favorably to earlier results with internal quasi-geostrophic vortices. Further modelling efforts may extend the present study to fully three-dimensional ocean dynamics.

Regularized singular boundary method for calculating wave forces on three-dimensional large offshore structure

How to quickly calculate the singularity of the special Green's function at origin has been a difficult problem that has plagued ocean dynamics for many years. This letter proposes a regularized singular boundary method (RSBM) based on the special Green's function and origin intensity factor (OIF) technique. The source points of the RSBM only need to be arranged on the boundary of the obstacle. By linearly combining the OIF of the modified Helmholtz equation and the OIF of the Helmholtz equation, an explicit OIF suitable for three-dimensional ocean dynamics is derived. The derived OIF does not contain singular integrals and is easy to use. The RSBM replaces the Green's function at origin with the OIF. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to reuse the integral form of Green's function as basis function at origin. The computational efficiency and accuracy have been significantly improved. Numerical experiments show that the RSBM can accurately calculate the wave forces on large three-dimensional offshore structure.

Distributed Adaptive Formation Reconfiguration Control for Multiple AUVs Based on Affine Transformation in Three-Dimensional Ocean Environments

This article addresses the distributed formation reconfiguration control problem for a fleet of nonlinear multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in three-dimensional (3-D) ocean environments. A novel solution to the nonplanar multi-AUV formation reconfiguration control issue is presented by using the graph rigidity and affine transformation (GR-AT) method. Firstly, all AUVs cooperatively achieve a predefined initial cube formation by using the strategy of regulating the inter-AUV distances in a rigid graph. Then the proposed GR-AT method is used to reconstruct the formation shape in multi-obstacle underwater environments. A rigorous Lyapunov stability analysis shows that these distances converge to desired values. The efficiency of the formation reconfiguration control algorithm is confirmed by a series of simulation results. Finally, the corresponding 3-D realistic experiment based on bionic robot fish is carried out to validate the feasibility of the proposed formation control.

Ocean Model Response to Stochastically Perturbed Momentum Fluxes

Abstract Recent studies of various stochastic forcing and subgrid-scale parameterization schemes applied to climate and atmospheric models have revealed a diversity of model responses. These responses include degeneracy in the response to different forcings and compensating model errors. While stochastic parameterization of the ocean eddies is an active area, this has mainly involved idealized models with fewer studies employing ocean general circulation models. Here we examine the sensitivity of a low-resolution climate model to stochastic forcing of the momentum fluxes restricted to regions of the three-dimensional ocean where an eddy-resolving ocean model configuration has high variability. We consider the changes in the modeled energetics of low-resolution simulations in response to increased stochastic forcing. We find that as forcing amplitudes are increased there is enhanced conversion of transient to seasonal potential energy. Additionally, there is a systematic redistribution from seasonal to small-scale transient kinetic energy. Our approach has zero mean noise such that the total kinetic energy spectra remain largely unchanged even as small-scale eddy kinetic energy is increased in the targeted regions. However, we also show that strong stochastic forcing, particularly when applied in the tropics, can induce substantial changes to the ocean steady state that are undesirable. These changes include overly strong vertical mixing leading to unrealistic increases in ocean heat content and latitudinally dependent changes to sea level. We show that judicious selection of the magnitude and spatial extent of the stochastic forcing is required for desirable results. Our results point to the importance of a comprehensive evaluation of ocean model responses to stochastic parameterizations.

Energy Spectra and Vorticity Dynamics in a Two-Layer Shallow Water Ocean Model

Abstract The dynamically adaptive WAVETRISK-OCEAN global model is used to solve one- and two-layer shallow water ocean models of wind-driven western boundary current (WBC) turbulence. When the submesoscale is resolved, both the one-layer simulation and the barotropic mode of the two-layer simulations have an energy spectrum with a power law of −3, while the baroclinic mode has a power law of −5/3 to −2 for a Munk boundary layer. This is consistent with the theoretical prediction for the power laws of the barotropic and baroclinic (buoyancy variance) cascades in surface quasigeostrophic turbulence. The baroclinic mode has about 20% of the energy of the barotropic mode in this case. When a Munk–Stommel boundary layer dominates, both the baroclinic and barotropic modes have a power law of −3. Local energy spectrum analysis reveals that the midlatitude and equatorial jets have different energy spectra and contribute differently to the global energy spectrum. We have therefore shown that adding a single baroclinic mode qualitatively changes WBC turbulence, introducing an energy spectrum component typical of what occurs in stratified three-dimensional ocean flows. This suggests that the first baroclinic mode may be primarily responsible for the submesoscale turbulence energy spectrum of the oceans. Adding more vertical layers, and therefore more baroclinic modes, could strengthen the first baroclinic mode, producing a dual cascade spectrum (−5/3, −3) or (−3, −5/3) similar to that predicted by quasigeostrophic and surface quasigeostrophic models, respectively. Significance Statement This research investigates how wind energy is transferred from the largest ocean scales (thousands of kilometers) to the small turbulence scales (a few kilometers or less). We do this by using an idealized model that includes the simplest representation of density stratification. Our main finding is that this simple model captures an essential feature of the energy transfer process. Future work will compare our results to those obtained using ocean models with more realistic stratifications.

Proposal of a Swarm Intelligent Underwater Glider System for Long-term Three-dimensional Wide-area Ocean Observation

Proposal of a Swarm Intelligent Underwater Glider System for Long-term Three-dimensional Wide-area Ocean Observation

Weak Mesoscale Variability in the Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISST)-AVHRR-Only Version 2 Data before 2007

Mesoscale sea surface temperature (SST) variability triggers mesoscale air–sea interactions and is linked to ocean subsurface mesoscale dynamics. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) daily Optimum Interpolation SST (OISST) products, based on various satellite and in situ SST data, are widely utilized in the investigation of multi-scale SST variabilities and reconstruction of subsurface and deep-ocean fields. The quality of OISST datasets is subjected to temporal inhomogeneity due to alterations in the merged data. Yet, whether this issue can significantly affect mesoscale SST variability is unknown. The analysis of this study detects an abrupt enhancement of mesoscale SST variability after 2007 in the OISST-AVHRR-only version 2 and version 2.1 datasets (hereafter OI.v2-AVHRR-only and OI.v2.1-AVHRR-only). The contrast is most stark in the subtropical western boundary current (WBC) regions, where the average mesoscale SST variance during 2007–2018 is twofold larger than that during 1993–2006. Further comparisons with other satellite SST datasets (TMI, AMSR-E, and WindSAT) suggest that the OISST-AVHRR-only datasets have severely underestimated mesoscale SST variability before 2007. An evaluation of related documents of the OISST data indicates that this bias is mainly caused by the change of satellite AVHRR instrument in 2007. There are no corresponding changes detected in the associated fields, such as the number and activity of mesoscale eddies or the background SST gradient in these regions, confirming that the underestimation of mesoscale SST variability before 2007 is an artifact. Another OISST product, OI.v2-AVHRR-AMSR, shows a similar abrupt enhancement of mesoscale SST variability in June 2002, when the AMSR-E instrument was incorporated. This issue leaves potential influences on scientific research that utilize the OISST datasets. The composite SST anomalies of mesoscale eddies based on the OI.v2-AVHRR-only data are underestimated by up to 37% before 2007 in the subtropical WBC regions. The underestimation of mesoscale variability also affects the total (full-scale) SST variability, particularly in winter. Other SST data products based on the OISST datasets were also influenced; we identify suspicious changes in J-OFURO3 and CFSR datasets; the reconstructed three-dimensional ocean products using OISST data as input may also be inevitably affected. This study reminds caution in the usage of the OISST and relevant data products in the investigation of mesoscale processes.

Rotational effects on exchange flows across a submerged sill

This paper presents new laboratory-scale numerical simulations of density-driven exchange flows generated across an idealised, submerged sill obstruction under both non-rotating and rotating frames of reference using the Bergen Ocean Model (BOM), a three-dimensional general ocean circulation model. Initial non-rotating BOM simulations are compared directly with previous laboratory data obtained in a large-scale channel facility incorporating an idealised trapezoidal sill. These laboratory experiments demonstrate that the saline intrusion flux across the sill is initially reduced and then eventually fully blocked under increasing net-barotropic flow conditions imposed in the counterflowing upper freshwater layer, with the saline blockage also more evident for reduced sill submergence depths. These parametric dependences are also demonstrated in the equivalent BOM simulations of the non-rotating sill exchange flows, although the numerical model results tend to overpredict both the interfacial velocity and density gradients across the sill (as indicative of suppressed interfacial mixing), as well as the fresh-saline source flux ratio at which full blockage of the saline intrusion occurs. The BOM simulations are then extended to consider rotating sill exchange flow dynamics. In particular, these additional runs demonstrate that Coriolis forces increase the overall blockage of the saline intrusion layer compared to equivalent non-rotating exchange flows, especially when the Rossby number associated with the saline intrusion flow across the sill is considerably less than unity. This effect is largely attributed to the development of Ekman boundary layer dynamics and associated secondary circulations within the bi-directional exchange flows. These are shown to impose strong control on the transverse distribution and extent of the lower saline intrusion flow across the sill and, hence, the parametric conditions under which full saline intrusion blockage is achieved in rotating sill exchange flows.

Research on Three-Dimensional Ocean Temperature Field Variation Model Based on Assimilation and Reconstruction of Regression Equation

Qin, F.; Zeng, W.; Zou, C., and Yang, J., 2020. Research on three-dimensional ocean temperature field variation model based on assimilation and reconstruction of regression equation. In: Yang, D.F. and Wang, H. (eds.), Recent Advances in Marine Geology and Environmental Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 108, pp. 37–41. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.For a long time, natural marine ecosystems have been subject to strong human intervention and global environmental changes. Therefore, it is a meaningful challenge to objectively evaluate the constituent elements of marine material transport, energy flow, and system functions. Besides, the calculation method of three-dimensional (3D) ocean temperature fields is improved in the paper by establishing regression model assimilation and reconstruction of 3D ocean temperature fields. Moreover, according to Guinethut's method, the model is reconstructed with the help of 3D monthly average temperatures and the salinity field of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service. Then, monthly average sea surface data sea level anomaly and sea surface temperature from the satellite observations of the next year are used to derive 3D monthly average temperatures of the next year field. Additionally, the data sets of adjacent or similar years are applied to obtain linear regression relationships between sea surface and underwater features, which can improve the accuracy of reconstruction. The most optimal interpolation method is used to assimilate the measured data of Argo to increase accuracy. Finally, after data analysis and comparison, it is proved that compared with other methods, the observation value of the data model established in research content of the paper is further improved, which provides important reference for marine ecological protection work.

Mechanisms of Persistent High Primary Production During the Growing Season in the Chukchi Sea

Persistent high primary production during the growing season in the Chukchi Sea (Arctic Ocean) plays a key role in maintaining an efficient biological carbon pump and diverse Arctic ecosystem. We used a three-dimensional ocean–sea ice–biogeochemical model to simulate monthly averaged net primary production from 1998 to 2015. The results show that the growing season in the Chukchi Sea lasts more than 150 days, with an annual net primary production of 30.85 ± 3.67 Tg C y−1. The mechanisms for maintaining high primary production differ in the southern and northern Chukchi Sea biological hotspots. Nutrient-rich Pacific Winter Water triggers phytoplankton blooms in both hotspots as light intensity increased in spring. After these initial blooms, Bering Summer Water and remnant Pacific Winter Water are the main contributors to nutrient levels and drive primary production during the growing season (May to September) in the southern and northern hotspots, respectively. Nitrate budget estimations in the euphotic zone reveal that after the spring blooms, persistent high primary production in the southern hotspot is mainly fueled by advecting Bering Summer Water through the Bering Strait. In the northern area, vertical mixing plays a critical role in upwelling nutrient-rich Pacific Winter Water from around the Hanna Shoal, where Pacific Winter Water is trapped for a long duration as a result of topography-influenced ocean circulation. Hence, high primary production exists in the northern Chukchi Sea during the summer and early autumn.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ARCTIC HALOCLINE FORMATION

This paper discusses issues related to the analysis of the Arctic halocline state over the past decades. Observational data show that the layer of halocline in the Arctic Ocean significantly changed in the last 40 years, which may affect the Arctic ice cover. For the study we used a three-dimensional ocean and sea ice numerical model developed at the ICMMG SB RAS. The main attention was devoted to the analysis of the model distribution of water salinity in the upper 250-meter layer and its variability. Based on numerical experiments on the sensitivity of thermohaline stratification to variations in atmospheric effects and the intensity of river flow, we identified areas of the Arctic basin in which the variability of the Arctic halocline was the most pronounced.

Three-dimensional Cartesian parabolic equation model with higher-order cross-terms using operator splitting, rational filtering, and split-step Padé algorithm.

An approximate form of three-dimensional Cartesian split-step marching solution for the acoustic parabolic equation is derived in order to obtain the efficient algorithm for sound propagation in the three-dimensional ocean. The operator splitting method is used to split the full exponential operator into three exponential operators for depth, cross-range, and the combination of the two. The first two terms are implemented with the split-step Padé algorithm and the final term is implemented with the Taylor series expansion in depth and cross-range operator. In order to resolve the divergence of Taylor approximation out of the interval of convergence, the rational filter of rectangular type is applied to the depth and cross-range operator. The use of the filter improves the stability of the solution but requires extra numerical burdens. Numerical issues involving the accuracy, efficiency, and stability of the proposed model are discussed and illustrated in an ocean wedge environment.

Modelling of electromagnetic signatures of global ocean circulation: physical approximations and numerical issues

The interactions of flowing electrically conductive seawater with Earth’s magnetic field generate electric currents within the oceans, as well as secondary electric currents induced in the resistive solid Earth. The ocean-induced magnetic field (OIMF) is an observable signature of these currents. Ignoring tidally forced ocean flows, the global ocean circulation system is driven by wind forcing on the ocean surface and by the temperature- and salinity-dependent buoyancy force. Ocean circulation’s magnetic signals contribute to the total magnetic field observed at the Earth’s surface or by low-orbit satellite missions. In this paper, we concentrate on accurate numerical modelling of the OIMF employing various approaches. Using a series of numerical test cases in different scenarios of increasing complexity, we evaluate the applicability of the unimodal thin-sheet approximation, the importance of galvanic coupling between the oceans and the underlying mantle (i.e. the bimodal solution), the effects of vertical stratification of ocean flow as well as the effects of vertical stratification of both oceanic and underlying electrical conductivity, and the influence of electromagnetic self-induction. We find that the inclusion of galvanic ocean-mantle coupling has the largest effect on the predicted OIMF. Self-induction is important only on the largest spatial scales, influencing the lowest spherical harmonic coefficients of the OIMF spectrum. We find this conclusion important in light of the recent Swarm satellite mission which has the potential to observe the large-scale OIMF and its seasonal variations. The implementation of fully three-dimensional ocean flow and conductivity heterogeneity due to bathymetry, which substantially increases the computational demands of the calculations, can play some role for regional studies, or when a more accurate OIMF prediction is needed within the oceans, e.g. for comparison with seafloor observations. However, the large-scale signals at the sea surface or at satellite altitude are less affected.

Direct Observations and Modeling of Summertime Coastal Circulation Patterns in the Western Bohai Sea

ABSTRACT Xing, C.; Zhao, Q.; Hu, Z., and Liu, Y., 2018. Direct observations and modeling of summertime coastal circulation patterns in the western Bohai Sea. Eutrophication of the coastal waters in the western Bohai Sea results in serious environmental problems. In summer, severe brown tide frequently happens in the Qinhuangdao coastal areas, causing enormous losses to the local fishery. A survey array with four sets of seabed-based current observation systems equipped with acoustic Doppler current profilers was deployed in September 2013 to investigate the hydrodynamic background of the brown tide. The observations suggest that the shore currents flow generally northward and offshore currents flow southward during the survey period. The coastal circulation system and its formation mechanisms are studied with a three-dimensional nested-grid ocean circulation model. The model results suggest that coastal currents form a clockwise eddy-shaped circulation system with a diameter of 65 km. Numerical sensitivit...

Impact of Sea-State-Dependent Langmuir Turbulence on the Ocean Response to a Tropical Cyclone

Abstract Tropical cyclones are fueled by the air–sea heat flux, which is reduced when the ocean surface cools due to mixed layer deepening and upwelling. Wave-driven Langmuir turbulence can significantly modify these processes. This study investigates the impact of sea-state-dependent Langmuir turbulence on the three-dimensional ocean response to a tropical cyclone in coupled wave–ocean simulations. The Stokes drift is computed from the simulated wave spectrum using the WAVEWATCH III wave model and passed to the three-dimensional Princeton Ocean Model. The Langmuir turbulence impact is included in the vertical mixing of the ocean model by adding the Stokes drift to the shear of the vertical mean current and by including Langmuir turbulence enhancements to the K-profile parameterization (KPP) scheme. Results are assessed by comparing simulations with explicit (sea-state dependent) and implicit (independent of sea state) Langmuir turbulence parameterizations, as well as with turbulence driven by shear alone. The results demonstrate that the sea-state-dependent Langmuir turbulence parameterization significantly modifies the three-dimensional ocean response to a tropical cyclone. This is due to the reduction of upwelling and horizontal advection where the near-surface currents are reduced by Langmuir turbulence. The implicit scheme not only misses the impact of sea-state dependence on the surface cooling, but it also misrepresents the impact of the Langmuir turbulence on the Eulerian advection. This suggests that explicitly resolving the sea-state-dependent Langmuir turbulence will lead to increased accuracy in predicting the ocean response in coupled tropical cyclone–ocean models.

Simulation of Arctic and North Atlantic ocean water and ice seasonal characteristics by the INMIO-CICE coupled model

The first results of simulation of the seasonal variability of the Arctic and North Atlantic ocean waters and ice by a coupled model based on a full three-dimensional ocean dynamics model INMIO4.1 and a sea-ice model CICE5.1 are considered. The coupled model can be run on massively parallel computers under control of the Compact Modelling Framework CMF2.0. The numerical experiment is performed according to the CORE-II protocol with 1948 atmospheric forcing data. Possible causes of the deviation of the model solution from the ERA-20C reanalysis and WOA09 climatology are discussed.

Energy efficiency of the simulation of three-dimensional coastal ocean circulation on modern commodity and mobile processors

We analyze energy efficiency of a 3D coastal ocean simulator on Haswell and Cortex-A15 architectures and propose a simple yet effective way to model energy-to-solution on different hardware platforms. The work also demonstrates that using processors from the field of embedded/mobile computing can increase the energy efficiency by 50 %.

Modified Fuzzy C Means and Ensemble based Framework for Min Cost Localization and Power Constraints in Three-Dimensional Ocean Sensor Networks

Background/Objectives: In this paper, the optimization problem is considered for Minimum Cost Localization Problem (MCLP) in 3D Ocean Sensor Network (OSN). The main aim of OSN is to localize all underwater sensors or the minimum travel distance of the ship which deploys and measures the anchors using the minimum number of anchor nodes. Methods/Statistical Analysis : Minimum Cost Discrete multi-valued Particle Swarm Optimization (MCDPSO) and Hybrid Bee Linear Genetic Colony Algorithm (HBLGCA) are combined in this Hybrid Ensemble Framework Model (HEFM). Minimum travel distance of the ship which deploys and the anchors for OSNs are determined by the finalized minimum travel distance results. In Hybrid Ensemble Framework, a set of optimization algorithm using both trilateration and local sweep operations are presented to address the problem. The set of anchor node and its travelling order sequence are picked using both trilateration and local sweep operations based on a set of HEFM which is proposed by the hardness of 3D localization. Findings: Most of the existing localization algorithms only focus on checking the localizability of a network and/or distribution of nodes within a set of anchor nodes which are static in nature and measurement of distance to localize. The main aim of today’s algorithm is to determine the min cost localization problem depending on a particular method that might not provide optimal results. To overcome all the above problem hybrid ensemble framework is formalized. Because of the complexity of the distributed approach, the current localization algorithms cause overhead and latency. Cluster based architecture for range-free localization is proposed in this paper to eradicate these problems in Wireless Sensor Network. The similar nodes are grouped using Modified Fuzzy C Means (MFCM) clustering. Some parameters such as quality of a link, energy and coverage are used to select the cluster-head. Applications/Improvements: These methods give better results for certain applications such as location-based routing due to localization problem and the results have been measured in terms of the energy, power and Quality of Service (QoS). The simulation results, show that the overhead, localization error, latency are reduced in proposed HEFM framework and the localization accuracy is increased.