Wind Relaxation Research Articles

Coastal Iberia Summertime Low‐Level Flow Assessed From Scatterometers

AbstractIn summer, the prevailing northerly flow off west Iberia occasionally intensifies and weakens with significant consequences for weather conditions and marine ecology. High‐resolution Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT) wind products on a 6.25 km grid (ASCAT‐6.25) were used to characterize wind maxima downwind to the major Iberian capes. Wind intensifications downwind Cape Finisterre are large and detached from the coast. They are considered as the response to a large feature in the coastal morphology. Intensifications downwind Cape Roca and Cape São Vicente are smaller and closer to the coast. These are triggered by interaction of supercritical or transcritical flow with topography. ASCAT‐6.25 evening and morning passes show two distinct regimes during intensification events: a southern regime with wind maximum moving toward the coast during the day and a northern regime in which this diurnal shift is not so clear. Another aspect that distinguishes these regimes is the later occurrence of the wind maximum in the southern portion of the coast. Also, wind relaxation events can be identified in ASCAT data. These are followed by a poleward flow of warm water that interrupts the upwelling conditions over west Iberia south of 41°N. Synoptic conditions favorable for the occurrence of intensifications and relaxations were obtained from NWP models. This study was supplemented by RapidScat observations during the summers of 2015 and 2016 at different phases of the diurnal cycle. RapidScat and ASCAT wind fields in combination with NWP data confirm that wind intensifications are multiday events, clearly distinct from the sea breeze circulation.

Winter counter-wind current in western Taiwan Strait: characteristics and mechanisms

A new dataset based on in-situ observations and a numerical model are employed to reveal the spatio-temporal variation and driving mechanism of counter-wind current (CWC) in the western Taiwan Strait (TWS) during the winter monsoon. Our results confirm the existence of the CWC in the western TWS during the months of strong northeasterly wind, which is well supported by a rarely observed through-flow pattern recorded by a Lagrangian drifter, during which the average wind speed was 11 m/s. Moreover, both the synchronous ADCP observations and model results demonstrate that the CWC acted as an episodic local event when the winter monsoon went into transient relaxation. By examining the model results, the momentum budget and the time-dependent dynamics, we further revealed that the wind relaxation mechanism is crucial in explaining the existence of the CWC, which acted as a short-lived local event in the form of a return current that lied in the downstream of a significant along-strait sea-level set-up in the northern Taiwan Bank when the prevailing strong wind experienced a short transient relaxation. Last but not least, the large-scale pressure gradient related to the open-ocean forcing was found to play a predominant role in driving a stable CWC in the frame of geostrophy when the winter-monsoon wind gradually relaxed.

Wind relaxation and poleward flow events in the upwelling region off Baja California, Mexico

Wind relaxation events are commonly observed in eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems. The wind fields over the southern part of the California Current System were separated into upwelling-favorable winds and wind relaxations by using a technique based on complex correlation analysis. Using vessel-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler and conductivity-temperature-depth observations from 4 consecutive Mexican Investigations of the California Current (IMECOCAL) cruises carried out during 2001–2002, a description of the ocean state associated with these stages of the wind field was elaborated for the northern Baja California (Mexico) upwelling region. Relaxation events occurred during each cruise. A coastal poleward flow event was conspicuous when a relaxation event followed a long upwelling favorable wind event. This pattern was also correlated with a negative or close to zero wind curl at the coast. A coastal equatorial jet and an upper-ocean offshore poleward flow were observed during spring, representing a typical upwelling pattern that is correlated with a large positive wind stress curl near the coast. In winter, a surface poleward flow was inhibited by a strong northwest wind event, which generated a shallow equatorward flow. The circulation patterns described here are consistent with theories that explain surface poleward flows through wind relaxation and negative wind curl.
 Key words: winds, upwelling regions, poleward flows, wind relaxation events, IMECOCAL.

Nearshore Larval Retention and Cross-Shelf Migration of Benthic Crustaceans at an Upwelling Center

Planktonic larvae are considered to be highly susceptible to offshore transport in productive upwelling regions, thereby increasing dispersal and limiting recruitment. However, larvae of 42 species of nearshore benthic crustaceans primarily developed on the inner shelf at locations both in (98.5%) and away (99.8%) from a perennial upwelling center during the peak upwelling season in a recruitment-limited region characterized by strong, persistent upwelling. During three cross-shelf cruises conducted at each location, larvae of 21 species remained on the inner shelf at both sites by occurring below a shallow Ekman layer of seaward-flowing surface waters throughout development while larvae of the other species migrated to mid-shelf (four species) or offshore (14 species) by occurring closer to the surface early in development. Postlarvae apparently returned to adult habitats inshore either by descending to landward-flowing upwelled waters or ascending to the surface where behavior allows them to be transported shoreward by internal waves, diel wind cycles or wind relaxation events. Thus, the cause of recruitment limitation along upwelling coasts does not appear to be due to losses from offshore transport, requiring new research directions to advance our understanding of population dynamics, structure and connectivity.

Impact of South Pacific Subtropical Dipole Mode on the Equatorial Pacific

AbstractPrevious studies have indicated that a sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) dipole in the subtropical South Pacific (SPSD), which peaks in austral summer (January–March), is dominated by thermodynamic processes. Observational analyses and numerical experiments were used to investigate the influence of SPSD mode on the equatorial Pacific. The model is an atmospheric general circulation model coupled to a reduced-gravity ocean model. An SPSD-like SSTA was imposed on 1 March, after which the model was free to evolve until the end of the year. The coupled model response showed that warm SSTAs extend toward the equator with northwesterly wind anomalies and then grow to El Niño–like anomalies by the end of the year. SPSD forcing weakens southeasterly trade winds and propagates warm SSTAs toward the equator through wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback. Meanwhile, relaxation of trade winds in the eastern equatorial Pacific depresses the thermocline and upwelling. Eastward anomalous currents near the equator cause warm horizontal advection in the central Pacific. Further experiments showed that thermodynamic coupling mainly acts on but is not essential for SSTA propagation, either from the subtropics to the equator or westward along the equator, while oceanic dynamic coupling alone also appears to be able to initiate anomalies on the equator and plays a critical role in SSTA growth in the tropical Pacific. This is consistent with observational analyses, which indicated that influence of WES feedback on SSTA propagation associated with the SPSD is limited. Finally, the warm pole close to the equator plays the dominant role in inducing the El Niño–like anomalies.

Front‐Eddy Influence on Water Column Properties, Phytoplankton Community Structure, and Cross‐Shelf Exchange of Diatom Taxa in the Shelf‐Slope Area off Concepción (∼36–37°S)

AbstractIn eastern boundary current systems (EBCSs), submesoscale to mesocale variability contributes to cross‐shore exchanges of water properties, nutrients, and plankton. Data from a short‐term summer survey and satellite time series (January–February 2014) were used to characterize submesoscale variability in oceanographic conditions and phytoplankton distribution across the coastal upwelling and coastal transition zones north of Punta Lavapié, and to explore cross‐shelf exchanges of diatom taxa. A thermohaline front (FRN‐1) flanked by a mesoscale anticyclonic intrathermocline eddy (ITE‐1), or mode‐water eddy, persisted during the time series and the survey was undertaken during a wind relaxation event. At the survey time, ITE‐1 contributed to an onshore intrusion of warm oceanic waters (southern section) and an offshore advection of cold coastal waters (northern section), with the latter forming a cold, high chlorophyll‐a filament. In situ phytoplankton and diatom biomasses were highest at the surface in FRN‐1 and at the subsurface in ITE‐1, whereas values in the coastal zone were lower and dominated by smaller cells. Diatom species typical of the coastal zone and species dominant in oceanic waters were both found in the FRN‐1 and ITE‐1 interaction area, suggesting that this mixture was the result of both offshore and onshore advection. Overall, front‐eddy interactions in EBCSs could enhance cross‐shelf exchanges of coastal and oceanic plankton, as well as sustain phytoplankton growth in the slope area through localized upward injections of nutrients in the frontal zone, combined with ITE‐induced advection and vertical nutrient inputs to the surface layer.

Effects of the Relaxation of Upwelling‐Favorable Winds on the Diurnal and Semidiurnal Water Temperature Fluctuations in the Santa Barbara Channel, California

AbstractIn the Santa Barbara Channel, California, and around the Northern Channel Islands, water temperature fluctuations in the diurnal and semidiurnal frequency bands are intermittent, with amplitudes that vary on time scales of days to weeks. The cause of this intermittency is not well understood. We studied the effects of the barotropic tide, vertical stratification, propagation of coastal‐trapped waves, regional wind relaxations, and diurnal‐band winds on the intermittency of the temperature fluctuations during 1992–2015. We used temperature data from 43 moorings in 10–200 m water depth and wind data from two buoys and one land station. Subtidal‐frequency changes in vertical stratification explain 20–40% of the intermittency in diurnal and semidiurnal temperature fluctuations at time scales of days to weeks. Along the mainland north of Point Conception and at the Northern Channel Islands, the relaxation of upwelling‐favorable winds substantially increases vertical stratification, accounting for up to 55% of the subtidal‐frequency variability in stratification. As a result of the enhanced stratification, wind relaxations enhance the diurnal and semidiurnal temperature fluctuations at those sites, even though the diurnal‐band wind forcing decreases during wind relaxation. A linear model where the background stratification is advected vertically explains a substantial fraction of the temperature fluctuations at most sites. The increase of vertical stratification and subsequent increase in diurnal and semidiurnal temperature fluctuations during wind relaxation is a mechanism that can supply nutrients to the euphotic zone and kelp forests in the Channel in summer when upwelling is weak.

Hydrography and currents on the Pernambuco Continental Shelf

ABSTRACT The present study presents the seasonal hydrography and currents of the Brazilian Northeast Continental Shelf. The study area is located on the Brazilian tropical coast of the Atlantic Ocean between 7.5 and 9 °S. This continental shelf is narrow (~35 km wide) and shallow, with shelf break lying at a depth of 60 m. Salinity and temperature data were collected monthly by means of hydrographic surveys, conducted across the shelf in a single transect in the central part of the study area, between March 2012 and May 2013. Two further campaigns were also conducted to characterize the winter (August 2013) and the summer (January 2014), covering the whole study area (4,600 km2). Water level and currents were measured using an array of Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) moored at mid-shelf in the central area. Seasonal temperature ranged from 26 °C in September to 29.5 °C in April, with a 2-month lag between the minimum and maximum air temperatures. Salinity did not present a clear seasonal pattern, fluctuating between 36.5 and 37.0 psu throughout the year. The mean temperature and salinity values obtained in the winter and summer campaigns were 26.5 and 27.6 °C and 37.1 and 36.7 psu, respectively. Tropical Water (TW) was predominant, accounting for 95% to 97%, with presence of Coastal Water (CW) limited to the inner part of the shelf. The mean flow velocity values in the water column in winter and summer were 0.11 and 0.06 m/s, respectively, similarly to the seasonal wind regime. Northward currents were observed predominantly in winter, with a short period of inverted southward current. These episodes were related to periods of wind relaxation and presented periodicity of 6-13 days, observed through wavelet analysis. This periodicity may be associated with atmospheric instabilities at higher latitudes. Summer currents were sluggish, when the tides accounted for 75 and 43% of the variance in the cross- and along-shelf current components, respectively. TW is the main water mass in the Pernambuco Continental Shelf (PCS) in summer and winter. Current intensity is weak and without direction in summer and stronger towards the north in winter.

Seasonal variability of water masses and currents at the eastern Brazilian continental shelf (7.5–9[formula omitted] S)

The seasonal variability of water masses and currents of the Northeastern Brazilian continental shelf between 7.5-9∘ S are reported for the first time. Salinity and temperature data were collected during monthly hydrographic surveys between March/2012 and May/2013 across the shelf in the central part of the study area. Two broader surveys were carried out during winter (August/2013) and summer (January/2014) covering a total area of 4,600 km2. Water level and currents were also recorded with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) moored near the mid-shelf (25 m) in the central area during the latter campaigns. The seasonal temperature variation ranged from 26 °C in September to 29.5 ∘C in April, with a two-month lag in respect to the minimum and maximum air temperature. The salinity did not present a clear seasonal variability, fluctuating between 36.5 and 37.0 psu throughout the year. The mean temperature and salinity from the campaigns in winter and summer were 26.5 and 27.6 ∘C and 37.1 and 36.7 psu, respectively. The Tropical Water (TW) was dominant, accounting for 95% to 97%, with presence of Coastal Water (CW) limited to the inner shelf. Colder waters were recorded at bottom along the shelf break indicating an upwelling process. The mean current speeds in winter and in summer were 0.11 and 0.06 m/s, respectively, reflecting the seasonal wind regime, more intense in winter. The currents in winter were predominantly northward, with short periods of southward inversions. These episodes were related with periods of along-shelf wind relaxation, potentially associated with atmospheric instabilities in higher latitudes. The currents during summer were sluggish and mainly southwards.

Episodic surface intrusions in the Yellow Sea during relaxation of northerly winds

AbstractThe surface currents over the Yellow and East China Seas are mapped from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). Based on a composite of six intrusion events in January–April, the strong northward surface current in the Yellow Sea is shown to be concentrated along the deep trough, accompanied by a broad northward surface current over the East China Sea. From the corresponding surface winds, the episodic northward surface flow bursts appear to be associated with abrupt changes from the strong northerly winds to weak southerly winds during cold front passages. A three‐dimensional model driven with observed surface winds is used to simulate the observed shelf‐wide response to northerly winds. There is an outstanding agreement between the simulated and observed surface currents. The surface intrusion in the Yellow Sea is shown to be driven primarily by a barotropic longitudinal surface slope, while the strong northward current in the East China Sea is associated with a coastal trapped wave. Moreover, the surface intrusion is associated with a large volume transport, suggesting that the transient intrusions could be important in the northward heat transport. The unprecedented capability of GOCI satellite in providing a regional circulation pattern, in conjunction with complementary model simulations, could contribute greatly to understanding of the dynamics of the Yellow and East China Seas.

Origin, development and demise of the 2010–2011 Benguela Niño

A Benguela Nino developed in November 2010 and lasted for 5 months along the Angolan and Namibian coastlines. Maximum amplitude was reached in January 2011 with an interannual monthly Sea Surface Temperature anomaly larger than 4 °C at the Angola Benguela Front. It was the warmest event since 1995. Consistent with previous Benguela Ninos, this event was generated by a relaxation of the trade winds in the western equatorial Atlantic, which triggered a strong equatorial Kelvin wave propagating eastward along the equator and then southward along the southwest African coast. In the equatorial band, the associated ocean sub-surface temperature anomaly clearly shows up in data from the PIRATA mooring array. The dynamical signature is also detected by altimetry derived Sea Surface Height and is well reproduced by an Ocean Linear Model. In contrast to previous Benguela Ninos, the initial propagation of sub-surface temperature anomalies along the equator started in October and the associated warming in the Angolan Benguela Front Zone followed on as early as November 2010. The warming was then advected further south in the Northern Benguela upwelling system as far as 25°S by an anomalously strong poleward sub-surface current. Demise of the event was triggered by stronger than normal easterly winds along the Equator in April and May 2011 leading to above normal shoaling of the thermocline along the Equator and the south-west African coastline off Angola and an associated abnormal equatorward current at the Angola Benguela Front in April and May 2011.

Breaking of internal solitary waves generated by an estuarine gravity current

AbstractMooring and ship‐based data collected in a stratified estuary showed the generation of internal solitary waves by a bottom gravity current. Down‐estuary winds drove a counterclockwise lateral circulation over channel‐shoal bathymetry. When the lateral flows became supercritical, the pycnocline was sharply raised at the edge of the deep channel, leading to flow convergences and formation of a bottom gravity current. As the lateral circulation weakened during wind relaxation, the gravity current propagated onto the shoal and excited internal disturbances around its head. These disturbances evolved into a train of large‐amplitude internal solitary waves that subsequently propagated ahead of the gravity current. The waves moving out of the gravity current broke, generating overturning and turbulence with energy dissipation rate reaching ~1 × 10−4 m2 s−3, 3 orders of magnitude larger than the background value. Our observations suggest that breaking internal waves may be an important source of turbulent mixing in stratified estuaries.

A numerical study of the South China Sea Warm Current during winter monsoon relaxation

Using a Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model, we investigated the dynamic mechanism of the South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC) in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) during winter monsoon relaxation. The model reproduces the mean surface circulation of the NSCS during winter, while model-simulated subtidal currents generally capture its current pattern. The model shows that the current over the continental shelf is generally southwestward, under a strong winter monsoon condition, but a northeastward counter-wind current usually develops between 50-and 100-m isobaths, when the monsoon relaxes. Model experiments, focusing on the wind relaxation process, show that sea level is elevated in the northwestern South China Sea (SCS), related to the persistent northeasterly monsoon. Following wind relaxation, a high sea level band builds up along the mid-shelf, and a northeastward current develops, having an obvious vertical barotropic structure. Momentum balance analysis indicates that an along-shelf pressure gradient provides the initial driving force for the SCSWC during the first few days following wind relaxation. The SCSWC subsequently reaches a steady quasi-geostrophic balance in the cross-shelf direction, mainly linked to sea level adjustment over the shelf. Lagrangian particle tracking experiments show that both the southwestward coastal current and slope current contribute to the northeastward movement of the SCSWC during winter monsoon relaxation.

Large‐scale anomalies in sea‐surface temperature and air‐sea fluxes during wind relaxation events off the United States West Coast in summer

AbstractIn summertime along the U.S. West Coast, the winds exhibit a three‐stage cycle spanning ∼12 days. The prevailing upwelling‐favorable winds weaken (relax) or reverse off the Pacific Northwest, then reintensify, then weaken off central California. We study the sea‐surface temperature (SST) response to these “northern” and “southern” wind relaxations. (1) Satellite data indicate northern wind relaxations result in SST anomalies O(+1°C) extending ∼2000 km offshore. Surface heat flux reanalyses indicate the warm anomaly is mainly from decreased latent cooling. (2) After the winds reintensify, SST becomes anomalously cold along central and southern California. (3) During the southern wind relaxations, the cold SST anomaly persists but the SST warms with time. This warming is not driven by surface heat flux. The latent cooling is reduced, yet unlike during the northern relaxation, this change is canceled by a decrease in solar radiation due to increased cloudiness. In the region south of Point Conception, reduced southward advection of cold water and increased northward advection of warm water by the coastal countercurrent could explain the warming. Reduced Ekman pumping likely contributes to the warming trend during the southern relaxations, and reduced wind‐driven entrainment at the base of the mixed layer likely contributes to the warming during both relaxations. Whether the net surface heat flux is the main driver of SST anomalies during wind relaxation depends on the regional response of clouds. Southern wind relaxations follow episodes of enhanced surface cooling, which may contribute to greater cloudiness during southern than northern wind relaxations.

Local diurnal wind‐driven variability and upwelling in a small coastal embayment

The oceanic response to high-frequency local diurnal wind forcing is examined in a small coastal embayment located along an understudied stretch of the central California coast. We show that local diurnal wind forcing is the dominant control on nearshore temperature variability and circulation patterns. A complex empirical orthogonal function (CEOF) analysis of velocities in San Luis Obispo Bay reveals that the first-mode CEOF amplitude time series, which accounts for 47.9% of the variance, is significantly coherent with the local wind signal at the diurnal frequency and aligns with periods of weak and strong wind forcing. The diurnal evolution of the hydrographic structure and circulation in the bay is examined using both individual events and composite-day averages. During the late afternoon, the local wind strengthens and results in a sheared flow with near-surface warm waters directed out of the bay and a compensating flow of colder waters into the bay over the bottom portion of the water column. This cold water intrusion into the bay causes isotherms to shoal toward the surface and delivers subthermocline waters to shallow reaches of the bay, representing a mechanism for small-scale upwelling. When the local winds relax, the warm water mass advects back into the bay in the form of a buoyant plume front. Local diurnal winds are expected to play an important role in nearshore dynamics and local upwelling in other small coastal embayments with important implications for various biological and ecological processes.

Differing environmental drivers of settlement across the range of southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) suggest resilience of the fishery to climate change

AbstractTemporal and spatial trends in settlement of the southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, were examined to identify the influence of environmental variables over different spatial scales. Settlement data were collected from 1994 to 2011 along the Southern Australian and New Zealand coasts. We identified common settlement trends at a regional scale (100–500 km): the magnitude of settlement at sites from South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC) were similar, but different to sites in Tasmania (TAS). In New Zealand, three spatial regions were identified: northern (NNZ), middle (MNZ) and southern regions (SNZ). Higher settlement in SA, VIC and MNZ occurred in years with higher rainfall and storms in spring and El Niño conditions. In TAS and SNZ, higher settlement occurred during La Niña conditions. These results suggest that settlement over regional scales is modulated by oceanic processes, but outcomes vary between regions. At a local scale, a higher wave period and wind relaxation were relatively more important than the sea surface temperature (SST) in SA and VIC. In TAS, the current velocity also influenced the strength of settlement. However, much of the local settlement variability was not explained by the models suggesting that settlement in J. edwardsii is a complex process where larval behaviour, biological factors and oceanographic processes interact over different scales. The apparently complex processes affecting settlement showed that environmental conditions that reduced settlement strength in one region of the fishery often increased settlement strength in other regions. This could provide resilience to climate change at the stock level.

Wind relaxation and a coastal buoyant plume north of Pt. Conception, CA: Observations, simulations, and scalings

AbstractIn upwelling regions, wind relaxations lead to poleward propagating warm water plumes that are important to coastal ecosystems. The coastal ocean response to wind relaxation around Pt. Conception, CA is simulated with a Regional Ocean Model (ROMS) forced by realistic surface and lateral boundary conditions including tidal processes. The model reproduces well the statistics of observed subtidal water column temperature and velocity at both outer and inner‐shelf mooring locations throughout the study. A poleward‐propagating plume of Southern California Bight water that increases shelf water temperatures by 5°C is also reproduced. Modeled plume propagation speed, spatial scales, and flow structure are consistent with a theoretical scaling for coastal buoyant plumes with both surface‐trapped and slope‐controlled dynamics. Plume momentum balances are distinct between the offshore (>30 m depth) region where the plume is surface‐trapped, and onshore of the 30 m isobath (within 5 km from shore) where the plume water mass extends to the bottom and is slope controlled. In the onshore region, bottom stress is important in the alongshore momentum equation and generates vertical vorticity that is an order of magnitude larger than the vorticity in the plume core. Numerical experiments without tidal forcing show that modeled surface temperatures are biased 0.5°C high, potentially affecting plume propagation distance and persistence.

Synoptic forcing of wind relaxations at Pt. Conception, California

AbstractOver the California Current upwelling system in summer, the prevailing upwelling‐favorable winds episodically weaken (relax) or reverse direction for a few days. Near Pt. Conception, California, the wind usually does not reverse, but wind relaxation allows poleward oceanic coastal flow with ecological consequences. To determine the offshore extent and synoptic forcing of these wind relaxations, we formed composite averages of wind stress from the QuikSCAT satellite and atmospheric pressure from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) using 67 wind relaxations during summer 2000–2009. Wind relaxations at Pt. Conception are the third stage of an event sequence that repeatedly affects the west coast of North America in summer. First, 5–7 days before the wind weakens near Pt. Conception, the wind weakens or reverses off Oregon and northern California. Second, the upwelling‐favorable wind intensifies along central California. Third, the wind relaxes at Pt. Conception, and the area of weakened winds extends poleward to northern California over 3–5 days. The NARR underestimates the wind stress within ∼200 km of coastal capes by a factor of 2. Wind relaxations at Pt. Conception are caused by offshore extension of the desert heat low. This synoptic forcing is related to event cycles that cause wind reversal as in Halliwell and Allen (1987) and Mass and Bond (1996), but includes weaker events. The wind relaxations extend ∼600 km offshore, similarly to the California‐scale hydraulic expansion fan shaping the prevailing winds, and ∼1000 km alongshore, limited by an opposing pressure gradient force at Cape Mendocino.

A moist aquaplanet variant of the Held–Suarez test for atmospheric model dynamical cores

Abstract. A moist idealized test case (MITC) for atmospheric model dynamical cores is presented. The MITC is based on the Held–Suarez (HS) test that was developed for dry simulations on “a flat Earth” and replaces the full physical parameterization package with a Newtonian temperature relaxation and Rayleigh damping of the low-level winds. This new variant of the HS test includes moisture and thereby sheds light on the nonlinear dynamics–physics moisture feedbacks without the complexity of full-physics parameterization packages. In particular, it adds simplified moist processes to the HS forcing to model large-scale condensation, boundary-layer mixing, and the exchange of latent and sensible heat between the atmospheric surface and an ocean-covered planet. Using a variety of dynamical cores of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)'s Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), this paper demonstrates that the inclusion of the moist idealized physics package leads to climatic states that closely resemble aquaplanet simulations with complex physical parameterizations. This establishes that the MITC approach generates reasonable atmospheric circulations and can be used for a broad range of scientific investigations. This paper provides examples of two application areas. First, the test case reveals the characteristics of the physics–dynamics coupling technique and reproduces coupling issues seen in full-physics simulations. In particular, it is shown that sudden adjustments of the prognostic fields due to moist physics tendencies can trigger undesirable large-scale gravity waves, which can be remedied by a more gradual application of the physical forcing. Second, the moist idealized test case can be used to intercompare dynamical cores. These examples demonstrate the versatility of the MITC approach and suggestions are made for further application areas. The new moist variant of the HS test can be considered a test case of intermediate complexity.

Strong intrusions of the Northern Mediterranean Current on the eastern Gulf of Lion: insights from in-situ observations and high resolution numerical modelling

The Northern Mediterranean Current is the return branch of the cyclonic circulation of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Because of geostrophic constraints, this warm and oligotrophic current is forced to flow westward along the continental slope of the Gulf of Lion. But, occasionally, it penetrates on the shelf and strongly impacts the local biogeochemistry and in turn the primary production. By combining in situ observations and high-resolution modelling, it is shown that intrusions on the eastern part of the gulf are mainly forced by easterly or northwesterly wind events, through physical mechanisms that are very different in nature. Easterlies induce a piling of water along the Gulf of Lion coast that drives, through geostrophy, an alongshore shelf-intruding current. This intrusive current occurs independently of the stratification and is concomitant with the wind forcing. On the other hand, intrusions due to northwesterlies only occur during stratified conditions and are related to the development of upwellings along the Gulf of Lion coasts. When the upwelling develops, a northwestward alongshore pressure force balances the Coriolis force associated with the onshore flow at depth. When the winds drop, the upwelling relaxes and the onshore flow weakens. Consequently, the Coriolis force no longer counterbalances the pressure force that ultimately dominates the momentum balance, causing the displacement of the Northern Current on the Gulf of Lion shelf approximately 1 day after the wind relaxation. This time lag between the northwesterlies decrease and the intrusions permits to anticipate possible changes in the biogeochemistry of the Gulf of Lion.