ALBERT

Description: Intense equatorward western boundary currents transit the Solomon Sea, where active mesoscale structures exist with energetic internal tides. In this marginal sea, the mixing induced by these features can play a role in the observed water mass transformation. The objective of this paper is to document the M2 internal tides in the Solomon Sea and their impacts on the circulation and water masses, based on two regional simulations with and without tides. Since the Solomon Sea is under the influence of ENSO, the characteristics of the internal tides are also analyzed for two contrasted conditions: the January–March 1998 El Niño and the April–June 1999 La Niña. The generation, propagation, and dissipation of the internal tides are sensitive to changes in stratification and mesoscale activity, and these differ between these contrasted El Niño and La Niña case studies. Mode 1 is the dominant vertical mode to propagate baroclinic tidal energy within the Solomon Sea, but mode 2 becomes more energetic during the El Niño period when the stratification is closer to the surface. The La Niña period with a higher level of mesoscale activity exhibits more incoherent internal tides. These results illustrate the complexity of predicting internal tides in marginal seas in order to clearly observe meso- and submesoscale signatures from altimetric missions, including the future Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. Diapycnal mixing induced by tides contributes to a stronger erosion of the salinity maximum of the upper thermocline water and to cooling of the surface temperature interacting with the atmosphere. Such effects are particularly visible in quieter regions, where particles may experience the tidal effects over a longer time. However, when averaged over the Solomon Sea, the tidal effect on water mass transformation is an order of magnitude less than that observed at the entrance and exits of the Solomon Sea. These localized sites appear crucial for diapycnal mixing, since most of the baroclinic tidal energy is generated and dissipated locally here, and the different currents entering/exiting the Solomon Sea merge and mix. Finally, the extreme ENSO condition case studies suggest the strong role of local circulation changes, as well as stratification changes, in modifying the internal tides.

Description: INDO12, a 1/12° regional version of the NEMO physical ocean model covering the whole Indonesian EEZ has been developed and is now running every week in the framework of the INDESO project (Infrastructure Development of Space Oceanography) implemented by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. The initial hydrographic conditions as well as open boundary conditions are derived from the operational global ocean forecasting system at 1/4° operated by Mercator Ocean. Atmospheric forcing fields (3 hourly ECMWF analyses) are used to force the regional model. INDO12 is also forced by tidal currents and elevations, and by the inverse barometer effect. The turbulent mixing induced by internal tides is taken into account through a specific parameterization. In this study we evaluate the model skill through comparisons with various datasets including outputs of the parent model, climatologies, in situ temperature and salinity measurements, and satellite data. The simulated and altimeter-derived Eddy Kinetic Energy fields display similar patterns and confirm that tides are a dominant forcing in the area. The volume transport of the Indonesian ThroughFlow is in good agreement with the INSTANT current meter estimates while the transport through Luzon Strait is, on average, westward but probably too weak. Significant water mass transformation occurs along the main routes of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and compares well with observations. Vertical mixing is able to erode the South and North Pacific subtropical waters salinity maximum as seen in TS diagrams. Compared to satellite data, surface salinity and temperature fields display marked biases in the South China Sea. Altogether, INDO12 proves to be able to provide a very realistic simulation of the ocean circulation and water mass transformation through the Indonesian Archipelago. A few weaknesses are also detected. Work is on-going to reduce or eliminate these problems in the second INDO12 version.

Description: INDO12 is a 1/12° regional version of the NEMO physical ocean model covering the whole Indonesian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). It has been developed and is now running every week in the framework of the INDESO (Infrastructure Development of Space Oceanography) project implemented by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. The initial hydrographic conditions as well as open-boundary conditions are derived from the operational global ocean forecasting system at 1/4° operated by Mercator Océan. Atmospheric forcing fields (3-hourly ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast) analyses) are used to force the regional model. INDO12 is also forced by tidal currents and elevations, and by the inverse barometer effect. The turbulent mixing induced by internal tides is taken into account through a specific parameterisation. In this study we evaluate the model skill through comparisons with various data sets including outputs of the parent model, climatologies, in situ temperature and salinity measurements, and satellite data. The biogeochemical model results assessment is presented in a companion paper (Gutknecht et al., 2015). The simulated and altimeter-derived Eddy Kinetic Energy fields display similar patterns and confirm that tides are a dominant forcing in the area. The volume transport of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) is in good agreement with the INSTANT estimates while the transport through Luzon Strait is, on average, westward but probably too weak. Compared to satellite data, surface salinity and temperature fields display marked biases in the South China Sea. Significant water mass transformation occurs along the main routes of the ITF and compares well with observations. Vertical mixing is able to modify the South and North Pacific subtropical water-salinity maximum as seen in T–S diagrams. In spite of a few weaknesses, INDO12 proves to be able to provide a very realistic simulation of the ocean circulation and water mass transformation through the Indonesian Archipelago. Work is ongoing to reduce or eliminate the remaining problems in the second INDO12 version.