ALBERT

Description: Spur and groove (SAG) formations are found on the forereefs of many coral reefs worldwide. Modeling results have shown that SAG formations together with shoaling waves induce a nearshore Lagrangian circulation pattern of counter-rotating circulation cells, but these have never been observed in the field. We present results from two separate field studies of SAG formations on Palmyra Atoll which show their effect on waves to be small, but reveal a persistent order 1 cm/s depth-averaged Lagrangian offshore flow over the spur and onshore flow over the grooves. This circulation was stronger for larger, directly-incident waves and low alongshore flow conditions, consistent with predictions from modeling. Favorable forcing conditions must be maintained on the order of one hour to accelerate and develop the SAG circulation cells. The primary cross- and alongshore depth-averaged momentum balances were between the pressure gradient, radiation stress gradient and nonlinear convective terms, and the bottom drag was similar to values found on other reefs. The vertical structure of these circulation cells was previously unknown and the results show a complex horizontal offshore Lagrangian flow over the spurs near the surface driven by alongshore variability in radiation stress gradients. Vertical flow was downward over the spur and upward over the groove, likely driven by alongshore differences in bottom stress and not by vortex forcing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Shipboard current measurements in the equatorial Indian Ocean in October and November of 2011 revealed oscillations in the meridional velocity with amplitude ~ 0.10m/s. These were clearest in a layer extending from ~300 to 600 m depth and had periods near 3 weeks. Phase propagation was upward. Measurements from two sequential time series at the equator, four meridional transects and one zonal transect are used to identify the oscillation as a Yanai wave packet and to establish its dominant frequency and vertical wavelength. The Doppler shift is accounted for, so that measured wave properties are translated into the reference frame of the mean zonal flow. We take advantage of the fact that, in the depth range where the wave signal was clearest, the time-averaged current and buoyancy frequency were nearly uniform with depth, allowing application of the classical theoretical representation of vertically propagating plane waves. Using the theory, we estimate wave properties that are not directly measured, such as the group velocity and the zonal wavelength and phase speed. The theory predicts a vertical energy flux that is comparable to that carried by midlatitude near-inertial waves. We also quantify the wave-driven meridional heat flux and the Stokes drift. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Understanding variability in the chlorophyll-specific absorption of marine phytoplankton, a ph * Chl (λ) , is essential for primary production modelling, calculation of underwater light field characteristics, and development of algorithms for remote sensing of chlorophyll concentrations. Previous field and laboratory studies have demonstrated significant apparent variability in a ph * Chl (λ) for natural samples and algal cultures. However, the potential impact of measurement uncertainties on derived values of a ph * Chl (λ) has received insufficient study. This study presents an analysis of measurement uncertainties for a data set collected in the Ligurian Sea in Spring and assesses the impact on estimates of a ph * Chl (λ) . It is found that a large proportion of apparent variability in this set of a ph * Chl (λ) can be attributed to measurement errors. Application of the same analysis to the global NOMAD data set suggests that a significant fraction of variability in a ph * Chl (λ) may also be due to measurement errors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: The South Atlantic is an important pathway for the inter-basin exchanges of heat and freshwater with strong influence on the global meridional overturning stability and variability. Along the 34°S parallel, a quarterly, high resolution XBT transect (AX18) samples the temperature structure in the upper ocean. The AX18 transect has been shown to be a useful component of a meridional overturning monitoring system of the region. However, a feasible, cost-effective design for an XBT-based system has not yet been developed. Here we use a high-resolution ocean assimilation product to simulate an XBT-based observational system across the South Atlantic. The sensitivity of the meridional heat transport, meridional overturning circulation, and geostrophic velocities to key observational and methodological assumptions is studied. Key assumptions taken into account are horizontal and temporal sampling of the transect, salinity and deep temperature inference, as well as the level of reference for geostrophic velocities. With the current sampling strategy, the largest errors in the meridional overturning and heat transport estimations are the reference (barotropic) velocity and the western boundary resolution. We show how altimetry can be used along with hydrography to resolve the barotropic component of the flow. We use the results obtained by the state estimation under observational assumptions to make recommendations for potential improvements in the AX18 transect implementation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Observations of the nearbed velocity field over a rippled sediment bed under asymmetric wave forcing conditions were collected using a submersible particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. To examine the role of bedform-induced dynamics in the total momentum transfer, a double-averaging technique was implemented on the two-dimensional time-dependent velocity field by means of the full momentum equation. This approach allows for direct determination of the bedform-induced stresses, ie. stresses that arise due to the presence of bedforms, which are zero in flat bed conditions. This analysis suggests that bedform-induced stresses are closely related to the presence of coherent motions and may be partitioned from the turbulent stresses. Inferences of stress provided by a bedload transport model suggest that total momentum transfer obtained from the double-averaging technique is capable of reproducing bedform mobilization. Comparisons between the total momentum transfer and stress estimates obtained from local velocity profiles show significant variability across the ripple, and suggest that an array of sensors is necessary to reproduce bedform evolution. The imbalance of momentum obtained by resolving the different terms constituting the near-bed momentum balance (i.e. acceleration deficit, stress gradient, and bedform-induced skin friction) provides an estimate of the bedform-induced pressure that is consistent with flow separation. This analysis reveals three regions in the flow: the free-stream, where all terms are relatively balanced; the near-bed, where momentum imbalance is significant during flow weakening; and below ripple crests, where bedform-induced pressure is the leading order mechanism.

Description: An analysis is presented for the spatial and intensity distributions of North Atlantic extreme atmospheric events crossing the buoyant Amazon-Orinoco freshwater plume. The sea surface cooling amplitude in the wake of an ensemble of storm tracks travelling in that region is estimated from satellite products for the period 1998-2012. For the most intense storms, cooling is systematically reduced by ~50% over the plume area compared to surroundings open ocean waters. Historical salinity and temperature observations from in situ profiles indicate that salt-driven vertical stratification, enhanced oceanic heat content and barrier-layer presence within the plume waters are likely key oceanic factors to explain these results. Satellite SMOS surface salinity data combined with in situ observations are further used to detail the oceanic response to Category 4 hurricane Igor in 2010. Argo and satellite measurements confirm the haline stratification impact on the cooling inhibition as the hurricane crossed the river plume. Over this region, the SSS mapping capability is further tested and demonstrated to monitor the horizontal distribution of the vertical stratification parameter. SMOS SSS data can thus be used to consistently anticipate the cooling inhibition in the wake of TCs travelling over the Amazon-Orinoco plume region.

Description: The mixed layer salinity (MLS) budget of the tropical Pacific is investigated using results from a model of the Consortium for Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO). The results focusing on the western Pacific freshwater pool indicate that the long-term averaged surface freshwater flux is well balanced by ocean dynamics, in which the subsurface processes account for the major part. The MLS budget shows significant seasonal and interannual variability, as a consequence of interplay among surface freshwater flux, advection, mixing, and vertical entrainment. On seasonal time scale, both the MLS and mixed layer depth are largely controlled by surface freshwater flux. The opposite phase between the subsurface processes and the barrier layer thickness confirms the important influence of the barrier layer on vertical mixing and entrainment from below. On interannual time scale, all the MLS budget terms show significant ENSO signal, which in turn is highly correlated with the salinity front and barrier layer thickness in the equatorial Pacific.

Description: To study the relationship of solar heat input into the Arctic open water and the variations of sea ice extent, improved satellite based estimates of shortwave radiative (SWR) fluxes and most recent observations of ice extent are used. The SWR flux estimates are based on observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) for the period of 1984-2009. Ice extent information at 25-km resolution comes from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I Passive Microwave Data as generated with the NASA Team algorithm developed by the Oceans and Ice Branch, Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The trends of the solar heat input into the ocean and the open water fraction for 1984-2009 are found to be positive: 0.3%/year and 0.8% / year respectively at a 99% confidence level. There is an obvious transition region separating the 26 years into two periods: one with moderate change: 1984-2002; one with an abrupt growth in both solar heat input and open water fraction: 2003-2009. The impact of the observed changes on the reduction of winter ice growth in 2007 is estimated to be about 44 cm, and a delay in fall freeze-up as about 10~36 days.

Description: Numerous studies have shown the primary importance of wind stress curl in coastal upwelling dynamics. The main goal of this new analysis is to describe the QuikSCAT surface wind stress curl at various scales in the Benguela and Canary upwelling systems. The dominant spatial pattern is characterized by cyclonic curl near continental boundaries and anticyclonic curl offshore, in association with equatorward alongshore (upwelling favorable) wind stress. At a smaller scale, we demonstrate the sensitivity of the QuikSCAT wind stress curl to coastal processes related to sea surface temperature (SST) mesoscale fluctuations by presenting a linear relationship between the curl and crosswind SST gradients. Despite the spatial and temporal sensitivity of the underlying thermal coupling coefficient, a local analysis of the fraction of the curl ascribed to SST variability shows that SST is a main driver of the wind stress curl variability and magnitude over the upwelling extension zone (~100 to 300 km from the coast) in both the Canary and Benguela systems. Closer to the shore, the curl patterns derived from QuikSCAT observations are only loosely related to SST-wind interactions. As a working hypothesis, they can also be associated with the coastline geometry and orographic effects that are likely to play an important role in local cooling processes.

Description: To provide a probable explanation on the field observed rapid sedimentation process near river mouths, we investigate the convective sedimentation in stably stratified saltwater using 3D numerical simulations. Guided by the linear stability analysis (Yu et al. 2013, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 118, 256-272), this study focuses on the nonlinear interactions of several mechanisms, which lead to various sediment finger patterns, and the effective settling velocity for sediment ranging from clay (single-particle settling velocity V 0 = 0.0036 and 0.0144 mm/s, or particle diameter d = 2 and 4 μ m) to silt ( V 0 =0.36 mm/s, or d =20 μ m). For very fine sediment with V 0 =0.0036 mm/s, the convective instability is dominated by double diffusion, characterized by millimeter-scale fingers. Gravitational settling slightly increases the growth rate; however, it has notable effect on the downward development of vertical mixing shortly after the sediment interface migrates below the salt interface. For sediment with V 0 = 0.0144 mm/s, Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities become dominant before double-diffusive modes grow sufficiently large. Centimeter-scale and highly asymmetric sediment fingers are obtained due to nonlinear interactions between different modes. For sediment with V 0 = 0.36 mm/s, Rayleigh-Taylor mechanism dominates and the resulting centimeter-scale sediment fingers show a plume-like structure. The flow pattern is similar to that without ambient salt stratification. Rapid sedimentation with effective settling velocity on the order of 1 cm/s is likely driven by convective sedimentation for sediment with V 0 greater than 0.1 mm/s at concentration greater than 10 to 20 g/L.

Description: The surface layer of the southeast Pacific Ocean (SEP) requires an input of cold, fresh water to balance heat gain and evaporation from air-sea fluxes. Models typically fail to reproduce the cool sea surface temperatures (SST) of the SEP, limiting our ability to understand the variability of this climatically important region. We estimate the annual heat budget of the SEP for the period 2004 - 2009, using data from the upper 250 m of the Stratus mooring, located at 85°W 20°S, and from Argo floats. The surface buoy measures meteorological conditions and air-sea fluxes; the mooring line is heavily instrumented, measuring temperature, salinity, and velocity at more than 15 depth levels. We use a new method for estimating the advective component of the heat budget that combines Argo profiles and mooring velocity data, allowing us to calculate monthly profiles of heat advection. Averaged over the 6 year study period, we estimate a cooling advective heat flux of -41 ± 29 W m-2, accomplished by a combination of the mean gyre circulation, Ekman transport, and eddies. This compensates for warming fluxes of 32 ± 4 W m-2 due to air-sea fluxes and 7 ± 9 W m-2 due to vertical mixing and Ekman pumping. A salinity budget exhibits a similar balance, with advection of freshwater (-60 psu m) replenishing the freshwater lost through evaporation (47 psu m) and Ekman pumping (14 psu m).

Description: Acoustic-gravity waves are compression-type waves propagating with amplitudes governed by the restoring force of gravity. They are generated, among others, by wind-wave interactions, surface waves interactions, and submarine earthquakes. We show that acoustic-gravity waves contribute to deep ocean currents and circulation; they cause chaotic flow trajectories of individual water parcels, which can be transported by a few centimetres per second.

Description: The Berau Continental Shelf is located close to the Equator in the Indonesian Archipelago, hosting a complex of coral reefs along its oceanic edge. The Berau coral reefs have a very high biodiversity, but the area is under serious risk due to river-derived nutrients and sediments. The region is characterized by weak winds, moderate tides and almost absent Coriolis forcing. Existing knowledge about river plume behaviour in tropical environments is limited. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of the subtle physical forcing on the dynamics of the Berau river plume. A three-dimensional model (ECOMSED) was calibrated with observational data. The model was forced by freshwater input from the Berau river distributaries, tides at the open boundaries and measured hourly wind. The model reproduces the freshwater dynamics on the shelf adequately and highlights that the river plume spreads symmetrically for river forcing only. Tides cause vertical mixing and suppress the cross-shelf spreading of the river plume. However, the spreading of the river plume over the shelf is mainly controlled by the weak monsoonal winds, resulting in a seasonal development. During the Southeast Monsoon, the southerly winds push the plume northeastward and cause a stratified water column in the northern part of the continental shelf. Northerly winds during the Northwest Monsoon disperse the plume to the south, promoting a vertically well-mixed water column. The results can be used to predict the possible impact of land-use changes in the steadily developing Berau region on coral reef health. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: This study investigates the effect of adaptive (or targeted) observation on improving the mid-range (30 days) forecast skill of ocean state of the South China Sea (SCS). A region associated with the South China Sea Western Boundary Current (SCSWBC) is chosen as the “target” of the adaptive observation. The Conditional Nonlinear Optimal Perturbation (CNOP) approach is applied to a 3-dimensional ocean model and its adjoint model for determining the sensitive region. Results show that the initial errors in the sensitive region determined by the CNOP approach have significant impacts on the forecast of ocean state in the target region; thus, reducing these initial errors through adaptive observation can lead to a better 30-day prediction of ocean state in the target region. Our results suggest that implementing adaptive observation is an effective and cost-saving way to improve an ocean model's forecast skill over the SCS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: We present a year-round assessment of the hydrographic variability within the East Greenland Coastal Current on the Greenland shelf from five synoptic crossings and four years of moored hydrographic data. From the five synoptic sections the current is observed as a robust, surface intensified flow with a total volume transport of 0.66 ± 0.18 Sv and a freshwater transport of 42 ± 12 mSv. The moorings showed heretofore unobserved variability in the abundance of Polar and Atlantic water masses in the current on synoptic scales. This is exhibited as large vertical displacement of isotherms (often greater than 100 m). Seasonally, the current is hemmed into the coast during the fall by a full depth Atlantic Water layer that has penetrated onto the inner shelf. The Polar Water layer in the current then thickens through the winter and spring seasons increasing the freshwater content in the current; the timing implies that this is probably driven by the seasonally varying export of freshwater from the Arctic and not the local runoff from Greenland. The measured synoptic variability is enhanced during the winter and spring period due to a lower halocline and a concurrent enhancement in the along-coast wind speed. The local winds force much of the high-frequency variability in a manner consistent with downwelling, but variability distinct from downwelling is also visible. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: The performance of several numerical ocean models is assessed with respect to their simulation of sea surface height (SSH) in the Arctic Ocean, and the main patterns of SSH variability and their causes over the past 40 years (1970-2009) are analyzed. In comparison to observations, all tested models broadly reproduce the mean SSH in the Arctic and reveal a good correlation with both tide gauge data and SSH anomalies derived from satellite observations. Although the models do not represent the positive Arctic SSH trend observed over the last two decades, their interannual-to-decadal SSH variability is in reasonable agreement with available measurements. Focusing on results from one of the models for a detailed analysis it is shown that the decadal-scale SSH variability over shelf areas and deep parts of the Arctic Ocean have pronounced differences that are determined mostly by salinity variations. A further analysis of the three time periods 1987-1992, 1993-2002 and 2003-2009, corresponding to the transition times between cyclonic and anticyclonic regimes of the atmospheric circulation over the Arctic, revealed an unusual increase of SSH in the Amerasian basin during 2003-2009. Results from this model support the recent finding that the increase is caused mainly by changes in freshwater content brought about by the freshwater export through the Canadian Arctic Archiplago and increased Ekman pumping in the Amerasian basin and partly by lateral freshwater transport changes, leading to a re-distribution of low-salinity shelf water. Overall we show that present day models can be used for investigating the reasons for low-frequency SSH variability in the region. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: In this study, a neural network-based four-band model (NNFM) for the global oceanic and coastal waters has been developed in order to retrieve the total absorption coefficients a ( λ ). The applicability of the quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA) and NNFM models is evaluated by five independent datasets. Based on the comparison of a ( λ ) predicted by these two models with the field measurements taken from the global oceanic and coastal waters, it was found that both the QAA and NNFM models had good performances in deriving a ( λ ), but that the NNFM model works better than the QAA model. The results of the QAA model-derived a ( λ ), especially in highly turbid waters with strong backscattering properties of optical activity, was found to be lower than the field measurements. The QAA and NNFM models-derived a ( λ ) could be obtained from the MODIS data after atmospheric corrections. When compared with the field measurements, the NNFM model decreased by a 0.86 to 24.15% uncertainty (root mean square relative error) of the estimation from the QAA model in deriving a ( λ ) from the Bohai, Yellow, and East China seas. Finally, the NNFM model was applied to map the global climatological seasonal mean a (443) for the time range of July, 2002 to May, 2014. As expected, the a (443) value around the coastal regions was always larger than the open ocean around the equator. Viewed on a global scale, the oceans at a high latitude exhibited higher a (443) values than those at a low latitude. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: In this study, we investigate the interannual variability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the South China Sea (SCS) associated with two types of El Niño, namely, the eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño and the central Pacific (CP) El Niño. First, double warm peaks can occur during both types of El Niño events in the SCS. However, the strong warm basin mode can only develop in the EP El Niño, while the warm semi-basin mode exists during the CP El Niño. Associated with an anomalous positive (negative) net surface heat flux in the EP (CP) El Niño, along with a shallower thermocline with weaker (stronger) northeasterly wind anomalies, the SST anomalies become warmer (cooler) in the developing autumn. Over the background of cooling SST in autumn of CP El Niño, therefore, only a weak warming can occur in the subsequent years, which is limited in the western boundary area under the forcing of warm ocean advection. Second, the SST oscillation periods are different in these two types of El Niño. The SST evolution in the EP El Niño is negative-positive with a quasi-biennial oscillation, but that in the CP El Niño is positive-negative-positive-negative with an annual oscillation. It seems that the double cooling in the CP El Niño is phase-locked to the late autumn season. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Following the idea that analysis of in-situ information in the salt budget could be used as a surrogate for global “ocean rain gauge”, the annual mean oceanic net freshwater flux (E-P) was estimated from the Argo profiles and the wind stress data on a global scale. The comparison between the independent E-P estimation from Argo and the E-P product sets, including the combination of precipitation from TRMM, GPCP, CMAP and evaporation from OAFlux, GSSTF3 and IFREMER and E-P set from NEWS formed from satellite, generally show similar spatial patterns, particularly on the larg scale. However, there are differences among the different satellite-based E-P estimates and between satellite estimates and independent in-situ estimates. Based on the pattern correlation and the RMSD, the evaporation and precipitation from OAFlux and TRMM agrees best with the E-P estimated from the independent Argo-based estimates.

Description: The rapidly changing East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) receives large amounts of terrestrial organic carbon (OC) from coastal erosion and Russian-Arctic rivers. Climate warming increases thawing of coastal Ice Complex Deposits (ICD) and can change both the amount of released OC, as well as its propensity to be converted to greenhouse gases (fueling further global warming) or to be buried in coastal sediments. This study aimed to unravel the susceptibility to degradation, and transport and dispersal patterns of OC delivered to the ESAS. Bulk and molecular radiocarbon analyses on surface particulate matter (PM), sinking PM and underlying surface sediments illustrate the active release of old OC from coastal permafrost. Molecular tracers for recalcitrant soil OC showed ages of 3.4-13 14 C-ky in surface PM and 5.5-18 14 C-ky in surface sediments. The age difference of these markers between surface PM and surface sediments is larger (i) in regions with low OC accumulation rates, suggesting a weaker exchange between water column and sediments, and (ii) with increasing distance from the Lena River, suggesting preferential settling of fluvially-derived old OC nearshore. A dual-carbon end-member mixing model showed that (i) contemporary terrestrial OC is dispersed mainly by horizontal transport while being subject to active degradation, (ii) marine OC is most affected by vertical transport and also actively degraded in the water column, and (iii) OC from ICD settles rapidly and dominates surface sediments. Preferential burial of ICD-OC released into ESAS coastal waters might therefore lower the suggested carbon cycle climate feedback from thawing ICD permafrost. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: The Arctic sea ice cover undergoes large changes over an annual cycle. In winter and spring the ice cover consists of large, snow-covered plate-like ice floes, with very little open water. By the end of summer the snow cover is gone and the large floes have broken into a complex mosaic of smaller, rounded floes surrounded by a lace of open water. This evolution strongly affects the distribution and fate of the solar radiation deposited in the ice-ocean system and consequently the heat budget of the ice cover. In particular, increased floe perimeter can result in enhanced lateral melting. We attempt to quantify the floe evolution process through the concept of a floe size distribution that is modified by lateral melting and floe breaking. A time series of aerial photographic surveys made during the SHEBA field experiment is analyzed to determine evolution of the floe size distribution from spring through summer. Based on earlier studies, we assume the floe size cumulative distribution could be represented by a power law D -α where D is the floe diameter. The exponent α as well as the number density of floes N tot are estimated from measurements of total ice area and perimeter. As summer progressed, there was an increase in α as the size distribution shifted towards smaller floes and the number of floes increased. Lateral melting causes the distribution to deviate from a power law for small floe sizes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: The responses of the ocean planktonic ecosystem to finite-amplitude perturbations are investigated using an ocean planktonic ecosystem model. Through changing the higher predation rate on zooplankton, multiple equilibria of the model, namely “high-nutrient” and “low-nutrient” states, are obtained under certain parameter values. Based on these states, the perturbations with maximum nonlinear growth are determined using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) method. The linear and nonlinear evolutions of the CNOP perturbation are compared. The results show that the nonlinear evolution of the perturbation leads to predator–prey oscillations with larger amplitude than the linear evolution. Besides, after the perturbation amplitude exceeds a critical value, the nonlinear evolution of the perturbation will induce the linearly stable ecosystem state to lose the stability and become nonlinearly unstable. This implies that nonlinear processes have important impacts on the stability of the ecosystem. Specifically, we identify the nonlinear processes related to zooplankton grazing to impact the stability most for the high-nutrient state, while for the low-nutrient state the main nonlinear process affecting the stability is the uptake process. These results help to improve our understanding of the sensitivity of the oceanic ecosystem model to finite-amplitude perturbations and the underlying nonlinear stability properties. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: We evaluated the impacts of summertime mesoscale convective systems (MCS) on the heat balance and diel surface mixed layer (SML) dynamics of the Brazilian Amazon's Tucuruí Hydroelectric Reservoir (THR). We used a synergistic approach that combines in situ data, remote sensing data and three-dimensional (3D) modeling to investigate the typical behavior of the components of the heat balance and the SML dynamics. During the study period (the austral summer of 2012-2013), 22 days with MCS activity were identified. These events occurred approximately every 4 days, and they were most frequent during January (50% of the observations). An analysis of local meteorological data showed that when MCS occur, the environmental conditions at THR change significantly ( p-value 〈 0.01). The net longwave flux, which was the heat balance component most strongly impacted by MCS, increased more than 32% on days with MCS activity. The daily integrated heat balance became negative (-54 W m -2 ) on MCS days, while the balance was positive (19 W m -2 ) on non MCS days. In response to the changes in the heat balance, the SML dynamics changed when a MCS was over the THR. The SML depth was typically 28% higher on the days with MCS (~1.6 m) compared with the days without MCS (~1.3 m). The results indicate that MCS are one of the main meteorological disturbances driving the heat balance and the mixing dynamics of Amazonian hydroelectric reservoirs during the summer. These events may have implications for the water quality and greenhouse gas emissions of Amazonian reservoirs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Deep water circulation in the Luzon Strait, which connects the Pacific deep circulation with the South China Sea throughflow, is investigated using a set of oceanographic observations combined with results from three numerical experiments. Both the in situ observations and the model show a deep water overflow in the Luzon Strait. Their results suggest that the deep Pacific water first flows into the Luzon Strait through the Bashi Channel (1.2 Sv, 1 Sv = 1×10 6 m 3 s -1 ) and the Taltung Canyon (0.4 Sv), then turns southward along the Luzon Trough, and finally enters the South China Sea primarily through two gaps in the Heng-Chun Ridge. Overall, the mean transport of the Luzon Strait overflow is about 1.5 Sv. Results from numerical experiments suggest that strong diapycnal mixing in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait, which sustains the baroclinic pressure gradient across the Luzon Strait, is the primary driving mechanism of the deep circulation in the Luzon Strait.

Description: Earlier studies indicate that during El Niño events the iceberg concentration increases in the east of the Pacific sector and in the west of the Atlantic sector of Southern Ocean, but decreases in the center of the Pacific sector. During La Niña the pattern of the iceberg concentration anomalies in these regions reverses. This iceberg redistribution is explained by anomalous winds and currents around an extensive positive atmospheric pressure anomaly that typically develops in the South-East Pacific during the warm El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase. In this study the results of iceberg observations during two cruises of the r/v “Akademik Fedorov” in Antarctica in January-February of 2008 (La Niña) and 2010 (El Niño) have been used to examine the consistency of changes in the iceberg distribution in the Southern Ocean related to El Niño events. The analysis of these observations has shown that in the Pacific Sector of Antarctica changes in the iceberg distribution between 2008 and 2010 followed the scenario outlined above and thus could be associated with the ENSO phase change. Contrary to earlier observations, the iceberg concentration in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica did not increase during 2010 El Niño. The latter is explained by a non-canonical type of 2010 El Niño, El Niño Modoki and associated atmospheric circulation pattern different from the canonical El Niño. Further analysis has shown that a more frequent occurrence of El Niño Modoki in recent years have resulted in weaker links between El Niño events and the Antarctic iceberg distribution.

Description: A numerical model of the northern California Current System along the coasts of Washington and British Columbia is used to quantify the impact of submarine canyons on upwelling from the continental slope onto the shelf. Comparisons with an extensive set of observations show that the model adequately represents the seasonal development of near-bottom density, as well as along-shelf currents that are critical in governing shelf-slope exchange. Additional model runs with simplified coastlines and bathymetry are used to isolate the effects of submarine canyons. Near submarine canyons, equatorward flow over the outer shelf is correlated with dense water at canyon heads and subsequent formation of closed cyclonic eddies, which are both associated with cross-shelf ageostrophic forces. Lagrangian particles tracked from the slope to mid shelf show that canyons are associated with upwelling from depths of ~140-260 m. Source depths for upwelling are shallower than 150 m at locations away from canyons and in a model run with bathymetry that is uniform in the along-shelf direction. Water upwelled through canyons is more likely to be found near the bottom over the shelf. Onshore fluxes of relatively saline water through submarine canyons are large enough to increase volume-averaged salinity over the shelf by 0.1--0.2 psu during the early part of the upwelling season. The nitrate input from the slope to the Washington shelf associated with canyons is estimated to be 30–60% of that upwelled to the euphotic zone by local wind-driven upwelling.

Description: The flow north of warm subtropical water though the northeastern Atlantic is known to have many pathways that vary over time. Here we use a combination of upper ocean current measurements between Greenland and Scotland near 60°N and satellite altimetry to examine the space-time variability of poleward transport. The high-resolution scans of currents in the top 400 m show that the Reykjanes Ridge serves as a very effective separator of flow towards the Nordic and Labrador Seas, respectively. Whereas the Labrador Sea branch exhibits two mean flows to the north on the western slope of the Reykjanes Ridge, the eastern branch flows north in roughly equal amounts over the deep Maury channel and east of Hatton Bank including the Slope Current. There is also a well-defined southward flow along the eastern slope of the Reykjanes Ridge. The satellite altimetric sea surface height (SSH) data show good overall agreement with geostrophically determined sea level difference from the repeat ADCP sections (1999-2002), but are unable to resolve the fine structure of the topographically defined mean circulation. The altimetric data show that variations in poleward flow west and east of the Reykjanes Ridge are strongly anticorrelated. They further reveal that the two eastern sub-branches also exhibit anticorrelated variability, but offset in time with respect to the Labrador Sea branch. Remarkably, all these variations cancel out for the entire Greenland-Scotland section leaving a gradual decrease in sea level difference of about 0.06 m over the 1993 to the end of 2010 observation period.

Description: Bubble size distributions ranging from 0.5 to 125 μm radius were measured optically during high winds of 13 m s -1 and large-scale wave breaking as part of the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment. Very small bubbles with radii less than 60 µm were measured at 6-9 m depth using optical measurements of the near forward volume scattering function and critical scattering angle for bubbles (˜80°). The bubble size distributions generally followed a power law distribution with mean slope values ranging from 3.6 to 4.6. The steeper slopes measured here were consistent with what would be expected near the base of the bubble plume. Bubbles, likely stabilized with organic coatings, were present for time periods on the order of 10-100 s at depths of 6-9 m. Here, relatively young seas, with an inverse wave age of approximately 0.88 and shorter characteristic wave scales, produced lower bubble concentrations, shallower bubble penetration depths, and steep bubble size distribution slopes. Conversely, older seas, with an inverse wave age of 0.70 and longer characteristic wave scales, produced relatively higher bubble concentrations penetrating to 15 m depth, larger bubble sizes and shallower bubble size distribution slopes. When extrapolated to 4 m depth using a previously published bubble size distribution, our estimates suggest that the deeply-penetrating small bubbles measured in the Southern Ocean supplied ˜36% of the total void fraction and likely contributed to the transfer and supersaturation of low solubility gases.

Description: Wave interferometry is a remote sensing technique, which is increasingly employed in helioseismology, seismology, and acoustics to retrieve parameters of the propagation medium from two-point cross-correlation functions of random wave fields. Here, we apply interferometry to yearlong records of seafloor pressure at 28 locations off New Zealand's South Island to investigate propagation and directivity properties of infragravity waves away from shore. A compressed cross-correlation function technique is proposed to make the interferometry of dispersive waves more robust, decrease the necessary noise averaging time, and simplify retrieval of quantitative information from noise cross-correlations. The emergence of deterministic wave arrivals from cross-correlations of random wave fields is observed up to the maximum range of 692 km between the pressure sensors in the array. Free, linear waves with a strongly anisotropic distribution of power flux density are found to be dominant in the infragravity wave field. Lowest-frequency components of the infragravity wave field are largely isotropic. The anisotropy has its maximum in the middle of the spectral band and decreases at the high-frequency end of the spectrum. Highest anisotropy peaks correspond to waves coming from portions of the New Zealand's shoreline. Significant contributions are also observed from waves propagating along the coastline and probably coming from powerful sources in the northeast Pacific. Infragravity wave directivity is markedly different to the east and to the west of the South Island. The northwest coast of the South Island is found to be a net source of the infragravity wave energy.

Description: The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) is the only open pathway for inter-ocean exchange between the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins at tropical latitudes. A proxy time series of ITF transport variability is developed using remotely-sensed altimeter data. The focus is on the three outflow passages of Lombok, Ombai and Timor that collectively transport the entire ITF into the Indian Ocean, and where direct velocity measurements are available to help ground-truth the transport algorithm. The resulting 18-year proxy time series shows strong interannual ITF variability. Significant trends of increased transport are found in the upper layer of Lombok Strait, and over the full depth in Timor Passage that are likely related to enhanced Pacific trade winds since the early 1990s. The partitioning of the total ITF transport through each of the major outflow passage varies according to the phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) or El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In general, Pacific ENSO variability is strongest in Timor Passage, most likely through the influence of planetary waves transmitted from the Pacific along the Northwest Australian shelf pathway. Somewhat surprisingly, concurrent El Niño and positive IOD episodes consistently show contradictory results from those composites constructed for purely El Niño episodes. This is particularly evident in Lombok and Ombai Straits, but also at depth in Timor Passage. This suggests that Indian Ocean dynamics likely win out over Pacific Ocean dynamics in gating the transport through the outflow passages during concurrent ENSO and IOD events.

Description: Time series of ice draft from 2003-2012 from moored sonar data are used to investigate variability and describe the reduction of the perennial sea ice cover in the Beaufort Gyre (BG), culminating in the extreme minimum in 2012. Negative trends in median ice drafts and most ice fractions are observed, while open water and thinnest ice fractions (〈0.3 m) have increased, attesting to the ablation or removal of the older sea ice from the BG over the nine year period. Monthly anomalies indicate a shift occurred toward thinner ice after 2007, in which the thicker ice evident at the northern stations was reduced. Differences in the ice characteristics between all of the stations also diminished, so that the ice cover throughout the region became statistically homogenous. The moored data are used in a relationship with satellite radiometer data to estimate ice volume changes throughout the BG. Summer solid fresh water content decreased drastically in consecutive years from 730 km 3 in 2006 to 570 km 3 in 2007, and to 240 km 3 in 2008. After a short rebound, solid fresh water fell below 220 km 3 in 2012. Meanwhile hydrographic data indicate that liquid fresh water in the BG in summer increased 5410 km 3 from 2003 to 2010 and decreased at least 210 km 3 by 2012. The reduction of both solid and liquid fresh water components indicates a net export of approximately 320 km 3 of fresh water from the region occurred between 2010 and 2012, suggesting that the anticyclonic atmosphere-ocean circulation has weakened.

Description: The effects of water level variations on breaking wave setup over fringing reefs are assessed using field measurements obtained at three study sites in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands in the western tropical Pacific Ocean. At each site, reef flat setup varies over the tidal range with weaker setup at high tide and stronger setup at low tide for a given incident wave height. The observed water level dependence is interpreted in the context of radiation stress gradients specified by an idealized point break model generalized for non-normally incident waves. The tidally varying setup is due in part to depth-limited wave heights on the reef flat, as anticipated from previous reef studies, but also to tidally dependent breaking on the reef face. The tidal dependence of the breaking is interpreted in the context of the point break model in terms of a tidally varying wave height to water depth ratio at breaking. Implications for predictions of wave-driven setup at reef-fringed island shorelines are discussed.

Description: The distribution and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic is changing rapidly, resulting in changes to Arctic marine ecosystems. Seabirds are widely regarded as indicators of marine environmental change, and understanding their distribution patterns can serve as a tool to monitor and elucidate biological changes in the Arctic seas. We examined the at-sea distribution of seabirds in the North American Arctic in July and August, 2007-2012, and marine areas of high density were identified based on bird densities for four foraging guilds. Short-tailed shearwaters ( Puffinus tenuirostris ) were the most abundant species observed. Northern fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ), thick-billed murres ( Uria lomvia ) and dovekies ( Alle alle ) were also sighted in large numbers. Few birds were sighted between Dolphin and Union Strait and King William Island. Areas of high density over multiple years were found throughout the entire western portion of the study area (Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea), Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and the low-arctic waters off Newfoundland. These waters are characterized by high primary productivity. This study is the first to document the marine distribution of seabirds across the entire North American Arctic within the same time period, providing a critical baseline for monitoring the distribution and abundance of Arctic seabirds in a changing Arctic seascape.

Description: Radiative transfer in sea ice is subject to anisotropic, multiple scattering. The impact of anisotropy on the light field under sea ice was found to be substantial and has been quantified. In this study, a large dataset of irradiance and radiance measurements under sea ice has been acquired with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in the central Arctic. Measurements are interpreted in the context of numerical radiative transfer calculations, laboratory experiments, and microstructure analysis. The ratio of synchronous measurements of transmitted irradiance to radiance shows a clear deviation from an isotropic under-ice light field. We find that the angular radiance distribution under sea-ice is more downward directed than expected for an isotropic light field. This effect can be attributed to the anisotropic scattering coefficient within sea ice. Assuming an isotropic radiance distribution under sea ice leads to significant errors in light-field modeling and the interpretation of radiation measurements. Quantification of the light field geometry is crucial for correct conversion of radiance data acquired by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and ROVs.

Description: In comparison to the deep ocean, the upper mixed layer is a region typically characterized by substantial vertical gradients in water properties. Within the Tropics, the rich variability in the vertical shapes and forms that these structures can assume through variation in the atmospheric forcing results in a differential effect in terms of the temperature and salinity stratification. Rather than focusing on the strong halocline above the thermocline, commonly referred to as the salinity barrier layer, the present study takes into account the respective thermal and saline dependencies in the Brunt-Väisälä frequency (N 2 ) in order to isolate the specific role of the salinity stratification in the layers above the main pycnocline. We examine daily vertical profiles of temperature and salinity from an ocean reanalysis over the period 2001-2007. We find significant seasonal variations in the Brunt-Väisälä frequency profiles are limited to the upper 300 m depth. Based on this we determine the ocean salinity stratification (OSS) to be defined as the stabilizing effect (positive values) due to the haline part of N 2 averaged over the upper 300m. In many regions of the tropics the OSS contributes 40 to 50% to N 2 as compared to the thermal stratification and, in some specific regions, exceeds it for a few months of the seasonal cycle. Away from the tropics, for example near the centers of action of the subtropical gyres, there are regions characterized by the permanent absence of OSS. In other regions previously characterized with salinity barrier layers the OSS obviously shares some common variations: however, we show that where temperature and salinity are mixed over the same depth, the salinity stratification can be significant. In addition, relationships between the OSS and the sea surface salinity are shown to be well defined and quasi-linear in the tropics, providing some indication that in the future, analyses that consider both satellite surface salinity measurements at the surface and vertical profiles at depth will result in a better determination of the role of the salinity stratification in climate prediction systems.

Description: Impacts of extreme Barents Sea air-sea exchanges are examined using the HadCM3 coupled ocean-atmosphere model. Variability in the Barents Sea winter air-sea density flux is found to be a potentially significant factor in determining changes in the southward transport of dense water through Fram Strait. The density flux variability is primarily driven by the thermal term, F T , due to heat loss to the atmosphere. The other two terms (haline flux and ice formation) play a relatively minor role. The difference in ocean circulation between winters with extreme strong and weak Barents Sea surface density flux anomalies is analysed. This reveals an increase in strong winters of both the north-westwards intermediate depth flow out of the basin and the east-west deep flows north of Spitsbergen and south through the Fram Strait. A linear fit yields a Fram Strait southward transport increase of 1.22 Sv for an increase in F T of 1x10 -6 kg m -2 s -1 . For the ten strongest Barents Sea surface density flux winters, the Fram Strait winter southward transport increases by 2.4 Sv. This compares with a reduction of 1.0 Sv for the corresponding weakest winters. Furthermore, the properties of the southwards flowing water are modified in strong density flux winters. In such winters, the Fram Strait water below 250 m is colder by up to 0.5 ° C and fresher by 0.05 than the climatological winter mean.

Description: In viscous-plastic (VP) sea-ice models, small deformations are approximated by irreversible viscous deformations, introducing a non-physical energy sink. As the spatial resolution and the degree of numerical convergence of the models increase, linear kinematic features (LKFs) are better resolved and more states of stress lie in the viscous regime. Energy dissipation in this non-physical viscous regime therefore increases. We derive a complete kinetic energy (KE) balance for sea ice, including plastic and viscous energy sinks to study energy dissipation. The main KE balance is between the energy input by the wind and the dissipation by the water drag and the internal stresses (dissipating respectively 87% and 13% of the energy input on an annual average). The internal stress term is mostly important in winter when ice-ice interactions are dominant. The energy input that is not dissipated locally is redistributed laterally by the internal stresses in regions of dissipation by small scale deformations (LKFs). Of the 13% dissipated annually by the internal stress term, 93% is dissipated in friction along LKFs (14% in ridging, 79% in shearing) and 7% is stored as potential energy in ridges. For all time and spatial scales tested, the frictional viscous dissipation is negligible in the KE balance. This conclusion remains valid when the spatial resolution and the numerical convergence of the simulations are increased. Overall, the results confirm the validity, from an energetical point of view, of the VP approximation.

Description: Based on a long term simulation of an ocean-biogeochemical coupled model, we investigate the biogeochemical response to the two types of El Niño events, a Cold Tongue (CT)-El Niño and a Warm Pool (WP)-El Niño, in which a local maximum of anomalous sea surface temperature (SST) is located in the eastern and central tropical Pacific. Our model is able to reasonably simulate the characteristics of the biological variables in a way comparable to the observations. During the developing period, anomalous low chlorophyll appears in the eastern Pacific, while it appears in the central Pacific in the WP-El Niño. The difference in the spatial-temporal response of chlorophyll for the two types of El Niño events is mainly due to the eastward zonal advection of upper ocean currents, which plays a role in bringing nutrient-poor water from the western Pacific. During the decaying period of the WP-El Niño, anomalous high chlorophyll appears concurrently with anomalous low SST in the eastern Pacific. Conversely, anomalous high chlorophyll appears in the central Pacific prior to the decaying period of the CT-El Niño. In particular, the anomalous low sea level from the northwestern Pacific shifts to the southern equatorial region during the decaying period of the CT-El Niño. This drives anti-cyclonic boundary currents which enhance the Equatorial Undercurrent, playing a role in the supply of nutrients to the central equatorial Pacific, resulting in an increase in chlorophyll concentration in the same region.

Description: The barrier layer, the layer between the bottom of the density-defined mixed layer and the isothermal layer in the upper ocean, may play a role in air-sea dynamics. In the present study, data from Argo profiling floats in the tropical Indian Ocean and a mooring at 90°E, 0°N are used to examine subseasonal variations in upper ocean salinity and barrier-layer thickness (BLT) during boreal winter. In the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean, subseasonal variations in BLT are energetic. However, composites used to isolate the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) component of the subseasonal signal reveal that, on average, the MJO anomaly in BLT is negligible despite large swings in both the mixed-layer depth and the isothermal-layer depth. This discrepancy is likely due to (a) noise from other subseasonal processes; and (b) the diversity of individual MJO events: the thickness of the mixed layer and the isothermal layer are sensitive to wind and rain forcing, so even subtle differences in the phasing and strength of MJO-related atmospheric anomalies can produce a very different effect on upper ocean stratification and hence on the thickness of the barrier layer. The effect of the barrier layer on the upper ocean response to MJO forcing is also evaluated. When the barrier layer is thick, entrainment cooling during the MJO is reduced, so the MJO drives a weaker sea surface temperature anomaly. This suggests that modulation of BLT can have significant consequences for the response of the upper ocean to the MJO, and hence, potentially, for feedbacks of the ocean onto the atmosphere on MJO timescales.

Description: The variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) system is largely linked to atmospheric forcing. The objective of this work is to assess the link between local wind forcing mechanisms and the variability of the upper-ocean temperature and the dynamics of the different fronts in the ACC region south of South Africa. To accomplish this, in situ and satellite-derived observations are used between 1993-2010. The main finding of this work is that meridional changes in the westerlies linked with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) drive temperature anomalies in the Ekman layer and changes in the Subantarctic Front (SAF) and Antarctic Polar Front (APF) transports through Ekman dynamics. The development of easterly anomalies between 35 o S-45 o S during positive SAM is linked to reduced (increased) SAF (APF) transports and a warmer mixed layer in the ACC. The link between the changes in the wind stress and the SAF and APF transport variations occurs through the development of Ekman pumping anomalies near the frontal boundaries, driving an opposite response on the SAF and APF transports. The observed wind-driven changes in the frontal transports suggest small changes to the net ACC transport. In addition, observations indicate that the SAF and APF locations in this region are not linked to the local wind forcing, emphasizing the importance of other factors (e.g. baroclinic instabilities generated by bottom topography) to changes in the frontal location. Results obtained here highlight the importance of repeat XBT temperature sections and their combined analysis with other in situ and remote sensing observations.

Description: We investigate the role of deep-ocean topography in scattering energy from the large spatial scales of the low mode internal tide to the smaller spatial scales of higher modes. The complete Green function method, which is not subject to the restrictions of the WKB approximation, is used for the first time to study the two-dimensional scattering of a mode-1 internal tide incident on subcritical and supercritical topography of any form in arbitrary stratifications. For an isolated Gaussian ridge in a uniform stratification, large amplitude critical topography is the most efficient at mode-1 scattering and small amplitude topography scatters with an efficiency on the order of 5-10%. In a nonuniform stratification with a pycnocline, the results are qualitatively the same as for a constant stratification, albeit with the key features shifted to larger height ratios. Having validated these results by direct comparison with the results of nonlinear numerical simulations, and in the process demonstrated that WKB results are not appropriate for reasonable ocean predictions, we proceed to use the Green function approach to quantify the role of topographic scattering for the region of the Pacific ocean surrounding the Hawaiian Islands chain. To the south, the Line Islands ridge is found to scatter ~ 40% of a mode-1 internal tide coming from the Hawaiian Ridge. To the north, realistic, small-amplitude, rough topography scatters ~ 5-10% of the energy out of mode-1 for transects of length 1000-3000km. A significant finding is that compared to large extents of small-amplitude, rough topography a single large topographic feature along the path of a mode-1 internal tide plays the dominant role in scattering the internal tide.

Description: The downslope descent of dense shelf water in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan is investigated from a dynamical point of view, paying attention to the formation of bottom water in the Winter of 2001. It is supposed that before 1980, the shelf water in Peter the Great Bay sometimes descended far down the continental slope, at least partly reaching depths in excess of 3000 m (the foot of the continental slope). After 1980, however, the shelf water did not descend as far; it either descended only moderately or not at all. In Winter 2001, however, the dense shelf water again descended to depths greater than 3000 m, resulting in the formation of bottom water. Descents of more than 3000 m are due to low temperatures coupled with high salinities, whereas the moderate descents of the late 20th century were purely related to the low temperature of the shelf water. It is estimated that over the continental slope the shelf water becomes mixed with the ambient water in a ratio of about 1:9 for deep descents, whereas the ratio is about 1:5 for moderate descents. The formation of bottom water is greatly influenced by interannual atmospheric variability; thus in Winter 2001 a combination of the strengthened Siberian High (especially in its northern part) and the Aleutian Low advected very cold air into northeast Asia, producing dense shelf water and resulting in the formation of bottom water.

Description: The transports of water, heat and salt between the northwestern shelf and deep interior of the Black Sea are investigated using a high-resolution three-dimensional primitive equation model. From April to August, 2005, both onshore and offshore cross-shelf break transports in the top 20 m were 0.24 Sv on average, which is equivalent to the replacement of 60% of the volume of surface shelf waters (0 – 20 m) per month. Two main exchange mechanisms are studied: Ekman transport, and transport by mesoscale eddies and associated meanders of the Rim Current. The Ekman drift causes nearly uniform onshore or offshore flow over a large section of the shelf break, but it is confined to the upper layers. In contrast, eddies and meanders penetrate deep down to the bottom, but they are restricted laterally. During the strong wind events of April 15 – 22 and July 1 – 4, some 0.66×10 12 and 0.44×10 12 m 3 of water were removed from the northwestern shelf respectively. In comparison, the single long-lived Sevastopol Eddy generated a much larger offshore transfer of 2.84×10 12 m 3 over the period April 23 to June 30, which is equivalent to 102% of the volume of northwestern shelf waters. Over the study period, salt exchanges increased the average density of the shelf waters by 0.67 kg m -3 and reduced the density contrast between the shelf and deep sea, while lateral heat exchanges reduced the density of the shelf waters by 0.16 kg m -3 and sharpened the shelf break front.

Description: Identifying sources and sinks of N 2 O can illuminate N cycling processes in marine systems, particularly where changes in dissolved O 2 can lead to changes in N cycling pathways (i.e., nitrification vs. denitrification). We measured N 2 O and NO 3 - concentration and their stable isotope ratios (δ 15 N and δ 18 O) in the water column and sediments of the oxygen minimum zone in the near-shore eastern subtropical North Pacific (23º to 34º N). Atmospheric efflux of N 2 O ranged from 2.2 to 17.9 μmol m -2 d -1 , or about 2 to 20 times higher than in oxygenated regions of the north Pacific. Surface waters were a source of 15 N-depleted and 18 O-enriched N 2 O to the atmosphere, indicating a bacterial, not archaeal, nitrification N 2 O source. Stable isotopes indicated that nitrification in both surface and intermediate waters (~ 0 to 200 m) was the major source of N 2 O in this study area, with denitrification acting as a small N 2 O sink in strongly O 2 -depleted waters. Denitrification had a larger impact on observed patterns of N 2 O and NO 3 - concentrations and isotope ratios in the southern oxygen minimum zone. Sediments were generally neutral or a weak sink for N 2 O, with only one site (Soledad basin) showing a positive efflux of +3.5 ± 1.0 μmol N 2 O-N m -2 d -1 . Sediment fluxes of N 2 O at all sites were several orders of magnitude smaller than fluxes of dinitrogen, nitrate, and ammonium measured in previous studies and did not appear to impact water column N 2 O concentrations. N 2 O was less than 0.1% of the N 2 efflux from sedimentary denitrification.

Description: Typhoon Megi passed between two subsurface moorings in the northern South China Sea in October 2010 and the upper ocean thermal and dynamical response with strong internal tides present was examined in detail. The entire observed water column (60-360 m) was cooled due to strong Ekman-pumped upwelling (up to 50 m in the thermocline) by Megi, with maximum cooling of 4.2 °C occurring in thermocline. A relatively weak (maximum amplitude of 0.4 m s -1 ) and quickly damped (e-folding timescale of 2 inertial periods) near-inertial oscillation (NIO) was observed in the mixed layer. Power spectrum and wavelet analyses both indicated an energy peak appearing at exactly the sum frequency fD1 (with maximum amplitude up to 0.2 m s -1 ) of NIO ( f ) and diurnal tide ( D1 ), indicating enhanced nonlinear wave-wave interaction between f and D1 during and after typhoon. Numerical experiments suggested that energy transfer from NIO to fD1 via nonlinear interaction between f and D1 may have limited the growth and accelerated the damping of mixed layer NIO generated by Megi. The occurrence of fD1 had a high correlation with NIO; the vertical nonlinear momentum term, associated with the vertical shear of NIO and vertical velocity of D1 or vertical shear of D1 and vertical velocity of NIO, was more than 10 times larger than the horizontal terms and was responsible for forcing fD1 . After Megi, surface-layer diurnal energy was enhanced by up to 100%, attributed to the combined effect of the increased surface-layer stratification and additional Megi-forced diurnal current.

Description: Field data of the wind stress over surf zone waves is presented from an open ocean beach on the East Australian Coast. Two ultrasonic anemometers were deployed at nominal heights of 5 and 10 m above the water surface in the intertidal and inner surf zones, with concurrent measurements of water levels and offshore wave parameters. Following a rigorous quality control procedure, the wind stress was determined by the eddy correlation technique. A constant stress layer was observed between 5 and 10 m elevation. Considering near-neutral conditions only, the wind drag coefficients were found to systematically change with the wind angle of approach relative to the shoreline, and are much smaller for longshore wind than during onshore wind. The concept of an apparent wave steepness changing with wind direction is suggested to explain this behaviour. The drag coefficients over the surf zone during onshore wind and near-neutral conditions were determined to be almost twice the values expected at the same wind speed and open ocean conditions. The observed Charnock coefficient was similarly an order of magnitude larger than open ocean values. A wave celerity of the order of that expected in the inner surf zone is required to explain the observed large roughness and drag coefficients using existing wave-age dependent parameterisations. This suggests that the slower wave celerity in the surf zone is an important contributor to the increased wind stress, in addition to the sawtooth wave shape.

Description: Improved spatial and temporal representation of total alkalinity (TA) is expected to be an important component in monitoring changes in the oceanic carbon cycle and acidification over the coming decades. For this reason, previous authors have sought to develop and apply empirical methods to characterize TA in the surface ocean. However, there are regions such as the North Pacific that have proven difficult to successfully represent through empirical relationships based on temperature and salinity with linear regression. Here we propose a new empirical approach for reconstructing TA for the Pacific basin using sea surface salinity and sea surface dynamic height (SSDH). We propose five zones of the Pacific basin where the empirical relations are applied separately. The root mean square error of the fittings of these equations to the measured TA is 7.8 μmol kg -1 . The SSDH-based empirical equation helps especially to represent the TA in the North Pacific subtropical-subarctic frontal zone where salinity-normalized TA as well as other oceanographic variables exhibits a large meridional gradient and sizeable formation of Central Mode Water and Subtropical Mode Water occurs.

Description: [1] During the late 20 th century, Antarctic ozone depletion and increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) conspired to generate conspicuous atmospheric circulation trends in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), contributing to a poleward intensification of the oceanic super-gyre circulation. Forcing of Antarctic ozone depletion dominated the observed trends during the depletion period (1979-2005), but Antarctic ozone is projected to recover by the middle of the 21 st century. The recovery provides a mechanism for offsetting the impact from increasing GHG emissions. To what extent will the recovery of ozone mitigate SH atmosphere and ocean circulation trends expected from increasing GHGs? We examine climate model outputs from the Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5 and 8.5 (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) emission scenario experiments, submitted to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5. Both scenarios are subject to the effect of ozone recovery. We show that during the recovery period (2006-2045), there is little trend of the poleward shift of the super-gyre circulation under either RCP scenario in austral summer, due to the dominance of ozone recovery. Further, under RCP8.5 the trend in winter, a season in which ozone recovery has little impact, is greater (more poleward) than in summer, opposite to the seasonality of trends during the depletion period. Under RCP4.5, with the contribution from ozone recovery, the summer poleward shift is projected to stabilise into the post-recovery decades, whereas under RCP8.5, the summer poleward shift accelerates in the post-recovery period, presenting a vastly different ocean circulation future.

Description: Although the Ulleung Basin is an important biological “hot spot” in East/Japan Sea (hereafter the East Sea), very limited knowledge for seasonal and annual variations in the primary productivity exists. In this study, a recent decadal trend of primary production in the Ulleung Basin was analyzed based on MODIS-derived monthly primary production for a better annual production budget. Based on the MODIS-derived primary production, the mean daily primary productivity was 766.8 mg C m -2 d -1 (stdev = ± 196.7 mg C m -2 d -1 ) and the annual primary productivity was 280.2 g C m -2 y -1 (stdev = ± 14.9 g C m -2 y -1 ) in the Ulleung Basin during the study period. The monthly contributions of primary production were not largely variable among different months and a relatively small inter-annual production variability was also observed in the Ulleung Basin, which indicates that the Ulleung Basin is a sustaining biologically productive region called as “hot spot” in the East Sea. However, a significant recent decline in the annual primary production was observed in the Ulleung Basin after 2006. Although no strong possibilities were found in this study, the current warming sea surface temperature and a negative phase PDO index were suggested for the recent declining primary production. For a better understanding of subsequent effects on marine ecosystems, more intensive interdisciplinary field studies will be required in the Ulleung Basin.

Description: The Tasman Front is a narrow band of eastward flowing subtropical water crossing the Tasman Sea from Australia to North Cape, New Zealand. It is the link between the two subtropical western boundary currents of the South Pacific, the East Australian Current (EAC) off eastern Australia and the East Auckland Current (EAUC) off northeastern New Zealand. Here we report the first direct measurements of flow in the Tasman Front from a moored array deployed across gaps in the submarine ridges south of Norfolk Island and hydrographic and ADCP measurements during the deployment and recovery voyages. The mean flow through the array over July 2003 to August 2004 was found to be eastward only in the upper 800 m with a transport of ~6 Sv. Below 800 m a weak westward mean flow (~1.5 Sv) was measured, associated with Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). Using sea surface height to account for additional transport south of the moored array results in a total mean eastward transport between Norfolk Island and North Cape, New Zealand of ~8 Sv, varying between -4 Sv and 18 Sv. The measurements show that the Tasman Front is much shallower than either the EAC or EAUC, both of which extend below 2000m depth, has less transport than either the EAC or EAUC and has instances of flow reversal. Thus, the Tasman Front is a weaker connection between the EAC and EAUC than the paradigm of a contiguous South Pacific western boundary current system would suggest.

Description: The evolution of landfast sea ice melt pond coverage, surface topography and mass balance were studied in the Canadian Arctic during May-June 2011 and 2012, using a terrestrial laser scanner, snow and sea ice sampling, and surface meteorological characterization. Initial melt pond formation was not limited to low-lying areas, rather ponds formed at almost all pre-melt elevations. The subsequent evolution of melt pond coverage varied considerably between the two years owing to four principle, temporally-variable factors. First, the range in pre-melt topographic relief was 0.5 m greater in 2011 (rougher surface) than in 2012 (smoother surface), such that a seasonal maximum pond coverage of 60% and maximum hydraulic head of 204 mm were reached in 2011, versus 78% and 138 mm in 2012. A change in the meltwater balance (production minus drainage) caused the ponds to spread or recede over an area that was almost 90% larger in 2012 than in 2011. Second, modification of the pre-melt topography was observed during mid-June, due to preferential melting under certain drainage channels. Some of the lowest-lying pre-melt areas were subsequently elevated above these deepening channels and unexpectedly became drained later in the season. Third, ice interior temperatures remained 1-2 °C colder later into June in 2012 than in 2011, even though the ice was 0.35 m thinner at melt onset, thereby delaying permeability increases in the ice that would allow vertical meltwater drainage to the ocean. Finally, surface melt was estimated to account for approximately 62% of the net radiative flux to the sea ice cover during the melt season.

Description: The horizontal and vertical circulation of the Weddell Gyre is diagnosed using a box inverse model constructed with recent hydrographic sections and including mobile sea ice and eddy transports. The gyre is found to convey 42 ± 8 Sv (1 Sv = 10 6 m 3 s -1 ) across the central Weddell Sea and to intensify to 54±15 Sv further offshore. This circulation injects 36±13 TW of heat from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to the gyre, and exports 51 ± 23 mSv of freshwater, including 13 ± 1 mSv as sea ice to the mid-latitude Southern Ocean. The gyre's overturning circulation has an asymmetric double-cell structure, in which 13 ± 4 Sv of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and relatively light Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) are transformed into upper-ocean water masses by mid-gyre upwelling (at a rate of 2 ± 2 Sv) and into denser AABW by downwelling focussed at the western boundary (8 ± 2 Sv). The gyre circulation exhibits a substantial throughflow component, by which CDW and AABW enter the gyre from the Indian sector, undergo ventilation and densification within the gyre, and are exported to the South Atlantic across the gyre's northern rim. The relatively modest net production of AABW in the Weddell Gyre (6±2 Sv) suggests that the gyre's prominence in the closure of the lower limb of global oceanic overturning stems largely from the recycling and equatorward export of Indian-sourced AABW.

Description: In this paper, we show from observations that the Intra-American Seas precursor as characterized by the onset of the Atlantic Warm Pool (AWP; defined by the area enclosed by 28.5°C isotherm in the tropical Atlantic Ocean) has discernible impact on the boreal summer and fall seasonal climate variations over North America, a season and a region well known for relatively poor seasonal predictability. The onset of the AWP season is objectively defined as the day when the daily anomaly of the AWP area, west of 50°W and north of the equator exceeds its climatological annual mean value. We show that early (late) onset of AWP is associated with following August-September-October (ASO) deficit (excess) seasonal rainfall anomalies over southern Mississippi valley extending to the Midwest US east of Iowa. On the other hand, Central America and the Caribbean region exhibit enhanced (decreased) ASO seasonal mean rainfall during an early (late) onset of AWP. We also find that early (late) onset of the AWP is associated with early (late) onset and early (late) demise of the rainy season over Mesoamerica. This relationship also leads to association of early (late) onset of AWP with increased (shortened) length of the rainy season over Mesoamerica. These teleconnections are dictated by the modulation of the low-level flow and moisture flux convergence associated with the varying development of the AWP. Similarly we find that early (late) onset years of the AWP are associated with a more active (inactive) seasonal Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. These teleconnections are sustained from the fact that the AWP onset date variations are found to be a precursor to the seasonal AWP size variations.

Description: A numerical ocean sea-ice model is used to demonstrate that Arctic sea ice retreat affects momentum transfer into the ocean. A thinner and thus weaker ice cover is more easily forced by the wind, which increases the momentum flux. In contrast, increasing open water reduces momentum transfer because the ice surface provides greater drag than the open water surface. We introduce the concept of optimal ice concentration: momentum transfer increases with increasing ice concentration up to a point, beyond which frictional losses by floe interaction damp the transfer. For a common ice internal stress formulation, a concentration of 80–90% yields optimal amplification of momentum flux into the ocean. We study the seasonality and long-term evolution of Arctic Ocean surface stress over the years 1979–2012. Spring and fall feature optimal ice conditions for momentum transfer, but only in fall is the wind forcing at its maximum, yielding a peak basin-mean ocean surface stress of ˜0.08N/m 2 . Since 1979 the basin-wide annual mean ocean surface stress has been increasing by 0.004N/m 2 /decade, and since 2000 by 0.006N/m 2 /decade. In contrast, summertime ocean surface stress has been decreasing at −0.002N/m 2 /decade. These trends are linked to the weakening of the ice cover in fall, winter and spring, and to an increase in open water fraction in summer, i.e. changes in momentum transfer rather than changes in wind forcing. In most areas the number of days per year with optimal ice concentration is decreasing.

Description: I t is expected that surface gravity waves play an important role in the dynamics of the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL), quantified with the turbulent Langmuir number ( , where u * and u s0 are the friction velocity and surface Stokes drift, respectively). However, simultaneous measurements of the OSBL dynamics along with accurate measurements of the wave and atmospheric forcing are lacking. Measurements of the turbulent dissipation rate ϵ were collected using the Air-Sea Interaction Profiler (ASIP), a freely rising microstructure profiler. Two definitions for the OSBL depth are used: the mixed layer derived from measurements of density ( h ρ ), and the mixing layer ( h ϵ ) determined from direct measurements of ϵ When surface buoyancy forces are relatively small, ϵ ∝ La − 2 only near the surface with no dependency on La at mid-depths of the OSBL when using h ρ as the turbulent length scale. However, if h ϵ is used then the dependence of ϵ with La −2 is more uniform throughout the OSBL. For relatively high destabilizing surface buoyancy forces, ϵ is proportional to the ratio of the OSBL depth against the Langmuir stability length L L . During destabilizing conditions the mixed and mixing layer depths are nearly identical, but we have relatively few measurements under these conditions, rather than any physical implications. Observations are compared with the OSBL regime diagram of Belcher et al. [2012] and are generally within an order of magnitude, but there is an improved agreement if h ϵ is used as the turbulent length scale rather than h ρ .

Description: The present work investigates the structure of the near bed flow below irregular surfzone breaking waves inducing light-weight sheet flow particle transport. The experiments are carried out in the LEGI flume under steady equilibrium conditions between the wave forcing and the underlying bed morphology. Synchronized ACVP and video images provide detailed information about the mean wave and current characteristics and the coupled flow regimes across the entire wave breaking region including the outer and the inner surfzones. An analysis of the impact of breaking eddies in the Wave Boundary Layer (WBL) is undertaken at the beginning of the inner surfzone. Subsequently, the intrawave variation of several contributions of the total shearing force per unit area and the net values of the Reynolds stress related to phase-averaged velocities are analysed. It is found that $$ - \rho \tilde u\tilde w$$ is the dominant term. The turbulent Reynolds stress, the low-frequency and the mean terms are at least one order of magnitude lower. Due to the irregular wave forcing, the net values are separated into the net wave-by-wave Reynolds stress and the wave Reynolds stress averaged over the entire irregular wave sequence. All these measured bed shear stress terms are then compared to estimations obtained with two different parameterized models in order to evaluate their prediction performances. The values of the model parameters are discussed in comparison to those found in the literature. Finally, the vertical profile of net Reynolds shear stress exhibits a nearly constant value across the sheet flow layer.

Description: A revised wind-over-wave-coupling model is developed to provide a consistent description of the sea surface drag and heat/moister transfer coefficients, and associated wind velocity and temperature profiles. The spectral distribution of short wind waves in the decimeter to a few millimeters range of wavelengths is introduced based on the wave action balance equation constrained using the Yurovskaya et al. (2013) optical field wave measurements. The model is capable to reproduce fundamental statistical properties of the sea surface such as the mean square slope and the spectral distribution of breaking crests length. The surface stress accounts for the effect of airflow separation due to wave breaking, which enables a better fit of simulated form drag to observations. The wave breaking controls the overall energy losses for the gravity waves, but also the generation of shorter waves including the parasitic capillaries, thus enhancing the form drag. Breaking wave contribution to the form drag increases rapidly at winds above 15 m/s where it exceeds the non-breaking wave contribution. The overall impact of wind waves (breaking and non-breaking) leads to a sheltering of the near surface layer where the turbulent mixing is suppressed. Accordingly, the air temperature gradient in this sheltered layer increases to maintain the heat flux constant. The resulting deformation of the air temperature profile tends to lower the roughness scale for temperature compared to its value over the smooth surface.

Description: Topographically generated eddies and internal waves have traditionally been studied separately even though bathymetry that creates both phenomena is abundant in coastal regions. Here, a numerical model is used to understand the dynamics of eddy and wave generation as tidal currents flow past Three Tree Point, a 1 km long, 200 m deep, sloping headland in Puget Sound, WA. Bottom pressure anomalies due to vertical perturbations of the sea surface and isopycnals are used to calculate form drag in different regions of the topography to assess the relative importance of eddies versus internal waves. In regions where internal waves dominate, sea surface and isopycnal perturbations tend to work together to create drag, whereas in regions dominated by eddies, sea surface and isopycnal perturbations tend to counteract each other. Both phenomena are found to produce similar amounts of form drag even though the bottom pressure anomalies from the eddy have much larger magnitude than those created by the internal wave. Topography like Three Tree Point is common in high-latitude, coastal regions, and therefore the findings here have implications for understanding how coastal topography removes energy from tidal currents.

Description: In this study, we examine the decadal variations of the Pacific North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation latitude (NBL) averaged over upper 100 m and underlying dynamics over the past six decades using eleven ocean products, including seven kinds of ocean reanalyses based on ocean data assimilation systems, two kinds of numerical simulations without assimilating observations and two kinds of objective analyses based on in-situ observations only. During the period of 1954-2007, the multi-product mean of decadal NBL anomalies shows maxima around 1965/1966, 1980/1981, 1995/1996 and 2003/2004, and minima around 1958, 1971/1972, 1986/1987 and 2000/2001, respectively. The NBL decadal variations are related to the first Empirical Orthogonal Function mode of decadal anomalies of sea surface height (SSH) in the northwestern tropical Pacific Ocean, which shows spatially coherent variation over the whole region and explains most of the total variance. Further regression and composite analyses indicate that northerly/southerly NBL corresponds to negative/positive SSH anomalies and cyclonic/anticyclonic gyre anomalies in the northwestern tropical Pacific Ocean. These decadal circulation variations and thus the decadal NBL variations are governed mostly by the first two vertical modes and attribute the most to the first baroclinic mode. The NBL decadal variation is highly positively correlated with the tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV) around the zero time lag. With a lead of about half the decadal cycle the NBL displays closer but negative relationship to TPDV in four ocean products, possibly manifesting the dynamical role of the circulation in the northwestern tropical Pacific in the phase-shifting of TPDV.

Description: Current observations in submarine canyons poleward of 30° are usually dominated by the semidiurnal (M 2 ) tidal frequency, which is superinertial at these latitudes. Observations from a submarine canyon at 44°N (the Gully, Nova Scotia) suggest that canyons can be dominated by the subinertial (K 1 ) tidal frequency if length scales are correct for resonance of the K 1 frequency. A model of the Gully was constructed in a tank on a rotating table and tidal currents generated to determine factors that influence resonance. Resonance curves were fit to measurements from the laboratory canyon for a range of stratifications, background rotation rates and forcing amplitudes. Dense water was observed upwelling onto the continental shelf on either side of the laboratory canyon and travelled at least one canyon width along the shelf. Friction values measured in the laboratory were much higher than expected, probably due to upwelled water surging onto the shelf on each tidal cycle, similar to a tidal bore. By scaling observations from the laboratory to the ocean and assuming friction in the ocean is also affected by water travelling onto the shelf, a resonance curve for the ocean was created. Because of the broad resonance curve, the diurnal tide remains strong year round at the Gully, even as stratification at the shelf break changes. Dense water surging onto the shelf on tidal frequencies may affect friction and mixing at other non-resonant canyons.

Description: The frontogenesis and frontolysis processes of the subpolar front (SPF) in the surface mixed layer of the Japan Sea are investigated using state-of-the-art oceanic reanalysis data. The SPF experiences a nine-month weakening period from January to September, which shifts to a strengthening period in October. Our analysis shows that horizontal advection consistently contributes to the intensification of the SPF. After September, as the weakening effect of surface heat flux diminishes, horizontal advection becomes the dominant factor that contributes to changes in the SPF strength. Thus, the SPF enters a three-month strengthening period. The geostrophic component of horizontal advection provides the most important contribution to strengthening the SPF, acting to intensify the SPF year-round. Ekman advection also promotes SPF strengthening with a smaller but still important contribution. During the weakening period, SPF strength is largely controlled by heat flux. The heat flux, especially the shortwave radiation component, is the primary cause of the surface front disappearance in the summer.

Description: Previous studies have shown that the power spectrum of satellite-observed sea surface height (SSH) variability peaks at a certain frequency (or a wavenumber) band at a given latitude. Lin et al. [2008] attributed this latitudinal dependence to the critical frequency of the 1 st baroclinic mode Rossby waves in the tropical and subtropical ocean. Their study was based on the linear Rossby wave theory and focused on SSH variability in the tropical and subtropical oceans since the altimetry data do not adequately resolve lengths of baroclinic Rossby waves at and near the critical frequency in high latitudes. In this study we expand their analysis to high-latitude oceanic basins and to include nonlinear eddy effects, by using a linear wave model and a high resolution model output from the OGCM for the Earth Simulator (OFES). It is found that the linear wave mechanism by and large remains valid in the tropical and subtropical ocean. In higher latitudes as well as in some regions in the western tropical and subtropical oceans, other mechanisms, like nonlinear eddy, play more important role in determining the SSH variability.

Description: Large sectors of the Antarctic ice sheet are vulnerable to increases in melting at the bases of fringing ice shelves, with melt rates depending on ocean temperatures and circulations in the sub-ice cavities. Here we analyze an oceanographic data set obtained in austral summer 2009 in Pine Island Bay, which is bounded in the east by the calving front of the Amundsen Sea's fast-moving Pine Island Ice Shelf. The upper-ocean velocity field in the ice-free bay was dominated by a 700–m deep and 50–km wide gyre circulating 1.5Sv of water clockwise around the bay. Ice cavity water was observed in a surface- and southward-intensified boundary current along the ice front, and in a small ice cove at the end of the southern shear margin of the ice shelf. Repeat measurements in the cove reveal persistent cavity water export of ≈ 0.25Sv during 10 days of sampling. Vertical velocities in the cove above the ice draft were dominated by buoyancy-frequency oscillations with amplitudes of several cm/s but without significant net upwelling. In combination with the seawater properties, this observation indicates that much of the upwelling occurs within fractured ice near the cove, potentially contributing to weakening the ice shelf shear margin.

Description: Lower trophic level marine ecosystem models are highly dependent on the parameter values given to key rate processes, however many of these are either unknown or difficult to measure. One solution to this problem is to apply data assimilation techniques that optimize key parameter values, however in many cases in situ ecosystem data are unavailable on the temporal and spatial scales of interest. Although multiple types of satellite-derived data are now available with high temporal and spatial resolution, the relative advantages of assimilating different satellite data types are not well known. Here these issues are examined by implementing a lower trophic level model in a one-dimensional data assimilative (variational adjoint) model testbed. A combination of experiments assimilating synthetic and actual satellite-derived data, including total chlorophyll, size-fractionated chlorophyll and particulate organic carbon (POC), reveal that this is an effective tool for improving simulated surface and sub-surface distributions both for assimilated and unassimilated variables. Model-data misfits were lowest when parameters were optimized individually at specific sites; however this resulted in unrealistic over-tuned parameter values that deteriorated model skill at times and depths when data were not available for assimilation, highlighting the importance of assimilating data from multiple sites simultaneously. Finally, when chlorophyll data were assimilated without POC, POC simulations still improved, however the reverse was not true. For this two-phytoplankton size class model, optimal results were obtained when satellite-derived size-differentiated chlorophyll and POC were both assimilated simultaneously.

Description: Tsunami waveforms can be observed at offshore locations such as sea-bottom pressure gauges or GPS-mounted buoys. Recent work has focused on using these observations to make near-field tsunami forecasts in real time. However, existing forecasting methods are limited in that they do not provide uncertainty estimates. This study develops a near-field tsunami forecasting method with uncertainty estimates. The method embeds a conditional autoregressive model in a hierarchical Bayesian inverse model. Since we sample from the posterior distribution of interest using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, not only the mean but also the variance for forecasts can be readily obtained. The proposed method is validated through simulation-based experiments for four historical earthquakes in the Nankai Trough, Japan.

Description: In situ measurements of flow and stratification in the vicinity of the Erebus Glacier Tongue, a 12 km long floating Antarctic glacier, show the significant influence of the glacier. Three ADCPs (75, 300 and 600 kHz) were deployed close (〈 50 m) to the sidewall of the glacier in order to capture near-field flow distortion. Scalar (temperature and conductivity) and shear microstructure profiling captured small-scale vertical variability. Flow magnitudes exceeded 0.3 m s -1 through a combination of tidal flow (˜ 8 cm s -1 ) and a background/residual flow (˜ 4-10 cm s -1 ) flowing to the NW. Turbulence was dominated by deeper mixing during spring tide, likely indicative of the role of bathymetric variation which locally forms an obstacle as great as the glacier. During the neap tide, near-surface mixing was as energetic as that seen in the spring tide, suggesting the presence of buoyancy-driven near-surface flows. Estimates of integrated dissipation rate suggest that these floating extensions of the Antarctic ice sheet alter energy budgets through enhanced dissipation, and thus influence coastal near-surface circulation.

Description: We analyze mean and seasonal change of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Salinity (SSS) in the Solomon and Bismarck Seas, using 1977-2009 in situ data collected from Voluntary Observing Ships. Co-variability of these two variables with surface wind, altimeter- and model-derived horizontal currents, precipitation, and Sepik River discharge are examined. SST and SSS show large annual oscillations in the Solomon Sea, with the coldest and saltiest waters occurring in July/August mainly due to horizontal advection. In contrast, they show large semi-annual oscillations in the Bismarck Sea. There, the coldest and saltiest waters happen in January/February, when the northwest monsoon winds drive coastal upwelling, and in July/August, when the New Guinea Coastal Current advects cold and high-salinity waters from the Solomon Sea through Vitiaz Strait. The low SSS values observed in April/May, stuck between the January/February and July/August two SSS maxima, are further enhanced by the Sepik River discharge annual maximum. A high-resolution model strengthens the conclusions we derive from observations. The impacts of ENSO on SST and SSS are also discussed with, for instance, saltier- and fresher-than-average waters during the 2002-03 El Niño and 2007-08 La Niña, respectively.

Description: The implicit particle filter is applied to a stochastically forced shallow water model of nearshore flow, and found to produce reliable state estimates with tens of particles. The state vector of this model consists of a height anomaly and two horizontal velocity components at each point on a 128 × 98 regular rectangular grid, making for a state dimension O (10 4 ). The particle filter was applied to the model with two parameter choices representing two distinct dynamical regimes, and performed well in both. Demands on computing resources were manageable. Simulations with as many as a hundred particles ran overnight on a modestly configured workstation. In this case of observations defined by a linear function of the state vector, taken every time step of the numerical model, the implicit particle filter is equivalent to the optimal importance filter, i.e., at each step any given particle is drawn from the density of the system conditioned jointly upon observations and the state of that particle at the previous time. Even in this ideal case, the sample occasionally collapses to a single particle, and resampling is necessary. In those cases, the sample rapidly re-inflates, and the analysis never loses track. In both dynamical regimes, the ensembles of particles deviated significantly from normality.

Description: Observations beneath the floating section of Pine Island Glacier have revealed the presence of a subglacial ridge which rises up to 300 m above the surrounding bathymetry. This topographic feature probably served as a steady grounding line position until some time before the 1970s, when an ongoing phase of rapid grounding line retreat was initiated. As a result, a large ocean cavity has formed behind the ridge, strongly controlling the ocean circulation beneath the ice shelf and modulating the ocean water properties that cause ice melting in the vicinity of the grounding line. In order to understand how melt rates have changed during the various phases of cavity formation, we use a high-resolution ocean model to simulate the cavity circulation for a series of synthetic geometries. We show that the height of the ridge and the gap between the ridge and ice shelf strongly control the inflow of warm bottom waters into the cavity, and hence the melt rates. Model results suggest a rapid geometrically-controlled increase of meltwater production at the onset of ice thinning, but a weak sensitivity to geometry once the gap between the ridge and ice shelf has passed a threshold value of about 200 m. This provides evidence for a new, coupled, ice-ocean feedback acting to enhance the initial retreat of an ice stream from a bedrock high. The present gap is over 200 m, and our results suggest that observed variability in melt rates is now controlled by other factors, such as the depth of the thermocline.

Description: Simulations of tracer experiments conducted with a three-dimensional primitive-equation hydrodynamic and transport model are used to understand the processes controlling the rate of mixing between two rivers (Ebro and Segre), with distinct physical and chemical properties, at their confluence, upstream of a meandering reservoir (Ribarroja reservoir). Mixing rates downstream of the confluence are subject to hourly scale oscillations, driven partly by changes in inflow densities and also as a result of turbulent eddies that develop within the shear layer between the confluent rivers and near a dead zone located downstream of the confluence. Even though density contrasts are low − at most O(10 -1 ) kgm -3 difference among sources−, and almost negligible from a dynamic point of view − compared with inertial forces −, they are important for mixing. Mixing rates between the confluent streams under weakly buoyant conditions can be of up to 40% larger than those occurring under neutrally buoyant conditions. The buoyancy effects on mixing rates are interpreted as the result of changes in the contact area available for mixing (distortion of the mixing layer). For strong density contrasts, though, when the contact area between the streams become nearly horizontal, larger density differences between streams will lead to weaker mixing rates, as a result of the stabilizing effect of vertical density gradients.

Description: In this study we examine the importance of regional wind forcing in modulating advective processes and hydrographic properties along the Northwest Atlantic shelf, with a focus on the Nova Scotian Shelf (NSS) - Gulf of Maine (GoM) region. Long-term observational data of alongshore wind stress, sea level slope and along-shelf flow are analyzed to quantify the relationship between wind forcing and hydrodynamic responses on interannual time scales. Additionally, a simplified momentum balance model is used to examine the underlying mechanisms. Our results show significant correlation among the observed interannual variability of sea level slope, along-shelf flow and alongshore wind stress in the NSS-GoM region. A mechanism is suggested to elucidate the role of wind in modulating the sea level slope and along-shelf flow: stronger southwesterly (northeastward) winds tend to weaken the prevailing southwestward flow over the shelf, building sea level in the upstream Newfoundland Shelf region; whereas weaker southwesterly winds allow stronger southwestward flow to develop, raising sea level in the GoM region. The wind-induced flow variability can influence the transport of low-salinity water from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the GoM, explaining interannual variations in surface salinity distributions within the region. Hence, our results offer a viable mechanism, besides the freshening of remote upstream sources, to explain interannual patterns of freshening in the GoM.

Description: The Crozet Archipelago, in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, constitutes one of the few physical barriers to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Interaction of the currents with the sediments deposited on the margins of these islands contributes to the supply of chemical elements – including iron and other micro-nutrients – to offshore High-Nutrient, Low-Chlorophyll (HNLC) waters. This natural fertilization sustains a phytoplankton bloom that was studied in the framework of the KEOPS-2 project. In this work, we investigated the timescales of the surface water transport between the Crozet Island shelves and the offshore waters, a transport that contributes iron to the phytoplankton bloom. We report shelf-water contact ages determined using geochemical tracers (radium isotopes) and physical data based on in situ drifter data and outputs of a model based on altimetric lagrangian surface currents. The apparent ages of surface waters determined using the three independent methods are in relatively good agreement with each other. Our results provide constraints on the timescales of the transport between the shelf and offshore waters near the Crozet Islands and highlight the key role played by horizontal transport in natural iron fertilization and in defining the extension of the chlorophyll plume in this HNLC region of the Southern Ocean.

Description: Mesozooplankton were sampled in the Canada Basin in summer 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and fall 2009. Six taxa ( Calanus hyperboreus , Calanus glacialis , Oithona similis , Limacina helicina , Microcalanus pygmaeus and Pseudocalanus spp.) accounted for 77 to 91% of the abundance in all years, and 70 to 80% of biomass in 2004 to 2008. The biomass of C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis was reduced in 2009, likely due to seasonal migration below the sampling depth. Mean abundance was consistent across surveys while biomass increased from 18.92 to 32.56 mg dry weight.m -3 between 2004 and 2008. Multivariate analysis identified a clear separation between shelf and deep basin (〉 1000 m) assemblages. Within the deep basin abundance and biomass were higher in the west, associated with a higher chlorophyll maximum. In 2007 and 2008 considerable heterogeneity developed in the assemblage structure, associated with variability in the contribution of the short lived (〈 1 year) copepod species O. similis and M. pygmaeus . Conversely, the long lived (≥ 2 year) C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis showed an increasingly consistent spatial distribution of high biomass from 2004 to 2008. We propose that a greater dependence on autochthonous basin production by the short-lived species resulted in their decreased secondary production in the freshening Beaufort Gyre in 2007 and 2008. Conversely, long lived species were supported by high allochthonous production on the Beaufort and Chukchi shelves and lipid stores accumulated from this source enabled them to persist in the low chlorophyll a biomass conditions of the Canada Basin.

Description: The seasonally averaged wind stress of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) during the austral winter is directed to the east along the shelf and results in downwelling that extends to depths of 250 m. This downwelling is enhanced in the eastern GAB through the outflow of cold saline water formed in the broad shallow regions of the GAB and gulfs. During the austral summer, the averaged wind stress field of the GAB is anti-cyclonic with upwelling favourable winds along much of the coastline. In general however, significant slope upwelling is only observed in the eastern and western GAB where the shelf is narrow. Upwelling there provides nutrients to support the planktic and pelagic communities and the observed distribution of benthic invertebrate communities that lead to the formation of neritic carbonate sediments. At the shelf break of the central GAB where the shelf is very wide, the observed cross-shelf distributions of temperature, salinity and sediments indicate that downwelling occurs year round. The implied lack of nutrients is argued to explain the smaller communities of invertebrates found at the shelf edge (100 - 250 m) in these areas. A previous numerical study is cited to show that summer downwelling very likely results from a convergence of the deep ocean and poleward Sverdrup transports. The unique aspect of this integrated oceanographic-sedimentological investigation is to tie outcomes of that numerical study with extant observations and benthic habitat to provide a consistent picture of how cross-shelf exchange regulates water properties and benthos in the GAB.

Description: The large increase in upper-ocean sampling during the past decade enables improved estimation of the mean meridional volume transport in the midlatitude South Pacific, and hence of the climatically important Meridional Overturning Circulation. Transport is computed using Argo float profile data for geostrophic shear and trajectory data for reference velocities at 1000 m. For the period 2004-2012, the mean geostrophic transport across 32°S is 20.6 ± 6.0 Sv in the top 2000 m of the ocean. From west to east, this includes the southward East Australian Current (23.3 ± 2.9 Sv), its northward recirculation (16.3 ± 3.6 Sv), the broad interior northward flow (18.4 ± 4.1 Sv), and the net northward flow (9.2 ± 2.2 Sv) in opposing currents in the eastern Pacific. The basin-integrated geostrophic transport includes 7.3 ± 0.9 Sv of surface and thermocline waters, 4.9 ± 1.0 Sv of Sub-Antarctic Mode Water, and 4.9 ± 1.4 Sv of Antarctic Intermediate Water. Interannual variability in volume transport across 32°S in the South Pacific shows a Southern Annual Mode signature characterized by an increase during the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode and a decrease during the negative phase. Maximum amplitudes in geostrophic transport anomalies, seen in the East Australian Current and East Australian Current recirculation, are consistent with wind stress-curl anomalies near the western boundary.

Description: The ability of CMIP5 models in simulating surface mixed layer depth (MLD) during summer is assessed using 45 climate models. Their ocean models differ greatly in terms of vertical mixing parameterizations and model configurations. In some models, effects of surface waves, Langmuir circulations, sub-mesoscale eddies, as well as additional wind mixing, are included to improve upper-ocean simulation. Similar to findings by previous studies, the summer MLDs are significantly underestimated in most of the models. Compared with the observation, only five of these models have deeper summer MLDs in the Southern Ocean, eight models have deeper summer MLDs in the central North Atlantic Ocean, and nine models have deeper summer MLDs in the central North Pacific Ocean. This underestimation of MLD is not caused by sea surface forcing, because most of the models tend to overestimate the surface wind stress, while they underestimate the net surface heat flux. Therefore, insufficient vertical mixing in the upper ocean may still be one of the potential reasons for this systematic underestimation of MLD in the climate models.

Description: Topographically-induced upwelling caused by the interaction between large-scale currents and topography was observed during four cruises in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) when the upwelling favorable wind retreated. Using a high-resolution version of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), we investigate relative contributions of local wind and topography to the upwelling intensity in the NSCS. The results show that the topographically-induced upwelling is sensitive to alongshore large-scale currents, which have an important contribution to the upwelling intensity. The topographically-induced upwelling is comparable with the wind-driven upwelling at surface, and has a stronger contribution to the upwelling intensity than the local wind does at bottom in the near-shore shelf region. The widened shelf to the southwest of Shanwei and west of the Taiwan Banks intensifies the bottom friction especially off Shantou, which is a key factor for topographically-induced upwelling in terms of bottom Ekman transport and Ekman pumping. The local upwelling favorable wind enhances the bottom friction as well as net onshore transport along the 50-m isobath, whereas it has less influence along the 30-m isobath. This implies the local wind is more important in upwelling intensity in the offshore region than in the nearshore region. The contribution of local upwelling favorable wind on upwelling intensity is comparable with that of topography along the 50-m isobath. The effects of local upwelling favorable wind on upwelling intensity are twofold: on one hand, the wind transports surface warm water offshore, and as a compensation of mass the bottom current transports cold water onshore; on the other hand, the wind enhances the coastal current, and the bottom friction in turn increases the topographically-induced upwelling intensity.

Description: Flows through single coral colonies were simulated with an implementation of the Immersed Boundary (IB) method in Large-Eddy Simulation (LES). The method was first validated with magnetic velocimetry experiments, which demonstrated that computational results were within approximately 7% of flow measurements. The algorithm was then applied to simulate unidirectional and wave-driven flow conditions through two morphologically distinct coral colonies that naturally grow in very different hydrodynamic environments, with detailed analysis on spatial hydrodynamic and mass transfer variability. When the hydrodynamics of each coral's native environment was simulated, the dynamics in the interior of both branching species appeared to converge, in spite of vast differences between the hydrodynamic conditions and morphologies. A correlation between local surface shear and mass transfer was derived from simulated data. The results suggest that the corals grew in such a way that mass transfer characteristics are similar despite of vast differences in their physical shapes and hydrodynamic conditions.

Description: The submarine melting of a vertical glacier front, induced by an intermediary circulation forced by periodic density variations at the mouth of a fjord, is investigated using a non–hydrostatic ocean general circulation model and idealized laboratory experiments. The idealized configurations broadly match that of Sermilik Fjord, southeast Greenland, a largely two-layers system characterized by strong seasonal variability of subglacial discharge. Consistent with observations, the numerical results suggest that the intermediary circulation is an effective mechanism for the advection of shelf anomalies inside the fjord. In the numerical simulations, the advection mechanism is a density intrusion with a velocity which is an order of magnitude larger than the velocities associated with a glacier–driven circulation. In summer, submarine melting is mostly influenced by the discharge of surface runoff at the base of the glacier and the intermediary circulation induces small changes in submarine melting. In winter, on the other hand, submarine melting depends only on the water properties and velocity distribution at the glacier front. Hence, the properties of the waters advected by the intermediary circulation to the glacier front are found to be the primary control of the submarine melting. When the density of the intrusion is intermediate between those found in the fjord's two layers there is a significant reduction in submarine melting. On the other hand, when the density is close to that of the bottom layer, only a slight reduction in submarine melting is observed. The numerical results compare favorably to idealized laboratory experiments with a similar setup.

Description: An attempt to quantify the temporal variability in the volume composition of Arctic sea ice is presented. Categories of sea ice in the Transpolar Drift in Fram Strait are derived from monthly ice thickness distributions obtained by moored sonars (1990-2011). The inflection points on each side of the old ice modal peak are used to separate modal ice from ice which is thinner and thicker than ice in the modal range. The volume composition is then quantified through the relative amount of ice belonging to each of the three categories thin, modal and thick ice in the monthly ice thickness distributions. The trend of thin ice was estimated to be negative at -9.2% per decade (relative to the long-term mean), which was compensated for by increasing trends in modal and thick ice of 8.1% and 4.9% per decade, respectively. A 7-8 year cycle is apparent in the thin and thick ice records, which may explain a loss of deformed ice since 2007. We also quantify how the categories contribute to the mean ice thickness over time. Thick (predominantly deformed) ice dominates the mean ice thickness, constituting on average 66% of the total mean. Following the loss of deformed ice since 2007, the contribution of thick ice to the mean decreased from 75% to 52% at the end of the record. Thin deformed ice did not contribute to this reduction; it was pressure ridges thicker than 5 m that were lost and hence caused the decrease in mean ice thickness.

Description: The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the bottom waters of western Long Island Sound decreases to hypoxic levels between April and July. Since the rate of decline of DO is considerably less than measured respiration, there must be significant vertical transport of DO from oxygen richer waters near the surface and/or horizontal transport from the central Sound. Simple model budgets with either of these sources are able to provide predictions of the seasonal rate of decline that are consistent with the observed values. Although prior budget estimates indicated that vertical fluxes were a significant portion of the resupply of DO, these were not able to discount the possible importance of horizontal fluxes, nor have there been any measurements of horizontal fluxes in this region. We present an analysis of time-series of moored conductivity, temperature, DO, and current observations in the hypoxic area of Long Island Sound during the summers of 2005 and 2006. We estimate the near bottom along-channel flux divergences of salt, heat, and DO as 0.11±0.08 g kg −1 day −1 , −5±6 W m −3 and 4±6 μ M day −1 , respectively. Since this horizontal DO transport is only 25% of the magnitude of the mean rate of respiration, we conclude that vertical transport by mixing forms the bulk of the physical resupply of DO to the hypoxic zone of the western Sound.

Description: The effects of biological heating on upper-ocean temperature and circulation in the Arabian Sea are investigated using an ocean general circulation model. We find that the change of sea surface temperature (SST) is not only dependent on the variation of chlorophyll concentration, but also the dynamic processes, e.g., mixing and upwelling. Biological heating can warm the SST in the north Arabian Sea during spring and the central Arabian Sea during autumn when the mixed layer depth is shallow. However, the situation is quite different during winter and summer. Although the chlorophyll concentration is high in the north Arabian Sea during winter and in the western Arabian Sea during summer, the SSTs become significantly cool instead of warm. The heat budget analyses indicate that the cold SSTs result from both the strong convective mixing during the winter and the strong upwelling during the summer, which bring the cold water below the mixed layer to the surface.

Description: We investigated the spectral structure and source term balance of short gravity waves, based on in situ observations of wavenumber spectra retrieved by air-sea interaction spar (ASIS) buoys. The behaviors of wavenumber spectra up to 10 rad/m (the gravity wave regime) were analyzed for a wide range of wind and wave conditions. The observed wavenumber spectra showed the spectral power laws described by Toba [1973] and Phillips [1958] in addition to the characteristic nodal point at ˜10 rad/m where spectral energy becomes constant over the entire wind speed range. We also improved the third-generation wave model using the nonlinear dissipation term. The wave model reproduced the spectral form in the higher wavenumber domain. In the equilibrium range, nonlinear transfer played a major role in maintaining equilibrium conditions. On the other hand, in the saturation range, which starts at the upper limit of the equilibrium range, the nonlinear transfer tended to be out of balance with other source terms, and the dissipation term was in balance with wind input.

Description: A study is presented on the transport of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the Guadalquivir estuary during low river flow conditions. Observations show that tidally-induced SPM exceeds that associated with catchment-derived inputs. The main mechanisms that contribute to longitudinal transport are identified and quantified by analyzing the tidally-averaged and depth-integrated SPM flux decomposition over time and space. The net transport is generally directed upstream, although differences in the direction between spring and neap tides are identified. The transport is largely controlled by the mean advection, the tidal pumping associated with the covariance between SPM concentration and current, and the tidal Stokes transport. The convergence of the transport associated to these mechanisms alone explains the presence of primary and secondary estuarine turbidity maxima. The tidal reflection at the upstream dam appears to play a significant role in their generation, as evidenced by the convergence zones of the M4 and M2 induced tidal pumping transports. The spatial structure of the transport motivates the development of a box model that describes the concentration of SPM and its exchange between different stretches along the estuary at subtidal time scales. The model is fed by the net SPM transport obtained from observations. Analysis of the morphodynamical state of the estuary using the box model indicates that erosion is dominant in the stretches close to the estuary mouth and that this sediment is transported upstream and deposited in the middle part of the estuary. This process is more influential during spring tides than during neap tides.

Description: Employing continuous in situ measurements of dissolved O 2 /Ar and O 2 in the Arctic Ocean, we investigate the mechanisms controlling the physical (abiotic) and biological oxygen saturation state variability in the surface ocean beneath sea ice. O 2 /Ar measurements were made underway using Equilibrator Inlet Mass Spectrometry (EIMS) during an icebreaker survey transiting the upper Arctic Ocean across the North Pole in late summer 2011. Using concurrently collected measurements of total oxygen we devolve biological oxygen saturation and physical oxygen (Ar) saturation signals at unprecedented horizontal resolution in the surface ocean. In the Nansen Basin Ar is undersaturated up to -7% while biological oxygen supersaturation peaks at 18.4%. We attribute this to ice melt, Atlantic Water influence and/or cooling. In the Canadian Basin, Ar is supersaturated up to 3%, likely because of Ar injection from freezing processes and long residence times of gas under ice cover. The overall Canadian Basin to Eurasian Basin gradient of Ar super- to under-saturation may reflect net freezing in the Canadian basin and net melting in the Eurasian Basin over several seasons, either by Pacific to Atlantic sector ice transport or local changes over time. Ar saturation could thereby provide large scale high resolution estimates of current and future changes in these processes. O 2 /Ar supersaturation averages 4.9% with peaks up to 9.8% where first-year ice and abundant melt ponds likely allow sufficient light for blooms in ice-covered regions.

Description: The air-sea fluxes of methanol and acetone were measured concurrently using a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) with the eddy covariance (EC) technique during the High Wind Gas Exchange Study (HiWinGS) in 2013. The seawater concentrations of these compounds were also measured twice daily with the same PTR-MS coupled to a membrane inlet. Dissolved concentrations near the surface ranged from 7~28 nM for methanol and 3~9 nM for acetone. Both gases were consistently transported from the atmosphere to the ocean as a result of their low sea surface saturations. The largest influxes were observed in regions of high atmospheric concentrations and strong winds (up to 25 m s -1 ). Comparison of the total air-sea transfer velocity of these two gases ( K a ), along with the in situ sensible heat transfer rate, allows us to constrain the individual gas transfer velocity in the air phase ( k a ) and water phase ( k w ). Among existing parameterizations, the scaling of k a from the COARE model is the most consistent with our observations. The k w we estimated is comparable to the tangential (shear-driven) transfer velocity previously determined from measurements of dimethyl sulfide. Lastly, we estimate the wet deposition of methanol and acetone in our study region and evaluate the lifetimes of these compounds in the surface ocean and lower atmosphere with respect to total (dry plus wet) atmospheric deposition.

Description: Aquarius observations featured a prominent zonal sea-surface salinity (SSS) front that extended across the tropical Pacific between 2 – 10°N. By linking to Argo subsurface salinity observations and satellite-derived surface forcing datasets, the study discovered that the SSS front was not a stand-alone feature, but, in fact, the surface manifestation of a shallow low-salinity convergence zone (LSCZ). A near-surface salinity budget analysis was conducted, showing that the LSCZ was sourced from the rainfall in the Inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ), but the mechanism of its generation and maintenance was dominated by the wind-driven Ekman dynamics, not the surface freshwater flux. Three distinct features highlighted the relationship between the LSCZ and ITCZ. The first was that the seasonal movement of the LSCZ was characterized by a monotonic northward displacement starting from the near-equatorial latitudes in boreal spring, which was different from the ITCZ that is known for its seasonal north-south displacement. The second feature was that the lowest SSS waters were locked to the northern edge of the Ekman salt convergence throughout the year, but they showed no fixed relationship with the ITCZ rain band. The LSCZ and ITCZ collocated only during August-October, the time that the ITCZ rain band coincided with the Ekman convergence zone. The third feature was the evidence of the collocation between the SSS front and the Ekman convergence zone, which not only established the Ekman convergence as the genesis of the LSCZ but also positioned the SST front as a surface manifestation of the LSCZ.

Description: A monthly time-series of remotely sensed chlorophyll a (Chla rs ) over the Louisiana continental shelf (LCS) was developed and examined for its relationship to river discharge, nitrate concentration, total phosphorus concentration, photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), wind speed, and inter-annual variation in hypoxic area size. A new algorithm for Chla rs , tuned separately for clear and turbid waters, was developed using field-observed chlorophyll a (Chla obs ) collected during 12 cruises from 2002-2007. The new algorithm reproduced Chla obs , with ~40% and ~60% uncertainties at satellite pixel level for clear offshore waters and turbid nearshore waters, respectively. The algorithm was then applied to SeaWiFS and MODIS images to calculate long-term (1998-2013) monthly mean Chla rs estimates at 1 km resolution across the LCS. Correlation and multiple stepwise regression analyses were used to relate the Chla rs estimates to key environmental drivers expected to influence phytoplankton variability. The Chla rs time-series covaried with river discharge and nutrient concentration, PAR, and wind speed, and there were spatial differences in how these environmental drivers influenced Chla rs . The main axis of spatial variability occurred in a cross-shelf direction with highest Chla rs observed on the inner shelf. Both inner- (〈10 m depth) and middle-shelf (10-50 m depth) Chla rs were observed to covary with inter-annual variations in the size of the hypoxic (O 2 〈 63 mmol m -3 ) area, and they explained ~70% and ~50% variability in inter-annual hypoxia size, respectively.

Description: High resolution satellite data of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer in full resolution mode (MERIS FR, pixel size is 300 m) were used to study the impact of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on oyster-farming sites in a macrotidal bay of the French Atlantic coast where SPM concentration can exceed 100 g m -3 . Because MERIS standard SPM concentration retrieval saturates at about 50 g m -3 , we developed an alternative method for turbid nearshore waters. The method consists in the combination of the Semi-Analytical Atmospheric and Bio-Optical (SAABIO) atmospheric correction with a regional bio-optical algorithm based on a linear relationship between SPM concentration and the reflectance band ratio at 865 and 560 nm. MERIS FR derived SPM concentrations were validated from 10 up to 300 g m -3 , and then merged with oyster ecophysiological responses to provide a spatial picture of the impact of SPM concentration on oyster-farming sites. Our approach demonstrates the potential of high resolution satellite remote-sensing for aquaculture management and shellfish-farming ecosystems studies.

Description: The European Space Agency (ESA)-led SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission aims at monitoring both soil moisture (SM) and ocean surface salinity (OS) on a global scale. The SMOS instrument is a microwave interferometric radiometer which provides visibilities, from which brightness temperatures (TB) maps are reconstructed in the spacecraft’ antenna reference frame. In this study, we investigate how to improve the retrieval of salinity thanks to a better knowledge of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). We show how both the SMOS bias correction (the so-called Ocean Target Transformation, OTT) and the half orbit TEC profile can be obtained from SMOS third Stokes parameter A3 using a location on the SMOS field of view (FOV) where the sensitivity of TB to TEC is highest. The resulting TEC global maps compare favorably with those built from the International Global navigation satellite system Service observations. TEC values obtained from A3 are next used to optimize the OTT estimation for every polarization, and proved to provide more stable values. Finally, improvements achieved in the salinity retrieved from SMOS data are reported.

Description: Upper ocean measurements of temperature and salinity obtained from profiling floats equipped with auxiliary Surface Temperature and Salinity sensors (STS) are presented. Using these instruments, high vertical resolution (10 cm) measurements in the near-surface layer were acquired to within 20 cm of the sea surface, allowing for an examination of the ocean's near-surface structure and variability not usually possible. We examine the data from sixty-two Argo-type floats equipped with STS units deployed in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The vertical variability of temperature and salinity in the near-surface layer are characterized for each of these regions. While observations show the upper four meters of the ocean are well mixed most of the time, this homogeneity is interrupted by significant and often short-lived warming/cooling and freshening events. In addition to the presence of barrier layers, a strong diurnal signal in temperature is observed, with salinity exhibiting somewhat weaker diurnal variations. The magnitude of the upper ocean diurnal cycle in temperature and salinity is largest in areas with light winds and heavy precipitation and was found to decay rapidly with depth (50% over the top two meters). Storm events, validated from meteorological data collected from nearby TAO moorings and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, show downward mixing of rainfall-derived fresh water to ten meters depth over only a few hours. Turner angle calculations show strong instability following these events.

Description: The summertime eastward jet (SEJ) located around 12°N, 110°-113°E, as the offshore extension of the Vietnam coastal current, is an important feature of the South China Sea (SCS) surface circulation in boreal summer. Analysis of satellite-derived sea level and sea surface wind data during 1992-2012 reveals pronounced interannual variations in its surface strength ( S SEJ ) and latitudinal position ( Y SEJ ). In most of these years, the JAS (July, August, and September)-mean S SEJ fluctuates between 0.17-0.55 m s -1 , while Y SEJ shifts between 10.7°-14.3°N. These variations of the SEJ are predominantly contributed from the geostrophic current component that is linked to a meridional dipole pattern of sea level variations. This sea level dipole pattern is primarily induced by local wind changes within the SCS associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Enhanced (weakened) southwest monsoon at the developing (decaying) stage of an El Niño event causes a stronger (weaker) SEJ located south (north) of its mean position. Remote wind forcing from the tropical Pacific can also affect the sea level in the SCS via energy transmission through the Philippine archipelago, but its effect on the SEJ is small. The impact of the oceanic internal variability, such as eddy-current interaction, is assessed using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Such impact can lead to considerable year-to-year changes of sea level and the SEJ, equivalent to ˜20% of the observed variation. This implies the complexity and prediction difficulty of the upper-ocean circulation in this region.

Description: Regional and global trends of Sea Level Rise (SLR) owing to mass addition centered between 1996–2006 are assessed through a full-depth SLR budget using full-depth in-situ ocean data and satellite altimetry. These rates are compared to regional and global trends in ocean mass addition estimated directly using data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) from 2003–2013. Despite the two independent methods covering different time periods with differing spatial and temporal resolution, they both capture the same large-scale mass addition trend patterns including higher rates of mass addition in the North Pacific, South Atlantic, and the Indo-Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean, and lower mass addition trends in the Indian, North Atlantic, South Pacific, and the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. The global mean trend of ocean mass addition is 1.5 (±0.4) mm yr -1 for 1996–2006 from the residual method and the same for 2003–2013 from the GRACE method. Furthermore, the residual method is used to evaluate the error introduced into the mass budget if the deep steric contributions below 700, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 m are neglected, revealing errors of 65%, 38%, 13%, 8% and 4% respectively. The two methods no longer agree within error bars when only the steric contribution shallower than 1000 m is considered.

Description: The mixed layer (ML) temperature and salinity changes in the central tropical Atlantic have been studied by a dedicated experiment (Cold Tongue Experiment (CTE)) carried out from May-July 2011. The CTE was based on two successive research cruises, a glider swarm, and moored observations. The acquired in-situ datasets together with satellite, reanalysis, and assimilation model data were used to evaluate box-averaged ML heat and salinity budgets for two sub-regions: 1) the western equatorial Atlantic Cold Tongue (ACT) (23°-10°W) and 2) the region north of the ACT. The strong ML heat loss in the ACT region during the CTE was found to be the result of the balance of warming due to net surface heat flux and cooling due to zonal advection and diapycnal mixing. The northern region was characterized by weak cooling and the dominant balance of net surface heat flux and zonal advection. A strong salinity increase occurred at the equator, 10°W, just before the CTE. During the CTE, ML salinity in the ACT region slightly increased. Largest contributions to the ML salinity budget were zonal advection and the net surface freshwater flux. While essential for the ML heat budget in the ACT region, diapycnal mixing played only a minor role for the ML salinity budget. In the region north of the ACT, the ML freshened at the beginning of the CTE due to precipitation, followed by a weak salinity increase. Zonal advection changed sign contributing to ML freshening at the beginning of the CTE and salinity increase afterward.

Description: This study systematically investigated the ocean mixed layer responses to tropical cyclone (TC) using available Argo profiles during the period of 1998-2011 in the Northwest Pacific. Results reveal that isothermal layer (IL) deepening and isothermal layer (IL) cooling with evident rightward biases induced by strong TCs are clearer compared to the weak TCs. Likewise, the rightward biases of IL deepening and cooling induced by fast TCs are more obvious than that induced by slow TCs. The upwelling within TC's eye is much stronger for the strong (slow) TCs than weak (fast) TCs. For the strong and slow TCs, the TC-induced rainfall reduces deepening of constant density layer [with its depth called the mixed layer depth (MLD)], and in turn increases the barrier layer thickness (BLT). The initial BL prior to TC can restrict IL cooling more markedly under the weak and fast TCs than under the strong and slow TCs. The inertial oscillation is stronger induced by the strong (fast) TCs than by the weak (slow) TCs. In addition, the most pronounced TC-induced mixed layer deepening and IL cooling in July-October climatology occur in the subtropical gyre of the Northwest Pacific with enhanced vertical diffusivity. The maximum increase of isothermal layer depth (ILD) and MLD is up to 5m, with IL cooling up to 0.4°C.

Description: A new monthly sea surface salinity (SSS) product calculated from profile data within the World Ocean Database (WOD) is compared and contrasted with Aquarius SSS, both standard and Combined Active-Passive (CAP) products, from September 2011 through September 2013. Aquarius exhibits similar biases as shown in previous comparison SSS studies, with negative biases in the tropics transitioning to positive biases in the higher latitudes when compared to WOD SSS. These biases are generally much weaker in CAP than the standard version, indicating that the biases are strongly related to the differences in algorithms used to retrieve satellite SSS. Non-Argo data utilized in the study is shown to be of great use to validate Aquarius in regions with little to no Argo coverage and helps provide SSS measurements in regions where there are known errors in Aquarius retrievals. The annual cycle of WOD and Aquarius are found to be very similar, with Aquarius being generally more coherent and robust. All three products’ annual cycles compared favorably to the World Ocean Atlas 2013. The interannual changes in all three products generally corresponded well to one another and to changes in evaporation and precipitation (E-P). Overall, Aquarius compares very well with in situ sea surface salinity fields under multiple comparison examinations; however, both products have their own strengths and weaknesses and a synthesis of the two should be used to study global scale SSS variability.

Description: The Southern Ocean's ability to store and transport heat and tracers as well as to dissipate momentum and energy are intimately related to the vertical structure of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Here the partition between barotropic and baroclinic flow in the time-mean ACC is investigated in a Southern Ocean state estimate. The zonal geostrophic transport is predominantly baroclinic, with at most 25% of the transport at any longitude carried by the barotropic component. Following surface streamlines, changes in vertical shear and near-bottom velocity are large, and result in changes in the local partition of barotropic/baroclinic vertically integrated transport from 10/90% in the center of the basins, to 50/50% near complex topography. The velocity at depth is not aligned with the surface velocity. This non-equivalent barotropic flow supports significant cross-stream transports. Barotropic and baroclinic mass transport across the ACC is, on average, in opposite directions, with the net barotropic cross-stream transport being poleward and the net baroclinic equatorward. The sum partially cancels out, leaving a net geostrophic poleward transport across the different fronts between -5 and -20 Sv. Temperature is also transported across the fronts by the non-equivalent barotropic part of the ACC, with maximum values across the northern ACC fronts equivalent to -0.2 PW. The sign and magnitude of these transports is not sensitive to the choice of stream-coordinate. These cross-stream volume and temperature transports are variable in space, and dependent on the interactions between deep flow and bathymetry, thus difficult to infer from surface and hydrographic observations alone.

Description: The Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS) Ocean Model, provided by INGV, has been chosen as case study to analyze Lagrangian trajectory predictability by means of a dynamical systems approach. To this regard, numerical trajectories are tested against a large amount of Mediterranean drifter data, used as sample of the actual tracer dynamics across the sea. The separation rate of a trajectory pair is measured by computing the Finite-Scale Lyapunov Exponent (FSLE) of first and second kind. An additional kinematic Lagrangian model (KLM), suitably treated to avoid “sweeping”-related problems, has been nested into the MFS in order to recover, in a statistical sense, the velocity field contributions to pair particle dispersion, at mesoscale level, smoothed out by finite resolution effects. Some of the results emerging from this work are: a) drifter pair dispersion displays Richardson's turbulent diffusion inside the [10-100] km range, while numerical simulations of MFS alone (i.e. without subgrid model) indicate exponential separation; b) adding the subgrid model, model pair dispersion gets very close to observed data, indicating that KLM is effective in filling the energy “mesoscale gap” present in MFS velocity fields; c) there exists a threshold size beyond which pair dispersion becomes weakly sensitive to the difference between model and “real” dynamics; d) the whole methodology here presented can be used to quantify model errors and validate numerical current fields, as far as forecasts of Lagrangian dispersion are concerned.

Description: Sea-surface salinity (SSS) observed by Aquarius was compared with global observation from Argo floats and offshore moored buoys to evaluate the quality of satellite SSS data and to assess error structures. Aquarius products retrieved by different algorithms (Aquarius Official Release version 3.0 (V3.0), Combined Active-Passive (CAP) algorithm version 3.0, Remote Sensing Systems testbed algorithm version 3) were compared. The Aquarius SSS was in good agreement with in situ salinity measurements for all three products. Root-mean-square (rms) differences of the salinity residual, with respect to Argo salinity, ranged from 0.41 to 0.52 psu. These three Aquarius products exhibit high SSS deviation from Argo salinity under lower sea-surface temperature conditions (〈 10 °C) due to lower sensitivity of microwave emissivity to SSS. The CAP product deviates under strong wind conditions (〉 10 ms − 1 ), probably due to model bias and uncertainty associated with sea-surface roughness. Furthermore, significant SSS differences between ascending (south-to-north) and descending (north-to-south) paths were detected. The monthly-averaged Aquarius SSS (1° × 1° grid) was also compared with outputs from the ocean data optimal interpolation (OI) system operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science Technology (JAMSTEC) and the ocean data assimilation system used by the Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency (MRI/JMA). Negative bias, attributed to near-surface salinity stratification by precipitation, was detected in tropical regions. For 40°S–40°N, rms difference, with respect to JAMSTEC OI, is 0.27 psu for the V3.0, while the CAP product rms difference is only 0.22 psu, which is close to the Aquarius mission goal.