Statistical description of the East Australian Current low-frequency variability from the WOCE PCM3 array

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio M. Mata ◽  
Susan Wijffels ◽  
John A. Church ◽  
Matthias Tomczak

The in situ dataset used in the current study consists of the Pacific Current Meter 3 (PCM3) array, which was a significant part of the Australian contribution to the World Ocean Circulation Experiment to study the variability of the East Australian Current (EAC), and was operational between September 1991 and March 1994. Area-preserving spectral analysis has been used to investigate the typical time scales observed by the current meters. As a general rule, the spectra from the top layers of the shallow (1, 2 and 3) and the deep (4, 5 and 6) moorings have a distinct peak in the temporal mesoscale band (periods between 70 and 170 days), with a general redistribution of energy towards the higher-frequencies near the ocean floor. This peak has been linked with eddy variability of the EAC system, which influences the fluctuations of the current main jet. The vertical modes of the velocity profile show that the strong surface-intensified baroclinic signal of the EAC dominated the variability at mooring 4 location. Further offshore the predominant configuration resembles more closely the barotropic mode. Ultimately, spatial empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis point out the impact of the presence/absence of the EAC jet in the array.

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 4404-4424 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kravtsov ◽  
D. Kondrashov ◽  
M. Ghil

Abstract Predictive models are constructed to best describe an observed field’s statistics within a given class of nonlinear dynamics driven by a spatially coherent noise that is white in time. For linear dynamics, such inverse stochastic models are obtained by multiple linear regression (MLR). Nonlinear dynamics, when more appropriate, is accommodated by applying multiple polynomial regression (MPR) instead; the resulting model uses polynomial predictors, but the dependence on the regression parameters is linear in both MPR and MLR. The basic concepts are illustrated using the Lorenz convection model, the classical double-well problem, and a three-well problem in two space dimensions. Given a data sample that is long enough, MPR successfully reconstructs the model coefficients in the former two cases, while the resulting inverse model captures the three-regime structure of the system’s probability density function (PDF) in the latter case. A novel multilevel generalization of the classic regression procedure is introduced next. In this generalization, the residual stochastic forcing at a given level is subsequently modeled as a function of variables at this level and all the preceding ones. The number of levels is determined so that the lag-0 covariance of the residual forcing converges to a constant matrix, while its lag-1 covariance vanishes. This method has been applied to the output of a three-layer, quasigeostrophic model and to the analysis of Northern Hemisphere wintertime geopotential height anomalies. In both cases, the inverse model simulations reproduce well the multiregime structure of the PDF constructed in the subspace spanned by the dataset’s leading empirical orthogonal functions, as well as the detailed spectrum of the dataset’s temporal evolution. These encouraging results are interpreted in terms of the modeled low-frequency flow’s feedback on the statistics of the subgrid-scale processes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 227-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stuck ◽  
A. Güntner ◽  
B. Merz

Abstract. The variability of the simulated hydro-climatology of the WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model (WGHM) is analysed. Main object of this study is the ENSO-driven variability of the water storage of South America. The horizontal model resolution amounts to 0.5 degree and it is forced with monthly climate variables for 1961-1995 of the Tyndall Centre Climate Research Unit dataset (CRU TS 2.0) as a representation of the observed climate state. Secondly, the model is also forced by the model output of a global circulation model, the ECHAM4-T42 GCM. This model itself is driven by observed monthly means of the global Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) and the sea ice coverage for the period of 1903 to 1994 (GISST). Thus, the climate model and the hydrological model represent a realistic simulated realisation of the hydro-climatologic state of the last century. Since four simulations of the ECHAM4 model with the same forcing, but with different initial conditions are carried out, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) gives an impression of the impact of the varying SST on the hydro-climatology, because the variance can be separated into a SST-explained and a model internal variability (noise). Also regional multivariate analyses, like Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) provide information of the complex time-space variability. In particular the Amazon region and the South of Brazil are significantly influenced by the ENSO-variability, but also the Pacific coastal areas of Ecuador and Peru are affected. Additionally, different ENSO-indices, based on SST anomalies (e.g. NINO3.4, NINO1+2), and its influence on the South American hydro-climatology are analysed. Especially, the Pacific coast regions of Ecuador, Peru and Chile show a very different behaviour dependant on those indices.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Sheehan ◽  
Karen Heywood ◽  
Andrew Thompson ◽  
Mar Flexas

<p>Quantifying meltwater content and describing transport pathways is important for understanding the impact of a warming, melting Antarctica on ocean circulation. Meltwater fluxes can affect density-driven, on-shelf flows around the continent, and the formation of the dense water masses that ventilate abyssal regions of the world ocean. We present observations collected from two ocean gliders that were deployed in the Bellingshausen Sea for a period of 10 weeks between January and March of 2020.<span>  </span>Using multiple high-resolution sections, we quantify both the distribution of meltwater concentrations and lateral meltwater fluxes within the Belgica Trough in the Bellingshausen Sea. We observe a cyclonic circulation in the trough, in agreement with previous studies. A meltwater flux of 0.46 mSv is observed flowing northwards in the<span>  </span>western limb of the cyclonic circulation. A newly identified meltwater re-circulation (0.88 mSv) is observed flowing back towards the ice front (i.e. southwards) with the eastern limb of the cyclonic circulation. In addition, 1.16 mSv of meltwater is observed flowing northeastward, parallel to the shelf break, with the northern limb of the cyclonic circulation. Peak meltwater is concentrated into two layers associated with different density surfaces: one approximately 150 m deep (27.4 kg m<sup>-3</sup>) and one approximately 200 m deep (27.6 kg m<sup>-3</sup>}). The deeper of these layers is characterised by an elevated optical backscatter, which indicates a more turbid water mass. The shallower layer is less turbid, and is more prominent closer to the shelf break and in the eastern part of the Belgica Trough. We hypothesise that the deeper, turbid meltwater layer originates locally from the Venables Ice Shelf, whereas the shallower, less turbid meltwater layer, comprises meltwater from ice shelves in the eastern Bellingshausen Sea. The broad distribution of meltwater from multiple sources suggests the potential for remote interactions and feedbacks between the various ice shelves that abut the Bellingshausen Sea.</p>


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 840-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kravtsov ◽  
A. W. Robertson ◽  
M. Ghil

Abstract This paper studies multiple regimes and low-frequency oscillations in the Northern Hemisphere zonal-mean zonal flow in winter, using 55 yr of daily observational data. The probability density function estimated in the phase space spanned by the two leading empirical orthogonal functions exhibits two distinct, statistically significant maxima. The two regimes associated with these maxima describe persistent zonal-flow states that are characterized by meridional displacements of the midlatitude jet, poleward and equatorward of its time-mean position. The geopotential height anomalies of either regime have a pronounced zonally symmetric component, but largest-amplitude anomalies are located over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. High-frequency synoptic transients participate in the maintenance of and transitions between these regimes. Significant oscillatory components with periods of 147 and 72 days are identified by spectral analysis of the zonal-flow time series. These oscillations are described by singular spectrum analysis and the multitaper method. The 147-day oscillation involves zonal-flow anomalies that propagate poleward, while the 72-day oscillation only manifests northward propagation in the Atlantic sector. Both modes mainly describe changes in the midlatitude jet position and intensity. In the horizontal plane though, the two modes exhibit synchronous centers of action located over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The two persistent flow regimes are associated with slow phases of either oscillation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 7863-7883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Armstrong ◽  
Paul Valdes ◽  
Jo House ◽  
Joy Singarayer

Abstract This study investigates the impact of CO2 on the amplitude, frequency, and mechanisms of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) variability in millennial simulations of the HadCM3 coupled climate model. Multichannel singular spectrum analysis (MSSA) and empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) are applied to the AMOC at four quasi-equilibrium CO2 forcings. The amount of variance explained by the first and second eigenmodes appears to be small (i.e., 11.19%); however, the results indicate that both AMOC strength and variability weaken at higher CO2 concentrations. This accompanies an apparent shift from a predominant 100–125-yr cycle at 350 ppm to 160 yr at 1400 ppm. Changes in amplitude are shown to feed back onto the atmosphere. Variability may be linked to salinity-driven density changes in the Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian Seas, fueled by advection of anomalies predominantly from the Arctic and Caribbean regions. A positive density anomaly accompanies a decrease in stratification and an increase in convection and Ekman pumping, generating a strong phase of the AMOC (and vice versa). Arctic anomalies may be generated via an internal ocean mode that may be key in driving variability and are shown to weaken at higher CO2, possibly driving the overall reduction in amplitude. Tropical anomalies may play a secondary role in modulating variability and are thought to be more influential at higher CO2, possibly due to an increased residence time in the subtropical gyre and/or increased surface runoff driven by simulated dieback of the Amazon rain forest. These results indicate that CO2 may not only weaken AMOC strength but also alter the mechanisms that drive variability, both of which have implications for climate change on multicentury time scales.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. D. Rostov ◽  
E. V. Dmitrieva ◽  
N. I. Rudykh ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Purpose. The study is aimed at identifying the regional features of the surface air temperature in the coastal zone and over the Pacific Ocean (to the north of 40° N) manifested as a result of global climate changes at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries, and at assessing their trends and possible causal relationships with the processes in the atmosphere and on the ocean surface. Methods and Results. Based on the Global Meteorological Network and NOAA reanalysis data, the regional features of interannual fluctuations of the surface air temperature and their relationship with variations in the fields of pressure, wind and water temperature on the ocean surface, and with climate indices over the past 4 decades were identified. In order to determine the temperature field spatialtemporal structure and to zone the water area according to the features of climate changes, the methods of cluster, correlation analysis and the apparatus of empirical orthogonal functions were used. The results obtained made it possible to characterize the degree of heterogeneity of the studied area response to the ongoing global changes, to identify different domains and to assess quantitatively the warming rate in these water areas. Conclusions. The tendencies of modern warming are manifested in the trends of interannual air temperature variability, on the average, by ~0.20°C/10 years in the subarctic, and indicate significant regional differences (1.5–2 times) in the ongoing changes. In the west of the region, the warming rate is higher than in the east, where the temperature trends are minimal or statistically insignificant. In the warm period of a year, their values are higher than those in the cold period. The alternation phases of the warm and cold periods are consistent with the variation tendencies in the characteristics both of the atmospheric action centers and various climatic parameters. The corresponding correlations are most widely manifested in variations in the empirical orthogonal functions modes of the H500 geopotential field, and the PDO, NP, SOI, PTW, AD and EP/NP indices. Stable anomalies and trends of the ocean surface temperature in the North Atlantic also play an important role in formation of the Та anomalies in the western subarctic.


2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dörthe Handorf ◽  
Klaus Dethloff ◽  
Andrew G. Marshall ◽  
Amanda Lynch

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of Northern Hemisphere climate regime variability for three different time slices, simulated by the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model (FOAM). The three time slices are composed of present-day conditions, the mid-Holocene, and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Climate regimes have been determined by analyzing the structure of a spherical probability density function in a low-dimensional state space spanned by the three leading empirical orthogonal functions. This study confirms the ability of the FOAM medium-resolution climate model to reproduce low-frequency climate variability in the form of regime-like behavior. Three to four regimes have been detected for each time slice. Compared with present-day conditions, new climate regimes appeared for the LGM. For the mid-Holocene, which had slightly different boundary conditions and external forcings than the present-day simulation, the frequency of occurrence of the regimes was altered while only slight changes were found in the structure of some regimes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 2519-2535 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Braesicke ◽  
C. Brühl ◽  
M. Dameris ◽  
R. Deckert ◽  
V. Eyring ◽  
...  

Abstract. A statistical framework to evaluate the performance of chemistry-climate models with respect to the interaction between meteorology and column ozone during northern hemisphere mid-winter, in particularly January, is used. Different statistical diagnostics from four chemistry-climate models (E39C, ME4C, UMUCAM, ULAQ) are compared with the ERA-40 re-analysis. First, we analyse vertical coherence in geopotential height anomalies as described by linear correlations between two different pressure levels (30 and 200 hPa) of the atmosphere. In addition, linear correlations between column ozone and geopotential height anomalies at 200 hPa are discussed to motivate a simple picture of the meteorological impacts on column ozone on interannual timescales. Secondly, we discuss characteristic spatial structures in geopotential height and column ozone anomalies as given by their first two empirical orthogonal functions. Finally, we describe the covariance patterns between reconstructed anomalies of geopotential height and column ozone. In general we find good agreement between the models with higher horizontal resolution (E39C, ME4C, UMUCAM) and ERA-40. The Pacific-North American (PNA) pattern emerges as a useful qualitative benchmark for the model performance. Models with higher horizontal resolution and high upper boundary (ME4C and UMUCAM) show good agreement with the PNA tripole derived from ERA-40 data, including the column ozone modulation over the Pacfic sector. The model with lowest horizontal resolution does not show a classic PNA pattern (ULAQ), and the model with the lowest upper boundary (E39C) does not capture the PNA related column ozone variations over the Pacific sector. Those discrepancies have to be taken into account when providing confidence intervals for climate change integrations.


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