The Identification and Nomenclature of the Surface Water Masses in the Tasman Sea (Data to the End of 1954)

1957 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Rochford
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
The South ◽  
Coral Sea ◽  
Tasman Sea ◽  
East And West ◽  
Western Side

In this paper an examination of all available data on the hydrological characteristics of the Tasman Sea, prior to and including the year 1954, has permitted the identification and naming of eight surface water masses. Certain of their properties and general features of their season and region of occurrence and method of formation are summarized. Although little quantitative data are available some general features of the circulation of these water masses in the Tasman Sea are deduced from a study of their seasonal occurrence in relation to source regions. The Coral Sea water mass (chlorinity 19.60-19.70‰, temperature 20-26� C) flows from a source region in the north-west Coral Sea along the western side of the Tasman Sea and reaches maximum velocity off Sydney in October-December. The South Equatorial (chlorinity 19.50-19.60‰, temperature 24-26� C) also flows south along the western side of the Tasman Sea but reaches maximum velocity between February and March. These two water masses constitute the East Australian current. The Sub-Antarctic (chlorinity 19.15-19.30‰, temperature 10-14°C) is found at the surface in the south-eastern Tasman Sea between July and September. The Central Tasman (chlorinity 19.65-19.75‰, temperature 15-20‰C) flows to the west from its region of formation and generally flows north along the southern New South Wales coast in late winter. The South-west Tasman (chlorinity 19.50- 19.60‰, temperature 12-15°C) flows to the east in latitude 38�S. and curves south in a clockwise gyral off eastern Tasmania between October and December. The Xorth Bass Strait (chlorinity 19.66-19.75‰ temperature 12-17�C) flows from South Australia to the eastern approaches of Bass Strait. The East Central New Zealand (chlorinity 19.10-19.30‰, temperature 15-20°C) flows west through Cook Strait into the Tasman Sea in midsummer. The East and West Tasmanian (chlorinity 19.40- 19.50‰ temperature 10-14°C) form in midwinter in the southern part of Bass Strait and flow along the east and west coasts in the spring.

Geographical distribution of living planktonic foraminifera (Protozoa) off the east coast of Australia.

1988 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Andrijanic
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
Planktonic Foraminifera ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Tasman Sea ◽  
Eastern Australia

Major water masses found off eastern Australia can be identified by their planktonic foraminiferal faunas. A total of 83 surface and oblique plankton samples from two cruises, in spring (October) and summer (January), between Hobart at 44� S. and Townsville at 18� S. yielded 27 species belonging to four distinct faunas: 'tropical', 'warm subtropical', 'cool subtropical' and 'transitional'. The tropical fauna is characterized by Globigerinoides sacculifer at an abundance greater than 42% and the co- dominance of Globigerinoides conglobatus, and is associated with Coral Sea water of equatorial origin. The subtropical fauna can be subdivided into warm and cool elements. The warm-subtropical fauna, with G. sacculifer more abundant than Globigerinoides ruber, inhabits Coral and Tasman Sea waters. The cool-subtropical fauna is a mixture of the warm subtropical and the transitional faunas. The transitional fauna is dominated by Globorotalia inflata and Globigerina bulloides in the south Tasman Sea subantarctic waters. It characterizes the South West Tasman water as defined by Rochford (1957). These water masses can be clearly separated, and the extent of mixing determined by their foraminiferal fauna. The shifts in the boundaries between the faunal zones was evident between spring and summer. The boundary between the tropical and subtropical water corresponds to the tropical convergence and the subtropical/transitional boundary is the Tasman Front. During the spring cruise, a warm core eddy was identified by its warm subtropical foraminiferal fauna surrounded by a transitional fauna to the south and cool subtropical fauna to the north. This water body was near 32� S., which is consistent with the reported positions of eddies shed by the East Australian Current. The distribution patterns of individual species are discussed.

Biogeochemical processes and labile composition of settling particulate organic matter in the south-west Pacific Ocean

2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lallan Prasad Gupta ◽  
Hodaka Kawahata
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Deep Trap ◽  
Biogeochemical Processes ◽  
Shallow Trap ◽  
The South ◽  
Coral Sea ◽  
South West ◽  
Tasman Sea

Settling particles collected by sediment traps deployed for approximately 1 year in the Coral Sea and Tasman Sea were analysed to understand the biogeochemical processes controlling the cycling and flux of particulate organic matter (POM) in the south-west Pacific. Samples were analysed for 20 amino acids (AA) and two hexosamines (HA) and the data were interpreted together with already published data on opal (biogenic silica), organic carbon and total nitrogen contents. Mean fluxes of labile carbon and nitrogen at one site were significantly different (P < 0.04, t-test; n = 14–18) from those at other sites. The southernmost trap recorded the highest concentrations of AA, HA and organic carbon normalized AA. At a site in the south, POM was more degraded in the deep trap than in the shallow trap. Occasionally, higher fluxes were also recorded at the deep trap relative to the shallow trap. The C/Natomic ratio coupled with AA- and HA-based parameters clearly suggested contribution of POM through resuspension as well as lateral advection at the more southern site, whereas a strong influence of zooplankton on total mass flux was revealed at the northern site during the period August–September 1995. It is evident from the data that higher flux of particles having higher labile contents (AA and HA) is more prevalent in the Tasman Sea than in the Coral Sea.

Nomenclature of Water Masses in the Tasman Sea

1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Garner
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Oceanic Water ◽  
East Central ◽  
Coral Sea ◽  
Tasman Sea

In a recent paper by Rochford (1957) on the identification and nomenclature of water masses in the Tasman and Coral Seas, three oceanic water masses of importance to New Zealand hydrology have been described as "Coral Sea", "Sub-Antarctic", and "East Central New Zealand". Reasons are advanced here to suggest that the origins proposed for these water masses may require modification.

scholarly journals Aegean Sea Water Masses during the Early Stages of the Eastern Mediterranean Climatic Transient (1988–90)

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1841-1859 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Gertman ◽  
N. Pinardi ◽  
Y. Popov ◽  
A. Hecht
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Cretan Sea

Abstract The Aegean water masses and circulation structure are studied via two large-scale surveys performed during the late winters of 1988 and 1990 by the R/V Yakov Gakkel of the former Soviet Union. The analysis of these data sheds light on the mechanisms of water mass formation in the Aegean Sea that triggered the outflow of Cretan Deep Water (CDW) from the Cretan Sea into the abyssal basins of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Transient). It is found that the central Aegean Basin is the site of the formation of Aegean Intermediate Water, which slides southward and, depending on their density, renews either the intermediate or the deep water of the Cretan Sea. During the winter of 1988, the Cretan Sea waters were renewed mainly at intermediate levels, while during the winter of 1990 it was mainly the volume of CDW that increased. This Aegean water mass redistribution and formation process in 1990 differed from that in 1988 in two major aspects: (i) during the winter of 1990 the position of the front between the Black Sea Water and the Levantine Surface Water was displaced farther north than during the winter of 1988 and (ii) heavier waters were formed in 1990 as a result of enhanced lateral advection of salty Levantine Surface Water that enriched the intermediate waters with salt. In 1990 the 29.2 isopycnal rose to the surface of the central basin and a large volume of CDW filled the Cretan Basin. It is found that, already in 1988, the 29.2 isopycnal surface, which we assume is the lowest density of the CDW, was shallower than the Kassos Strait sill and thus CDW egressed into the Eastern Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Is Interleaving in the Agulhas Current Driven by Near-Inertial Velocity Perturbations?

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 932-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Beal
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Horizontal Shear ◽  
Agulhas Current

Abstract Recent observations taken at a number of latitudes in the Agulhas Current reveal that the water mass structure on either side of its dynamical core is distinctly different. Moreover, interleaving of these distinct water masses is observed at over 80% of the stations occupied in the current, particularly within the subsurface density layer between tropical surface water and subtropical surface water masses, and within the intermediate layer between the Antarctic Intermediate Water and Red Sea water masses. Direct velocity measurements allow for a comparison between the characteristic vertical length scales of the Agulhas intrusions and those of velocity perturbations found throughout the current. It is found that the interleaving scales match those of the velocity perturbations, which are manifest as high-wavenumber vertical shear layers and are identified as near-inertial oscillations. Furthermore, the properties of the intrusions indicate that double diffusion is not an important process in their development: they are generally not associated with a density anomaly, their slope and thickness fall outside the predicted maxima for instability, and a strong horizontal shear field acts to separate water parcels more quickly than intrusions would be able to grow by double-diffusive processes. Instead, the position, thickness, and slope of Agulhas intrusions relative to the background salinity and density field suggest that they are forced by rotating inertial velocities, with subsequent growth possibly driven by small-scale baroclinic instabilities. However, not all the evidence points conclusively toward advectively driven intrusions. For instance, there is a discrepancy between the observed salinity anomaly amplitude and the predicted inertial displacement given the background salinity gradient, which deserves further examination. Hence, there is a future need for more pointed observations and perhaps the development of an analytical or numerical model to understand the exact nature of Agulhas intrusions.

Water Mass Transformation and Subduction in the South Atlantic

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 1841-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Donners ◽  
S. S. Drijfhout ◽  
W. Hazeleger
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Abstract The transformation of water masses induced by air–sea fluxes in the South Atlantic Ocean is calculated with a global ocean model, Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modeling (OCCAM), and has been compared with several observational datasets. Air–sea interaction supplies buoyancy to the ocean at almost all density levels. The uncertainty of the estimates of water mass transformations is at least 10 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1), largely caused by the uncertainties in heat fluxes. Further analysis of the buoyancy budget of the mixed layer in the OCCAM model shows that diffusion extracts buoyancy from the water column at all densities. In agreement with observations, water mass formation of surface water by air–sea interaction is completely balanced by consumption from diffusion. There is a large interocean exchange with the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Intermediate water is imported from the Pacific, and light surface water is imported from the Indian Ocean. South Atlantic Central Water and denser water masses are exported to the Indian Ocean. The air–sea formation rate is only a qualitative estimate of the sum of subduction and interocean exchange. Subduction generates teleconnections between the South Atlantic and remote areas where these water masses reemerge in the mixed layer. Therefore, the subduction is analyzed with a Lagrangian trajectory analysis. Surface water obducts in the South Atlantic, while all other water masses experience net subduction. The subducted Antarctic Intermediate Water and Subantarctic Mode Water reemerge mainly in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current farther downstream. Lighter waters reemerge in the eastern tropical Atlantic. As a result, the extratropical South Atlantic has a strong link with the tropical Atlantic basin and only a weak direct link with the extratropical North Atlantic. The impact of the South Atlantic on the upper branch of the thermohaline circulation is indirect: water is significantly transformed by air–sea fluxes and mixing in the South Atlantic, but most of it reemerges and subducts again farther downstream.

scholarly journals Properties of surface water masses in the Laptev and the East Siberian seas in summer 2018 from in situ and satellite data

Ocean Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-247
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Tarasenko ◽  
Alexandre Supply ◽  
Nikita Kusse-Tiuz ◽  
Vladimir Ivanov ◽  
Mikhail Makhotin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Ekman Transport ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Marginal Ice Zone

Abstract. Variability of surface water masses of the Laptev and the East Siberian seas in August–September 2018 is studied using in situ and satellite data. In situ data were collected during the ARKTIKA-2018 expedition and then complemented with satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST), salinity (SSS), sea surface height, wind speed, and sea ice concentration. The estimation of SSS fields is challenging in high-latitude regions, and the precision of soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) SSS retrieval is improved by applying a threshold on SSS weekly error. For the first time in this region, the validity of DMI (Danish Meteorological Institute) SST and SMOS SSS products is thoroughly studied using ARKTIKA-2018 expedition continuous thermosalinograph measurements and conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) casts. They are found to be adequate to describe large surface gradients in this region. Surface gradients and mixing of the river and the sea water in the ice-free and ice-covered areas are described with a special attention to the marginal ice zone at a synoptic scale. We suggest that the freshwater is pushed northward, close to the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and under the sea ice, which is confirmed by the oxygen isotope analysis. The SST-SSS diagram based on satellite estimates shows the possibility of investigating the surface water mass transformation at a synoptic scale and reveals the presence of river water on the shelf of the East Siberian Sea. The Ekman transport is calculated to better understand the pathway of surface water displacement on the shelf and beyond.

Prehistoric Galilee

Antiquity ◽  
1927 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Turville Petre
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
The South ◽  
Jordan Valley ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
East And West ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Western Side

The district with which we are concerned constitutes the northern section of Galilee between the Nahr-el-Kasmiyeh and the Merj Ayun to the north, and the plains of Haifa and Asochis (Sahel-el-Buttauf) and the Wadi Hammam to the south; to the east and west its boundaries are respectively the Jordan and the Mediterranean. The greater part of the region is occupied by a central limestone massif, the Galilean highlands, which rise in a series of terraces from the Jordan valley to a height of nearly 4000 feet above sea level, and then descend steeply to the Mediterranean coastal plain. Much of this country, especially on the western side of the watershed, is barren and uncultivable, but the high central plateau in the north from Yarun to Tibnin and the lower plateaux of Kades and Safsaf include some of the most productive corn-growing districts west of the Jordan. The beds of the larger valleys also, which even in summer are not entirely waterless, provide fertile garden land and are mostly highly cultivated. The more rocky parts of the region provide scant pasturage for flocks of goats, and in most places the olive is cultivated to a limited extent.

Perchlorate, chlorate and bromate in water samples from the South-West coast of India

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. N. Anupama ◽  
K. Kannan ◽  
P. V. G. Prajeesh ◽  
S. Rugmini ◽  
B. Krishnakumar
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Well Water ◽  
The South ◽  
South West ◽  
South West Coast

Occurrence of perchlorate (ClO4−), chlorate (ClO3−) and bromate (BrO3−) in public drinking, open well and surface water sources at 20 locations in the South-West coastal state of Kerala (India) is reported. The analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography interfaced with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). Irrespective of water source (public tap water, open well water and surface water) all the analyzed samples contained high levels of ClO4−, indicating its contamination throughout the region. The highest ClO4− level found was 91.4 μg/L, which is 3.7 times higher than US EPA recommendations. ClO3− and BrO3− were also detected in the samples, with highest concentrations of 177 and 5.34 μg/L respectively in tap water samples. Regression analysis showed moderate positive correlation between ClO4− and bromide (Br−) in tap water (r2=0.659) and open well water (r2=0.485) samples, respectively. Similar correlation was also observed between ClO4− and Cl− (r2=0.591) concentrations in well water samples, indicating sea water could be one of the probable sources in addition to ClO4− manufacturing in the area. This is the first report of high levels of ClO4− and ClO3− and detectable BrO3− in water samples from anywhere in India.

Geophysical Features of Coastal West Bengal

2018 ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
The South ◽  
Seasonal Movements ◽  
Coast Line ◽  
Present Study Area ◽  
East And West ◽  
Physical Features ◽  
North And South ◽  
Geophysical Features

The geo-physical features of the vast stretch of land constituting the study area have been delineated in this chapter. The present study area mainly comprises the mature and active delta regions, that is, the modern districts of North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, parts of Nadia and East and West Midnapur. In addition to the mature and active delta regions, the adjoining upland areas lying to the south and west of the present district of West Midnapur have also being taken into consideration. The geo-physical considerations have led the author to classify the study area into three arbitrary zones. However, these zones should not be viewed as watertight compartments. A sub-section deals with the physiographic features of the three zones. The chapter also discusses coast-line fluctuations and river course change since the seasonal movements of sea water, stagnation of water and subsequent lagoon formation, changes in the courses of the main rivers, and excessive flow from the upper reaches often leading to floods have all influenced the surviving strategies and even the development of settlements in the coastal tract. Changes in river courses in many instances have been instrumental in the survival and spread of sites.

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