Surface Quasigeostrophic Solutions and Baroclinic Modes with Exponential Stratification

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. LaCasce
Keyword(s):  
Surface Density ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bottom Topography ◽  
Baroclinic Mode ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Density Anomaly ◽  
Barotropic Mode ◽  
Baroclinic Modes ◽  
Exponential Stratification

Abstract The author derives baroclinic modes and surface quasigeostrophic (SQG) solutions with exponential stratification and compares the results to those obtained with constant stratification. The SQG solutions with exponential stratification decay more rapidly in the vertical and have weaker near-surface velocities. This then compounds the previously noted problem that SQG underpredicts the velocities associated with a given surface density anomaly. The author also examines how the SQG solutions project onto the baroclinic modes. With constant stratification, SQG waves larger than deformation scale project primarily onto the barotropic mode and to a lesser degree onto the first baroclinic mode. However, with exponential stratification, the largest projection is on the first baroclinic mode. The effect is even more pronounced over rough bottom topography. Therefore, large-scale SQG waves will look like the first baroclinic mode and vice versa, with realistic stratification.

Planetary waves in a stratified ocean of variable depth. Part 2. Continuously stratified ocean

1999 ◽  
Vol 388 ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. BOBROVICH ◽  
G. M. REZNIK
Keyword(s):  
Asymptotic Methods ◽  
Bottom Layer ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Baroclinic Mode ◽  
Displacement Effect ◽  
Barotropic Mode ◽  
Two Layer Model ◽  
Stratified Ocean ◽  
Baroclinic Modes

Linear Rossby waves in a continuously stratified ocean over a corrugated rough-bottomed topography are investigated by asymptotic methods. The main results are obtained for the case of constant buoyancy frequency. In this case there exist three types of modes: a topographic mode, a barotropic mode, and a countable set of baroclinic modes. The properties of these modes depend on the type of mode, the relative height δ of the bottom bumps, the wave scale L, the topography scale Lb and the Rossby scale Li. For small δ the barotropic and baroclinic modes are transformed into the ‘usual’ Rossby modes in an ocean of constant depth and the topographic mode degenerates. With increasing δ the frequencies of the barotropic and topographic modes increase monotonically and these modes become close to a purely topographic mode for sufficiently large δ. As for the baroclinic modes, their frequencies do not exceed O(βL) for any δ. For large δ the so-called ‘displacement’ effect occurs when the mode velocity becomes small in a near-bottom layer and the baroclinic mode does not ‘feel’ the actual rough bottom relief. At the same time, for some special values of the parameters a sort of resonance arises under which the large- and small-scale components of the baroclinic mode intensify strongly near the bottom.As in the two-layer model, a so-called ‘screening’ effect takes place here. It implies that for Lb<Li the small-scale component of the mode is confined to a near-bottom boundary layer (Lb/Li)H thick, whereas in the region above the layer the scale L of motion is always larger than or of the order of Li.

scholarly journals Influence of the Upstream Terrain on the Formation of a Cold Frontal Snowband in Northeast China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Li ◽  
Baofeng Jiao ◽  
Lingkun Ran ◽  
Zongting Gao ◽  
Shouting Gao
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Control Experiment ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Inertial Instability ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Conditional Instability

AbstractWe investigated the influence of upstream terrain on the formation of a cold frontal snowband in Northeast China. We conducted numerical sensitivity experiments that gradually removed the upstream terrain and compared the results with a control experiment. Our results indicate a clear negative effect of upstream terrain on the formation of snowbands, especially over large-scale terrain. By thoroughly examining the ingredients necessary for snowfall (instability, lifting and moisture), we found that the release of mid-level conditional instability, followed by the release of low-level or near surface instabilities (inertial instability, conditional instability or conditional symmetrical instability), contributed to formation of the snowband in both experiments. The lifting required for the release of these instabilities was mainly a result of frontogenetic forcing and upper gravity waves. However, the snowband in the control experiment developed later and was weaker than that in the experiment without upstream terrain. Two factors contributed to this negative topographic effect: (1) the mountain gravity waves over the upstream terrain, which perturbed the frontogenetic circulation by rapidly changing the vertical motion and therefore did not favor the release of instabilities in the absence of persistent ascending motion; and (2) the decrease in the supply of moisture as a result of blocking of the upstream terrain, which changed both the moisture and instability structures leeward of the mountains. A conceptual model is presented that shows the effects of the instabilities and lifting on the development of cold frontal snowbands in downstream mountains.

scholarly journals Elucidating the Onset of Plasticity in Sliding Contacts Using Differential Computational Orientation Tomography

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Eder ◽  
P. G. Grützmacher ◽  
M. Rodríguez Ripoll ◽  
J. F. Belak
Keyword(s):  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Deformation ◽  
Boundary Migration ◽  
Material Design ◽  
Lattice Rotation ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Color Saturation ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Abstract Depending on the mechanical and thermal energy introduced to a dry sliding interface, the near-surface regions of the mated bodies may undergo plastic deformation. In this work, we use large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to generate “differential computational orientation tomographs” (dCOT) and thus highlight changes to the microstructure near tribological FCC alloy surfaces, allowing us to detect subtle differences in lattice orientation and small distances in grain boundary migration. The analysis approach compares computationally generated orientation tomographs with their undeformed counterparts via a simple image analysis filter. We use our visualization method to discuss the acting microstructural mechanisms in a load- and time-resolved fashion, focusing on sliding conditions that lead to twinning, partial lattice rotation, and grain boundary-dominated processes. Extracting and laterally averaging the color saturation value of the generated tomographs allows us to produce quantitative time- and depth-resolved maps that give a good overview of the progress and severity of near-surface deformation. Corresponding maps of the lateral standard deviation in the color saturation show evidence of homogenization processes occurring in the tribologically loaded microstructure, frequently leading to the formation of a well-defined separation between deformed and undeformed regions. When integrated into a computational materials engineering framework, our approach could help optimize material design for tribological and other deformation problems. Graphic Abstract .

Two-dimensional elastic pseudo-spectral modeling of wide-aperture seismic array data with application to the Wichita Uplift-Anadarko Basin region of southwestern Oklahoma

1990 ◽  
Vol 80 (6A) ◽  
pp. 1677-1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ik Bum Kang ◽  
George A. McMechan
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Anadarko Basin ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Wide Aperture ◽  
The University

Abstract Full wave field modeling of wide-aperture data is performed with a pseudospectral implementation of the elastic wave equation. This approach naturally produces three-component stress and two-component particle displacement, velocity, and acceleration seismograms for compressional, shear, and Rayleigh waves. It also has distinct advantages in terms of computational requirements over finite-differencing when data from large-scale structures are to be modeled at high frequencies. The algorithm is applied to iterative two-dimensional modeling of seismograms from a survey performed in 1985 by The University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Texas at Dallas across the Anadarko basin and the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma. The results provide an independent look at details of near-surface structure and reflector configurations. Near-surface (&lt;3 km deep) structure and scattering effects account for a large percentage (&gt;70 per cent) of the energy in the observed seismograms. The interpretation of the data is consistent with the results of previous studies of these data, but provides considerably more detail. Overall, the P-wave velocities in the Wichita Uplift are more typical of the middle crust than the upper crust (5.3 to 7.1 km/sec). At the surface, the uplift is either exposed as weathered outcrop (5.0 to 5.3 km/sec) or is overlain with sediments of up to 0.4 km in thickness, ranging in velocity from 2.7 to 3.4 km/sec, generally increasing with depth. The core of the uplift is relatively seismically transparent. A very clear, coherent reflection is observed from the Mountain View fault, which dips at ≈40° to the southwest, to at least 12 km depth. Velocities in the Anadarko Basin are typical of sedimentary basins; there is a general increase from ≈2.7 km/sec at the surface to ≈5.9 km/sec at ≈16 km depth, with discontinuous reflections at depths of ≈8, 10, 12, and 16 km.

A nonlinear multi-scale theory of atmospheric blocking: Structure and evolution of blocking linked to meridional and vertical structures of storm tracks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehai Luo ◽  
Wenqi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Storm Track ◽  
Interaction Model ◽  
Maximum Amplitude ◽  
Transient Eddy ◽  
Baroclinic Mode ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Baroclinic Modes ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of the meridional and vertical structures of a preexisting upstream storm track (PUST) organized by preexisting synoptic-scale eddies on eddy-driven blocking in a nonlinear multi-scale interaction model. In this model, the blocking is assumed, based on observations, to be comprised of barotropic and first baroclinic modes, whereas the PUST consists of barotropic, first baroclinic and second baroclinic modes. It is found that the nonlinearity (dispersion) of blocking is intensified (weakened) with increasing amplitude of the first baroclinic mode of the blocking itself. The blocking tends to be long-lived in this case. The lifetime and strength of blocking are significantly influenced by the amplitude of the first baroclinic mode of blocking for given basic westerly winds (BWWs), whereas its spatial pattern and evolution are also affected by the meridional and vertical structures of the PUST.It is shown that the blocking mainly results from the transient eddy forcing induced by the barotropic and first baroclinic modes of PUST, whereas its second baroclinic mode contributes little to the transient eddy forcing. When the PUST shifts northward, eddy-driven blocking shows an asymmetric dipole structure with a strong anticyclone/weak cyclone in a uniform BWW, which induces northward-intensified westerly jet and storm track anomalies mainly on the north side of blocking. However, when the PUST has no meridional shift and is mainly located in the upper troposphere, a north-south anti-symmetric dipole blocking and an intensified split jet with maximum amplitude in the upper troposphere form easily for vertically varying BWWs without meridional shear.

Ocean Salinity Aspects of the Ningaloo Niño

2021 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Yaru Guo ◽  
Yuanlong Li ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
Yuntao Wei
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Salinity ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ocean Salinity

AbstractNingaloo Niño – the interannually occurring warming episode in the southeast Indian Ocean (SEIO) – has strong signatures in ocean temperature and circulation and exerts profound impacts on regional climate and marine biosystems. Analysis of observational data and eddy-resolving regional ocean model simulations reveals that the Ningaloo Niño/Niña can also induce pronounced variability in ocean salinity, causing large-scale sea surface salinity (SSS) freshening of 0.15–0.20 psu in the SEIO during its warm phase. Model experiments are performed to understand the underlying processes. This SSS freshening is mutually caused by the increased local precipitation (~68%) and enhanced fresh-water transport of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF; ~28%) during Ningaloo Niño events. The effects of other processes, such as local winds and evaporation, are secondary (~18%). The ITF enhances the southward fresh-water advection near the eastern boundary, which is critical in causing the strong freshening (> 0.20 psu) near the Western Australian coast. Owing to the strong modulation effect of the ITF, SSS near the coast bears a higher correlation with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (0.57, 0.77, and 0.70 with Niño-3, Niño-4, and Niño-3.4 indices, respectively) than sea surface temperature (-0.27, -0.42, and -0.35) during 1993-2016. Yet, an idealized model experiment with artificial damping for salinity anomaly indicates that ocean salinity has limited impact on ocean near-surface stratification and thus minimal feedback effect on the warming of Ningaloo Niño.

scholarly journals A Surface-Aware Projection Basis for Quasigeostrophic Flow

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Shafer Smith ◽  
Jacques Vanneste
Keyword(s):  
Mesoscale Eddy ◽  
Lower Surface ◽  
Surface Mode ◽  
Surface Dynamics ◽  
Orthonormal Bases ◽  
Barotropic Mode ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Surface Buoyancy ◽  
Baroclinic Modes ◽  
Limiting Case

Abstract Recent studies indicate that altimetric observations of the ocean’s mesoscale eddy field reflect the combined influence of surface buoyancy and interior potential vorticity anomalies. The former have a surface-trapped structure, while the latter are often well represented by the barotropic and first baroclinic modes. To assess the relative importance of each contribution to the signal, it is useful to project the observed field onto a set of modes that separates their influence in a natural way. However, the surface-trapped dynamics are not well represented by standard baroclinic modes; moreover, they are dependent on horizontal scale. Here the authors derive a modal decomposition that results from the simultaneous diagonalization of the energy and a generalization of potential enstrophy that includes contributions from the surface buoyancy fields. This approach yields a family of orthonormal bases that depend on two parameters; the standard baroclinic modes are recovered in a limiting case, while other choices provide modes that represent surface and interior dynamics in an efficient way. For constant stratification, these modes consist of symmetric and antisymmetric exponential modes that capture the surface dynamics and a series of oscillating modes that represent the interior dynamics. Motivated by the ocean, where shears are concentrated near the upper surface, the authors consider the special case of a quiescent lower surface. In this case, the interior modes are independent of wavenumber, and there is a single exponential surface mode that replaces the barotropic mode. The use and effectiveness of these modes is demonstrated by projecting the energy in a set of simulations of baroclinic turbulence.

scholarly journals Subsurface characterization of a quick-clay vulnerable area using near-surface geophysics and hydrological modelling

Solid Earth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1685-1705
Author(s):  
Silvia Salas-Romero ◽  
Alireza Malehmir ◽  
Ian Snowball ◽  
Benoît Dessirier
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Hydrological Modelling ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Reflection Seismic ◽  
Geotechnical Investigations ◽  
Quick Clay ◽  
Near Surface Geophysics

Abstract. Quick-clay landslides are common geohazards in Nordic countries and Canada. The presence of potential quick clays is confirmed using geotechnical investigations, but near-surface geophysical methods, such as seismic and resistivity surveys, can also help identify coarse-grained materials associated with the development of quick clays. We present the results of reflection seismic investigations on land and in part of the Göta River in Sweden, along which many quick-clay landslide scars exist. This is the first time that such a large-scale reflection seismic investigation has been carried out to study the subsurface structures associated with quick-clay landslides. The results also show a reasonable correlation with radio magnetotelluric and travel-time tomography models of the subsurface. Other ground geophysical data, such as high magnetic values, suggest a positive correlation with an increased thickness of the coarse-grained layer and shallower depths to the top of the bedrock and the top of the coarse-grained layer. The morphology of the river bottom and riverbanks, e.g. subaquatic landslide deposits, is shown by side-scan sonar and bathymetric data. Undulating bedrock, covered by subhorizontal sedimentary glacial and postglacial deposits, is clearly revealed. An extensive coarse-grained layer (P-wave velocity mostly between 1500 and 2500 m s−1 and resistivity from approximately 80 to 100 Ωm) exists within the sediments and is interpreted and modelled in a regional context. Several fracture zones are identified within the bedrock. Hydrological modelling of the coarse-grained layer confirms its potential for transporting fresh water infiltrated in fractures and nearby outcrops located in the central part of the study area. The modelled groundwater flow in this layer promotes the leaching of marine salts from the overlying clays by seasonal inflow–outflow cycles and/or diffusion, which contributes to the formation of potential quick clays.

scholarly journals Physical Transport Processes that Affect the Distribution of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Modeling

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Michel Boufadel ◽  
◽  
Annalisa Bracco ◽  
Eric Chassignet ◽  
Shuyi Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Surface Mixed Layer ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Wide Range

Physical transport processes such as the circulation and mixing of waters largely determine the spatial distribution of materials in the ocean. They also establish the physical environment within which biogeochemical and other processes transform materials, including naturally occurring nutrients and human-made contaminants that may sustain or harm the region’s living resources. Thus, understanding and modeling the transport and distribution of materials provides a crucial substrate for determining the effects of biological, geological, and chemical processes. The wide range of scales in which these physical processes operate includes microscale droplets and bubbles; small-scale turbulence in buoyant plumes and the near-surface “mixed” layer; submesoscale fronts, convergent and divergent flows, and small eddies; larger mesoscale quasi-geostrophic eddies; and the overall large-scale circulation of the Gulf of Mexico and its interaction with the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; along with air-sea interaction on longer timescales. The circulation and mixing processes that operate near the Gulf of Mexico coasts, where most human activities occur, are strongly affected by wind- and river-induced currents and are further modified by the area’s complex topography. Gulf of Mexico physical processes are also characterized by strong linkages between coastal/shelf and deeper offshore waters that determine connectivity to the basin’s interior. This physical connectivity influences the transport of materials among different coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico and can extend to adjacent basins. Major advances enabled by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative in the observation, understanding, and modeling of all of these aspects of the Gulf’s physical environment are summarized in this article, and key priorities for future work are also identified.

scholarly journals Baroclinic Modes over Rough Bathymetry and the Surface Deformation Radius

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 2835-2847 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. LaCasce ◽  
Sjoerd Groeskamp
Keyword(s):  
Wave Speed ◽  
Surface Deformation ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Surface Mode ◽  
Ocean Bottom ◽  
Baroclinic Mode ◽  
Flat Bottom ◽  
Two Layer Model ◽  
World Ocean Atlas ◽  
Baroclinic Modes

AbstractThe deformation radius is widely used as an indication of the eddy length scale at different latitudes. The radius is usually calculated assuming a flat ocean bottom. However, bathymetry alters the baroclinic modes and hence their deformation radii. In a linear quasigeostrophic two-layer model with realistic parameters, the deep flow for a 100-km wave approaches zero with a bottom ridge roughly 10 m high, leaving a baroclinic mode that is mostly surface trapped. This is in line with published current meter studies showing a primary EOF that is surface intensified and has nearly zero flow at the bottom. The deformation radius associated with this “surface mode” is significantly larger than that of the flat bottom baroclinic mode. Using World Ocean Atlas data, the surface radius is found to be 20%–50% larger over much of the globe, and 100% larger in some regions. This in turn alters the long Rossby wave speed, which is shown to be 1.5–2 times faster than over a flat bottom. In addition, the larger deformation radius is easier to resolve in ocean models.

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