scholarly journals The Black Sea Physics Analysis and Forecasting System within the Framework of the Copernicus Marine Service

2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Stefania A. Ciliberti ◽  
Eric Jansen ◽  
Giovanni Coppini ◽  
Elisaveta Peneva ◽  
Diana Azevedo ◽  
...  

This work describes the design, implementation and validation of the Black Sea physics analysis and forecasting system, developed by the Black Sea Physics production unit within the Black Sea Monitoring and Forecasting Center as part of the Copernicus Marine Environment and Monitoring Service. The system provides analyses and forecasts of the temperature, salinity, sea surface height, mixed layer depth and currents for the whole Black Sea basin, excluding the Azov Sea, and has been operational since 2016. The system is composed of the NEMO (v 3.4) numerical model and an OceanVar scheme, which brings together real time observations (in-situ temperature and salinity profiles, sea level anomaly and sea surface temperature satellite data). An operational quality assessment framework is used to evaluate the accuracy of the products which set the basic standards for the future upgrades, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the model and the observing system in the Black Sea.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Angela Ciliberti ◽  
Eric Jansen ◽  
Diana Azevedo ◽  
Murat Gunduz ◽  
Mehmet Ilicak ◽  
...  

<p>The Black Sea physical analysis and Forecasting System (BSFS) is part of the Black Sea Monitoring and Forecasting Centre (BS-MFC) for the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS). It provides analysis every day analysis and 10 days forecast fields for the blue ocean variables (including temperature, salinity, sea surface height, mixed layer depth and currents) in the Black Sea region since. In this work, we present the new version of the operational system that will be part of the next CMEMS  release. The hydrodynamical core model is based on NEMO v4.0, solved on 1/40º horizontal resolution spatial grid (including the overall Black Sea, the Bosporus Strait and part of the Marmara Sea) and 121 vertical levels with z-star. The core model uses ECMWF analysis and forecast atmospheric forcing and GPCP monthly climatological precipitation for computing heat, water and momentum fluxes. A total number of 72 rivers is accounted, as monthly climatology provided by SESAME project. The model implements a new representation of the Danube River with interannual river discharge datasets provided by the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management. One of the main innovations of this system is the opening of the Bosporus Strait by using a box-approach in a portion of the Marmara Sea: it is achieved thanks to high resolution temperature, salinity, sea surface height, zonal and meridional velocity solutions provided by a novel implementation of the Marmara Sea model including straits based on Shyfem: it represents the optimal interface between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The hydrodynamical model is online coupled to an upgraded version of the OceanVar, the CMCC data assimilation scheme, able to assimilate SLA L3 satellite data, T/S in-situ profiles and SST from CMEMS TACs. The contribution focuses on model setup description, processing system and validation. To evaluate BSFS pre-operational run and monitor the operational production, we provide metrics as proposed within GODAE/Oceanpredict and MERSEA/MyOcean (which includes CLASS 1, 2 and 4 metrics).</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. N. Lishaev ◽  
V. V. Knysh ◽  
G. K. Korotaev ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Purpose. The investigation is aimed at increasing accuracy of the temperature field reconstruction in the Black Sea upper layer. For this purpose, satellite observations of the sea surface temperature and the three-dimensional fields of temperature (in the 50–500 m layer) and salinity (in the 2.5–500 m layer) pseudo-measurements, previously calculated by the altimetry and the Argo floats data, were jointly assimilated in the Marine Hydrophysical Institute model. Methods and Results. Assimilation of the sea surface temperature satellite observations is the most effective instrument in case the discrepancies between the sea surface and the model temperatures are extrapolated over the upper mixed layer depth up to its lower boundary. Having been analyzed, the temperature profiles resulted from the forecast calculation for 2012 and from the Argo float measurements made it possible to obtain a simple criterion (bound to the model grid) for determining the upper mixed layer depth, namely the horizon on which the temperature gradient was less or equal to ≤ 0.017 °C/m. Within the upper mixed layer depth, the nudging procedure of satellite temperature measurements with the selected relaxation factor and the measurement errors taken into account was used in the heat transfer equation. The temperature and salinity pseudo-measurements were assimilated in the model by the previously proposed adaptive statistics method. To test the results of the sea surface temperature assimilation, the Black Sea hydrophysical fields were reanalyzed for 2012. The winter-spring period (January – April, December) is characterized by the high upper mixed layer depths, well reproducible by the Pacanowski – Philander parameterization, and also by the low values (as compared to the measured ones) of the basin-averaged monthly mean square deviations of the simulated temperature fields. The increased mean square deviations in July – September are explained by absence of the upper mixed layer in the temperature profiles measured by the Argo floats that is not reproduced by the Pacanowski – Philander parameterization. Conclusions. The algorithm for assimilating the sea surface temperature together with the profiles of the temperature and salinity pseudo-measurements reconstructed from the altimetry data was realized. Application of the upper mixed layer depths estimated by the temperature vertical profiles made it possible to correct effectively the model temperature by the satellite-derived sea surface temperature, especially for a winter-spring period. It permitted to reconstruct the temperature fields in the sea upper layer for 2012 with acceptable accuracy.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Angela Ciliberti ◽  
Atanas Palazov ◽  
Marilaure Gregoire ◽  
Joanna Staneva ◽  
Elisaveta Peneva ◽  
...  

<p>The BS-MFC (Black Sea Monitoring and Forecasting Centre) delivers near real time and multi-year products for the Black Sea region with the scope to describe its physical, biogeochemical and wave conditions in the frame of CMEMS. This is done through 3 Production Units – Physics, Biogeochemistry and Waves – that implement state-of-the-art and accurate modelling approaches for forecasting and monitoring purposes. In 2019, the BS-MFC offer has been updated to include i) updated versions of the BS-PHY and BS-WAV NRT products and new BS-BIO product, ii) update of the MY products timeseries up to Dec 2018 and iii) inclusion of Ocean Monitoring Indicators (OMI).</p><p>Considering NRT systems, the systems are performing assimilation of in-situ and satellite products provided by CMEMS TACs with PHY and BIO products centered to 12:00Z and WAV product instantaneous fields covering 10-days forecast. BS-BIO offers new product since Jul 2019, including CHL, PHYC, O2, NO3, PO4, Primary Production and carbonate system components (pH, DIC, Alkalinity, air-sea flux of CO2). To support ocean monitoring purposes, describing the current state of the Black Sea physical dynamics, environmental and extreme events, the BS-MFC implements a set of OMI: a) vertically integrated oxygen content, b) oxygen penetration density and depth, c) sea surface temperature and salinity anomalies, d) significant wave height extremes.</p><p>To improve forecasting capabilities and prepare the next generation of BS products, the BS-MFC is working on several scientific topics, the most challenged are the increased resolution in vertical of the physical system, the problem of the Bosporus Strait as boundary condition, improved data assimilation capabilities, coupling strategies among PHY, BIO and WAV and improvement of upstream data ingestion in NRT and MY systems, including the usage of hourly forcing in WAV production system and forecast data of the Danube River discharge and nutrients in the PHY and BIO systems. Furthermore, the BS-MFC is working on enforce operational capacities and define pre-operational evaluation to estimate accuracy of operational and new products.</p><p> </p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. N. Lishaev ◽  
V. V. Knysh ◽  
G. K. Korotaev ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Purpose. The investigation is aimed at increasing accuracy of the temperature field reconstruction in the Black Sea upper layer. For this purpose, satellite observations of the sea surface temperature and the three-dimensional fields of temperature (in the 50–500 m layer) and salinity (in the 2.5–500 m layer) pseudo-measurements, previously calculated by the altimetry and the Argo floats data, were jointly assimilated in the Marine Hydrophysical Institute model. Methods and Results. Assimilation of the sea surface temperature satellite observations is the most effective instrument in case the discrepancies between the sea surface and the model temperatures are extrapolated over the upper mixed layer depth up to its lower boundary. Having been analyzed, the temperature profiles resulted from the forecast calculation for 2012 and from the Argo float measurements made it possible to obtain a simple criterion (bound to the model grid) for determining the upper mixed layer depth, namely the horizon on which the temperature gradient was less or equal to 0.017°C/m. Within the upper mixed layer depth, the nudging procedure of satellite temperature measurements with the selected relaxation factor and the measurement errors taken into account was used in the heat transfer equation. The temperature and salinity pseudo-measurements were assimilated in the model by the previously proposed adaptive statistics method. To test the results of the sea surface temperature assimilation, the Black Sea hydrophysical fields were reanalyzed for 2012. The winterspring period (January – April, December) is characterized by the high upper mixed layer depths, well reproducible by the Pacanowsci – Philander parameterization, and also by the low values (as compared to the measured ones) of the basin-averaged monthly mean square deviations of the simulated temperature fields. The increased mean square deviations in July – September are explained by absence of the upper mixed layer in the temperature profiles measured by the Argo floats that is not reproduced by the Pacanowsci – Philander parameterization. Conclusions. The algorithm for assimilating the sea surface temperature together with the profiles of the temperature and salinity pseudo-measurements reconstructed from the altimetry data was realized. Application of the upper mixed layer depths estimated by the temperature vertical profiles made it possible to correct effectively the model temperature by the satellite-derived sea surface temperature, especially for a winter-spring period. It permitted to reconstruct the temperature fields in the sea upper layer for 2012 with acceptable accuracy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Grilli ◽  
Dominique Birot ◽  
Mia Schumacher ◽  
Jean-Daniel Paris ◽  
Camille Blouzon ◽  
...  

Understanding the dynamics and fate of methane (CH4) release from oceanic seepages on margins and shelves into the water column, and quantifying the budget of its total discharge at different spatial and temporal scales, currently represents a major scientific undertaking. Previous works on the fate of methane escaping from the seafloor underlined the challenge in both, estimating its concentration distribution and identifying gradients. In April 2019, the Envri Methane Cruise has been conducted onboard the R/V Mare Nigrum in the Western Black Sea to investigate two shallow methane seep sites at ∼120 m and ∼55 m water depth. Dissolved CH4 measurements were conducted with two continuous in-situ sensors: a membrane inlet laser spectrometer (MILS) and a commercial methane sensor (METS) from Franatech GmbH. Additionally, discrete water samples were collected from CTD-Rosette deployment and standard laboratory methane analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled with either purge-and-trap or headspace techniques. The resulting vertical profiles (from both in situ and discrete water sample measurements) of dissolved methane concentration follow an expected exponential dissolution function at both sites. At the deeper site, high dissolved methane concentrations are detected up to ∼45 m from the seabed, while at the sea surface dissolved methane was in equilibrium with the atmospheric concentration. At the shallower site, sea surface CH4 concentrations were four times higher than the expected equilibrium value. Our results seem to support that methane may be transferred from the sea to the atmosphere, depending on local water depths. In accordance with previous studies, the shallower the water, the more likely is a sea-to-atmosphere transport of methane. High spatial resolution surface data also support this hypothesis. Well localized methane enriched waters were found near the surface at both sites, but their locations appear to be decoupled with the ones of the seafloor seepages. This highlights the need of better understanding the processes responsible for the transport and transformation of the dissolved methane in the water column, especially in stratified water masses like in the Black Sea.


2021 ◽  
pp. 103513
Author(s):  
Dmitrii A. Kremenchutskii ◽  
Gennady F. Batrakov ◽  
Illarion I. Dovhyi ◽  
Yury A. Sapozhnikov

Ocean Science ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. I. Shapiro ◽  
D. L. Aleynik ◽  
L. D. Mee

Abstract. There is growing understanding that recent deterioration of the Black Sea ecosystem was partly due to changes in the marine physical environment. This study uses high resolution 0.25° climatology to analyze sea surface temperature variability over the 20th century in two contrasting regions of the sea. Results show that the deep Black Sea was cooling during the first three quarters of the century and was warming in the last 15–20 years; on aggregate there was a statistically significant cooling trend. The SST variability over the Western shelf was more volatile and it does not show statistically significant trends. The cooling of the deep Black Sea is at variance with the general trend in the North Atlantic and may be related to the decrease of westerly winds over the Black Sea, and a greater influence of the Siberian anticyclone. The timing of the changeover from cooling to warming coincides with the regime shift in the Black Sea ecosystem.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 3943-3962 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Capet ◽  
J.-M. Beckers ◽  
M. Grégoire

Abstract. The Black Sea northwestern shelf (NWS) is a shallow eutrophic area in which the seasonal stratification of the water column isolates the bottom waters from the atmosphere. This prevents ventilation from counterbalancing the large consumption of oxygen due to respiration in the bottom waters and in the sediments, and sets the stage for the development of seasonal hypoxia. A three-dimensional (3-D) coupled physical–biogeochemical model is used to investigate the dynamics of bottom hypoxia in the Black Sea NWS, first at seasonal and then at interannual scales (1981–2009), and to differentiate its driving factors (climatic versus eutrophication). Model skills are evaluated by a quantitative comparison of the model results to 14 123 in situ oxygen measurements available in the NOAA World Ocean and the Black Sea Commission databases, using different error metrics. This validation exercise shows that the model is able to represent the seasonal and interannual variability of the oxygen concentration and of the occurrence of hypoxia, as well as the spatial distribution of oxygen-depleted waters. During the period 1981–2009, each year exhibits seasonal bottom hypoxia at the end of summer. This phenomenon essentially covers the northern part of the NWS – which receives large inputs of nutrients from the Danube, Dniester and Dnieper rivers – and extends, during the years of severe hypoxia, towards the Romanian bay of Constanta. An index H which merges the aspects of the spatial and temporal extension of the hypoxic event is proposed to quantify, for each year, the intensity of hypoxia as an environmental stressor. In order to explain the interannual variability of H and to disentangle its drivers, we analyze the long time series of model results by means of a stepwise multiple linear regression. This statistical model gives a general relationship that links the intensity of hypoxia to eutrophication and climate-related variables. A total of 82% of the interannual variability of H is explained by the combination of four predictors: the annual riverine nitrate load (N), the sea surface temperature in the month preceding stratification (Ts), the amount of semi-labile organic matter accumulated in the sediments (C) and the sea surface temperature during late summer (Tf). Partial regression indicates that the climatic impact on hypoxia is almost as important as that of eutrophication. Accumulation of organic matter in the sediments introduces an important inertia in the recovery process after eutrophication, with a typical timescale of 9.3 yr. Seasonal fluctuations and the heterogeneous spatial distribution complicate the monitoring of bottom hypoxia, leading to contradictory conclusions when the interpretation is done from different sets of data. In particular, it appears that the recovery reported in the literature after 1995 was overestimated due to the use of observations concentrated in areas and months not typically affected by hypoxia. This stresses the urgent need for a dedicated monitoring effort in the Black Sea NWS focused on the areas and months concerned by recurrent hypoxic events.


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