A geodetic approach to Mapping and Parametrization of Argo Temperature and Salinity Profiles

Author(s):  
Alisa Yakhontova ◽  
Roelof Rietbroek ◽  
Sophie Stolzenberger ◽  
Nadja Jonas

<p>This study addresses mapping of Argo temperature and salinity profiles onto arbitrary positions using physically advanced statistical information from model fields, and their subsequent parametrization as function of depth. Argo suffers from spatio-temporal sampling problems, and some signals are not well captured, e.g. in the deeper ocean below 2000m, around the boundary currents, in the Arctic or in the shelf/coastal regions which are not frequently visited by floats. Mapping of Argo data into sparsely sampled areas would greatly benefit from additional physical information of coherent T/S behavior in form of covariance functions. Outputs from global general ocean circulation model FESOM1.4 provide covariance information for least squares collocation and also complement the spatially undersampled Argo data in high latitudes and in deep ocean. Additionally, model covariances are used to identify areas of strong correlation with interpolation points, so that only Argo measurements inside these areas are included in the mapping procedure. Parametrization of T/S profiles is performed with b-splines where the choice of knot locations is a trade-off between accuracy and overfitting. Proposed methodology is tested in South Atlantic, but can be extended to other regions.</p>

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 111-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achim Stössel

This paper investigates the long-term impact of sea ice on global climate using a global sea-ice–ocean general circulation model (OGCM). The sea-ice component involves state-of-the-art dynamics; the ocean component consists of a 3.5° × 3.5° × 11 layer primitive-equation model. Depending on the physical description of sea ice, significant changes are detected in the convective activity, in the hydrographic properties and in the thermohaline circulation of the ocean model. Most of these changes originate in the Southern Ocean, emphasizing the crucial role of sea ice in this marginally stably stratified region of the world's oceans. Specifically, if the effect of brine release is neglected, the deep layers of the Southern Ocean warm up considerably; this is associated with a weakening of the Southern Hemisphere overturning cell. The removal of the commonly used “salinity enhancement” leads to a similar effect. The deep-ocean salinity is almost unaffected in both experiments. Introducing explicit new-ice thickness growth in partially ice-covered gridcells leads to a substantial increase in convective activity, especially in the Southern Ocean, with a concomitant significant cooling and salinification of the deep ocean. Possible mechanisms for the resulting interactions between sea-ice processes and deep-ocean characteristics are suggested.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1347-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Hopwood ◽  
Dustin Carroll ◽  
Thorben Dunse ◽  
Andy Hodson ◽  
Johnna M. Holding ◽  
...  

Abstract. Freshwater discharge from glaciers is increasing across the Arctic in response to anthropogenic climate change, which raises questions about the potential downstream effects in the marine environment. Whilst a combination of long-term monitoring programmes and intensive Arctic field campaigns have improved our knowledge of glacier–ocean interactions in recent years, especially with respect to fjord/ocean circulation, there are extensive knowledge gaps concerning how glaciers affect marine biogeochemistry and productivity. Following two cross-cutting disciplinary International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) workshops addressing the importance of glaciers for the marine ecosystem, here we review the state of the art concerning how freshwater discharge affects the marine environment with a specific focus on marine biogeochemistry and biological productivity. Using a series of Arctic case studies (Nuup Kangerlua/Godthåbsfjord, Kongsfjorden, Kangerluarsuup Sermia/Bowdoin Fjord, Young Sound and Sermilik Fjord), the interconnected effects of freshwater discharge on fjord–shelf exchange, nutrient availability, the carbonate system, the carbon cycle and the microbial food web are investigated. Key findings are that whether the effect of glacier discharge on marine primary production is positive or negative is highly dependent on a combination of factors. These include glacier type (marine- or land-terminating), fjord–glacier geometry and the limiting resource(s) for phytoplankton growth in a specific spatio-temporal region (light, macronutrients or micronutrients). Arctic glacier fjords therefore often exhibit distinct discharge–productivity relationships, and multiple case-studies must be considered in order to understand the net effects of glacier discharge on Arctic marine ecosystems.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1455
Author(s):  
Kashif Iqbal ◽  
Minghui Zhang ◽  
Shengchun Piao

The multinational Argo program, which was initiated in 1999, has completed its global requirement of 3000 floats deployed by 2007. This program has revolutionized ocean observations with the provision of varying data in the upper half of the ocean. However, various studies have reiterated the requirement for deep ocean coverage, since the ocean below 2000 meters (m) is warming. In this regard, full-depth studies are mandatory in order to estimate the rising sea level due to thermal expansion and analyze critical parameters of deep ocean circulation sub 2000 m; further, data below 2000 m are mandatory for multifarious model simulations. As a landmark initiative, in mid-2015, the “Deep Argo Implementation Workshop” was held in Hobart. An array comprising 1228 floats was suggested by G. C. Johnson, rendering coverage of 5° latitude × 5° longitude × 15-day cycles. This was conclusively agreed to be an affordable solution for varying scientific needs for assessing data in abyssal oceans. Thence, Deep New profilINg float of JApan (NINJA) and Deep Arvor floats were developed by Japan and France, respectively, to cover depths of 0–4000 m. Similarly, Deep Autonomous Profiling Explorer (APEX) and Deep Sounding Oceanographic Lagrangian Observer (SOLO) by the United States were designed to cover 0–6000 m. The data offered by this underdeveloped deep pilot array are scarce on both temporal and spatial scales. This particular study offers an ingenious and novel approach to extrapolating conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profiles, as well as sound speed profiles (SSPs), in abyssal oceans below 2000 m. The primitive results of this method exhibited certain discrepancies which were subsequently rectified by modifying the aforementioned method both symmetrically and asymmetrically in an innovative way. The final outcomes of this method are almost identical to the in situ values obtained from Deep Argo floats, and in this way, offer a way to compute deep ocean calculations both spatially and temporally since Deep Argo floats are aimed at relatively sparse deployments and require a longer duration to provide data (5° latitude × 5° longitude × 15-day cycles) as compared to Core Argo data (3° latitude × 3° longitude × 10-day cycles). The SSP computations were conducted by employing multiple equations such as Chen and Millero, Del Grosso, and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) algorithms. The study concludes by offering transmission loss rectifications by employing the aforementioned method as a future course of action.


Author(s):  
F. W. Whicker ◽  
K. Bunzl ◽  
P. Dixon ◽  
E. M. Scott ◽  
S. C. Sheppard ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1477-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
An T. Nguyen ◽  
Patrick Heimbach ◽  
Vikram V. Garg ◽  
Victor Ocaña ◽  
Craig Lee ◽  
...  

AbstractThe lack of continuous spatial and temporal sampling of hydrographic measurements in large parts of the Arctic Ocean remains a major obstacle for quantifying mean state and variability of the Arctic Ocean circulation. This shortcoming motivates an assessment of the utility of Argo-type floats, the challenges of deploying such floats due to the presence of sea ice, and the implications of extended times of no surfacing on hydrographic inferences. Within the framework of an Arctic coupled ocean–sea ice state estimate that is constrained to available satellite and in situ observations, we establish metrics for quantifying the usefulness of such floats. The likelihood of float surfacing strongly correlates with the annual sea ice minimum cover. Within the float lifetime of 4–5 years, surfacing frequency ranges from 10–100 days in seasonally sea ice–covered regions to 1–3 years in multiyear sea ice–covered regions. The longer the float drifts under ice without surfacing, the larger the uncertainty in its position, which translates into larger uncertainties in hydrographic measurements. Below the mixed layer, especially in the western Arctic, normalized errors remain below 1, suggesting that measurements along a path whose only known positions are the beginning and end points can help constrain numerical models and reduce hydrographic uncertainties. The error assessment presented is a first step in the development of quantitative methods for guiding the design of observing networks. These results can and should be used to inform a float network design with suggested locations of float deployment and associated expected hydrographic uncertainties.


Author(s):  
Ray-Qing Lin ◽  
Weijia Kuang

Ship motion instabilities occur much more frequently in coastal regions than in the deep ocean because both nonlinear wave-wave interactions and wave-current interactions increase significantly as the water depth decreases. This is particularly significant in the coastal regions connecting to the open ocean, since the wave resonant interactions change from the four-equivalent-wave interaction in deep water to the interactions of three local wind waves with a long wave (e.g. swell, edge waves, bottom topography waves, etc.) in shallow water [1, 2], resulting in rapid growth of the incoming long waves. In this study, we use our DiSSEL (Digital, Self-consistent, Ship Experimental Laboratory) Ship Motion Model [3,4,5,6] coupled with our Coastal Wave Model [1,2,11] and an Ocean Circulation Model [7] to simulate strongly nonlinear ship motions in coastal regions, focusing on the ship motion instabilities arising from ship body-surface wave-current interactions.


1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Seidov ◽  
Ralf Prien

Abstract. Paleoreconstructions suggest that during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the North Atlantic circulation was noticeably different from its present state. However, the glacial salt conveyor belt is believed to be similar to the present-day's conveyor, albeit weaker and shallower because of an increased freshwater flux in high-latitudes. We present here the investigation of the conveyor operation based on ocean circulation modelling using two numerical models in parallel. The GFDL primitive equation model and a planetary geostrophic model are employed to address the problem of the paleocirculation modelling in cases of uncertain and sparse data comprising the glacial surface boundary conditions. The role of different simplifications that may be used in the ocean climate studies, including the role of grid resolution, bottom topography, coast-line, etc., versus glacial-interglacial changes of the ocean surface climatology is considered. The LGM reverse conveyor gyre appeared to be the most noticeable feature of the glacial-to-interglacial alteration of the ocean circulation. The reversed upper-ocean conveyor, weaker and subducting 'normal' conveyor in the intermediate depths, and the change of the deep-ocean return flow route are robust signatures of the glacial North Atlantic climate. The results are found to be 'model-independent' and fairly insensitive to all factors other than the onset of the glacial surface conditions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 7219-7234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Xue ◽  
R. He ◽  
K. Fennel ◽  
W.-J. Cai ◽  
S. Lohrenz ◽  
...  

Abstract. A three-dimensional coupled physical-biogeochemical model is applied to simulate and examine temporal and spatial variability of circulation and biogeochemical cycling in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The model is driven by realistic atmospheric forcing, open boundary conditions from a data assimilative global ocean circulation model, and observed freshwater and terrestrial nitrogen input from major rivers. A 7 yr model hindcast (2004–2010) was performed, and validated against satellite observed sea surface height, surface chlorophyll, and in situ observations including coastal sea level, ocean temperature, salinity, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration. The model hindcast revealed clear seasonality in DIN, phytoplankton and zooplankton distributions in the GoM. An empirical orthogonal function analysis indicated a phase-locked pattern among DIN, phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations. The GoM shelf nitrogen budget was also quantified, revealing that on an annual basis the DIN input is largely balanced by the removal through denitrification (an equivalent of ~ 80% of DIN input) and offshore exports to the deep ocean (an equivalent of ~ 17% of DIN input).


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 2381-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim DeVries ◽  
François Primeau

Abstract A data-constrained ocean circulation model is used to characterize the distribution of water masses and their ages in the global ocean. The model is constrained by the time-averaged temperature, salinity, and radiocarbon distributions in the ocean, as well as independent estimates of the mean sea surface height and sea surface heat and freshwater fluxes. The data-constrained model suggests that the interior ocean is ventilated primarily by water masses forming in the Southern Ocean. Southern Ocean waters, including those waters forming in the Antarctic and subantarctic regions, make up about 55% of the interior ocean volume and an even larger percentage of the deep-ocean volume. In the deep North Pacific, the ratio of Southern Ocean to North Atlantic waters is almost 3:1. Approximately 65% of interior ocean waters make first contact with the atmosphere in the Southern Ocean, further emphasizing the central role played by the Southern Ocean in the regulation of the earth’s climate. Results of the age analysis suggest that the mean ventilation age of deep waters is greater than 1000 yr throughout most of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, reaching a maximum of about 1400–1500 yr in the middepth North Pacific. The mean time for deep waters to be reexposed at the surface also reaches a maximum of about 1400–1500 yr in the deep North Pacific. Together these findings suggest that the deep North Pacific can be characterized as a “holding pen” of stagnant and recirculating waters.


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