scholarly journals The surface thermal signature and air–sea coupling over the Agulhas rings propagating in the South Atlantic Ocean interior

Ocean Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. A. C. Souza ◽  
B. Chapron ◽  
E. Autret

Abstract. The surface signature of Agulhas rings propagating across the South Atlantic Ocean is observed based on three independent data sets: Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System/Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) (TMI/AMSR-E) satellite sea surface temperature, Argo profiling floats and a merged winds product derived from scatterometer observations and reanalysis results. A persistent pattern of cold (negative) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eddy core, with warm (positive) anomalies at the boundary, is revealed. This pattern contrasts with the classical idea of a warm core anticyclone. Taking advantage of a moving reference frame corresponding to the altimetry-detected Agulhas rings, modifications of the surface winds by the ocean-induced currents and SST gradients are evaluated using satellite SST and wind observations. As obtained, the averaged stationary thermal expression and mean eddy-induced circulation are coupled to the marine atmospheric boundary layer, leading to surface wind anomalies. Consequently, an average Ekman pumping associated with these mean surface wind variations consistently emerges. This average Ekman pumping is found to explain very well the SST anomaly signatures of the detected Agulhas rings. Particularly, this mechanism seems to be the key factor determining that these anticyclonic eddies exhibit stationary imprints of cold SST anomalies near their core centers. A residual phase with the maximum sea surface height (SSH) anomaly and wind speed anomaly is found to the right of the mean wind direction, apparently maintaining a coherent stationary thermal expression coupled to the marine atmospheric boundary layer.

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2327-2361
Author(s):  
J. M. A. C. Souza ◽  
B. Chapron ◽  
E. Autret

Abstract. The surface signature of the Agulhas rings propagating across the South Atlantic Ocean is observed based on 3 independent datasets: TMI/AMSR-E satellite sea surface temperature, Argo profiling floats and a merged winds product derived from scatterometer observations and reanalysis results. A persistent pattern of cold (negative) SST anomalies in the eddy core, with warm (positive) anomalies at the boundary is revealed. This pattern contrasts with the classical idea of a warm core anti-cyclone. Taking advantage of a moving reference frame corresponding to the altimetry-detected Agulhas rings, modifications of the surface winds by the ocean induced currents and SST gradients are evaluated using satellite SST and wind observations. As obtained, the averaged stationary thermal expression and mean eddy-induced circulation are coupled to the marine atmospheric boundary layer, leading to surface wind anomalies. Consequently, an average Ekman pumping associated with these mean surface wind variations is consistently emerging. This average Ekman pumping is found to very well explain the SST anomaly signatures of the detected Agulhas rings. Particularly, this mechanism seems to be the key factor determining that these anti-cyclonic eddies exhibit stationary imprints of cold SST anomalies near their core centers. A residual phase with the maximum SSH anomaly and wind speed anomaly is found to the right of the mean wind direction, apparently maintaining a coherent stationary thermal expression coupled to the marine atmospheric boundary layer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1687
Author(s):  
Rose Ane Pereira De Freitas ◽  
Ronald Buss Souza ◽  
Rafael Reis ◽  
Douglas Lindemann

A atmosfera consiste em um dos menores reservatórios de água do planeta, contribuindo com 0,001% da massa total da água presente, porém, sendo de fundamental importância para os processos físicos na atmosfera. A partir de dados obtidos através de 130 perfis de radiossondas realizados durante dez cruzeiros oceanográficos nos meses de outubro e novembro, entre 2004 e 2015, analisa-se a influência dos gradientes de temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) e a passagem de sistemas atmosféricos transientes na variabilidade espaço-temporal da concentração de vapor d’água da camada limite atmosférica marinha (CLAM), sobre a região da Confluência Brasil Malvinas (CBM), enfatizando-se a Operação Antártica 31 (OP31). Os dados de vapor d’água são obtidos calculando-se umidade específica em superfície e água precipitável dentro da camada limite atmosférica. Os resultados mostram que os gradientes térmicos entre as águas quentes da Corrente do Brasil (CB) e as águas frias da Corrente das Malvinas (CM) produzem diferenças significativas no conteúdo de vapor d'água da CLAM nos dois lados da frente oceanográfica. Na superfície, o valor médio da umidade específica sobre o lado quente (frio) foi 8,4 ± 1,67 mm (7,08 ± 1,51 mm). A CLAM foi localmente modulada pela TSM, sendo cerca de 2g/kg mais úmida sobre a região quente da frente oceanográfica em relação à região fria. Em todas as observações realizadas, o vapor d’água integrado na CLAM foi diretamente influenciada pela passagem de sistemas atmosféricos transiente.    A B S T R A C TThe atmosphere is the smallest contributor of the planet's water tanks, providing only 0.001% of the water total mass, however, it is of fundamental importance for playing a key role in the atmosphere's physical processes. The data were obtained from 130 radiosondes profiles taken during ten oceanographic cruises carried out during the months of October and November between 2004 and 2015, analyzed the influence of the sea surface temperature (SST) gradients and the passage of transient atmospheric systems at the spatial-temporal variability of the water vapor concentration within the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL), over Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC), emphasizing the Antarctic Operation 31 (AO31). Water vapor data are obtained by calculating surface specific moisture and precipitable water within the atmospheric boundary layer. The results show that the thermal gradients between the warm waters of Brazil Current and the cold waters of the Malvinas Current were able to produce significant differences in the water vapor content of the MABL on both sides of the oceanographic front. On the surface, the average of the specific humidity over the warm (cold) side was 8.4 ± 1.67 mm (7.08 ± 1.51 mm). The MABL was locally modulated by the SST, being about 2 g/kg wetter over the warm part of the front with respect to the cold one. In all the observations made, the water vapor integrated in the MABL was directly influenced by the passage of transient atmospheric systems.Key words: Southwest Atlantic; Oceanographic front; Transient atmospheric system


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 3356-3377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Schneider ◽  
Bo Qiu

Abstract The response of the atmospheric boundary layer to fronts of sea surface temperature (SST) is characterized by correlations between wind stress divergence and the downwind component of the SST gradient and between the wind stress curl and the crosswind component of the SST gradient. The associated regression (or coupling) coefficients for the wind stress divergence are consistently larger than those for the wind stress curl. To explore the underlying physics, the authors introduce a linearized model of the atmospheric boundary layer response to SST-induced modulations of boundary layer hydrostatic pressure and vertical mixing in the presence of advection by a background Ekman spiral. Model solutions are a strong function of the SST scale and background advection and recover observed characteristics. The coupling coefficients for wind stress divergence and curl are governed by distinct physics. Wind stress divergence results from either large-scale winds crossing the front or from a thermally direct, cross-frontal circulation. Wind stress curl, expected to be largest when winds are parallel to SST fronts, is reduced through geostrophic spindown and thereby yields weaker coupling coefficients.


2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Taís Pegoraro Scaglioni ◽  
Roseli Gueths Gomes ◽  
Julio Renato Quevedo Marques

In this work the influences of the positioning of high and low pressures systems centers at South Atlantic Ocean and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are analysed in association to the occurrence of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS) in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) State. The selected period involves four years of February (2002-2005). It was utilized geostationary satellite imagery, values of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and pluviometric precipitation data observed on the State. The horizontal fields of atmospheric pressure and streamslines were obtained from simulations made with the mesoscale model MM5. The results showed that for the analysed period there was one rainy February in the State and three months of drought. For the drought months, the number of observed MCS was inferior, up to six times, to the observed one in the rainy month. Still, in the dry months, the MCS presented shorter duration in relation to the ones observed in the rainy February. For all the analysed period, the MCS dissipation occurred to the east of its position of formation, in the majority of the cases. Although the differences found between all the analysed MCS, the preferential time in which they formed, 12 and 18 UTC, predominated in all period. The large scale and mesoscale circulation patterns had shown that in the rainy month, the centers of subtropical high pressure systems located on the Atlantic Ocean were positioned near the SSA coast, where the SST anomalies values were positive. The opposite were observed during the drought months.


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