scholarly journals Predictability of non-phase-locked baroclinic tides in the Caribbean Sea

Ocean Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1287-1305
Author(s):  
Edward D. Zaron
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Forecast Error ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Tide Gauges ◽  
Sea Level Anomalies ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. The predictability of the sea surface height expression of baroclinic tides is examined with 96 h forecasts produced by the AMSEAS operational forecast model during 2013–2014. The phase-locked tide, both barotropic and baroclinic, is identified by harmonic analysis of the 2-year record and found to agree well with observations from tide gauges and satellite altimetry within the Caribbean Sea. The non-phase-locked baroclinic tide, which is created by time-variable mesoscale stratification and currents, may be identified from residual sea level anomalies (SLAs) near the tidal frequencies. The predictability of the non-phase-locked tide is assessed by measuring the difference between a forecast – centered at T+36, T+60, or T+84 h – and the model's later verifying analysis for the same time. Within the Caribbean Sea, where a baroclinic tidal sea level range of ±5 cm is typical, the forecast error for the non-phase-locked tidal SLA is correlated with the forecast error for the subtidal (mesoscale) SLA. Root mean square values of the former range from 0.5 to 2 cm, while the latter ranges from 1 to 6 cm, for a typical 84 h forecast. The spatial and temporal variability of the forecast error is related to the dynamical origins of the non-phase-locked tide and is briefly surveyed within the model.

scholarly journals Predictability of Non-Phase-Locked Baroclinic Tides in the Caribbean Sea

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward D. Zaron
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Forecast Error ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Tide Gauges ◽  
Sea Level Anomaly ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. The predictability of the sea surface height expression of baroclinic tides is examined with 96 hr forecasts produced by the AMSEAS operational forecast model during 2013–2014. The phase-locked tide, both barotropic and baroclinic, is identified by harmonic analysis of the 2 year record and found to agree well with observations from tide gauges and satellite altimetry within the Caribbean Sea. The non-phase-locked baroclinic tide, which is created by the time-variable mesoscale stratification and currents, may be identified from residual sea level anomaly (SLA) near the tidal frequencies. The predictability of the non-phase-locked tide is assessed by measuring the difference between a forecast – centered at T+36 hr, T+60 hr, or T+84 hr – and the model's later verifying analysis for the same time. Within the Caribbean Sea, where a baroclinic tidal sea level range of ±5 cm is typical, the forecast error for the non-phase-locked tidal SLA is correlated with the forecast error for the sub-tidal (mesoscale) SLA. Root-mean-square values of the former range from 0.5 cm to 2 cm, while the latter ranges from 1 cm to 6 cm, for a typical 84 hr forecast. The spatial and temporal variability of the forecast error is related to the dynamical origins of the non-phase-locked tide and is briefly surveyed within the model.

scholarly journals Controls of Caribbean surface hydrology during the mid- to late Holocene: insights from monthly resolved coral records

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 841-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Giry ◽  
T. Felis ◽  
M. Kölling ◽  
W. Wei ◽  
G. Lohmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Surface Hydrology ◽  
Multidecadal Variability ◽  
Southern Caribbean ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract. Several proxy-based and modeling studies have investigated long-term changes in Caribbean climate during the Holocene, however, very little is known on its variability on short timescales. Here we reconstruct seasonality and interannual to multidecadal variability of sea surface hydrology of the southern Caribbean Sea by applying paired coral Sr/Ca and δ18O measurements on fossil annually banded Diploria strigosa corals from Bonaire. This allows for better understanding of seasonal to multidecadal variability of the Caribbean hydrological cycle during the mid- to late Holocene. The monthly resolved coral Δδ18O records are used as a proxy for the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ18Osw) of the southern Caribbean Sea. Consistent with modern day conditions, annual δ18Osw cycles reconstructed from three modern corals reveal that freshwater budget at the study site is influenced by both net precipitation and advection of tropical freshwater brought by wind-driven surface currents. In contrast, the annual δ18Osw cycle reconstructed from a mid-Holocene coral indicates a sharp peak towards more negative values in summer, suggesting intense summer precipitation at 6 ka BP (before present). In line with this, our model simulations indicate that increased seasonality of the hydrological cycle at 6 ka BP results from enhanced precipitation in summertime. On interannual to multidecadal timescales, the systematic positive correlation observed between reconstructed sea surface temperature and salinity suggests that freshwater discharged from the Orinoco and Amazon rivers and transported into the Caribbean by wind-driven surface currents is a critical component influencing sea surface hydrology on these timescales.

scholarly journals Sea-surface salinity variations in the Northern Caribbean Sea across the mid-Pleistocene transition

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1229-1265
Author(s):  
S. Sepulcre ◽  
L. Vidal ◽  
K. Tachikawa ◽  
F. Rostek ◽  
E. Bard
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
Planktonic Foraminifera ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Salinity ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone ◽  
The North ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. This study aimed at documenting climate changes in tropical area in response to the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) by reconstructing past hydrologic variations in the Northern Caribbean Sea and its influence on the stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the last 940 kyr. Using core MD03-2628, we estimated past changes in sea surface salinity (SSS) using Δδ18O, the difference between the modern and the past δ18O of seawater (obtained by combining alkenone thermometer data with the δ18O of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (white) and corrected for ice-sheet volume effects). Today, the lowest SSS values in the studied area are associated with the northernmost location of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The Δδ18O record exhibits glacial/interglacial cyclicity with higher values during all glacial periods spanning the last 940 kyr, indicating increased SSS. At a longer timescale, the Δδ18O exhibits a shift toward lower values for interglacial periods during the last 450 kyr, when compared to interglacial stages older than 650 kyr. A rise in SSS during glacial stages may be related to the southernmost location of the ITCZ, which is induced by a steeper interhemispheric temperature gradient and associated with reduced northward cross equatorial oceanic transport. Therefore, the results suggest a permanent link between the tropical salinity budget and the AMOC during the last 940 kyr. Following the MPT, lower salinities during the last five interglacial stages indicate a northernmost ITCZ location, forced by changes in the interhemispheric temperature gradient that is associated with the poleward position of Southern Oceanic Fronts that amplified the transport of heat and moisture to the North Atlantic. These processes may have contributed to amplification of the climate cycles that followed the MPT.

Ciguatera fish poisoning and sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies

Toxicon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 698-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Tester ◽  
Rebecca L. Feldman ◽  
Amy W. Nau ◽  
Steven R. Kibler ◽  
R. Wayne Litaker
Keyword(s):  
West Indies ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
The West ◽  
Ciguatera Fish Poisoning ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Fish Poisoning ◽  
The Caribbean

Representation Error of Oceanic Observations for Data Assimilation

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1004-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter R. Oke ◽  
Pavel Sakov
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Standard Technique ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Sea Level Anomalies ◽  
Ocean Data Assimilation ◽  
Representation Error ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Along Track ◽  
The Given

Abstract A simple approach to the estimation of representation error (RE) of sea level (η), temperature (T), and salinity (S) observations for ocean data assimilation is described. It is assumed that the main source of RE is due to unresolved processes and scales in the model. Therefore, RE is calculated as a function of model resolution. The methods described here exploit the availability of mapped sea level anomalies (mSLAs) and along-track sea level anomalies (atSLAs). The mSLA fields or atSLA observations are regarded as the true ocean state. Here, they are averaged according to the resolution of the model grid, and the averaged field is taken as a representation of the true state on the given grid. The difference between the original data and the averaged field is then regarded as the RE for η. Subsequently, the RE is projected for η over depth using a standard technique, giving an estimate of the RE for T and S. Examples of RE estimates for an intermediate- and high-resolution global grid are presented. It is found that there is significant spatial variability in the RE for η, T, and S, with values that are typically greater than or comparable to measurement error, particularly in regions of strong mesoscale variability.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variability of the dimethylsulfide to chlorophyll ratio in the surface ocean: an assessment based on phytoplankton group dominance determined from space

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 3215-3237 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Masotti ◽  
S. Belviso ◽  
S. Alvain ◽  
J. E. Johnson ◽  
T. S. Bates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Upwelling ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Phytoplankton Assemblages ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Phytoplankton Group

Abstract. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is produced in surface seawater by phytoplankton. Phytoplankton culture experiments have shown that nanoeucaryotes (NANO) display much higher mean DMSP-to-Carbon or DMSP-to-Chlorophyll (Chl) ratios than Prochlorococcus (PRO), Synechococcus (SYN) or diatoms (DIAT). Moreover, the DMSP-lyase activity of algae which cleaves DMSP into dimethylsulfide (DMS) is even more group specific than DMSP itself. Ship-based observations have shown at limited spatial scales, that sea surface DMS-to-Chl ratios (DMS:Chl) are dependent on the composition of phytoplankton groups. Here we use satellite remote sensing of Chl (from SeaWiFS) and of Phytoplankton Group Dominance (PGD from PHYSAT) with ship-based sea surface DMS concentrations (8 cruises in total) to assess this dependence on an unprecedented spatial scale. PHYSAT provides PGD (either NANO, PRO, SYN, DIAT, Phaeocystis (PHAEO) or coccolithophores (COC)) in each satellite pixel (1/4° horizontal resolution). While there are identification errors in the PHYSAT method, it is important to note that these errors are lowest for NANO PGD which we typify by high DMSP:Chl. In summer, in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, we find that mean DMS:Chl associated with NANO + PHAEO and PRO + SYN + DIAT are 13.6±8.4 mmol g−1 (n=34) and 7.3±4.8 mmol g−1 (n=24), respectively. That is a statistically significant difference (P<0.001) that is consistent with NANO and PHAEO being relatively high DMSP producers. However, in the western North Atlantic between 40° N and 60° N, we find no significant difference between the same PGD. This is most likely because coccolithophores account for the non-dominant part of the summer phytoplankton assemblages. Meridional distributions at 22° W in the Atlantic, and 95° W and 110° W in the Pacific, both show a marked drop in DMS:Chl near the equator, down to few mmol g−1, yet the basins exhibit different PGD (NANO in the Atlantic, PRO and SYN in the Pacific). In tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Pacific waters away from the equatorial and coastal upwelling, mean DMS:Chl associated with high and low DMSP producers are statistically significantly different, but the difference is opposite of that expected from culture experiments. Hence, in a majority of cases PGD is not of primary importance in controlling DMS:Chl variations. We therefore conclude that water-leaving radiance spectra obtained simultaneously from ocean color sensor measurements of Chl concentrations and dominant phytoplankton groups can not be used to predict global fields of DMS.

scholarly journals Coupled Interannual Variability of Wind and Sea Surface Temperature in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (14) ◽  
pp. 4263-4280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geidy Rodriguez-Vera ◽  
Rosario Romero-Centeno ◽  
Christopher L. Castro ◽  
Víctor Mendoza Castro
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Coupled Modes ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Coupled Variability

Abstract This work describes dominant patterns of coupled interannual variability of the 10-m wind and sea surface temperature in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (CS&GM) during the period 1982–2016. Using a canonical correlation analysis (CCA) between the monthly mean anomalies of these fields, four coupled variability modes are identified: the dipole (March–April), transition (May–June), interocean (July–October), and meridional-wind (November–February) modes. Results show that El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences almost all the CS&GM coupled modes, except the transition mode, and that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in February has a strong negative correlation with the dipole and transition modes. The antisymmetric relationships found between the dipole mode and the NAO and ENSO indices confirm previous evidence about the competing remote forcings of both teleconnection patterns on the tropical North Atlantic variability. Precipitation in the CS and adjacent oceanic and land areas is sensitive to the wind–SST coupled variability modes from June to October. These modes seem to be strongly related to the interannual variability of the midsummer drought and the meridional migration of the intertropical convergence zone in the eastern Pacific. These findings may eventually lead to improving seasonal predictability in the CS&GM and surrounding land areas.

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