scholarly journals Internal tide energy flux over a ridge measured by a co-located ocean glider and moored ADCP

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Hall ◽  
Barbara Berx ◽  
Gillian Damerell

Abstract. Internal tide energy flux is an important diagnostic for the study of energy pathways in the ocean, from large-scale input by the surface tide, to small-scale dissipation by turbulent mixing. Accurate calculation of energy flux requires repeated full-depth measurements of both potential density (ρ) and horizontal current velocity (u) over at least a tidal cycle and over several weeks to resolve the internal spring-neap cycle. Typically, these observations are made using full-depth oceanographic moorings that are vulnerable to being fished-out by commercial trawlers when deployed on continental shelves and slopes. Here we test an alternative approach to minimise these risks, with u measured by a low-frequency ADCP moored near the seabed and ρ measured by an autonomous ocean glider holding station by the ADCP. The method is used to measure the M2 internal tide radiating from the Wyville Thompson Ridge in the North Atlantic. The observed energy flux (4.2 ± 0.2 kW m−1) compares favourably with historic observations and a previous numerical model study. Error in the energy flux calculation due to imperfect co-location of the glider and ADCP is estimated by sub-sampling potential density in an idealised internal tide field along pseudorandomly distributed glider paths. The error is considered acceptable (

Ocean Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1439-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob A. Hall ◽  
Barbara Berx ◽  
Gillian M. Damerell

Abstract. Internal tide energy flux is an important diagnostic for the study of energy pathways in the ocean, from large-scale input by the surface tide to small-scale dissipation by turbulent mixing. Accurate calculation of energy flux requires repeated full-depth measurements of both potential density (ρ) and horizontal current velocity (u) over at least a tidal cycle and over several weeks to resolve the internal spring–neap cycle. Typically, these observations are made using full-depth oceanographic moorings that are vulnerable to being “fished out” by commercial trawlers when deployed on continental shelves and slopes. Here we test an alternative approach to minimize these risks, with u measured by a low-frequency acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) moored near the seabed and ρ measured by an autonomous ocean glider holding station by the ADCP. The method is used to measure the semidiurnal internal tide radiating from the Wyville Thomson Ridge in the North Atlantic. The observed energy flux (4.2±0.2 kW m−1) compares favourably with historic observations and a previous numerical model study. Error in the energy flux calculation due to imperfect co-location of the glider and ADCP is estimated by subsampling potential density in an idealized internal tide field along pseudorandomly distributed glider paths. The error is considered acceptable (<10 %) if all the glider data are contained within a “watch circle” with a diameter smaller than 1∕8 the mode-1 horizontal wavelength of the internal tide. Energy flux is biased low because the glider samples density with a broad range of phase shifts, resulting in underestimation of vertical isopycnal displacement and available potential energy. The negative bias increases with increasing watch circle diameter. If watch circle diameter is larger than 1∕8 the mode-1 horizontal wavelength, the negative bias is more than 3 % and all realizations within the 95 % confidence interval are underestimates. Over the Wyville Thomson Ridge, where the semidiurnal mode-1 horizontal wavelength is ≈100 km and all the glider dives are within a 5 km diameter watch circle, the observed energy flux is estimated to have a negative bias of only 0.4 % and an error of less than 3 % at the 95 % confidence limit. With typical glider performance, we expect energy flux error due to imperfect co-location to be <10 % in most mid-latitude shelf slope regions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giusy Fedele ◽  
Alessio Bellucci ◽  
Simona Masina ◽  
Stefano Pierini

AbstractThe Kuroshio Extension (KE) shifts between elongated and convoluted states on interannual to decadal time scales. The nature of this low frequency variability (LFV) is still under debate since it is known to be driven by intrinsic oceanic mechanisms, but it is also synchronized with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). In this analysis we present the results from two present-climate coupled simulations performed with the CMCC-CM2 model under the CMIP6 HighResMIP protocol and differing only by their atmospheric component resolution. The impact of increased atmospheric resolution on the KE LFV is assessed inspecting several aspects: the KE bimodality, the large-scale variability and the air–sea interactions. The KE LFV and the teleconnection mechanism that connects the KE and the PDO are well captured by both configurations. However, higher atmospheric resolution favors the occurrence of the elongated state and leads to a more realistic PDO representation. Moreover, both simulations qualitatively capture the signatures of atmosphere-driven and ocean-driven regimes over the North Pacific Ocean, even if the higher resolution induces an excessively strong ocean–atmosphere coupling that leads to an overestimation of the air–sea feedbacks. This work highlights that the small scale atmospheric variability (resolution lower than 1°) does not substantially contribute to improve the realism of the KE LFV, but causes significant differences in the air–sea interaction over the KE region likely related to the strengthening of the coupling. The eddy-permitting ocean resolution shared by both configurations is likely responsible for the degree of realism exhibited by the simulated KE LFV in the two analyzed simulations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Webb ◽  
Andrew Coward ◽  
Helen Snaith

&lt;p&gt;A recent high-resolution ocean model study of the strong El Ninos of 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 highlighted a previously neglected ocean mechanism which was active during their growth. &amp;#160; The mechanism involved a weakening of both the Equatorial Current and the tropical instability eddies in mid-ocean. &amp;#160;It also involved an increase in the strength of the North Equatorial Counter Current due to the passage of the annual Rossby wave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; This presentation reports how satellite altimeter and satellite SST data was used to validate the model results the key areas, confirming the changes in the current and eddy fields and the resulting eastward extension of the region of highest SST values. &amp;#160;The SST changes were sufficient to trigger new regions deep-atmospheric convection and so had the potential to have a significant impact on the development of the El Nino and the resulting changes in the large scale atmospheric circulation.&lt;/p&gt;


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1905-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Prtenjak ◽  
I. Tomažić ◽  
I. Kavčič ◽  
S. Đivanović

Abstract. Characteristics of thermally induced flow, namely the sea breeze, are investigated along the south-eastern Adriatic. The chosen period 24–25 April 2006 favoured sea breeze development and simultaneously allowed a comparison of the large-scale wind influence (north-westerly wind versus south-easterly wind) and the complex terrain on the local circulations. Particular attention is paid to the small-scale formation of the wind field, convergence zones (CZs), channelling flows and small scale eddies, especially in the vicinity of two airports in the central part of south-eastern Adriatic. The results are based on wind measurements (from meteorological surface stations, radiosoundings, satellite data and sodar data) and further supplemented by model data at fine grid spacing. This study shows the formation of numerous irregular daytime and nighttime CZs, which occurred along the coastline in the lee of mountains and over the larger, elongated islands. The results show that the above mentioned airports are surrounded by daytime CZ formations within the lowermost 1000 m and associated updrafts of 1 m s−1, especially if CZs are maintained by the north-westerly large-scale winds. Whereas the daytime CZ was generated due to merged sea breezes, the weaker and shallower nighttime CZs were formed by wind convergence of the seaward breezes, and significantly modified by the large-scale flow of the topography (e.g., accelerated flow in the sea channels and substantial swirled flows around the islands). The passes between the coastal mountain peaks changed the inflow penetration, provoking the increase in wind speed of the channelled flow. The strongest sea breeze channelling was observed above the valley of the Neretva River, where the onshore flow reached 40 km inland with a strength of 8 m s−1, and the highly asymmetric offshore part was confined within the sea channel.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (22) ◽  
pp. 7857-7870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Tan ◽  
Ming Bao ◽  
Xuejuan Ren

Abstract The Western Hemisphere (WH) circulation pattern, identified by self-organizing maps cluster analysis, is a low-frequency atmospheric regime that influences the fluctuations of large-scale circulation over the North Pacific–North American–North Atlantic areas. The reanalysis datasets from ECMWF are used to estimate the energetics of the WH pattern in this study. The composite results based on monthly WH events reveal that the kinetic energy (KE) associated with the WH pattern is maintained through the barotropic conversion from the climatological-mean westerlies, mainly in the Atlantic jet exit regions. The KE could also be gained through the barotropic feedback forcing from transient eddies. The corresponding baroclinic conversion of available potential energy (APE) from the climatological-mean state, which contributes most efficiently to the energy maintenance of the WH pattern, is obvious in the middle and lower troposphere, owing to the thermal contrast of the colder continent and warmer ocean over the North America–North Atlantic sector. The baroclinic conversion associated with the heat flux on the climatological temperature gradient is consistent with the southwestward-tilting height anomalies from 850 to 500 hPa. The baroclinic feedback from transient eddies contributes negatively to the energy conversion and destroys the maintenance of the WH pattern.


2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. A4 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Hale ◽  
W. Williams ◽  
M. J. Jarvis ◽  
M. J. Hardcastle ◽  
L. K. Morabito ◽  
...  

We present observations of the XMM Large-Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field observed with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) at 120–168 MHz. Centred at a J2000 declination of −4.5°, this is a challenging field to observe with LOFAR because of its low elevation with respect to the array. The low elevation of this field reduces the effective collecting area of the telescope, thereby reducing sensitivity. This low elevation also causes the primary beam to be elongated in the north-south direction, which can introduce side lobes in the synthesised beam in this direction. However the XMM-LSS field is a key field to study because of the wealth of ancillary information, encompassing most of the electromagnetic spectrum. The field was observed for a total of 12 h from three four-hour LOFAR tracks using the Dutch array. The final image presented encompasses ∼27 deg2, which is the region of the observations with a >50% primary beam response. Once combined, the observations reach a central rms of 280μJy beam−1at 144 MHz and have an angular resolution of 7.5 × 8.5″. We present our catalogue of detected sources and investigate how our observations compare to previous radio observations. This includes investigating the flux scale calibration of these observations compared to previous measurements, the implied spectral indices of the sources, the observed source counts and corrections to obtain the true source counts, and finally the clustering of the observed radio sources.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 538-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward D. Zaron ◽  
Gary D. Egbert

Abstract The interaction of the dominant semidiurnal M2 internal tide with the large-scale subtidal flow is examined in an ocean model by propagating the tide through an ensemble of background fields in a domain centered on the Hawaiian Ridge. The background fields are taken from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) ocean analysis, at 2-month intervals from 1992 through 2001. Tides are computed with the Primitive Equation Z-coordinate Harmonic Analysis of Tides (PEZ-HAT) model by 14-day integrations using SODA initial conditions and M2 tidal forcing. Variability of the tide is found to occur primarily as the result of propagation through the nonstationary background fields, rather than via generation site variability. Generation of incoherent tidal variability is mapped and shown to occur mostly in association with waves generated at French Frigate Shoals scattering near the Musicians Seamounts to the north of the ridge. The phase-coherent internal tide loses energy at a domain-average rate of 2 mW m−2 by scattering into the nonstationary tide. Because of the interference of waves from multiple generation sites, variability of the internal tide is spatially inhomogeneous and values of the scattering rate 10 times larger occur in localized areas. It is estimated that 20% of the baroclinic tidal energy flux is lost by adiabatic scattering (refraction) within 250 km of the ridge, a value regarded as a lower bound because of the smoothed nature of the SODA fields used in this study.


1989 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kubota ◽  
H. Kato ◽  
H. Yamaguchi ◽  
M. Maeda

The structure of flow around unsteady cloud cavitation on a stationary two-dimensional hydrofoil was investigated experimentally using a conditional sampling technique. The unsteady flow velocity around the cloud cavitation was measured by a Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and matched with the unsteady cavitation appearance photographed by a high-speed camera. This matching procedure was performed using data from pressure fluctuation measurements on the foil surface. The velocities were divided into two components using a digital filter, i.e., large-scale (low-frequency) and small-scale (high frequency) ones. The large-scale component corresponds with the large-scale unsteady cloud cavitation motion. In this manner, the unsteady structure of the cloud cavitation was successfully measured. The experimental result showed that the cloud cavitation observed at the present experiment had a vorticity extremum at its center and a cluster containing many small cavitation bubbles. The convection velocity of the cavitation cloud was much lower than the uniform velocity. The small-scale velocity fluctuation was not distributed uniformly in the cavitation cloud, but was concentrated near its boundary.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1861-1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Ma ◽  
Ping Chang ◽  
R. Saravanan ◽  
Raffaele Montuoro ◽  
Hisashi Nakamura ◽  
...  

Abstract Local and remote atmospheric responses to mesoscale SST anomalies associated with the oceanic front and eddies in the Kuroshio Extension region (KER) are studied using high- (27 km) and low-resolution (162 km) regional climate model simulations in the North Pacific. In the high-resolution simulations, removal of mesoscale SST anomalies in the KER leads to not only a local reduction in cyclogenesis but also a remote large-scale equivalent barotropic response with a southward shift of the downstream storm track and jet stream in the eastern North Pacific. In the low-resolution simulations, no such significant remote response is found when mesoscale SST anomalies are removed. The difference between the high- and low-resolution model simulated atmospheric responses is attributed to the effect of mesoscale SST variability on cyclogenesis through moist baroclinic instability. It is only when the model has sufficient resolution to resolve small-scale diabatic heating that the full effect of mesoscale SST forcing on the storm track can be correctly simulated.


1982 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shutian Suo ◽  
Ruqi Liu ◽  
Xingyuan Ma

SummaryThe Songshan area is located in the southern part of the North China platform, which is one of the most completely cratonized tectonic units of China. Its basement has experienced a complex evolutionary history and was eventually consolidated at the end of early Proterozoic time about 1.7 Ga ago.A systematic study has been made of the deformation history of the lower Proterozoic Songshan Group and the Archean Dengfeng Group. At least two widespread episodes of deformation can be recognised in the early Proterozoic Zhongyue tectonic cycle and three in the Archean Songyang cycle. Large scale and small scale interference patterns of the superimposed folding are investigated with the aim of recognizing possible regularities in their occurrence and of gaining an insight into the regional deformation history. Two important aspects of superimposition relationships are illustrated: the control of earlier structures upon later ones and the reform of the former by thelatter; their geometrical regularities are also dealt with respectively.


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