Long-term change of sea surface temperature (SST) in the China Seas from 1900 to 2006 is examined based on two different observation datasets (HadISST1 and HadSST3). Similar to the Atlantic, SST in the China Seas has been well observed dur-ing the past 107 years. A comparison between the reconstructed (HadISST1) and un-interpolated (HadSST3) datasets shows that the SST warming trends from both datasets are consistent with each other in most of the China Seas. The warming trends are stronger in winter than in summer, with a maximum rate of SST increase exceeding 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait during winter based on HadISST1. However, the SST from both datasets experienced a sudden decrease after 1999 in the China Seas. The estimated trend from HadISST1 is stronger than that from HadSST3 in the East China Sea and the east of Taiwan Island, where the difference in the linear SST warming trends are as large as about 1℃ (100 year)-1 when using respectively HadISST1 and HadSST3 datasets. When compared to the linear winter warming trend of the land surface air temperature (1.6℃ (100 year)-1), HadSST3 shows a more reasonable trend of less than 2.1℃ (100 year)-1 than HadISST1's trend of larger than 2.7℃ (100 year)-1 at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The results also indicate large uncertainties in the estimate of SST warming patterns.
A robust anomalous anticyclonic circulation (AAC) was observed over Northeast Asia and the Japan Sea in boreal win-ter 1997/98 and over the Japan Sea in spring 1998. The formation mechanism is investigated. On the background of the vertically sheared winter monsoonal flow, anomalous rainfall in the tropical Indo-Western Pacific warm pool excited a wave train towards East Asia in the upper troposphere during boreal winter of 1997/98. The AAC over Northeast Asia and the Japan Sea is part of the wave train of equivalent barotropic structure. The AAC over the Japan Sea persisted from winter to spring and even intensified in spring 1998. The diagnostic calculations show that the vorticity and temperature fluxes by synoptic eddies are an important mechanism for the AAC over the Japan Sea in spring 1998.
The impact of eddies on the Kuroshio Current in the Luzon Strait (LS) area is investigated by using the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) satellite observation data and the sea surface height (SSH) assimilation data. The influence of the eddies on the mean current depends upon the type of eddies and their relative position. The mean current is enhanced (weakened) as the cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddy becomes slightly far from it, whereas it is weakened (enhanced) as the cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddy moves near or within the position of the mean current; this is explained as the eddy-induced meridional velocity and geostrophic flow relationship. The anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddy can increase (decrease) the mean meridional flow due to superimposition of the eddy-induced meridional flow when the eddy is within the region of the mean current. However, when the eddy is slightly far from the mean current region, the anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddy tends to decrease (increase) the zonal gradient of the SSH, which thus results in weakening (strengthening) of the mean current in the LS region.
In this study, the impact of atmosphere-wave coupling on typhoon intensity was investigated using numerical simulations of an idealized typhoon in a coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean modeling system. The coupling between atmosphere and sea surface waves considered the effects of wave state and sea sprays on air-sea momentum flux, the atmospheric low-level dissipative heating, and the wave-state-affected sea- spray heat flux. Several experiments were conducted to examine the impacts of wave state, sea sprays, and dissipative heating on an idealized typhoon system. Results show that considering the wave state and sea-spray-affected sea-surface roughness reduces typhoon intensity, while including dissipative heating intensifies the typhoon system. Taking into account sea spray heat flux also strengthens the typhoon system with increasing maximum wind speed and significant wave height. The overall impact of atmosphere-wave coupling makes a positive contribution to the intensification of the idealized typhoon system. The minimum central pressure simulated by the coupled atmosphere-wave experiment was 16.4 hPa deeper than that of the control run, and the maximum wind speed and significant wave height increased by 31% and 4%, respectively. Meanwhile, within the area beneath the typhoon center, the average total upward air-sea heat flux increased by 22%, and the averaged latent heat flux increased more significantly by 31% compared to the uncoupled run.
The intraseasonal oscillation(ISO;14-97-day periods) of temperature in the upper 2000 m of the global ocean was studied based on Argo observations from 2003-2008.It is shown that near the surface the ISO existed mainly in a band east of 60 E,between 10 S and 10 N,and the region around the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC).At other levels analyzed,the ISOs also existed in the regions of the Kuroshio,the Gulf Stream,the Indonesian throughflow,the Somalia current,and the subtropical countercurrent(STCC) of the North Pacific.The intraseasonal signals can be seen even at depths of about 2000 m in some regions of the global ocean.The largest amplitude of ISO appeared at the thermocline of the equatorial Pacific,Atlantic and Indian Ocean,with maximum standard deviation(STD) exceeding 1.2 C.The ACC,the Kuroshio,and the Gulf Stream regions all exhibited large STD for all levels analyzed.Especially at 1000 m,the largest STD appeared in the south and southeast of South Africa-a part of the ACC,with a maximum value that reached 0.5 C.The ratios of the intraseasonal temperature variance to the total variance at 1000 m and at the equator indicated that,in a considerable part of the global deep ocean,the ISO was dominant in the variations of temperature,since such a ratio exceeded even 50% there.A case study also confirmed the existence of the ISO in the deep ocean.These results provide useful information for the design of field observations in the global ocean.Analysis and discussion are also given for the mechanism of the ISO.
A sea spray generation function(SSGF)for bubble-derived droplets that takes into account the impact of wave state on whitecap coverage was presented in this study.By combining the new SSGF with a previous wave-state-dependent SSGF for spume droplets,an SSGF applicable to both bubble-derived and spume droplets that includes the impacts of wave state was obtained.The produced SSGF varies with surface wind as well as with wave development.As sea surface wind increases,more sea spray droplets are produced,resulting in larger SSGFs and volume fluxes.Meanwhile,under the same wind conditions,the SSGF is mediated by wave state,with larger SSGFs corresponding to older waves and larger windsea Reynolds numbers.The impact of wave state on sea spray heat flux was then estimated by applying this SSGF while considering the thermodynamic feedback process.Under given atmospheric and oceanic conditions,the estimated sea spray heat flux increases with wind speed,wave age,and windsea Reynolds number.
The existence of three well-defined tongue-shaped zones of swell dominance,termed as 'swell pools',in the Pacific,the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans,was reported by Chen et al.(2002)using satellite data.In this paper,the ECMWF Re-analyses wind wave data,including wind speed,significant wave height,averaged wave period and direction,are applied to verify the existence of these swell pools.The swell indices calculated from wave height,wave age and correlation coefficient are used to identify swell events.The wave age swell index can be more appropriately related to physical processes compared to the other two swell indices.Based on the ECMWF data the swell pools in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans are confirmed,but the expected swell pool in the Indian Ocean is not pronounced.The seasonal variations of global and hemispherical swell indices are investigated,and the argument that swells in the pools seemed to originate mostly from the winter hemisphere is supported by the seasonal variation of the averaged wave direction.The northward bending of the swell pools in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans in summer is not revealed by the ECMWF data.The swell pool in the Indian Ocean and the summer northward bending of the swell pools in the Pacific and the Atlan-tic Oceans need to be further verified by other datasets.
