Mesoscale eddy activity and its modulation mechanism in the South China Sea (SCS) are inves- tigated with newly reprocessed satellite altimetry observations and hydrographic data. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) lev...Mesoscale eddy activity and its modulation mechanism in the South China Sea (SCS) are inves- tigated with newly reprocessed satellite altimetry observations and hydrographic data. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) level of basin-wide averages show a distinct seasonal cycle with the maximum in August-December and the minimum in February-May. Furthermore, the seasonal pattern of EKE in the basin is dominated by region offshore of central Vietnam (OCV), southwest of Taiwan Island (SWT), and southwest of Luzon (SWL), which are also the breeding grounds of mesoscale eddies in the SCS. Instability theory analysis suggests that the seasonal cycle of EKE is modulated by the baroclinic instability of the mean flow. High eddy growth rate (EGR) is found in the active eddy regions. Vertical velocity shear in the upper 50-500 m is crucial for the growth of baroclinic instability, leading to seasonal EKE evolution in the SCS.展开更多
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) responds to the surface windstress via two processes, i.e., the instant barotropic process and the delayed baroclinic process. This study focuses on the baroclinic instability m...The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) responds to the surface windstress via two processes, i.e., the instant barotropic process and the delayed baroclinic process. This study focuses on the baroclinic instability mechanism in ACC, which was less reported in the literatures. Results show that the strengthening of surface zonal windstress causes the enhanced tilting of the isopycnal surface, leading to more intense baroclinic instability. Simultaneously, the mesoscale eddies resulting from the baro- clinic instability facilitate the transformation of mean potential energy to eddy energy, which causes the remarkable decrease of the ACC volume transport with the 2-year lag time. This delayed negative cor- relation between the ACC transport and the zonal windstress may account for the steadiness of the ACC transport during last two decades.展开更多
Based on instability theory and some former studies, the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) data are analyzed to further study the difference between the propagation of the ENSO-related oceanic anomaly in the off...Based on instability theory and some former studies, the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) data are analyzed to further study the difference between the propagation of the ENSO-related oceanic anomaly in the off-equatorial North Pacific Ocean before and after 1976. The investigation shows that after 1976 in the off-equatorial North Pacific Ocean, there is a larger area where the necessary conditions for baroclinic and/or barotropic instability are satisfied, which may help oceanic anomaly signals propagating in the form of Rossby waves to absorb energy from the mean currents so that they can grow and intensify. The baroclinic energy conversion rate in the North Pacific after 1976 is much higher than before 1976, which indicates that the baroclinic instability has intensified since 1976. Prom another perspective, the instability analysis gives an explanation of the phenomena that the ENSO-related oceanic anomaly signal in the North Pacific has intensified since 1976.展开更多
Using a new functional analysis tool, multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis and canonical transfer theory, this study reconstructs the Kuroshio system on three sc...Using a new functional analysis tool, multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis and canonical transfer theory, this study reconstructs the Kuroshio system on three scale windows, namely,the mean flow window, the interannual-scale(low-frequency) window, and the transient eddy window, and investigates the climatological characteristics of the intricate nonlinear interactions among these windows. Significant upscale energy transfer is observed east of Taiwan, where the mean Kuroshio current extracts kinetic energy from both the interannual and eddy windows.It is found that the canonical transfer from the interannual variability is an intrinsic source that drives the eddy activities in this region. The multiscale variabilities of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea(ECS) are mainly controlled by the interaction between the mean flow and the eddies.The mean flow undergoes mixed instabilities(i.e., both barotropic and baroclinic instabilities) in the southern ECS, while it is barotropically stable but baroclinically unstable to the north. The multiscale interactions are found to be most intense south of Japan, where strong mixed instabilities occur; both the canonical transfers from the mean flow and the interannual scale are important mechanisms to fuel the eddies. It is also found that the interannual-scale energy mainly comes from the barotropically unstable jet, rather than the upscale energy transfer from the high frequency eddies.展开更多
This study investigates the characteristics of a heavy snowfall event over the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula on 4 December 2005. The snowstorm was a type of mesoscale maritime cyclone which resulted from b...This study investigates the characteristics of a heavy snowfall event over the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula on 4 December 2005. The snowstorm was a type of mesoscale maritime cyclone which resulted from barotropic instability, and diabatic heating from the warm ocean in continental polar air masses. Based on surface observations, radiosonde soundings, MTSAT-1R satellite data and the 10-km grid RDAPS (Regional Assimilation and Prediction System based on the PSU/NCAR MM5) data, the evolution of the mesocyclone is explained by the following dynamics; (1) In the initial stage, the primary role in the cyclogenesis process of the mesocyclone is a barotropic instability in the horizontal shear zone. (2) In the developing stage, the mesocyclone moves and deepens into a baroclinic zone corresponding to the surface heating and moistening. (3) In the mature stage, it is found that the mesocyclone is intensified by the destabilization caused by enhanced low-level heating and condensation, the moisture flux convergence, and the interaction between upper and lower-level potential vorticity anomalies. We suggest that a checklist with stepwise indicators responsible for development be prepared for the forecasting of heavy snowfall over the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula.展开更多
The propagation of finns amplitude baroclinic wave packets in the two-layer model is investigated by using the multiple-scale method.It is shown that the propagation of the wave packets can be described by the so-call...The propagation of finns amplitude baroclinic wave packets in the two-layer model is investigated by using the multiple-scale method.It is shown that the propagation of the wave packets can be described by the so-called unstable nonlinear Schrodinger equation which possesses envelope soliton solutions.The speeds of the solitons are independent of their amplitudes,while the width of the solitons is directly proportional to their speeds but inversely proportional to their amplitudes.展开更多
The analysis of the satellite altimeter data suggests that the propagating speed of intraseasonal long Rossby wave amplified in the subtropical Pacific Ocean is faster than that of first mode baroclinic free Rossby wa...The analysis of the satellite altimeter data suggests that the propagating speed of intraseasonal long Rossby wave amplified in the subtropical Pacific Ocean is faster than that of first mode baroclinic free Rossby wave predicted by the liner theory and the propagating speed of intrascasonal long Rossby wave reflected in the eastern boundary of Pacific Ocean agrees basically with the liner theory speed of first mode baroelinic free P, ossby wave. If we do not distinguish the two kinds of hmg Rossby waves and estimate the Rossby wave speed in the whole basin, the phase speed is merely 25% higher than the linear theory long Rossby wave speed. The acceleration of the propagating speed of intraseasonal long Rossby wave amplified in the subtropical Pacific Ocean is due to the existence of westward thermolcline mean flow.展开更多
The Charney model is reexamined using a new mathematical tool, the multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis developed by Liang and Robinson to deal with realistic ge...The Charney model is reexamined using a new mathematical tool, the multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis developed by Liang and Robinson to deal with realistic geophysical fluid flow processes. Traditionally, though this model has been taken as a prototype of baroclinic instability, it actually undergoes a mixed one. While baroclinic instability explains the bottom-trapped feature of the perturbation, the second extreme center in the perturbation field can only be explained by a new barotropic instability when the Charney–Green number γ 1, which takes place throughout the fluid column, and is maximized at a height where its baroclinic counterpart stops functioning.The giving way of the baroclinic instability to a barotropic one at this height corresponds well to the rectification of the tilting found on the maps of perturbation velocity and pressure. Also established in this study is the relative importance of barotropic instability to baroclinic instability in terms of γ. When γ 1, barotropic instability is negligible and hence the system can be viewed as purely baroclinic;when γ 1, however, barotropic and baroclinic instabilities are of the same order;in fact, barotropic instability can be even stronger. The implication of these results has been discussed in linking them to real atmospheric processes.展开更多
A conservation law for the Phillips model is derived. Using this law, the nonlinear saturation of purely baroclinic instability caused by the vertical velocity shear of the basic flow in the Phillips model—the case o...A conservation law for the Phillips model is derived. Using this law, the nonlinear saturation of purely baroclinic instability caused by the vertical velocity shear of the basic flow in the Phillips model—the case of energy—is studied within the context of Arnold’s second stability theorem. Analytic upper bounds on the energy of wavy disturbances are obtained. For one unstable region in the parameter plane, the result here is a second-order correction in ε to Shepherd’s; For another unstable region, the analytic upper bound on the energy of wavy disturbances offers an effective constraint on wavy (nonzonal) disturbances Φ′<SUB> i </SUB>at any time.展开更多
The pitfalls of applying the commonly used definition of available gravitational potential energy (AGPE) to the world oceans are re-examined. It is proposed that such definition should apply to the meso-scale proble...The pitfalls of applying the commonly used definition of available gravitational potential energy (AGPE) to the world oceans are re-examined. It is proposed that such definition should apply to the meso-scale problems in the oceans, not the global scale. Based on WOA98 climatological data, the meso-scale AGPE in the world oceans is estimated. Unlike previous results by Oort et al. , the meso-scale AGPE is large wherever there is a strong horizontal density gradient. The distribution of meso-scale AGPE reveals the close connection between the baroclinic instability and the release of gravitational potential energy stored within the scale of Rossby deformation radius.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No.41076011,40531006,41106024 and40976014the National Basic Research Program of China under contract No.2011CB403600
文摘Mesoscale eddy activity and its modulation mechanism in the South China Sea (SCS) are inves- tigated with newly reprocessed satellite altimetry observations and hydrographic data. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) level of basin-wide averages show a distinct seasonal cycle with the maximum in August-December and the minimum in February-May. Furthermore, the seasonal pattern of EKE in the basin is dominated by region offshore of central Vietnam (OCV), southwest of Taiwan Island (SWT), and southwest of Luzon (SWL), which are also the breeding grounds of mesoscale eddies in the SCS. Instability theory analysis suggests that the seasonal cycle of EKE is modulated by the baroclinic instability of the mean flow. High eddy growth rate (EGR) is found in the active eddy regions. Vertical velocity shear in the upper 50-500 m is crucial for the growth of baroclinic instability, leading to seasonal EKE evolution in the SCS.
基金National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 40625017)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB403604)
文摘The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) responds to the surface windstress via two processes, i.e., the instant barotropic process and the delayed baroclinic process. This study focuses on the baroclinic instability mechanism in ACC, which was less reported in the literatures. Results show that the strengthening of surface zonal windstress causes the enhanced tilting of the isopycnal surface, leading to more intense baroclinic instability. Simultaneously, the mesoscale eddies resulting from the baro- clinic instability facilitate the transformation of mean potential energy to eddy energy, which causes the remarkable decrease of the ACC volume transport with the 2-year lag time. This delayed negative cor- relation between the ACC transport and the zonal windstress may account for the steadiness of the ACC transport during last two decades.
文摘Based on instability theory and some former studies, the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) data are analyzed to further study the difference between the propagation of the ENSO-related oceanic anomaly in the off-equatorial North Pacific Ocean before and after 1976. The investigation shows that after 1976 in the off-equatorial North Pacific Ocean, there is a larger area where the necessary conditions for baroclinic and/or barotropic instability are satisfied, which may help oceanic anomaly signals propagating in the form of Rossby waves to absorb energy from the mean currents so that they can grow and intensify. The baroclinic energy conversion rate in the North Pacific after 1976 is much higher than before 1976, which indicates that the baroclinic instability has intensified since 1976. Prom another perspective, the instability analysis gives an explanation of the phenomena that the ENSO-related oceanic anomaly signal in the North Pacific has intensified since 1976.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41806023 and 41276032)the National Program on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction (Grant No. GASI-IPOVAI-06)+2 种基金the 2015 Jiangsu Program of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Groupthe Jiangsu Chair Professorship, the NUIST Startup Program (Grant No. 2017r054)the Natural Science Foundation of the Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. 18KJB170019)
文摘Using a new functional analysis tool, multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis and canonical transfer theory, this study reconstructs the Kuroshio system on three scale windows, namely,the mean flow window, the interannual-scale(low-frequency) window, and the transient eddy window, and investigates the climatological characteristics of the intricate nonlinear interactions among these windows. Significant upscale energy transfer is observed east of Taiwan, where the mean Kuroshio current extracts kinetic energy from both the interannual and eddy windows.It is found that the canonical transfer from the interannual variability is an intrinsic source that drives the eddy activities in this region. The multiscale variabilities of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea(ECS) are mainly controlled by the interaction between the mean flow and the eddies.The mean flow undergoes mixed instabilities(i.e., both barotropic and baroclinic instabilities) in the southern ECS, while it is barotropically stable but baroclinically unstable to the north. The multiscale interactions are found to be most intense south of Japan, where strong mixed instabilities occur; both the canonical transfers from the mean flow and the interannual scale are important mechanisms to fuel the eddies. It is also found that the interannual-scale energy mainly comes from the barotropically unstable jet, rather than the upscale energy transfer from the high frequency eddies.
基金Acknowledgements. This work was supported by a grant of "Eco-Technopia 21 Project" by Korean Ministry of Environment. This work was also supported by the Brain Korea 21 Project in 2006/7. Reviewer Prof. Gang Fu's constructive comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, we thank the Information Management Division of Korean Meteorological Administration for providing us with the Forecaster's Analysis System.
文摘This study investigates the characteristics of a heavy snowfall event over the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula on 4 December 2005. The snowstorm was a type of mesoscale maritime cyclone which resulted from barotropic instability, and diabatic heating from the warm ocean in continental polar air masses. Based on surface observations, radiosonde soundings, MTSAT-1R satellite data and the 10-km grid RDAPS (Regional Assimilation and Prediction System based on the PSU/NCAR MM5) data, the evolution of the mesocyclone is explained by the following dynamics; (1) In the initial stage, the primary role in the cyclogenesis process of the mesocyclone is a barotropic instability in the horizontal shear zone. (2) In the developing stage, the mesocyclone moves and deepens into a baroclinic zone corresponding to the surface heating and moistening. (3) In the mature stage, it is found that the mesocyclone is intensified by the destabilization caused by enhanced low-level heating and condensation, the moisture flux convergence, and the interaction between upper and lower-level potential vorticity anomalies. We suggest that a checklist with stepwise indicators responsible for development be prepared for the forecasting of heavy snowfall over the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula.
文摘The propagation of finns amplitude baroclinic wave packets in the two-layer model is investigated by using the multiple-scale method.It is shown that the propagation of the wave packets can be described by the so-called unstable nonlinear Schrodinger equation which possesses envelope soliton solutions.The speeds of the solitons are independent of their amplitudes,while the width of the solitons is directly proportional to their speeds but inversely proportional to their amplitudes.
基金Project supported by the National Basic Research Program(Grant No :2005CB422303),the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China(Grant Nos :40333030 ,40506007 and 90411010)
文摘The analysis of the satellite altimeter data suggests that the propagating speed of intraseasonal long Rossby wave amplified in the subtropical Pacific Ocean is faster than that of first mode baroclinic free Rossby wave predicted by the liner theory and the propagating speed of intrascasonal long Rossby wave reflected in the eastern boundary of Pacific Ocean agrees basically with the liner theory speed of first mode baroelinic free P, ossby wave. If we do not distinguish the two kinds of hmg Rossby waves and estimate the Rossby wave speed in the whole basin, the phase speed is merely 25% higher than the linear theory long Rossby wave speed. The acceleration of the propagating speed of intraseasonal long Rossby wave amplified in the subtropical Pacific Ocean is due to the existence of westward thermolcline mean flow.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41276032 and 41705024)the National Program on Global Change and Air–Sea Interaction (Grant No. GASIIPOVAI-06)the Jiangsu Provincial Government through the 2015 Jiangsu Program of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group and the Jiangsu Chair Professorship, and Shandong Meteorological Bureau (Contract No. QXPG20174023)
文摘The Charney model is reexamined using a new mathematical tool, the multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis developed by Liang and Robinson to deal with realistic geophysical fluid flow processes. Traditionally, though this model has been taken as a prototype of baroclinic instability, it actually undergoes a mixed one. While baroclinic instability explains the bottom-trapped feature of the perturbation, the second extreme center in the perturbation field can only be explained by a new barotropic instability when the Charney–Green number γ 1, which takes place throughout the fluid column, and is maximized at a height where its baroclinic counterpart stops functioning.The giving way of the baroclinic instability to a barotropic one at this height corresponds well to the rectification of the tilting found on the maps of perturbation velocity and pressure. Also established in this study is the relative importance of barotropic instability to baroclinic instability in terms of γ. When γ 1, barotropic instability is negligible and hence the system can be viewed as purely baroclinic;when γ 1, however, barotropic and baroclinic instabilities are of the same order;in fact, barotropic instability can be even stronger. The implication of these results has been discussed in linking them to real atmospheric processes.
基金This project was supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 49455007, 40075011, and 40075014, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,
文摘A conservation law for the Phillips model is derived. Using this law, the nonlinear saturation of purely baroclinic instability caused by the vertical velocity shear of the basic flow in the Phillips model—the case of energy—is studied within the context of Arnold’s second stability theorem. Analytic upper bounds on the energy of wavy disturbances are obtained. For one unstable region in the parameter plane, the result here is a second-order correction in ε to Shepherd’s; For another unstable region, the analytic upper bound on the energy of wavy disturbances offers an effective constraint on wavy (nonzonal) disturbances Φ′<SUB> i </SUB>at any time.
基金the National Naturale Science Foundation of China under contract No. 40476010 the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China under contract No. 20030423011
文摘The pitfalls of applying the commonly used definition of available gravitational potential energy (AGPE) to the world oceans are re-examined. It is proposed that such definition should apply to the meso-scale problems in the oceans, not the global scale. Based on WOA98 climatological data, the meso-scale AGPE in the world oceans is estimated. Unlike previous results by Oort et al. , the meso-scale AGPE is large wherever there is a strong horizontal density gradient. The distribution of meso-scale AGPE reveals the close connection between the baroclinic instability and the release of gravitational potential energy stored within the scale of Rossby deformation radius.