Search

Abstract The seasonal variability of the hydrography and anticyclonic circulation in the Kuril Basin of the Sea of Okhotsk, from which the North Pacific ventilation originates, is studied from bi-monthly climatologies of temperature, salinity, dynamic height and current velocity. The subsurface hydrography of the Kuril Basin is characterized by the dominant role of fresh and cold waters transported by the East Sakhalin Current during winter and spring, and relatively warm and saline waters flowing with the Soya Warm Current. At the intermediate layer, the influence of dense shelf water is maximum from May to August, and this water mixes with surrounding waters in around half a year to form a well homogenized Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water, the source of North Pacific ventilation. The anticyclonic circulation typical of the Kuril Basin exhibits a strong seasonality, being absent in winter and showing a maximum amplitude in summer. Its formation is mainly related to the dynamic response of isopycnals to wind forcing. A dynamic height maximum appears along the coastal regions from Sakhalin Island to the southern Kuril Straits in winter, likely migrates towards the Kuril Basin in March–April and forms the anticyclonic system between May and October. The dynamic height – and thus the flow field – is mainly determined by isopycnal displacement in and around the Kuril Basin, whereas advection of water masses has a negligible effect. Surface intensification and decay of the anticyclonic circulation seems to be related to other processes such as heat exchange with the atmosphere. Highlights • The anticyclonic circulation in the Kuril Basin exhibits a strong seasonality. • Its formation is related to a dynamic response of isopycnals to wind stress changes. • Isopycnal displacement is mainly responsible for dynamic height changes there. • Dense Shelf Water is found in May–August and Soya Current Water in July–October. • They mix to form a homogenized Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water within half a year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sea of Okhotsk is a challenging environment for obtaining in situ data and satellite observation in winter due to sea ice cover. In this study, we evaluated the validity of hydrographic observations by marine mammals (e.g., seals and sea lions) equipped with oceanographic conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors. During 4-yr operations from 2011 to 2014, we obtained total of 997 temperature-salinity profiles in and around the Soya Strait, Iony Island, and Urup Strait. The hydrographic data were mainly obtained from May to August and the maximum profile depth in shelf regions almost reaches to the seafloor, while valuable hydrographic data under sea ice cover were also obtained. In strong thermoclines, the seal-derived data sometimes showed positive biases in salinity with spike-like signal. For these salinity biases, we applied a new thermal mass inertia correction scheme, effectively reducing spurious salinity biases in the seasonal thermocline. In the Soya Strait and the adjacent region, the detailed structure of the Soya Warm Current including the cold-water belt was well identified. Dense water up to 27.0σ θ , which can be a potential source of Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water, has flowed from the Soya Strait into the Sea of Okhotsk in mid-winter (February). In summer, around the Iony Island and Urup Strait, remarkable cold and saline waters are localized in the surface layers. These regions are also characterized by weak stratification, suggesting the occurrence of tidally induced vertical mixing. Thus, CTD-tag observations have a great potential in monitoring data-sparse regions in the Sea of Okhotsk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causes of the multidecadal-scale warming of the intermediate water in the Okhotsk Sea and the western subarctic North Pacific during 1980-2008 are investigated using an ice-ocean coupled model with interannually varying atmospheric forcing. A hindcast experiment qualitatively reproduces the warming and decadal fluctuations of the intermediate water that are similar to those of observations: the warming is significant along the western part of the Okhotsk Sea and subarctic frontal region. The effects of the thermohaline- and wind-driven ocean circulation on the warming are evaluated from perturbation experiments on thermohaline (turbulent heat and freshwater fluxes) and wind causes, respectively. The thermohaline causes are shown to contribute positively to warming in the Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW). The heat budget analysis for the OSIW indicates that the warming is related to a decrease in cold and dense shelf water (DSW) flux, which is caused by a decrease in sea ice and surface water freshening. In contrast, the wind cause has a cooling effect in the OSIW through an increase in DSW. In the subarctic frontal region, the warming is mainly caused by the wind stress change. The heat budget analysis indicates that the warming is related to an increase in the northward advection of the subtropical warm water. These results imply that both thermohaline- and wind-driven ocean circulation changes are essential components of the warming in the intermediate water. The atmospheric conditions responsible for the warming are related to a weakened Aleutian low and Siberian high in early and late winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the seasonal and interannual variations of the sea level in and around the Sea of Okhotsk and their causes, based on tide gauge and satellite altimeter data. The sea level all along the coastal region of the Sea of Okhotsk is found to be dominated by the seasonal variation with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer, which cannot be explained by the annual cycle of atmospheric heat flux and pressure. This sea level variation appears to reflect ocean current variations. Both the Arrested Topographic Waves (ATWs) caused by alongshore wind stress and the Sverdrup transport by wind stress curl show corresponding seasonal variations. Seasonal amplitude of the sea level is relatively large along Sakhalin Island with a tendency of a larger amplitude toward the south. This meridional dependence is consistent with the ATWs, but not with the Sverdrup transport in the Sea of Okhotsk. Seasonal variation of the geostrophic current velocity expected from the sea level variation is comparable to that of the observed nearshore current and is consistent with the theoretical ATW transport. It is also revealed that, on an interannual timescale, the wintertime sea level fluctuates quite coherently all around the Sea of Okhotsk and further along the East Kamchatka and Oyashio coasts in the North Pacific. The altimeter data clearly show that this coherent sea level variation is trapped over the coastal and continental shelf regions with depths shallower than 1000m. The wintertime sea levels have a higher correlation with the ATW transport than with the Sverdrup transport in the Sea of Okhotsk and the upstream East Kamchatka coast. All these suggest that the interannual sea level variation along the coastal and shelf regions in winter, as well as the seasonal variation, is mainly caused by the ATWs (coastal trapped current forced by the alongshore wind stress). The wintertime Sverdrup transport, raised by the previous studies, is the secondary contributor to these variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sea of Okhotsk is the southernmost sea-ice zone with sizable ice. It is widely believed that the prevailing northwesterly wind and the southward East Sakhalin Current (ESC) are the two main factors that drive the southward drift of sea ice. However, the relative contributions of these factors have not been understood. In this paper, by using the current and ice-drift data measured with the moored Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, a 3-D ocean model simulation, objective analysis data of the wind, and satellite sea-ice data, we examine to what degree and how the ice drift is determined by the wind and ocean current. From a linear regression of the observed ice drift, ocean current, and wind, the wind-forced component of the ice drift was best fitted when sea ice is assumed to move with a speed of 1.6% of the geostrophic wind with a turning angle of 17.6° to the left of the wind. Such a relationship was adopted as the wind-drift component for all sea-ice pixels detected from Special Sensor Microwave Imager data. For the ocean-forced component of the ice drift, we adopted the current at 20m depth from a numerical model simulation that reproduces well the ESC and its variability. We then evaluated the sea-ice drift over 46-54°N during 1998-2005. For the southward drift of sea ice, the contribution of the wind component is found to be larger than the oceanic component, although the ocean contribution becomes larger, typically comparable to the wind contribution, near the coast and in the northern region where the ESC is stronger. We estimated the average annual cumulative southward ice transport to be 3.0±0.9×1011m3 at 53°N. This ice transport is comparable to the annual discharge of the Amur River. The ratio of wind to oceanic components in the transport is estimated to be ~1.2-1.8. We also conducted ice-drift simulations based on the modeled current velocity and the assumed wind drift of 1.5% geostrophic wind with a turning angle of 15° to the left. The simulations reproduce well the ice drift north of 47°N but not south of 47°N, likely due to the poor representation of the current system at the latter, underevaluation of the wind factor near the ice edges, and the neglect of ice formation and melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recently constructed hydrographic dataset from the Okhotsk Sea reveals a prominent freshening to depths of ~500m during the past four decades, with the maximum in the northwestern part of the sea. Averaged over the sea, this freshening corresponds to an input of 0.55m of freshwater. This leads to a decrease in density of the intermediate water and deepening of the isopycnals, with the maximum deepening at 26.8 σθ of ~60m averaged over the sea. The intermediate water is significantly warmed along the pathway of dense shelf water (DSW). A simple box model shows that DSW production has decreased by ~30% during the past four decades. We propose that the freshening and DSW reduction are caused by the weakening of salt/freshwater redistribution through sea ice decline as well as by the increase of excess precipitation over evaporation. Since the overturning in the North Pacific originates from the Okhotsk Sea through the DSW, these changes possibly weaken the shallow overturning of the North Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overturning in the North Pacific extending to the intermediate layer (about 200-800m depth) originates from the sinking of dense shelf water (DSW) formed by sea ice production in the Okhotsk coastal polynyas. It has been suggested that this overturning has weakened during the past 50years. The purpose of this study is to clarify the long-term variability of sea ice production in the polynyas and to discuss its linkage with DSW formation and the overturning. First, we have developed a thin ice thickness retrieval algorithm using Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data for the Sea of Okhotsk, and have estimated the ice production for 21years (1988-2008) by calculating heat flux from SSM/I-derived ice thickness. From a comparison with atmospheric variables, it is suggested that interannual variability of sea ice production in the polynyas can be explained mainly by three atmospheric parameters: autumn air temperature northwest of the sea, winter air temperature north of the sea, and late winter offshoreward wind speed north of the sea. By using these parameters from atmospheric reanalysis data, the annual ice production for the 34years period from 1974 to 2008 is reconstructed from a multiple regression coefficient analysis. The reconstructed ice production shows a significant decreasing trend of ~11.4% over 34years, which is mainly explained by the warming of autumn air temperature. It is also found that the variation in the annual total ice production corresponds well with the potential temperature variation in Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW). This first observational evidence of a linkage between the annual total ice production and OSIW supports a hypothesis that decreasing ice production in the Okhotsk coastal polynyas, at least in part, has led to weakening of the overturning in the North Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea ice formation, its transport, and its melting cause the redistribution of heat and salt, which plays an important role in the climate and biogeochemical systems. In the Sea of Okhotsk, a heat and salt flux dataset is created in which such sea ice processes are included, with a spatial resolution of ~12.5 km. The dataset is based on a heat budget analysis using ice concentration, thickness, and drift speed from satellite observations and the ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) data. The salt flux calculation considers both salt supplied to the ocean from sea ice production and freshwater supplied when the ice melts. This dataset will be useful for the validation and boundary conditions of modeling studies. The spatial distribution of the annual fluxes shows a distinct contrast between north and south: significant ocean cooling with salt supply is shown in the northern coastal polynya region, while ocean heating with freshwater supply is shown in the south. This contrast suggests a transport of freshwater and negative heat by ice advection. The annual fluxes also show ocean cooling with freshwater supply in the Kashevarov Bank (KB) region and the central and eastern Sea of Okhotsk, suggesting the effect of warm water advection. In the ice melt season, relatively prominent ice melting is shown in the coastal polynya region, probably due to large solar heating of the upper ocean. This indicates that the polynya works as a 'meltwater factory' in spring, contrasting with its role as an 'ice factory' in winter. In the coastal polynya region, the spatial distribution of phytoplankton bloom roughly corresponds with the ice melt region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the formation mechanism of broad coastal polynyas beyond 100 km in offshore width. It is known that two regimes for wind-driven polynya opening exist: one is a convergent regime at the polynya edge in which inner frazil ice catches up with outer consolidated ice, whereas the other is a divergent regime in which the consolidated ice drifts offshore faster than the frazil ice at the edge. In this study, the authors focus on the latter, divergent polynya-edge regime. Because in the divergent regime the polynya possibly evolves without bound, they consider a thermal growth for inner frazil ice to find a finite solution of offshore width. Then, the authors investigate responses of the polynya opening for various wind angles ϕ from the offshore direction from the viewpoint of the polynya-edge regimes. At first, the authors estimate the deviation angle and wind factor for the frazil and consolidated ice based on each momentum balance, because sea ice motion driven by wind varies depending on the ice thickness due to relative effect of the Coriolis force. It was found that, when the surface wind deviates leftward about 10°° or greater from offshore, the divergent regime at the polynya edge generates a great polynya evolution. Otherwise, the convergent regime takes place yielding small offshore extent. These theoretical results were verified for the Okhotsk northwestern polynya using thin-ice-thickness data derived from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and the Japanese 25-year Reanalysis (JRA-25) surface wind. The data show that the polynya development distinctively changes at ϕ ∼∼ 0°°, and the largest width is shown in the leftward wind angle of ϕ == 0°°--30°°. This clear relationship between the surface wind angle and the offshore extent of polynya nicely supports the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the seasonal variation in the in- and outflow of the Okhotsk Sea with the Pacific, mainly based on profiling float and satellite altimeter data. The motions of the floats at depths of 500-750m show that the waters of the Okhotsk tend to flow out to the Pacific through the southern Kuril Straits, mostly Bussol’ Strait, in winter seasons (November-March). Based on data from the floats exiting the Sea, the mean residence time of the intermediate water in the Kuril Basin is estimated as about one year. Isopycnal analysis from the profiling data shows that, in the mid-eastern area of the Okhotsk Sea, potential temperature of the intermediate water with σθ=26.6-27.2 increases by 0.2-0.5°C in every spring, suggesting the inflow from the Pacific in the preceding season. These suggest that the in- and outflow predominantly occurs during winter, with the inflow at the northern straits and outflow at the southern straits. The surface current field inferred from satellite altimeter data also shows that the inflow to the Sea of Okhotsk through the northern straits is strengthened in winter, linked with strengthening of the East Kamchatka Current (EKC). From yearly anomalies of the altimeter data, the winter inflow to the Okhotsk through the northern straits is significantly correlated with the EKC and Sverdrup transport over the North Pacific. Further, interannual variations in property of Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water appear to be related with the EKC and wind stress over the North Pacific in winter, possibly through the change in inflowing Pacific water transport. These suggest that the seasonal and interannual variations of the in- and outflow are, to some extent, controlled by the large scale wind stress over the North Pacific, being consistent with Island Rule qualitatively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To clarify the generation and dissipation mechanisms of diurnal coastal-trapped waves (CTWs) over the Sakhalin shelf, a series of numerical experiments were conducted using a three-dimensional tidal model of the Okhotsk Sea with density stratification. The tidal model used has good reproduction owing to the careful fitting to the recent observations. The numerical experiments suggested that diurnal CTWs are primarily (~60%) generated by the conversion of tidal energy at the northern corner of the Sakhalin shelf, and further amplified by vorticity generation due to the water column oscillation from Sakhalin Bay and the influence of Kashevarov Bank. From the observations, it was found that diurnal CTWs are effectively dissipated by the strong spin-down due to bottom friction. The conventional turbulent closure model cannot reproduce the observed damping of diurnal CTWs, which raises a caution in modeling the tidal fields in high-latitude regions where diurnal CTWs exist. To resolve this underestimation of the damping, the vertical eddy viscosity was parameterized using its dependence on the observed major axis length of the diurnal tidal current ellipses, which improves the model reproduction on the damping of diurnal CTWs. The model also suggests that the spin-down effects due to friction associated with the sea-ice cover play an important role in the tidal current reduction in the region where diurnal CTWs exist, as the observations suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Subinertial and seasonal variations in the Soya Warm Current (SWC) are investigated using data obtained by high frequency (HF) ocean radars, coastal tide gauges, and a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The HF radars clearly captured the seasonal variations in the surface current fields of the SWC. Almost the same seasonal cycle was repeated in the period from August 2003 to March 2007, although interannual variations were also discernible. In addition to the annual and interannual variations, the SWC exhibited subinertial variations with a period of 5–20 days. The surface transport by the SWC was significantly correlated with the sea level difference between the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk for both the seasonal and subinertial variations, indicating that the SWC is driven by the sea level difference between the two seas. The generation mechanism of the subinertial variation is discussed using wind data from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses. The subinertial variations in the SWC were significantly correlated with the meridional wind stress component over the region. The subinertial variations in the sea level difference and surface current delay from the meridional wind stress variations by one or two days. Sea level difference through the strait caused by wind-generated coastally trapped waves (CTWs) along the east coast of Sakhalin and west coast of Hokkaido is considered to be a possible mechanism causing the subinertial variations in the SWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To clarify the characteristics of tidal currents and heights over Kashevarov Bank (KB) in the Sea of Okhotsk, continuous mooring observation with ADCP and CT sensors was carried out near the summit of KB from 20 September 1999 to 20 June 2000. The velocity, sea-surface height, and bottom-water temperature were dominated by the diurnal signal with fortnightly modulation. The velocity amplitude reached during the spring tide. The and tidal current ellipses are clockwise with a nearly circular shape and nearly barotropic. To interpret the physical mechanism of the amplified diurnal currents over KB, a seamount-trapped wave (SMTW) model was applied to KB. The frequency of SMTW approximated to KB is close to the diurnal tidal frequencies for the first-gravest mode of first azimuthal wavenumber. The structure and properties of the SMTW mode are consistent with the observations. It is proposed that the amplified diurnal currents over KB are caused by the resonance with SMTW. The observed fortnightly variability in tidal currents and bottom- and surface-temperatures suggests that both the cold spot in summer and the low sea-ice concentration in winter over KB are due to the horizontal and vertical mixing with the surrounding subsurface water, caused by strong tidal currents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hydrographic observations under sea ice were conducted in the southwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk for 4 years from 1996 to 1999. Every year a cold mixed layer with near-freezing temperature was distributed from the sea surface to a depth of 150–300 m near the shelf break under sea ice. The thicknesses of the mixed layer and sea ice were largest in 1997. While the depth of the mixed layer was considerably deeper than that of dichothermal water, which is identified as a temperature minimum from spring to fall in this region, the density of water in the mixed layer was equal to or less than that of dichothermal water. It is shown that deepening of isopycnals due to the alongshore component of the wind stress is essential for thickening of the mixed layer. In 1997 the nearly northerly winds, which are usually directed offshore, were more parallel to the coast than those in the other years. Thickening of the mixed layer in 1997 is attributed to this wind condition. The air temperature and wind indicate that the sea-ice production rate was low in 1997, whereas the wind direction was favorable for rafting and ridging. Thus the change in wind direction is proposed as an important factor in determining the thickness of both the mixed layer and the sea ice in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to clarify the structure and seasonal variability of the flow field near the western boundary of the Sea of Okhotsk, long-term mooring measurements were carried out from 1998 to 2000 in this region. In most of the mooring period a persistent southward flow (the East Sakhalin Current) was observed, which extends from the surface to a depth around 1000 m. The speed of this southward flow clearly changed seasonally. The peak monthly mean speed along 53°N at a depth of 200 m attained a maximum of 37 ± 9 cm s[sup -1] in January and a minimum of 10 ± 8 cm s[sup -1] in July. Three different cores of intense flow were identified in the southward flow. The first core was centered over the continental slope and had rather large vertical extent, reaching the bottom on the slope. The second core was trapped over the shelf near the surface and was observed from October to November. This core was associated with less saline surface water affected by the Amur River discharge. The third core was intensified toward the bottom on the slope. The spatial and temporal distribution of this bottom-intensified core coincided with that of dense shelf water, which is formed over the broad shelf in the north. The intensity of this core damped within a few hundred kilometers from the northern end of Sakhalin probably because of strong mixing of dense shelf water with surrounding waters. The total transport of the southward flow at 53°N was 6.7 × 10[sup 6] m[sup 3] s[sup -1] in the annual average, varying from a maximum of 12.3 × 10[sup 6] m[sup 3] s[sup -1] in February and a minimum of 1.2 × 10[sup 6] m[sup 3] s[sup -1] in October. Most of the transport was maintained by the first core of the southward flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate ε across the Bussol' Strait was re-evaluated by applying an improved method using density inversions to tide-resolving density observations. The improved estimates without excessive rejection of density inversions provide about three-times higher mean values of ε (1.45×10−7W/kg), vertical diffusivity Kρ (153×10−4m2/s) and depth-integrated ε (187mW/m2) in comparison with previous estimates. One-day mean vertical profiles of ε in the potential density co-ordinate allows us to estimate diapycnal velocity at 3×10−5m/s downwards through the 26.85σθ isopycnal surface, and was almost zero through 26.7σθ, suggesting the thinning of Okhotsk Sea Mode Water or of the core of North Pacific Intermediate Water as the water flows through the Bussol' Strait from the Sea of Okhotsk to the North Pacific. The re-evaluated turbulence and current distributions confirmed following previous knowledge but with quantitative improvements and/or expansion of coverage: (1) All-averaged ε and Kρ show distinctive mid-depth maxima at 800-1600m, 26.9-27.6σθ and at a height of 300-400m above the bottom, and enhanced ε within 500m of the bottom corresponding to the enhanced shear and low-Richardson number at vertical scales of less than 50m. (2) A significant amount of the ε variance (14%) is explained by the 50m-scale vertical shear composed of mean and diurnal tidal currents. (3) The diurnal tidal currents are well approximated by six low-mode topographically trapped waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]