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This study evaluates the simulation of the Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) mode and relevant physical processes in models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Historical runs from 20 CMIP5 models are available for the analysis. They reproduce the IOB mode and its close relationship to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Half of the models capture key IOB processes: a downwelling oceanic Rossby wave in the southern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) precedes the IOB development in boreal fall and triggers an antisymmetric wind anomaly pattern across the equator in the following spring. The anomalous wind pattern induces a second warming in the north Indian Ocean (NIO) through summer and sustains anticyclonic wind anomalies in the northwest Pacific by radiating a warm tropospheric Kelvin wave. The second warming in the NIO is indicative of ocean-atmosphere interaction in the interior TIO. More than half of the models display a double peak in NIO warming, as observed following El Niño, while the rest show only one winter peak. The intermodel diversity in the characteristics of the IOB mode seems related to the thermocline adjustment in the south TIO to ENSO-induced wind variations. Almost all the models show multidecadal variations in IOB variance, possibly modulated by ENSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a simple method to generate a perturbed parameter ensemble (PPE) of a fully-coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM), HadCM3, without requiring flux-adjustment. The aim was to produce an ensemble that samples parametric uncertainty in some key variables and gives a plausible representation of the climate. Six atmospheric parameters, a sea-ice parameter and an ocean parameter were jointly perturbed within a reasonable range to generate an initial group of 200 members. To screen out implausible ensemble members, 20 yr pre-industrial control simulations were run and members whose temperature responses to the parameter perturbations were projected to be outside the range of 13.6±2 °C, i.e. near to the observed pre-industrial global mean, were discarded. Twenty-one members, including the standard unperturbed model, were accepted, covering almost the entire span of the eight parameters, challenging the argument that without flux-adjustment parameter ranges would be unduly restricted. This ensemble was used in 2 experiments; an 800 yr pre-industrial and a 150 yr quadrupled CO2 simulation. The behaviour of the PPE for the pre-industrial control compared well to ERA-40 reanalysis data and the CMIP3 ensemble for a number of surface and atmospheric column variables with the exception of a few members in the Tropics. However, we find that members of the PPE with low values of the entrainment rate coefficient show very large increases in upper tropospheric and stratospheric water vapour concentrations in response to elevated CO2 and one member showed an implausible nonlinear climate response, and as such will be excluded from future experiments with this ensemble. The outcome of this study is a PPE of a fully-coupled AOGCM which samples parametric uncertainty and a simple methodology which would be applicable to other GCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee, H.S., 2013. Abnormal storm waves in the East Sea (Japan Sea) in April 2012 The winter East Sea, a semi-enclosed sea surrounded by Korea in the west, Japan in the east and south and Russia in the north, normally experiences rough sea conditions due to East Asian monsoon and winter storms. In April 2012, record-breaking abnormally high waves, significant wave heights of 11.21 m and 12.39 m and significant wave periods of 13.6 sec and 14.3 sec at Akita and Yamagata GPS buoy sites, respectively, were observed along the Tohoku coast in the East Sea side of Japan. It was due to a well- and fast-developed low pressure passing through the East Sea. This paper describes how a low pressure could be grown so rapidly to tropical cyclone level in this time and numerical hindcast results for future forecast and engineering purpose. With respect to the meteorological condition, it is found that strong convective motion due to latent heat and water vapor from Tsushima Warm Current together with an accompanied front increases a pressure gradient at tropopause level accelerating the low growth. In the hindcast using an atmosphere-wave modeling system, two different initial and boundary condition data, NCEP FNL and JMA GSM, are used for applicability test. The result with NCEP FNL data shows a better agreement with observations in terms of surface winds. The observed peaks of significant wave height and period by Akita and Yamagata GPS buoy are captured well in both results. It is also found that the vertical resolution of initial and boundary condition data is important in atmospheric modeling; the higher vertical resolution tends to produce a deeper storm with lower central pressure and strong convective motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tree fern genus Cibotium comprises nine species distributed in tropical regions of Asia, Mesoamerica, and the Hawaiian Islands. The four Hawaiian species are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The goals of this paper were to determine the relationships among the Cibotium species, determine whether the Hawaiian species are monophyletic, and infer the dispersal pathway likely responsible for delivering an ancestral Cibotium species to the Hawaiian Islands. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on four coding and five non-coding plastid DNA sequences supported Hawaiian Cibotium as monophyletic, suggesting a single colonization of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Cibotium are most closely related to species in Mesoamerica. If the ancestor of Hawaiian Cibotium dispersed to the Hawaiian Islands via wind dispersed spores, our analyses suggest the trade winds or storms delivered spores from Mesoamerica or the Hawaiian Islands were colonized first by a species from Asia, followed by subsequent dispersal to Mesoamerica from Hawai'i. Our analyses do not allow us to favor one hypothesis over the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory investigation has been undertaken to quantify water wave attenuation rates as a function of rainfall rate. Vertical artificial rainfall is shown to generate weak near-surface velocity fluctuations that decline systematically away from the free surface and are independent of rainfall rate across the range of rainfall rates investigated (40–$170~\mathrm{mm} ~{\mathrm{h} }^{- 1} $). In the absence of rain, the observed attenuation of gravity waves is at levels consistent with classical viscous theory, but with a systematic finite-amplitude effect observed above a mean steepness of 0.10. Wave attenuation rates were found to be independent of the mean wave steepness and identical when artificial rainfall rates of 108 and $141~\mathrm{mm} ~{\mathrm{h} }^{- 1} $ were applied. Reassessment of complementary theoretical and experimental studies of individual droplets impacting on undisturbed water surfaces indicates that above a weak threshold rainfall rate of $30~\mathrm{mm} ~{\mathrm{h} }^{- 1} $, the surface irradiation becomes so frequent that droplet-generated violent surface motions directly interact with the incoming droplets. Present evidence is that a matching of time scales develops between the incoming surface irradiation and surface water motions generated by antecedent droplets as the rainfall rate increases. Consequently, at high rainfall rates, a highly dissipative surface regime is created that transmits little of the incident rainfall kinetic energy to the aqueous layers below. Rainfall-induced wave attenuation rates are compared with measurements of other wave attenuation processes to obtain a hierarchy of strength in both the laboratory and the field. Comparison is also made with wave attenuation theories that incorporate momentum and energy flux considerations. Rain-induced wave attenuation rates are weak or very strong depending on whether they are expressed in terms of energy scaling obtained from above or below the surface respectively, due to the high dissipation rate that occurs in the vicinity of the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experiments conducted in the low-altitude coastal atmosphere in New Zealand have demonstrated the potential of a new unmanned aerial system (UAS) for meteorological research. The Kahu unmanned aerial vehicle flies autonomously using GPS and pre-programmed waypoints, collecting observations of air temperature and relative humidity that are relayed to a ground-station near-instantaneously. Experiments conducted in the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, show that the Kahu's radio transmission system can successfully transmit data across the ocean surface at distances up to 25 km. Accuracy of the meteorological data collected by the UAS was assessed via a direct comparison with weather station sensors and radiosonde soundings at heights of up to 500 m in the Bay of Plenty. Close agreement between the UAS, radiosonde and weather station data suggests that the Kahu UAS has considerable scope as a new field research tool in New Zealand, capable of providing reliable atmospheric data that can complement and even supplement conventional low-altitude sampling techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pile positioning, for driving piles below the surface of water in a marine pier construction project, is typically a time-consuming task owing to the fact that the pile wharf is affected significantly by environmental limitation and marine meteorology. As a result, it is always a goal to minimize the positioning time while maintaining a desired level of accuracy. This study developed a global positioning system (GPS)-based information system, which integrated six major modules. This system was designed to provide a real-time positioning and guidance solution for pile-driving barge control in a marine pier construction project. In a case study, the developed system has been implemented successfully in a real project and proved this system can improve the horizontal accuracy of real-time pile positions by less than 1 cm. It also contributed to a 42% reduction in the construction time and thus an 11% reduction in the final budget. Consequently, the efficiency of a piling construction project could be improved significantly by incorporating such a system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three well-known Australian beaches, Surfers Paradise Beach (Gold Coast), Narrowneck Beach (Gold Coast) and Bondi Beach (Sydney), were selected for analysis of beach user preferences for certain weather and ocean conditions. Regression methods were used to determine how the numbers of visitors to these beaches are affected by these conditions. Actual visitor numbers were counted at three times during the day over several months at each beach with the aid of web cameras. The corresponding weather and ocean conditions were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and local government agencies. Weekly and seasonal factors were also considered. The conditions preferred by beach users, as found in this study, are: no precipitation, higher temperatures, light-to-moderate wind speed (less than 30 km/h) and low wave height (up to 1.25 m). This study, the first to provide an analysis of beach user preferences for both weather and ocean conditions, shows that ocean conditions play a significant role in explaining the demand for beach recreation in Australia. It is therefore necessary for tourism management authorities or local governments to provide accurate and timely weather and ocean information to local, domestic and international beach users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the possible effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the quality of Spanish Cava. We found a significant negative relationship between the mean NAO for the months of March through August of each year between 1970 and 2008 and the probability of obtaining a top quality Cava. The NAO is associated with temperature and rainfall variations in the Cava region, which affect vine physiological processes during grape maturity. The probability of obtaining a top quality Cava was highest when the mean value of the NAO was negative, which causes the mean temperature in the Cava area to decrease, with positive consequences on Cava quality. Although the overall discrimination capacity and explanatory power of the model were low, 80 % of clearly favorable years were classified correctly as corresponding to top quality Cava, and 70 % of clearly unfavorable years were classified correctly as non top quality Cava. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new small wave rider called Surpact was developed for air-sea investigations. It was designed to attach to a drifter or a mooring and to float upon the surface waves in order to measure sea state and atmospheric sea level pressure as well as temperature and salinity at a small fixed depth from the surface. Wind speed is derived from Surpact sea state measurements, and the data are calibrated with co-located Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) wind retrievals during a four-month deployment in the North Atlantic subtropics. Individual 15-minute wind estimates present a root mean square difference on the order of 15% with the SSMIS wind retrievals for wind speeds less than 12 m -1. The wind retrievals might lag the actual wind changes for moderate to strong winds by an hour. This article discusses the accuracy of these wind retrievals based on in situ data collected during the Strasse cruise in August and September 2012. Temperature and salinity data are also examined. The authors find, under some sunny conditions, radiative warming of the temperature probe reduces the accuracy of some of the daytime temperature data and also affects corresponding salinity estimates. Nonetheless, small realistic daily cycles of near-surface salinity (0.01 psu amplitude) were observed. Also, examples of wind time series collected during salinity drops caused by rainfall during late 2012 in the North Atlantic subtropics indicate no intensification of wind during these rain events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An equilibrator is presented that is designed to have a sufficient equilibration time even for insoluble gases, and to minimize artifacts associated with not equilibrating to the total gas tension. A gas tension device was used to balance the pressure inside the equilibrator with the total gas tension. The equilibrator has an e-folding time of 7.36 ± 0.74 min for oxygen and oxygen isotopes, allowing changes on hourly time scales to be easily resolved. The equilibrator delivers 'equilibrated' air at a flow rate of 3 mL min−1 to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The high gas sampling flow rate would allow the equilibrator to be interfaced with many potential devices, but further development may be required for use at sea. This system was tested at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier, in La Jolla, California. A mathematical model validated with performance tests was used to assess the sensitivity of the equilibrated air composition to headspace pressure and makeup gas composition. Parameters in this model can be quantified to establish corrections under different operating conditions. For typical observed values, under the operating conditions presented here, the uncertainty in the measurement due to the equilibrator system is 2.2 per mil for δ(O2/N2), 1.5 per mil for δ(O2/Ar), 0.059 per mil for δ18O, and 0.0030 per mil for Δ17O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The exploration of processes leading to coastal eutrophication is a major challenge in ecological research, particularly in light of important new policies such as the European Water Framework Directive. In the present study primary production (in terms of chlorophyll α – chl α) is modeled based on a number of abiotic parameters using model trees (MTs), a machine learning (ML) approach whereby linear regressions are induced within homogeneous subsets of samples (tree leaves). Standardized regression was applied to determine the relative weight of abiotic parameters in the MT tree leaves whereas the efficiency of the MT method in chl α prediction was tested against neural networks (NNs) which is the most frequently used ML approach, and the classical multiple linear regression (MLR). To assess the efficiency of models to describe eutrophication-related responses under different environmental conditions, the methods were applied on a coastal ecosystem affected by terrestrial runoff for two meteorologically contrasting annual cycles: a typical dry (''04–''05) and a typical wet (''09–''10). MTs showed increased predictive power in chl α prediction attributed to the discrimination of input data space into tree leaves, instead of using a uniform space as in NNs and MLR. By grouping samples of each tested annual cycle (wet and dry) on a seasonal basis into discrete groups/leaves, MTs offer a much more explanatory description of ecosystem status than NNs and MLR. The discriminating variables forming tree leaves and the weighing coefficients of Linear Models (LMs) in each leaf provided a useful scaling of abiotic parameters driving chl α dynamics. The MT method is thus proposed as an efficient tool for obtaining insights into ecosystem processes leading to eutrophication events in coastal ecosystems and a useful component in integrated coastal zone management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The seasonal prediction skill for the Northern Hemisphere winter is assessed using retrospective predictions (1982-2010) from the ECMWF System 4 (Sys4) and National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) CFS version 2 (CFSv2) coupled atmosphere-ocean seasonal climate prediction systems. Sys4 shows a cold bias in the equatorial Pacific but a warm bias is found in the North Pacific and part of the North Atlantic. The CFSv2 has strong warm bias from the cold tongue region of the eastern Pacific to the equatorial central Pacific and cold bias in broad areas over the North Pacific and the North Atlantic. A cold bias in the Southern Hemisphere is common in both reforecasts. In addition, excessive precipitation is found in the equatorial Pacific, the equatorial Indian Ocean and the western Pacific in Sys4, and in the South Pacific, the southern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific in CFSv2. A dry bias is found for both modeling systems over South America and northern Australia. The mean prediction skill of 2 meter temperature (2mT) and precipitation anomalies are greater over the tropics than the extra-tropics and also greater over ocean than land. The prediction skill of tropical 2mT and precipitation is greater in strong El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) winters than in weak ENSO winters. Both models predict the year-to-year ENSO variation quite accurately, although sea surface temperature trend bias in CFSv2 over the tropical Pacific results in lower prediction skill for the CFSv2 relative to the Sys4. Both models capture the main ENSO teleconnection pattern of strong anomalies over the tropics, the North Pacific and the North America. However, both models have difficulty in forecasting the year-to-year winter temperature variability over the US and northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dense gravity current overflows occur in several regions throughout the world and are an important process in the meridional overturning circulation. Overflows are poorly represented in coarse resolution level coordinate ocean climate models. Here, the embedded Lagrangian model formulated in the companion paper of Bates et al. (2012) is used in two idealised test cases to examine the effect on the representation of dense gravity driven plumes, as well as the effect on the circulation of the bulk ocean in the Eulerian model. The results are compared with simulations with no parameterisation for overflows, as well as simulations that use traditional hydrostatic overflow schemes. The use of Lagrangian “blobs” is shown to improve three key characteristics that are poorly represented in coarse resolution level coordinate models: (1) the depth of the plume, (2) the along slope velocity of the plume, and (3) the response of the bulk ocean to the bottom boundary layer. These improvements are associated with the more appropriate set of dynamics satisfied by the blobs, leading to a more physically sound representation. Experiments are also conducted to examine sensitivity to blob parameters. The blob parameters are examined over a large parameter space. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A framework for embedding a Lagrangian model within ocean climate models that employ horizontal Eulerian grids is presented. The embedded Lagrangian model can be used to explicitly represent processes that are at the subgrid scale to the Eulerian model. The framework is applied to open ocean deep convection and gravity driven downslope flows, both of which are subgridscale in the present generation of level coordinate ocean climate models. In order to apply the embedded Lagrangian framework to these processes, it is necessary to partition the mass and momentum of the model into an Eulerian system and a Lagrangian system. This partitioning allows the Lagrangian model to transport seawater using a more appropriate set of dynamics. A number of schemes suitable for implementation in the embedded Lagrangian model are derived. Two dynamically passive schemes are derived that emulate existing parameterisations and two dynamically active schemes are also derived that evolve Lagrangian parcels of water (termed “blobs”) according to a set of physical equations. Some details of the implementation into the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Modular Ocean Model are also given. Finally, results are presented that show that the dynamically passive schemes are able to emulate their Eulerian counterparts to within roundoff error in idealised test cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The increasing maritime activity can be seriously affected by severe weather and sea conditions. To avoid serious damages to ships, marine structures and humans, a good weather and wave forecast is of primary importance. In general the meteorological and the wave models are used to produce forecasts at large scale like the global or the medium-size inner seas. For much smaller environments like the Greek maritime areas, characterized by complicated features like the orography and the presence of islands, the modelisation becomes a not simple task. This study is devoted to the validation of the performance of the WAM wave model over the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The period of validation refers to the first 12 months of operational use of the model at the National Observatory of Athens. The wave model is applied at a resolution of 1/16 degrees and is driven by the 10m wind, produced by the BOLAM meteorological model operationally run over the same area. Two different sources of data have been used for the verification of the model results. The first dataset is provided by a network of buoys deployed over the Greek maritime areas and the second consists of altimeter data, provided by the OSTM/Jason-2 satellite platform. Although the study area is characterized by complex topography and a large number of islands, the implementation of the WAM model provides very encouraging results. In general, with the exception of the two buoys located in the Ionian Sea, the WAM model tends to underestimate the wave energy in the region of the Aegean Sea. The comparison with the altimeter data shows that the model has a tendency to overestimate the height for waves lower than 2.5m and to underestimate the waves higher than 3m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled experiments were conducted in the Air-Sea Interaction Saltwater Tank (ASIST) at the University of Miami to investigate air-sea moist enthalpy transfer rates under various wind speeds (range of -1 0.6-39 m s scaled to equivalent 10-m neutral winds) and water-air temperature differences (range of 1.3°-9.2°C). An indirect calorimetric (heat content budget) measurement technique yielded accurate determinations of moist enthalpy flux over the full range of wind speeds. These winds included conditions with significant spray generation, the concentrations of which were of the same order as field observations. The moist enthalpy exchange coefficient so measured included a contribution from cooled reentrant spray and therefore serves as an upper limit for the interfacial transfer of enthalpy. An unknown quantity of spray was also observed to exit the tank without evaporating. By invoking an air volume enthalpy budget it was determined that the potential contribution of this exiting spray over an unbounded water volume was up to 28%. These two limits bound the total enthalpy transfer coefficient including spray-mediated transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using two fully coupled ocean-atmosphere models-Climate Model version 2.1 (CM2.1), developed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and Climate Model version 2.5 (CM2.5), a new high-resolution climate model based on CM2.1-the characteristics and sources of SST and precipitation biases associated with the Atlantic ITCZ have been investigated. CM2.5 has an improved simulation of the annual mean and the annual cycle of the rainfall over the Sahel and northern South America, while CM2.1 shows excessive Sahel rainfall and lack of northern South America rainfall in boreal summer. This marked improvement in CM2.5 is due to not only high-resolved orography but also a significant reduction of biases in the seasonal meridional migration of the ITCZ. In particular, the seasonal northward migration of the ITCZ in boreal summer is coupled to the seasonal variation of SST and a subsurface doming of the thermocline in the northeastern tropical Atlantic, known as the Guinea Dome. Improvements in the ITCZ allow for better representation of the coupled processes that are important for an abrupt seasonally phase-locked decay of the interannual SST anomaly in the northern tropical Atlantic. Nevertheless, the differences between CM2.5 and CM2.1 were not sufficient to reduce the warm SST biases in the eastern equatorial region and Angola-Benguela area. The weak bias of southerly winds along the southwestern African coast associated with the excessive southward migration bias of the ITCZ may be a key to improve the warm SST biases there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of eddy structure decomposition is proposed to detect how low-frequency flow associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) organizes systematically synoptic eddy (SE) activity to generate in-phase and upstream feedbacks. In this method, a statistical eddy streamfunction (SES) field, defined by the three-point covariance of synoptic-scale streamfunction, is introduced to characterize spatiotemporal SE flow structures. The SES field is decomposed into basic and anomalous parts to represent the climatological SE flow structure and its departure. These two parts are used to calculate the basic and anomalous eddy velocity, eddy vorticity, and thus eddy vorticity flux fields, in order to elucidate those two SE feedbacks onto the NAO. This method is validated by the fact that the observed anomalous eddy vorticity flux field can be reproduced well by two linear terms: the basic eddy velocity field multiplied by anomalous eddy vorticity field and the anomalous eddy velocity field multiplied by basic eddy vorticity field. With this method, it is found that, in the positive and negative phases, the NAO flow tends to induce two different types of anomalous SE flow structure, which are largely responsible for generating the net meridional and zonal eddy vorticity fluxes that, in return, feed back onto the NAO. The two processes that are related to these two different types dominate in the in-phase and upstream feedbacks, which are delineated conceptually into two kinematic mechanisms associated with zonal-slanting and meridional-shifting changes in the SE structure. The present observational evidence supports the theory of eddy-induced instability for low-frequency variability and also provides insights into the reason for the asymmetry between the SE feedbacks onto the two NAO phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal-to-multidecadal applications that require ocean surface energy fluxes often require accuracies of surface turbulent fluxes to be 5 W m−2 or better. While there is little doubt that uncertainties in the flux algorithms and input data can cause considerable errors, the impact of temporal averaging has been more controversial. The biases resulting from using monthly averaged winds, temperatures, and humidities in the bulk aerodynamic formula (i.e., the so-called classical method) to estimate the monthly mean latent heat fluxes are shown to be substantial and spatially varying in a manner that is consistent with most prior work. These averaging-related biases are linked to nonnegligible submonthly covariances between the wind, temperature, and humidity. To provide additional insight into the averaging-related bias, the methodology behind the third-generation Florida State University monthly mean surface flux product (FSU3) is detailed to highlight additional sources of errors in gridded datasets. The FSU3 latent heat fluxes suffer from this averaging-related bias, which can be as large as 90 W m−2 in western boundary current regions during winter and can exceed 40 W m−2 in synoptically active portions of the tropics. The regional impacts of these biases on the mixed layer temperature tendency are shown to demonstrate that the error resulting from applying the classical method is physically substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 14C measurements in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal during the late 1990s offer a way to assess the temporal changes in the inventories of bomb-14C and its penetration into the ocean, in two decades since GEOSECS expeditions (1977-1978). The mean penetration depth of bomb radiocarbon during GEOSECS (1977-1978) was 270 m, which increased by ∼40% to 381 m in 1994-1998. The small changes in bomb-14C inventories, significant increase in the mean penetration depths and lowering of the surface Δ14C values in the northern Indian Ocean indicate the temporal variation of bomb-14C in two decades is mainly through downward transfer through mixing with deeper waters. The observed bomb-14C inventory in the northern Indian Ocean agrees with numerical model simulated values, except at the equatorial Indian Ocean. The high bomb-14C inventory at the equator can be attributed to lateral advection of 14C-enriched waters from the Pacific Ocean through the Indonesian archipelago. The air-sea CO2 exchange rates in the northern Indian Ocean calculated from the bomb-14C inventories range from ∼7 mol m-2 yr-1 (in the northern Bay of Bengal) to 20 mol m-2 yr-1 (in the equatorial Indian Ocean). Net sea-air flux of CO2 estimated for the northern Indian Ocean between 0° and 25°N is ∼104 ± 30 TgC yr-1. The Bay of Bengal is a net sink of atmospheric CO2 (∼-1 ± 0.4 TgC yr-1), while the Arabian Sea is a source of CO2 (∼69 ± 21 TgC yr-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Analysis of the time-series of daily mean total aerosol mass concentrations (M T), measured within the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) revealed the presence of short-period modulations with periods of 4–6 days, 8–10 days as well as quasi 16-day (14–20 days). These were found to be distinctively associated with similar oscillations in the concurrently measured MABL parameters such as air temperature (AT), pressure (P), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), sea surface temperature (SST) and derived parameters such as Momentum Flux (MF), Latent Heat Flux (LHF) and Sensible Heat Flux (SHF). Examination of the phase relations revealed that the 4–6 days and quasi 16-day periodicities in AT, P, RH and SST maintained a nearly in-phase (very small phase difference <±20°) variation between themselves and also with similar periodicities in the aerosol mass concentration M T. On the other hand, the periodicities in WS, SHF, LHF and MF, though were nearly in-phase among themselves, exhibited an out-of-phase (phase difference 180±20°) relation with that of M T. Interestingly, the 8–10 day periodicities revealed a different phase relationship; the variables AT, P, SST, WS and M T were in-phase and these variables were out-of-phase with similar periodicities in RH and the fluxes. It was also observed that all the three waves represented westward propagating Rossby waves. An easterly phase in the wind was found to result in advection of particles from the East Asia to BoB, as evident from the out-of-phase relationship between the periodicities of 4–6 days and quasi 16-day in M T and zonal wind. The meridional component, that was stronger than its zonal amplitude in the 8–10 day periodicity, resulted in enhanced advection of particles from the southern part of Bay of Bengal in comparison with that from the Eastern region, leading to an in-phase relationship between M T and zonal wind. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A major question for climate studies is to quantify the role of turbulent eddy fluxes in maintaining the observed ocean-atmosphere state. It has been argued that eddy fluxes keep the midlatitude atmosphere in a state that is marginally critical to baroclinic instability, which provides a powerful constraint on the response of the atmosphere to changes in external forcing. No comparable criterion appears to exist for the ocean. This is particularly surprising for the Southern Ocean, a region whose dynamics are very similar to the midlatitude atmosphere, but observations and numerical models suggest that the currents are supercritical. This paper aims to resolve this apparent contradiction using a combination of theoretical considerations and eddy-resolving numerical simulations. It is shown that both marginally critical and supercritical mean states can be obtained in an idealized diabatically forced (and thus atmosphere-like) Boussinesq system, if the thermal expansion coefficient is varied from large atmosphere-like values to small oceanlike values. The argument is made that the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient dominantly controls the difference in the deformation scale between the two fluids and ultimately renders eddies ineffective in maintaining a marginally critical state in the limit of small thermal expansion coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term (1967-2008) glass eel catches were used to investigate climatic effects on the annual recruitment of Japanese eel to Taiwan. Specifically, three prevailing hypotheses that potentially explain the annual recruitment were evaluated. Hypothesis 1: high precipitation shifts the salinity front northward, resulting in favorable spawning locations. Hypothesis 2: a southward shift of the position of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation provides a favorable larval transport route. Hypothesis 3: ocean conditions (eddy activities and productivity) along the larval migration route influence larval survival. Results of time series regression and wavelet analyses suggest that Hypothesis 1 is not supported, as the glass eel catches exhibited a negative relationship with precipitation. Hypothesis 2 is plausible. However, the catches are correlated with the NEC bifurcation with a one-year lag. Considering the time needed for larval transport (only four to six months), the one-year lag correlation does not support the direct transport hypothesis. Hypothesis 3 is supported indirectly by the results. Significant correlations were found between catches and climate indices that affect ocean productivity and eddy activities, such as the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO), North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Western Pacific Oscillation (WPO). Wavelet analysis reveals three periodicities of eel catches: 2.7, 5.4, and 10.3 years. The interannual coherence with QBO and the Niño 3.4 region suggests that the shorter-term climate variability is modulated zonally by equatorial dynamics. The low-frequency coherence with WPO, PDO, and NPGO demonstrates the decadal modulation of meridional teleconnection via ocean-atmosphere interactions. Furthermore, WPO and QBO are linked to solar activities. These results imply that the Japanese eel recruitment may be influenced by multi-timescale climate variability. Our findings call for investigation of extra-tropical ocean dynamics that affect survival of eels during transport, in addition to the existing efforts to study the equatorial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface seawater and marine boundary layer air samples were collected on the ice-breaker R/V Xuelong (Snow Dragon) from the East China Sea to the high Arctic (33.23-84.5° N) in July to September 2010 and have been analyzed for six current-use pesticides (CUPs): trifluralin, endosulfan, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, dacthal, and dicofol. In all oceanic air samples, the six CUPs were detected, showing highest level (>100 pg/m³) in the Sea of Japan. Gaseous CUPs basically decreased from East Asia (between 36.6 and 45.1° N) toward Bering and Chukchi Seas. The dissolved CUPs in ocean water ranged widely from

The effect of an inland plateau on the tropical sea breeze is considered in terms of idealized numerical experiments, with a particular emphasis on offshore effects. The sea breeze is modeled as the response to an oscillating interior heat source over land. The parameter space for the calculations is defined by a nondimensional wind speed, a scaled plateau height, and the nondimensional heating amplitude. The experiments show that the inland plateau tends to significantly strengthen the land-breeze part of the circulation, as compared to the case without terrain. The strengthening of the land breeze is tied to blocking of the sea-breeze density current during the warm phase of the cycle. The blocked sea breeze produces a pool of relatively cold, stagnant air at the base of the plateau, which in turn produces a stronger land-breeze density current the following morning. Experiments show that the strength of the land breeze increases with the terrain height, at least for moderate values of the height. For very large terrain, the sea breeze is apparently blocked entirely, and further increases in terrain height lead to only small changes in land-breeze intensity and propagation. Details of the dynamics are described in terms of the transition from linear to nonlinear heating amplitudes, as well as for cases with and without background winds. The results show that for the present experiments, significant offshore effects are tied to nonlinear frontal propagation, as opposed to quasi-linear wave features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of wind speed on shallow marine cumulus convection is explored using large-eddy simulations and concepts from bulk theory. Focusing on cases characteristic of the trades, the equilibrium trade wind layer is found to be deeper at stronger winds, with larger surface moisture fluxes and smaller surface heat fluxes. The opposing behavior of the surface fluxes is caused by more warm and dry air being mixed to the surface as the cloud layer deepens. This leads to little difference in equilibrium surface buoyancy fluxes and cloud-base mass fluxes. Shallow cumuli are deeper, but not more numerous or more energetic. The deepening response is necessary to resolve an inconsistency in the subcloud layer. This argument follows from bulk concepts and assumes that the lapse rate and flux divergence of moist-conserved variables do not change, based on simulation results. With that assumption, stronger winds and a fixed inversion height imply larger surface moisture and buoyancy fluxes (heat fluxes are small initially). The consequent moistening tends to decrease cloud-base height, which is inconsistent with a larger surface buoyancy flux that tends to increase cloud-base height, in order to maintain the buoyancy flux at cloud base at a fixed fraction of its surface value (entrainment closure). Deepening the cloud layer by increasing the inversion height resolves this inconsistency by allowing the surface buoyancy flux to remain constant without further moistening the subcloud layer. Because this explanation follows from simple bulk concepts, it is suggested that the internal dynamics (mixing) of clouds is only secondary to the deepening response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is an oxidation product of a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and important atmospheric constituent found in both the polluted urban atmosphere and remote background sites. In this study, remotely sensed data of HCHO vertical column densities are analyzed over the Mediterranean Sea using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Data analysis indicates a marked seasonal cycle with a summer maximum and winter minimum confined to the marine environment during a three year period (2005-2007) examined. A possible retrieval artifact associated with Saharan dust transport over the region is explored by changing intensity of Saharan dust sources in GEOS-Chem following the recommendation of Generoso et al. (2008). Recalculated air mass factors (AMF), based on the new values of aerosol loadings, lead to a reduction of the summertime "hot spot" in OMI retrieval of HCHO vertical columns over the Mediterranean Sea; however, even after the correction, enhanced values are still present in this region. To explain these values, marine biogenic sources of VOCs are examined. Calculations indicate that emission of phytoplankton-produced isoprene is not likely to explain the enhanced HCHO vertical columns over the Mediterranean Sea. Model simulations in conjunction with measurements studies may be required to fully explore the complex mechanism of HCHO formation over the Mediterranean and its implications for the air quality in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary new particle formation affects atmospheric aerosol and cloud droplet numbers and thereby, the aerosol effects on climate. In this paper, the frequency of nucleation events and the associated particle formation and growth rates, along with their seasonal variation, was analysed based on over ten years of aerosol measurements conducted at the Pallas GAW station in northern Finland. The long-term measurements also allowed a detailed examination of factors possibly favouring or suppressing particle formation. Effects of meteorological parameters and air mass properties as well as vapour sources and sinks for particle formation frequency and event parameters were inspected. In addition, the potential of secondary particle formation to increase the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) sized particles was examined. Findings from these long-term measurements confirmed previous observations: event frequency peaked in spring and the highest growth rates were observed in summer, affiliated with increased biogenic activity. Events were almost exclusively observed in marine air masses on sunny cloud-free days. A low vapour sink by the background particle population as well as an elevated sulphuric acid concentration were found to favour particle formation. These were also conditions taking place most likely in marine air masses. Inter-annual trend showed a minimum in event frequency in 2003, when also the smallest annual median of growth rate was observed. This gives further evidence of the importance and sensitivity of particle formation for the condensing vapour concentrations at Pallas site. The particle formation was observed to increase CCN80 (>80 nm particle number) concentrations especially in summer and autumn seasons when the growth rates were the highest. When the growing mode exceeded the selected 80 nm limit, on average in those cases, 211±114% increase of CCN80 concentrations was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lugworms Arenicola marina were collected from Arcachon Bay in two summers and winters of consecutive years. The worms were acclimated to different temperatures (5 and 10°C for winter animals and 15°C for summer animals). Each group was investigated over an experimental temperature range concerning its optimum in exercise performance, acute growth rate as well as respiration and ventilation activities to reveal seasonal acclimatisation effects, potential inter-annual differences and the influence of laboratory acclimation temperatures on the parameters of interest. The groups investigated at the two consecutive summers yielded nearly identical results for ventilation and respiration activities. A clear seasonal difference developed in exercise performance, with an optimum at lower temperatures in winter than in summer, irrespective of acclimation temperature. Respiration and ventilation activities showed no significant differences between winter specimens acclimated to 10°C and summer specimens acclimated to 15°C. However, an acclimation temperature of 5°C for winter animals caused noticeable differences to those acclimated at 10°C. Acute growth rates differed seasonally as well as between acclimation temperatures with the highest rates found around 10°C in summer and around 15°C in winter. The lowest rates were recorded in winter worms acclimated to 5°C. These acute patterns may reflect high thermal limits in warm acclimated winter worms and temperature dependent shifts in energy demand in summer animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Clearance of colloidal graphite (ml/ming dry weight) was measured in isolated gills treated with 10−5 M 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) in the shallow water eurythermal clam Mercenaria mercenaria and the deeper water stenothermal clam Arctica islandica acclimated to 3 temperatures during the summer and winter. In Mercenaria there were no statistical differences in clearance rates in gills acclimated to 5, 10, and 22°C during the summer and winter; thus the gills showed perfect temperature compensation (Q10 =1). Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis with L-NAME significantly reduced clearance rates at all three temperatures during the winter but had no effect during the summer. Examination of gills treated with L-NAME and 5HT revealed that the lateral cilia beat at a significantly lower rate than gills treated with 5HT. In Arctica there was no temperature compensation – except at 5 and 10°C during the winter – as evidenced by Q10s of 4.0 (winter) and 4.5 (summer) for the temperature range of 0 to 10°C. In addition, L-NAME had no effect upon clearance during either season. There were no significant differences in the activity of the lateral and frontal cilia, but the interfilament space and the diameters of the water tubes were greater in gills acclimated to 5°C in comparison to 10°C during the summer. Arctica gills clear at significantly higher rates than do those of Mercenaria. Examination of gills of both species at 10°C revealed that the activities of the lateral and frontal cilia are significantly greater in Mercenaria in comparison to Arctica. In contrast the lateral cilia were longer and the interfilament space was larger in Arctica in comparison to Mercenaria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using high-frequency radars, ocean surface currents were mapped every hour over an area of ≈5000 km2 in the inner Gulf of Tehuantepec (Mexico). The coastal circulation patterns (≈100 km offshore) were studied during spring, summer, and autumn 2006. The spring circulation was similar to the typical winter circulation, when the circulation is forced by outbursts of northerly winds (>8 m s-1) known locally as Tehuanos. Although Tehuano events are less common in spring than in winter, they are perfectly capable of modifying the sea surface by triggering cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies (≈50-200 km in diameter). Under moderate wind conditions, the ocean circulation showed a quasipermanent westward coastal current (≈50 cm s-1). Though the Tehuano winds were absent in summer, cyclonic eddies were observed and likely linked to the westward coastal current. Autumn was influenced by steady northerly winds with speeds of ≈12 m s-1 that remained over the region for almost 15 days. These conditions allowed us to study the competition between the wind-induced circulation and the more intense (≈100 cm s-1) westward coastal current during this period. The origin of this coastal current could be related to a warm coastal-trapped flow, composed of tropical low-salinity waters. The northwestward excursion of the observed coastal current is discussed, and the three-dimensional implications of surface current fields are studied by the Ekman theory and vorticity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variance-preserving Power Spectra (VPS) from Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) observational platform depicting ocean parameters for the periods 2002-2006 at mooring location 90°E, 1.5 °S was investigated to understand the variability of ocean parameters. The VPS of 20° isothermal depth (d20) reveals fact that it has intra-seasonal, seasonal and semiannual oscillational trends. Zonal current's VPS show the intra-seasonal, biweekly and weekly characteristics. Meridional current's VPS gives biweekly and weekly oscillation and while the sea surface Zonal wind's VPS reveals fact that it has intra-seasonal, biweekly and weekly oscillation. These scientific findings are consistent with the results obtained from similar analysis of Triangle Trans Ocean Buoys Network (TRITON) data by other investigations. Therefore the use of RAMA in assimilation process in similar way to TRITON will increase the efficiency of Climate Forecast System (CFS) based on Global Ocean Data Assimilation (GODAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that changes in solar radiation affect the hydrological cycle more strongly than equivalent CO changes for the same change in global mean surface temperature. Thus, solar radiation management 'geoengineering' proposals to completely offset global mean temperature increases by reducing the amount of absorbed sunlight might be expected to slow the global water cycle and reduce runoff over land. However, proposed countering of global warming by increasing the albedo of marine clouds would reduce surface solar radiation only over the oceans. Here, for an idealized scenario, we analyze the response of temperature and the hydrological cycle to increased reflection by clouds over the ocean using an atmospheric general circulation model coupled to a mixed layer ocean model. When cloud droplets are reduced in size over all oceans uniformly to offset the temperature increase from a doubling of atmospheric CO, the global-mean precipitation and evaporation decreases by about 1.3% but runoff over land increases by 7.5% primarily due to increases over tropical land. In the model, more reflective marine clouds cool the atmospheric column over ocean. The result is a sinking motion over oceans and upward motion over land. We attribute the increased runoff over land to this increased upward motion over land when marine clouds are made more reflective. Our results suggest that, in contrast to other proposals to increase planetary albedo, offsetting mean global warming by reducing marine cloud droplet size does not necessarily lead to a drying, on average, of the continents. However, we note that the changes in precipitation, evaporation and P-E are dominated by small but significant areas, and given the highly idealized nature of this study, a more thorough and broader assessment would be required for proposals of altering marine cloud properties on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition in a marine boundary layer (MBL) from stratocumulus topped to shallow cumulus topped is investigated by using a large eddy simulation (LES) model. The experiments performed aim to examine the influence on the transition of (1) the probability of buoyancy reversal at the MBL top (i.e. situations in which the mixture of two air parcels becomes denser than either of the original parcels due to phase change or other nonlinear processes involved in the mixing), and (2) the degree of decoupling in the MBL (i.e. the strength of a shallow stably stratified layer near cloud base). Our results suggest that a stratocumulus-topped MBL is most likely to transit to a cumulus-topped one when (1) there exists high probability of buoyancy reversal at the MBL top, and (2) the MBL is decoupled due to large surface evaporation. We argue that a parameterization that includes representation of those two effects combined has the potential to provide a simple way of predicting the MBL transition in climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed layer depth (MLD) variability from seasonal to decadal time scales in the Bay of Biscay is studied in this work. A hydrographic time series running since 1991 in the study area, a climatology of the upper layer vertical structure based on the topology of this temperature profile time series and a one-dimensional water column model have been used for this purpose. The prevailing factors driving MLD variability have been determined with detail, and agreement with observations is achieved. Tests carried out to investigate climatological profile skill to reproduce the upper layer temporal evolution have demonstrated its ability to simulate variability at seasonal time scales and reproduce the most conspicuous events observed. This has enabled us to carry out a reconstruction of the MLD variability for the last 60 years in the study area. Favourable sequence of intense mixing events explains interannual differences and cases of extraordinary deepening of winter mixed layer. The negative phase of the Eastern Atlantic pattern seems to determine important interannual variability through intense episodes of cooling and mixing as in winter 2005 in the Bay of Biscay. Low-frequency variability is also observed. A very striking and unexpected shallower winter MLD during the 1970s and 1980s than those observed from 1995 has been found. Simulation results support this counter-intuitive outcome of shallower winter mixed layers concurrent with generalized upper water warming trends reported on several occasions for the area. The long-term trends in MLD seem related with decadal variability in the North Atlantic Oscillation, being in phase and opposition with other deepening-shallowing cycles found from subtropical-to-subpolar areas in the North Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal and spatial variability of sea-ice radar signatures in the Southern Ocean during late winter, spring and early summer from QuikSCAT data is presented. We observe a circumpolar and broad band of sea-ice close to the marginal ice zone that is characterized by very high radar backscatter. This feature is explained through detailed in situ observations of snow and sea-ice properties as well as in relation to meteorological conditions, which were derived from US National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis data. Our results indicate that high backscatter regions are caused by metamorphous snow, which forms through re-freezing after short-term melt events. This process is connected with the episodic passes of low-pressure systems entraining warmer air from the north. South of the Antarctic Circumpolar Trough, sea-ice is not affected by this influence and shows spatially homogenous microwave signatures with low backscatter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methods used to calculate a new in situ global dataset of air-sea exchanges, called the NOCS Flux Dataset v2.0, are described. The fluxes have been derived from in situ weather reports from Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) covering the period 1973-2006. The reports have been adjusted for known biases and residual uncertainties estimated. The dataset is constructed using Optimal Interpolation (OI) using new estimates of random uncertainty in the observations. Daily fields have been calculated on a 1° latitude by 1° longitude grid, each grid box and time step have an associated uncertainty estimate. Monthly fields have been calculated from simple averages of the daily fields and monthly uncertainty estimates from the daily uncertainties, using estimates of the autocorrelation between the daily uncertainty estimates. The uncertainties due to the choice of flux parameterisation have not been accounted for. Bias adjustments applied to the data are shown to reduce trends in the data and to improve the consistency of estimates of air temperature, sea surface temperature (SST) and specific humidity. The bias adjustments also improve the agreement of NOCS v2.0 with independent data from research moorings. Cross-validation of the dataset suggests that the uncertainty estimates are realistic, but that the uncertainties are probably underestimated in high variability regions and overestimated in regions with lower variability. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Objectively Analyzed air-sea Fluxes dataset (and also the National Oceanography Centre Southampton Flux Dataset v2.0), we examined both the annual mean climatology and trend of net air-sea surface heat flux ( Q) for 1984-2004 over the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans (10°N-50°N). The annual mean Q climatology shows that oceans obtain the positive Q over much of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Exceptions are the regions of western boundary currents (WBCs) including the Kuroshio and its extension off Japan and the Gulf Stream off the USA and its extension, where oceans release lots of heat into the atmosphere, mainly ascribed to the large surface turbulent heat loss. The statistically significant negative Q trends occurred in the WBCs, while the statistically significant positive Q trends appeared in the central basins of Northern Subtropical Oceans (CNSOs) including the central basin of Northern Subtropical Pacific and the central basin of Northern Subtropical Atlantic. These indentified Q trends, which are independent of both El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and ENSO Modoki but closely related to global warming forcing, are predominately due to the statistically significant surface latent heat (LH) trends. Over the WBCs, the positive LH trends are mainly induced by the sea surface temperature increasing, indicating the ocean forcing upon overlying atmosphere. In contrast, over the CNSOs, the negative LH trends are mainly caused by the near-surface air specific humidity increasing, indicative of an oceanic response to overlying atmospheric forcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Spectroradiometric measurements of the ocean skin temperature and thermometric measurements of the bulk temperature at a depth of about 5cm taken from the R/V Tangaroa during SAGE (SOLAS/SAGE: surface-ocean lower-atmosphere studies air–sea gas exchange experiment) off New Zealand are analyzed to reveal the wind speed dependence of the temperature difference across the thermal skin layer (ΔT). The wind speeds used here are corrected for flow distortion by the ship. Unlike most previously published measurements of ΔT, these data include those taken during the day, prior analyses being usually restricted to night-time measurements to avoid contamination of the data by diurnal heating. The results show the same dependence of ΔT on wind speed at night-time measurements, with an asymptotic behavior at a value of −0.13K at high winds. These data show larger ΔT at low wind speeds than previous studies, and there is an indication that this may reveal a dependence on sea surface temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New productivity measurements using the 15N tracer technique were conducted in the north-eastern (NE) Arabian Sea during six expeditions from 2003 to 2007, mostly in winter. Our results indicate that the NE Arabian Sea has a potential for higher new productivity during blooms. Nitrate uptake by plankton is the highest during late winter. New productivity and f-ratios in the NE Arabian Sea are mainly controlled by hydrodynamic and meteorological parameters such as wind strength, sea surface temperature (SST), mixed layer depth (MLD) and mixed layer nitrate. Deepening of the mixed layer supplies nitrate from below, which supports the observed nitrogen uptake. Higher f-ratios during blooms indicate the strong coupling between surface layers and sub-surface layers. Deepening of mixed layer below 100m (from its inter-monsoon value between 30 and 40m) transferred often more than 100mmol N–NO3 m−2 into the surface layers from below. The observed winter blooms in the region are supported by such input and are sustained for more than a month. Higher new productivity has been found in late winter, whereas transport of nitrate is maximum in early winter. In general, new production varies progressively during winter. Diurnal cycling of the mixed layer could be the reason for the under utilization of entrained nitrate during early winter. New productivity values and wind strength show significant differences during Feb–Mar 03 and Feb–Mar 04. These differences indicate that the winter cooling and parameters related the biological productivity also vary inter-annually. However, the difference between the new productivity values between Feb–Mar 03 and Feb–Mar 04 is much lower than the difference between Jan 03 and Feb–Mar 03. The results suggest that amplitude of seasonal variation is higher than the inter-annual variation in the region. During spring, Fickian diffusive fluxes of nitrate into the surface layer range from 0.51 to 1.38mmol N–NO3 m−2 day−1, and can account for 67% and 78% of the observed nitrogen uptake in the coastal and open ocean regions, respectively. We document the intra-seasonal and inter-annual variations in new productivity during winter and identify sources of nitrate which support the observed productivity during spring. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: During a six-week intensive field campaign at a background marine site of the Eastern Mediterranean, consecutive 24-h air samples were collected and analyzed for combined (CAA) and free amino acids (FAA), as well as for key chemical characteristics of aerosols. The total concentration of CAA (719 ± 326 pmol m−3) was on average four times higher than that of FAA (172 ± 147 pmol m−3), while glycine was the most abundant compound detected in both FAA and CAA. Back-trajectory analysis demonstrated that the geographical origin of the air masses did not have a significant influence on the atmospheric levels of amino acids. Wind speed was found to be the most important meteorological factor and it exhibited a negative correlation with both FAA and CAA. Moreover, FAA and CAA concentrations showed a more pronounced correlation with water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) than elemental carbon. On average, FAA and CAA accounted for 0.3 ± 0.2% and 1.8 ± 0.8% of WSOC, respectively. The levels of anionic surfactants determined as methylene blue active substances did not show any positive correlation with CAA, while the corresponding correlation with FAA was only of marginal significance. The total protein concentration measured by NanoOrange assay was six times higher compared to that measured through CAA. It is suggested that the results from the application of commercially available protein quantitation kits should always be considered with caution, as these are more prone to matrix-related interferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work suggests that there may exist skill in forecasting tropical cyclones (TC) using dynamically based ensemble products, such as those obtained from the ECMWF Monthly Forecast System (ECMFS). The ECMFS features an ensemble of 51 coupled ocean--atmosphere simulations integrated to 32 days once per week. Predicted levels of TC activity in the North Atlantic Ocean with these monthly ensemble forecasts is compared with the observed variability during the months of June--October during 2008 and 2009. Results indicate that the forecast system can capture large-scale regions that have a higher or lower risk of TC activity and that it has skill above climatology for the Gulf of Mexico and the ''Main Development Region'' on intraseasonal time scales. Regional forecast skill is traced to the model''s ability to capture the large-scale evolution of deep-layer vertical shear, the frequency of easterly waves, and the variance in 850-hPa relative vorticity. The predictability of TC activity, along with the forecast utility of the ECMFS, is shown to be sensitive to the phase and intensity of the Madden--Julian oscillation at the time of model initialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an atmosphere-ocean regional climate model for the Mediterranean basin, called the PROTHEUS system, composed by the regional climate model RegCM3 as the atmospheric component and by a regional configuration of the MITgcm model as the oceanic component. The model is applied to an area encompassing the Mediterranean Sea and compared to a stand-alone version of its atmospheric component. An assessment of the model performances is done by using available observational datasets. Despite a persistent bias, the PROTHEUS system is able to capture the inter-annual variability of seasonal sea surface temperature (SST) and also the fine scale spatio-temporal evolution of observed SST anomalies, with spatial correlation as high as 0.7 during summer. The close inspection of a 10-day strong wind event during the summer of 2000 proves the capability of the PROTHEUS system to correctly describe the daily evolution of SST under strong air-sea interaction conditions. As a consequence of the model's skill in reproducing observed SST and wind fields, we expect a reliable estimation of air-sea fluxes. The model skill in reproducing climatological land surface fields is in line with that of state of the art regional climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]