Simulation of the seasonal thermal structure in the Bobal Sea

The seasonal thermal structure in the Bobal Sea are examined with a three-dimensional boroclinic primitiveequation model for shelf sea. The evolution of the seasonal thermal stratification is well simulated. The stratification ap pears early in April, first in the area off Qinhuangdao and it is well developed in the middle of May. It intensifies withsynoptic and neap-spring nuctuations throughout the summer and reaches its maximum in the middle of July. Eventually,it is destroyed at the end of September. There are cold water belts between well-mixed and stratified regions. They are lo cated on the mixed side of tidal fronts, and coincide with the isolines for a temperature difference of 1-2℃ between surface and bottom. The sea surface temperature(SST)distribution shows local maxima at the head of three bays and to thesouth of Qinhuangdao during the summer. The Bobal Sea responds to the variability in the atmospheric forcing and intides with the synoptic and neap-spring variations of SST, as well as in the stratification and in variable positions of tidalfronts

An analytical study on the second-order resonance system of tide in an ideal partially-enclosed bay

In the numerical studies of a real tide M4 resonance system, the Xiangshan Port which is a partially-closed bay, Dong et al. [1999. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 21 （3）： 1-6] found the interesting phenomenon that the advection plays an important role in inhibiting the growth of the amplitude of the tidal second-order resonance response （M4）. This result is contrary to the general traditional ideas for a non-resonance system. How this phenomenon is interpreted and what internal mechanism is behind the phenomenon are the main focuses of this study. The followings are examined： （1） the dynamic features of a second-order resonance system of tide; （2） the dominating factors on the second-order resonance responses; （3） the effects of both the friction and the advection on the second-order resonance responses; and （4） their roles in dominating the second-order resonance response and internal mechanisms by using the analytical methods. The respective results show that： （1） Both the bottom friction and the advection play significant roles in dominating the magnitude of the amplitude of the second-order resonance responses; （2） the effect of the friction on the second-order resonance response depends on the distribution ratio of the work-done of the system to friction force exhausted into between the damping of the first-order system and the inner excitation of the second-order system; （3） the advection plays a positive role in increasing the amplitude of the second-order non-resonance response in the second order non-resonance of tide; （4） in a second-order resonance system of tide, the effect of the advection may be either to increase or to decrease the amplitudes of the second-order resonance responses of tide, which depends on the distribution ratio mentioned above.

Circulation in the South China Sea in summer of 1998

Based on the CTD and meteorological data obtained by R/V Xiangyanghong No. 14 in the South China Sea (SCS) in the summer of 1998, both current velocity and volume transport are calculated by using a modified inverse model. Circulation in the SCS is analyzed by combining the calculated results with ADCP data. The following results are obtained, (i) The most important feature of the circulation in the northeastern SCS is that a branch of the Kuroshio intrudes into the SCS with a small volume transport. It flows anticyclonically through the Bashi Strait and towards the southwest off the Taiwan Island, and it does not intrude into the inner SCS. (ii) The northern SCS is dominated mainly by a cyclonic circulation system with two cold eddies, (iii) The central and southwestern SCSs are mainly occupied by anticyclonic circulation systems, including three anticyclonic and one stronger cyclonic eddies, (iv) In the southeastern SCS, there is a large scope of cyclonic circulation extending in the SW-NE direction,

Numerical simulation of the dual-core structure of the Bohai Sea cold bottom water in summer

Regional Ocean Modeling Systems (ROMS 3.0) and the κ-ε turbulence closure scheme has been applied to investigating the seasonal evolution of the thermsocline in the Bohai Sea. The simulation reproduces the stratifications lasting from early April to early September and reveals the existence of marked Asymmetric Dual-Core Cold Bottom Water (ADCCBW) in the south and north depression basin respectively under the thermocline. The bottom temperature in the north depression is about 1―4℃ lower than that in the south depression basin which is in good agreement with observations. Model results suggest that the local bathymetry characteristics and inhomogeneous net heat flux due to the latitude difference are the major cause for the early formation of the ADCCBW. Numerical Lagrangian drifter experiments support the finding that the ADCCBW is maintained throughout the stratification periods by the inflow of cold bottom water from the northern Yellow Sea and deep channel in the western side of Liaodong Peninsula. The inflow cold water contributes to the north depression basin distinctively larger than to the south one. Tidal mixing enhances the bottom temperature asymmetry between the two basins.