An Analysis and Modeling Study of a Sea Fog Event over the Yellow and Bohai Seas

In this study, a sea fog event which occurred on 27 March 2005 over the Yellow and Bohai Seas was investigated observationally and numerically. Almost all available observational data were used, including satellite imagery of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite （GOES）-9, three data sets from station observations at Dandong, Dalian and Qingdao, objectively reanalyzed data of final run analysis （FNL） issued by the National Center for Environmental Prediction （NCEP） and Regional Atmospheric Modeling System （RANIS） results. Synoptic conditions and fog characteristics were analyzed. The fog formed when warm, moist air was advected northwards over the cool water of the Yellow and Bohai Seas, and dissipated when a cold front brought northerly winds and cool, dry air. In order to better understand the fog formation mechanism, a high-resolution RAMS modeling with a 6km×6km grid, initialized and validated by FNL data, was designed. A 48h modeling that started from 12 UTC 26 March 2005 reproduced the main characteristics of this sea fog event. The simulated lower visibility area agreed reasonably well with the sea fog region identified from the satellite imagery. Advection cooling effect seemed to play a significant role in the fog formation.

Retrieval of Atmospheric Horizontal Visibility by Statistical Regression from NOAA/AVHRR Satellite Data

Based on the atmospheric horizontal visibility data from forty-seven observational stations along the eastern coast of China near the Taiwan Strait and simultaneous NOAA/AVHRR multichannel satellite data during January 2001 to December 2002, the spectral characters associated with visibility were investigated. Successful retrieval of visibility from multichannel NOAA/AVHRR data was performed using the principal component regression （PCR） method. A sample of retrieved visibility distribution was discussed with a sea fog process. The correlation coefficient between the observed and retrieved visibility was about 0.82, which is far higher than the 99.9% confidence level by statistical test. The rate of successful retrieval is 94.98% of the 458 cases during 2001 2002. The error distribution showed that high visibilities were usually under-estimated and low visibilities were over-estimated and the relative error between the observed and retrieved visibilities was about 21.4%.

Regional hard coral distribution within geomorphic and reef flat ecological zones determined by satellite imagery of the Xisha Islands,South China Sea

Coral reefs in the Xisha Islands （also known as the Paracel Islands in English）, South China Sea, have experienced dramatic declines in coral cover. However, the current regional scale hard coral distribution of geomorphic and ecological zones, essential for reefs management in the context of global warming and ocean acidification, is not well documented. We analyzed data from field surveys, Landsat-8 and GF-1 images to map the distribution of hard coral within geomorphic zones and reef fiat ecological zones. In situ surveys conducted in June 2014 on nine reefs provided a complete picture of reef status with regard to live coral diversity, evenness of coral cover and reef health （live versus dead cover） for the Xisha Islands. Mean coral cover was 12.5% in 2014 and damaged reefs seemed to show signs of recovery. Coral cover in sheltered habitats such as lagoon patch reefs and biotic dense zones of reef flats was higher, but there were large regional differences and low diversity. In contrast, the more exposed reef slopes had high coral diversity, along with high and more equal distributions of coral cover. Mean hard coral cover of other zones was 〈10%. The total Xisha reef system was estimated to cover 1 060 km2, and the emergent reefs covered -787 km2. Hard corals of emergent reefs were considered to cover 97 km2. The biotic dense zone of the reef flat was a very common zone on all simple atolls, especially the broader northern reef flats. The total cover of live and dead coral can reach above 70% in this zone, showing an equilibrium between live and dead coral as opposed to coral and algae. This information regarding the spatial distribution of hard coral can support and inform the management of Xisha reef ecosystems.

Detection and Monitoring of New-Ice in the East Greenland Sea Using the SeaWinds Scatterometer

Space borne radar scatterometers are primarily designed to measure the wind vector over the world ocean; yet they also provide useful information on sea ice type and extent. In this paper, it is shown how the SeaWinds scatterometer can be used to detect new sea ice at the very beginning of its growth. Taking advantage of the very good coverage of the East Greenland Sea by SeaWinds on board the QuikSCAT satellite it has been possible to detect the early stage of formation of the sea ice peninsula, named the Odden, and to monitor its evolution during March 2001. The early sea ice detection has been validated by using RADARSAT Synthetic Aperture Radar scenes. It is also shown that microwave radiometers, such as the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), which are used as standard sensors for sea ice monitoring, do not detect the very early stage of sea ice growth and lag behind new sea ice occurrence by about twelve to twenty four hours.

An Observational Study of Typhoon Imbudo in 2003

Typhoon Imbudo was a super-typhoon over the northwestern Pacific in 2003. It caused tremendous damage when it made landfalls in the Philippines and China. This paper documents observational analyses of Typhoon Imbudo during its landfall in China. All available observations are used to study its motion, intensity changes, convection, structure and precipitation. Best-track data indicate that Imbudo moved west-northwestward until 1800 UTC 23 July and then turned northwestward. FNL (final) analysis data show that the motion of Imbudo is dominated by changes of the subtropical high. At Imbudo's mature stage, the minimum sea level pressure dropped to 910 hPa and the maximum sustained winds were as high as 67 m s 1, which is the intensity of a super-typhoon. The surface wind field exhibited asymmetric characteristics. Polar-orbiting satellite imagery also manifested convective asymmetry before Imbudo made landfall in China. Analyzed the vertical wind shear, it is shown that the convection has a downshear-left pattern. All kinds of precipitation data were used to identify the asymmetric characteristic of the rainfall associated with the Imbudo. The maximum rainfalls were located in the southern boundary area between Guangxi and Guangdong. However, the lack of in situ observations limited further analyses of this typhoon.

Monitoring of coastline changes along the Red Sea,Yemen based on remote sensing technique

The coastline changes along Yemen＇s the Red Sea （Al-muka, Al-khohah, Al-tiaf, Ras Katib and Al- Urji spits） were studied using a series of landsat images （MSS, TM and ETM ＋ , 1972, 1989, 2000, 2006）, coupled with geomorphological, sedimentological and meteorological findings. Comparison of satellite images provided a viable means for establishing long-term coastal changes （accretion and erosion） as observed in the studied spits （Al-Urj, Ras Sham, Ras Maemoon, Ras Katib, Al-Mandar, Nukhaylah, Mujamilah, Ras Ashab Abu-Zahr and Mukha）. The rate of the spit accretion has the greatest value up to 89 pixel/year corresponding to 72 290 m2/year in Mukha, while the spit erosion shows greatest value up to 131 pixel/year corresponding to 106 404 m2/year in Mujamilab. The patterns of accretion and erosion along the spits depend on the spit direction, natural processes mainly of wave-induced longshore currents, the sediments supply and depth of sea.