Diel vertical migration of mesozooplankton in the northern Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM),one of the most vital hydrological features of the Yellow Sea,causes a seasonal thermocline from spring to autumn.The diel vertical migration(DVM)of zooplankton is crucial to structural pelagic communities and food webs,and its patterns can be aff ected by thermocline depth and strength.Hence,we investigated zooplankton community succession and seasonal changes in zooplankton DVM at a fixed station in the YSCWM.Annual zooplankton community succession was aff ected by the forming and fading of the YSCWM.A total of 37 mesozooplankton taxa were recorded.The highest and lowest species numbers in autumn and spring were detected.The highest and lowest total densities were observed in autumn(14464.1 inds./m^(3))and winter(3115.4 inds./m^(3)),respectively.The DVM of the dominant species showed obvious seasonal variations.When the YSCWM was weak in spring and autumn,most species(e.g.Paracalanus parvus,Oithona similis,and Acartia bifilosa)stayed above the thermocline and vertically migrated into the upper layer.Calanus sinicus and Aidanosagitta crassa crossed the thermocline and vertically migrated.No species migrated through the stratification in summer,and all of the species were limited above(P.parvus and A.crassa)or below(C.sinicus and Centropages abdominalis)the thermocline.The YSCWM disappeared in winter,and zooplankton species were found throughout the water column.Thus,the existence of thermocline influenced the migration patterns of zooplankton.Cluster analyses showed that the existence of YSCWM resulted in significant differences between zooplankton communities above and below the thermocline.

Seasonal variation of the surface North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) in the western Pacific Ocean

The North Equatorial Countercurrent(NECC) is an important zonal fl ow in the upper circulation of the tropical Pacifi c Ocean, which plays a vital role in the heat budget of the western Pacifi c warm pool. Using satellite-derived data of ocean surface currents and sea surface heights(SSHs) from 1992 to 2011, the seasonal variation of the surface NECC in the western tropical Pacifi c Ocean was investigated. It was found that the intensity(INT) and axis position(Y_(CM)) of the surface NECC exhibit strikingly different seasonal fl uctuations in the upstream(128°–136°E) and downstream(145°–160°E) regions. Of the two regions, the seasonal cycle of the upstream NECC shows the greater interannual variability. Its INT and Y CM are greatly infl uenced by variations of the Mindanao Eddy, Mindanao Dome(MD), and equatorial Rossby waves to its south. Both INT and YC M also show semiannual signals induced by the combined effects of equatorial Rossby waves from the Central Pacifi c and local wind forcing in the western Pacifi c Ocean. In the downstream region, the variability of the NECC is affected by SSH anomalies in the MD and the central equatorial Pacifi c Ocean. Those in the MD region are especially important in modulating the Y CM of the downstream NECC. In addition to the SSH-related geostrophic fl ow, zonal Ekman fl ow driven by meridional wind stress also plays a role, having considerable impact on INT variability of the surface NECC. The contrasting features of the variability of the NECC in the upstream and downstream regions refl ect the high complexity of regional ocean dynamics.

Seasonal variability of the North Equatorial Current transport in the western Pacific Ocean

Seasonal variability of the North Equatorial Current(NEC) transport in the western Pacifi c Ocean is investigated with ECMWF Ocean Analysis/Reanalysis System 3(ORA-S3). The result shows that NEC transport(NT) across different longitudes in the research area shows a similar double-peak structure, with two maxima(in summer and winter), and two minima(in spring and autumn). This kind of structure can also be found in NEC geostrophic transport(NGT), but in a different magnitude and phase. These differences are attributable to Ekman transport induced by the local meridional wind and transport caused by nonzero velocity at the reference level, which is assumed to be zero in the NGT calculation. In the present work, a linear vorticity equation governing a 1.5-layer reduced gravity model is adopted to examine the dynamics of the seasonal variability of NGT. It is found that the annual cycle of NGT is mainly controlled by Ekman pumping induced by local wind, and westward-propagating Rossby waves induced by remote wind. Further research demonstrates that the maximum in winter and minimum in spring are mostly attributed to wind east of the dateline, whilst the maximum in summer and minimum in autumn are largely attributed to that west of the dateline.

Seasonal Behaviour of Mesoscale Eddy Trajectories in the North Indian Ocean Based on Satellite Altimetry

In the north Indian Ocean (NIO), maps of sea level anomaly from satellite altimetry were analysed from January-1995 to December-2000. The study attempted to trace the trajectories of the individual mesoscale anomalies manually and to understand seasonal changes in terms of phase speed. Mesoscale anomalies are detected as concentric circular shapes and diameters of ~90 km to 600 km and the minimum 30 days life cycle. Relatively higher eddy kinetic energy was noticed in the northwestern region of the NIO. Individual mesoscale anomalies, namely positive (warm, anticyclonic eddies) and negative (cold, cyclonic eddies) showing travelling direction westward in the NIO basins. In autumn, the number of negative anomalies detected is more than positive anomalies and vice versa during summer. The westward propagating positive (negative) anomalies in the Arabian Sea start appearing in winter (spring) along (away from) the west coast of India and west of 65°E;individual anomalies move to the west in spring/summer/autumn and collide along Somalia’s & Arabian coast. A group of positive (negative) anomalies trajectories appears as a tail at the southern tip of India are located west of the Laccadive ridge in winter (summer to autumn) associated with LH (LL). The Bay of Bengal (BB) trajectories show southwestward in northern BB, westward in central BB and northwestward in southern BB;individual anomalies are appearing along the west coast of Andaman & Nicobar ridge. The zonal phase speed decreases away from the equator, and the magnitude varies longitudinally in each season in the form of a wave-like pattern propagating westward from autumn to summer;the life cycle of the wave is almost 365 days (a year). The theoretical phase speed of the first mode of the baroclinic Rossby waves is quite similar to that of averaged zonal speed. Therefore mesoscale anomalies (eddies) are embedded into the large waves like phenomenon (Rossby waves), responsible for creating high variability and EKE in the region of NIO along the western boundaries.

The three-dimensional structure and seasonal variation of the North Pacific meridional overturning circulation

The three-dimensional structure and the seasonal variation of the North Pacific meridional overturning circulation （NPMOC） are analyzed based on the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation data and Argo profiling float data. The NPMOC displays a multi-cell structure with four cells in the North Pacific altogether. The TC and the STC are a strong clockwise meridional cell in the low latitude ocean and a weaker clockwise meridional cell between 7°N and 18°N, respectively, while the DTC and the subpolar cell are a weaker anticlockwise meridional cell between 3°N and 15°N and a weakest anticlockwise meridional cell between 35°N and 50°N, respectively. The DTC, the TC and the STC are all of very strong seasonal variations. As to the DTC, the southward transport is strongest in fall and weakest in spring. For the TC, the northward transport is strongest in winter and weakest in spring, while the southward transport is strongest in fall and weakest in spring, which is associated with the strong southward fiow of the DTC in fall. As the STC, the northward transport is strongest in winter and weakest in summer, while the southward transport is strongest in summer and weakest in spring. This seasonal difference may be associated with the DTC. The zonal wind stress and the east-west slope of sea level play important roles in the seasonal variations of the TC, the STC and the DTC.

Impacts of the north migration of China＇s rice production on its ecosystem service value during the last three decades (1980-2014)

The ecosystem services value （ESV） of rice system has received increasing attention in agricultural policy decision. Over the last three decades, China＇s rice production presented an obviously trend that moving towards north locations. However, the impacts of this migration on the ESV of rice production have not been well documented. In this paper, we analyzed the change of the ESV of rice production in China under ＂north migration＂ and ＂no migration＂ scenarios during 1980-2014 based on long-term historical data. The results showed that both the positive and negative ESVs of rice production were lower under ＂north migration＂ than under ＂no migration＂ scenarios. The total ESV during 1980-2014 was reduced by 15.8%. ＂North migration＂ significantly reduced the area-scaled ESV since the early 1990s; while its impact on yield-scaled ESV was not significant. The effects of＂north migration＂ on ESV showed great spatial variation. The greatest reduction in total and area-scaled ESV was observed in south locations. While the yield-scaled ESVs of most south locations were enhanced under ＂north migration＂ scenario. These results indicated that ＂north migration＂ has generated adverse effects on the ESV of rice production. An adjustment in the spatial distribution is essential to protecting the non-production benefits of rice ecosystem.

Numerical Experiments for the influence of the Transition Zone Migration on Summer Climate in North China

As the position of the transition zone changes obviously, that is, as the transition zone migrates to the north or the south from present position, it affects water or heat balance between the land and the atmosphere in a considerable degree and has a profound influence on climate in North China. The experiment results in this paper indicate whether in the dry case or in the wet case of the large-scale climatological background field, the surface air temperature in a wide range of the transition zone migration and its surrounding decreases as the transition zone migrates northward. Moreover, the net upward fluxes of the surface long wave radiation and the sensible heat decrease, and the evaporation to the atmosphere increases. As the transition zone migrates southward, the results are opposite. This kind of significant thermal forcing between the land and the atmosphere can excite secondary circulation or circulation cells, which interact with the large-scale circulation systems, changing the atmospheric motion, affecting the water vapor transportation and consequently having an effect on the precipitation.

Assessment and impact of anthropogenic disturbances in protected areas of northern Togo

These days, human activities in the savanna and the remaining dry and riparian forests of the Sudanian ecoregions continue to have their impact. These anthropogenic practices are still the main cause of disturbances in these areas. In order to investigate and assess the importance of these disturbances, caused by people bordering on protected areas and to determine the relation between these activities and the environment in which they are carried out, 220 samples were selected in the three main protected areas of northern Togo. The investigation was mainly qualitative, considering the floristic sampling of this drought area; any anthropogenic activities observed were recorded. A simple investigative questionnaire about the activities of rural people in the reserved areas was distributed to individuals encountered in the study area. Each sample in the investigation ended with a site description of its ecologi- cal characterization, i.e., soil features, topography, fauna footprints, dominant plant species and GPS position; we also took photo- graphs of the site. Data processing was entirely based on descriptive statistics and a factor analysis. The results show that eight kinds of human activities, i.e., the use of pastures, tree cutting, bush fires, charcoal production, harvesting of plant material, fanning, honey harvesting and hunting, were noted to be serious disturbances to the integrity of the ecosystems. Among these disturbances, three are recurrent in all the sampled areas of which the use of pastures accounts for 31.88%, tree cutting for 30.35% and bush fires for 30.13%. Fire and pasture disturbances are closely linked and are responsible for the current features of the savanna area of the region. Tree cutting is more a direct function of the need for the production of wood fuel, generally used by city populations. Hunting, farm- ing and honey production are of lesser importance in the area and therefore, do not pose a significantly negative effect on the growth of fauna and flora. Knowledge of these disturbances in the context of requalification and a renewed demarcation of protected areas in Togo is essential for their sustainable management.

A preliminary study of the effects of plastic film-mulched raised beds on soil temperature and crop performance of early-sown short-season spring maize(Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain

To identify a strategy for earlier sowing and harvesting of spring maize(Zea mays L.) in an alternative maize–maize double cropping system, a 2-year field experiment was performed at Quzhou experimental station of China Agricultural University in 2014 and 2015. A short-season cultivar, Demeiya number 1(KX7349), was used in the experiment. Soil temperature to 5 cm depth in the early crop growth stage, crop growth, crop yield, and water use of different treatments(plastic film-mulched raised bed(RF) and flat field without plastic film mulching(CK) in 2014; RF, plastic film-mulched flat field(FF), and CK in 2015)were measured or calculated and compared. Soil temperature in the film-mulched treatments was consistently higher than that in CK(1.6–3.5 °C in average) during the early growth stage. Crops in plastic film-mulched treatments used 214 fewer growing-degree days(GDDs) in 2014 and 262 fewer GDDs in 2015. In 2014, the RF treatment yielded 32.7%higher biomass than CK, although its 9.4% higher grain yield was not statistically significant. Also, RF used 17.9% less water and showed 33.1% higher water use efficiency(WUE) than CK. In 2015, RF and FF showed 56.2% and 49.5% higher yield, 15.0% and 4.5%lower water use(ET), and 63.4% and 75.7% higher WUE, respectively, than CK. RF markedly increased soil temperature in the early crop season, accelerated crop growth, reduced ET,and greatly increased crop yield and WUE. Compared with FF, RF had no obvious effect on crop growth rate, although soil temperature during the period between sowing and stem elongation was slightly increased. However, RF resulted in lower ET and higher WUE than FF. Effects of RF on soil water dynamics as well as its cost-effectiveness remain topics for further study.

Seasonal sea surface temperatures of the North Pacific

Mean seasonal surface temperatures of the North Pacific are illustrated in three maps. Twenty nine years of ship-injection temperatures are used for the whole North Pacific (north of 20?N). Map number two shows geographical regions of the month of highest sea surface temperature. There are two broad bands in the central and eastern basin, trending northeast/southwest, such that the September band lies east of the August band along a given latitude line. Map three depicts regions of the lowest monthly mean temperatures. March is the most common month, but in the middle of the ocean is a band of Februarys trending northeast/southwest. These features on maps two and three are interpreted in terms of the newly proposed wide warm surface current and its seasonal variations, mainly in horizontal position, flowing northeastward off California. It has not been found possible to compare maps two and three with the results from any earlier work. Map one shows the mean seasonal range of surface temperature, which has a character similar to maps going all the way back to the late 1800s, but is based on considerably more data.

A Statistical Scheme for the Seasonal Forecasting of North China's Surface Air Temperature during Winter

This paper presents a statistical scheme for the seasonal forecasting of North China's surface air temperature (NCSAT) during winter. Firstly, a prediction model for an decrease or increase of winter NCSAT is established, whose predictors are available for no later than the previous September, as this is the most favorable month for seasonal forecasting up to two months ahead.The predicted NCSAT is then derived as the sum of the predicted increment of NCSAT and the previous NCSAT. The scheme successfully predicts the interannual and the decadal variability of NCSAT. Additionally, the advantages of the prediction scheme are discussed.

Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Explosive Cyclones over the North Atlantic

Spatial distribution and seasonal variation of explosive cyclones(ECs) over the North Atlantic from October 2000 to September 2016 are investigated using the reanalysis data of Final Analysis(FNL),Mean Sea Level Pressure(MSLP) and Optimum Interpolation(OI) Sea Surface Temperature(SST) provided by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP),the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA),respectively.Considering the meridional distribution of ECs and 10-m height wind field associated with the ECs,the definition of EC given by Yoshida and Asuma(2004) is modified.It is found that the ECs occurred mainly in four regions during winter season,namely,North America continent(NAC),the Northwest Atlantic(NWA),the North-central Atlantic(NCA),and the Northeast Atlantic(NEA),depending on the spatial distribution of EC's maximum deepening rate of central sea level pressure(SLP).According to the magnitude of maximum deepening rate,the trend of EC numbers basically decrease with the increase of EC's maximum deepening rate over the North Atlantic during the whole time period.Over the North Atlantic basin,for monthly statistics,the NEA,NCA,and NWA cyclones occur mainly in December,from December to March,and from January to February,respectively.NWA,NCA and NEA cyclones in winter are associated with low-level baroclinicity,both low-level baroclinicity and upper-level forcing and upper-level forcing,respectively.According to monthly variation,the averaged maximum deepening rate of central SLP firstly increases and then decreases from July to June.Overall,the distribution of ECs' tracks is basically in the southwest-northeast direction.During winter circulation stage(from October to May),the averaged maximum deepening rate of central SLP and the averaged minimum central SLP of ECs decrease,and the averaged explosive-deepening duration of ECs shortens from west to east over the North Atlantic basin.During summer circulation stage(from June to September),the number of ECs is far less than that of winter circulation.NCA cyclones are the lowest in the average minimum central SLP of ECs,and the longest in the average explosive-deepening duration of ECs.NEA cyclones are the strongest in the average maximum deepening rate of central SLP.

The seasonal variation of the North Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulation heat transport

Based on the 50-year Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis data, we investigated the basic characteristics and seasonal changes of the meridional heat transport carried by the North Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulation. And we also examined the dynamical and thermodynamic mechanisms responsible for these heat transport variability at the seasonal time scale. Among four cells, the tropical cell (TC) is strongest with a northward heat transport (NHT) of (1.75±0.30) PW (1 PW=1.0×10^15 W) and a southward heat transport (SHT) of (-1.69±0.55) PW, the subtropical cell (STC) is second with a NHT of (0.71±0.65) PW and SHT of (-0.63±0.53) PW, the deep tropical cell (DTC) is third with a NHT of (0.18±0.03) PW and SHT of (-0.18±0.11) PW, while the subpolar cell (SPC) is weakest with a NHT of (0.09±0.05) PW and SHT of (-0.07±0.09) PW. These four cells all have diff erent seasonal changes in their NHT and SHT. Of all, the TC has stronger change in its SHT than in its NHT, so do both the DTC and SPC, but the seasonal change in the STC SHT is weaker than that in its NHT. Therefore, their dynamical and thermodynamic mechanisms are diff erent each other. The local zonal wind stress and net surface heat flux are mainly responsible for the seasonal changes in the TC and STC NHTs and SPC SHT, while the local thermocline circulations and sea temperature are primarily responsible for the seasonal changes of the TC, STC and DTC SHTs and SPC NHT.

Modal Inter-Comparisons between North Atlantic Accumulated Cyclone Energy and the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation, and the Pathology of the 2013 Hurricane Season

It is a community wide belief that the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) and the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) are strongly positively correlated and in lock-step for the characterization of a tropical cyclone (TC)—hurricane season;including how many named TCs will form and how many will become hurricanes and major hurricanes [1]-[4]. In this paper, we decompose the AMO and ACE time series into their internal modes of variability using the Hilbert-Huang Transform REF _Ref386094582 \r \h [5] and the Ensemble Empirical Modal Decomposition (EEMD) REF _Ref386094585 \r \h [6], and look into the relationships that exist between the individual corresponding modes of the AMO and the ACE. We then evaluate the degrees of frequency domain correlations between the internal modes of variability of the AMO and the ACE across the entire record length time series. The 2013 North Atlantic Hurricane Season, which had been predicted to be “above normal”, with an ACE estimated to be between 122 and 138 by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), turned out to be one of the quietest on record. The actual 2013 observed ACE was only 33 (unit: 104 kn2) or 29% of the 65 year (1948-2012) average of 103 (with a median of 89.5) and is the 5th lowest value since 1950. Following the visual correlations between the ACE and the AMO in the past, and assuming past is prologue to the future, the “above normal” forecast of the ACE led to a tropical cyclone community wide forecast of a highly active 2013 hurricane season. So why the busted 2013 forecast? This study will address the possible reasons.

The Statistical Analysis of Migration of Strong Earthquakes─Taking the North China Region as an Example

The migration of strong earthquakes is an important research topic because the migration phenomena reflect partly the seismic mechanism and involve the prediction of tendency of seismic activity. Research on migration of strong earthquakes has mostly focused on finding the phenomena. Some attempts on getting regularity were comparatively subjective. This paper suggests that there should be indices of migration in earthquake dataset and the indexes should have statistical meaning if there is regularity in the migration of strong earthquakes. In this study, three derivative attributes of migration, i.e., migration orientation, migration distance and migration time interval, were statistically analyzed. Results in the North China region show that the migration of strong earthquakes has statistical meaning. There is a dominant migration orientation (W by S to E by N), a dominant distance (≤100km and on the confines of 300～700km), and a dominant time interval (≤1a and on the confines of 3～4a). The results also show that the migration will differ slightly with different magnitude range or earthquake activity phase.

Carbazoles and benzocarbazoles confirm migration of leaked petroleum through caprocks and overlaying formations of Valhall Well 2/8-8 in the North Sea

A wildcat may not result in a petroleum prospect;however, it may indicate potential need for frontier exploration, since petroleum could leak into economic accumulations. Carbazoles and benzocarbazoles are nitrogen compounds in petroleum and can be employed to explicitly explain migration direction and distance of leaking petroleum. The hypothesis of this study is that the mechanism of the reaction involving the attraction of carbazoles to clay minerals on the matrix of the walls along their migration pathways determines the isomer that is preferentially attached to the mineral matrix. The objectives of this study are(a) to produce a profile for carbazoles and benzocarbazoles ratios in the cap rock overlying the reservoir,(b) to compare carbazole and benzocarbazole ratios to 20S/(20S+20R) aaa C_(29) Sterane maturity ratios(c) to infer migration direction from the carbazoles and benzocarbazoles ratio. Samples used were side wall cores and drill cuttings of water-based mud drilling. The EOM(extractable organic matter) from various formations overlying the reservoir was obtained using Soxtherm Automatic Equipment. The TPH(total petroleum hydrocarbon) was obtained from the EOM by using a precleaned isolute C_(18) 500 mg/3 mL column, eluted with hexane, while the polars were eluted with dichloromethane. Fractionation into saturates and aromatics was done using a silver nitrate–silica gelcolumn. The profiles of 1,8/1,3 and 1,8/2,4 dimethyl carbazoles and the benzocarbazoles ratios show a vertical gradient of decreasing ratio with increasing vertical distance from the reservoir. This corroborates the %VRo equivalent of 20S/(20S+20R) aaa C_(29) Sterane and the carbazole ratios infer vertical migration of leaked petroleum.

The Migration Characteristics of Strong Earthquakes on the North-South Seismic Belt and Its Relation with the South Asia Seismic Belt

Migration of strong earthquakes (M≥7.0) along the North-South Seismic Belt of China since 1500 AD shows three patterns: Approximately equal time and distance interval migration from N to S, varied patterns of migration from S to N and grouped strong earthquake activity in a certain period over the entire seismic belt. Analysis of strong earthquakes in the past hundred years shows that the seismicity on the North-South Seismic Belt is also associated with strong earthquake activities on the South Asia Seismic Belt which extends from Myanmar to Sumatra, Indonesia. Strong earthquakes on the former belt often lag several months or years behind the quakes occurring on the later belt. So, after the occurrence of the December 26, 2004 M_S8.7 great earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the possibility of occurrence of strong earthquakes on the North-South Seismic Belt of China cannot be ignored. The above-mentioned migration characteristics of strong earthquakes are related to the northeastward collision and subduction of the India Plate as well as the interaction between the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau and the stable and hard Ordos and Alashan Massifs at its northeastern margin.

Stable seasonal migration patterns in giant pandas

A critical function of animal movement is to maximize access to essential resources in temporally fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments.Seasonally mediated resource fluctuations may influence animal movements,enabling them to track changing resource distributions,resulting in annual migration patterns.The conservation-dependent giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) displays seasonal movement patterns;however,the key factor driving these seasonal migration patterns remains poorly understood.Here,we used GPS tracking collars to monitor the movements of six giant pandas over a 12-year period across different elevations,and performed statistical analysis of seasonal migration directions,routes,habitat revisitation,home range overlap,first arrival events,and stability.Our results revealed a compelling pattern of seasonal migrations that facilitated the ability of the pandas to forage at the appropriate time and place to maximize nutritional intake.Our results indicated that pandas utilize spatial memory to locate reliable food resources,as evidenced by their annual return to the same or similar winter and summer home ranges and the consistently maintained percentage of home range overlap.These novel insights into giant panda foraging and movement ecology not only enhance our understanding of its ability to adapt to nutritionally poor dietary resources but also provide important information for the development of resource utilization-based protection and management strategies.

The Change of North China Climate in Transient Simulations Using the IPCC SRES A2 and B2 Scenarios with a Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model

This paper applies the newest emission scenarios of the sulfur and greenhouse gases, namely IPCC SRES A2 and B2 scenarios, to investigate the change of the North China climate with an atmosphere-ocean coupled general circulation model. In the last three decades of the 21st century, the global warming enlarges the land-sea thermal contrast, and hence, causes the East Asian summer (winter) monsoon circulation to he strengthened (weakened). The rainfall seasonality strengthens and the summer precipitation increases significantly in North China. It is suggested that the East Asian rainy area would expand northward to North China in the last three decades of the 21st century. In addition, the North China precipitation would increase significantly in September. In July, August, and September, the interannual variability of the precipitation enlarges evidently over North China, implying a risk of flooding in the future.

A THREE-LAYER OCEAN CIRCULATION MODEL APPLICATION TO NUMERICAL STUDIES ON THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN CIRCULATION

The formulation and justification of a three-layer baroclinic ocean model developed to simulate thegeneral circulation of the ocean are described in this paper.Test of the model in simulating the annualmean circulation patterns in the North Pacific under the prescribed atmospheric forcing,which consists ofthe climatological surface wind stress and sea surface heat flux,and comparison of the results withobservations showed that the model basically simulated the large scale features of the annual meancirculation patterns in the North Pacific Ocean such as those of the intensified western boundary currentsand the North Equatorial Currents and Undercurrents.But due to the coarse resolution of the model,some details of these currents were poorly reproduced.The seasonal variations of the North Pacific Oceancirculation driven by the seasonal mean sea surface wind stress was calculated,the different aspects of theseresults were analyzed and the main current(the intensified western boundary currents)transports