A new nudging scheme for the current operational climate prediction system of the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center of China

A new nudging scheme is proposed for the operational prediction system of the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center(NMEFC)of China,mainly aimed at improving El Niño–Southern Oscillation(ENSO)and Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD)predictions.Compared with the origin nudging scheme of NMEFC,the new scheme adds a nudge assimilation for wind components,and increases the nudging weight at the subsurface.Increasing the nudging weight at the subsurface directly improved the simulation performance of the ocean component,while assimilating low-level wind components not only affected the atmospheric component but also benefited the oceanic simulation.Hindcast experiments showed that the new scheme remarkably improved both ENSO and IOD prediction skills.The skillful prediction lead time of ENSO was up to 11 months,1 month longer than a hindcast using the original nudging scheme.Skillful prediction of IOD could be made 4–5 months ahead by the new scheme,with a 0.2 higher correlation at a 3-month lead time.These prediction skills approach the level of some of the best state-of-the-art coupled general circulation models.Improved ENSO and IOD predictions occurred across all seasons,but mainly for target months in the boreal spring for the ENSO and the boreal spring and summer for the IOD.

Development of a global high-resolution marine dynamic environmental forecasting system

全球海洋环境安全预报保障能力的提升,是我国海洋强国战略和参与全球海洋治理的重要保障。在过去的五年中,国家海洋环境预报中心完成了没有全球保障能力到初步建立的过程,但是现有的全球海洋环境安全保障系统,无论是在精度还是深度上都不能满足需求,因此建立具有自主知识产权高分辨率的全球海洋动力环境数值预报系统迫在眉睫。因此,科技部海洋环境安全保障专项支持了‘全球高分辨率海洋动力环境数值预报系统研制’项目的立项。本项目(1)通过开展现场观测与实验室试验,研究海洋多尺度混合并优化物理参数化方案;(2)发展自主全球高分辨海洋环流、潮汐潮流、海浪及浪-潮-流耦合数值模式,发展海气耦合预报技术;(3)建立自主知识产权高分辨率的全球海洋动力环境数值预报系统,开展集成应用研发,全面提升我国自主能力与预报水平,实现中尺度现象的稳定识别和业务预报,精度达到国际同类预报产品水平。

Differences in spring precipitation over southern China associated with multiyear La Ni?a events

Composite analyses were performed in this study to reveal the difference in spring precipitation over southern China during multiyear La Ni?a events during 1901 to 2015. It was found that there is significantly below-normal precipitation during the first boreal spring, but above-normal precipitation during the second year. The difference in spring precipitation over southern China is correlative to the variation in western North Pacific anomalous cyclone(WNPC), which can in turn be attributed to the different sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) over the Tropical Pacific. The remote forcing of negative SSTA in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and the local air-sea interaction in the western North Pacific are the usual causes of WNPC formation and maintenance.SSTA in the first spring is stronger than those in the second spring. As a result, the intensity of WNPC in the first year is stronger, which is more likely to reduce the moisture in southern China by changing the moisture transport, leading to prolonged precipitation deficits over southern China. However, the tropical SSTA signals in the second year are too weak to induce the formation and maintenance of WNPC and the below-normal precipitation over southern China. Thus, the variation in tropical SSTA signals between two consecutive springs during multiyear La Ni?a events leads to obvious differences in the spatial pattern of precipitation anomaly in southern China by causing the different WNPC response.

Characteristics Variation of Atmospheric CO_(2)and CH_(4)in Yongxing Island,South China Sea

Using the observation data in Yongxing Island,South China Sea(SCS)from December 2013 to November 2018,the multiple time scales variation of atmospheric CO_(2)and CH_(4)were analyzed to understand their temporal variation characteristics and controlling factors.The regional-averaged background mole fractions of CO_(2)and CH_(4)both show a single-period sinusoidal variation with a lower value at noon and a higher value in the wee hours.In the seasonal scale,they exhibited a significant seasonal difference with higher values in winter and lower values in summer.In the annual scale,CO_(2)and CH_(4)both show an increasing trend,with an annual growth rate of approximately 3.2 ppm and 12 ppb,respectively.The annual growth rate at this site was higher than the global average.The change in atmospheric CO_(2)and CH_(4)in Yongxing Island was probably caused by the higher emission of the surrounding areas and the airflows driven by monsoon.Hopefully,the long-term and high-resolution greenhouse gases(GHGs)dataset will aid relevent researchers and decision-makers in performing more in-depth studies for GHG sources in order to derive effective strategies.

A typhoon-induced storm surge numerical model with GPU acceleration based on an unstructured spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellation grid

Storm surge is often the marine disaster that poses the greatest threat to life and property in coastal areas.Accurate and timely issuance of storm surge warnings to take appropriate countermeasures is an important means to reduce storm surge-related losses.Storm surge numerical models are important for storm surge forecasting.To further improve the performance of the storm surge forecast models,we developed a numerical storm surge forecast model based on an unstructured spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellation(SCVT)grid.The model is based on shallow water equations in vector-invariant form,and is discretized by Arakawa C grid.The SCVT grid can not only better describe the coastline information but also avoid rigid transitions,and it has a better global consistency by generating high-resolution grids in the key areas through transition refinement.In addition,the simulation speed of the model is accelerated by using the openACC-based GPU acceleration technology to meet the timeliness requirements of operational ensemble forecast.It only takes 37 s to simulate a day in the coastal waters of China.The newly developed storm surge model was applied to simulate typhoon-induced storm surges in the coastal waters of China.The hindcast experiments on the selected representative typhoon-induced storm surge processes indicate that the model can reasonably simulate the distribution characteristics of storm surges.The simulated maximum storm surges and their occurrence times are consistent with the observed data at the representative tide gauge stations,and the mean absolute errors are 3.5 cm and 0.6 h respectively,showing high accuracy and application prospects.

Influence of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation on Antarctic surface air temperature during 1900 to 2015

The importance of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO)and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation(IPO)in influencing zonally asymmetric changes in Antarctic surface air temperature(SAT)has been established.However,previous studies have primarily concentrated on examining the combined impact of the contrasting phases of the AMO and IPO,which have been dominant since the advent of satellite observations in 1979.This study utilizes long-term reanalysis data to investigate the impact of four combinations of+AMO+IPO,–AMO–IPO,+AMO–IPO,and–AMO+IPO on Antarctic SAT over the past 115 years.The+AMO phase is characterized by a spatial mean temperature amplitude of up to 0.5℃over the North Atlantic Ocean,accompanied by positive sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies in the tropical eastern Pacific and negative SST anomalies in the extratropical-mid-latitude western Pacific,which are indicative of the+IPO phase.The Antarctic SAT exhibits contrasting spatial patterns during the+AMO+IPO and+AMO–IPO periods.However,during the–AMO+IPO period,apart from the Antarctic Peninsula and the vicinity of the Weddell Sea,the entire Antarctic region experiences a warming trend.The most pronounced signal in the SAT anomalies is observed during the austral autumn,whereas the combination of–AMO and–IPO exhibits the smallest magnitude across all the combinations.The wavetrain excited by the SST anomalies associated with the AMO and IPO induces upper-level and surface atmospheric circulation anomalies,which alter the SAT anomalies.Furthermore,downward longwave radiation anomalies related to anomalous cloud cover play a crucial role.In the future,if the phases of AMO and IPO were to reverse(AMO transitioning to a negative phase and IPO transitioning to a positive phase),Antarctica could potentially face more pronounced warming and accelerated melting compared to the current observations.

New Record Ocean Temperatures and Related Climate Indicators in 2023

The global physical and biogeochemical environment has been substantially altered in response to increased atmospheric greenhouse gases from human activities.In 2023,the sea surface temperature(SST)and upper 2000 m ocean heat content(OHC)reached record highs.The 0–2000 m OHC in 2023 exceeded that of 2022 by 15±10 ZJ(1 Zetta Joules=1021 Joules)(updated IAP/CAS data);9±5 ZJ(NCEI/NOAA data).The Tropical Atlantic Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea,and southern oceans recorded their highest OHC observed since the 1950s.Associated with the onset of a strong El Niño,the global SST reached its record high in 2023 with an annual mean of~0.23℃ higher than 2022 and an astounding>0.3℃ above 2022 values for the second half of 2023.The density stratification and spatial temperature inhomogeneity indexes reached their highest values in 2023.

Application of the finite analytic numerical method to a flowdependent variational data assimilation

An anisotropic diffusion filter can be used to model a flow-dependent background error covariance matrix,which can be achieved by solving the advection-diffusion equation.Because of the directionality of the advection term,the discrete method needs to be chosen very carefully.The finite analytic method is an alternative scheme to solve the advection-diffusion equation.As a combination of analytical and numerical methods,it not only has high calculation accuracy but also holds the characteristic of the auto upwind.To demonstrate its ability,the one-dimensional steady and unsteady advection-diffusion equation numerical examples are respectively solved by the finite analytic method.The more widely used upwind difference method is used as a control approach.The result indicates that the finite analytic method has higher accuracy than the upwind difference method.For the two-dimensional case,the finite analytic method still has a better performance.In the three-dimensional variational assimilation experiment,the finite analytic method can effectively improve analysis field accuracy,and its effect is significantly better than the upwind difference and the central difference method.Moreover,it is still a more effective solution method in the strong flow region where the advective-diffusion filter performs most prominently.

Three-dimensional thermohaline structure estimation derived from HY-2 satellite data over the Maritime Silk Road and its applications

Estimated ocean subsurface fields derived from satellite observations provide potential data sources for operational marine environmental monitoring and prediction systems.This study employs a statistic regression reconstruction method,in combination with domestic autonomous sea surface height and sea surface temperature observations from the Haiyang-2(HY-2)satellite fusion data,to establish an operational quasi-realtime three-dimensional(3D)temperature and salinity products over the Maritime Silk Road.These products feature a daily temporal resolution and a spatial resolution of 0.25°×0.25°and exhibit stability and continuity.We have demonstrated the accuracy of the reconstructed thermohaline fields in capturing the 3D thermohaline variations through comprehensive statistical evaluations,after comparing them against Argo observations and ocean analysis data from 2022.The results illustrate that the reconstructed fields effectively represent seasonal variations in oceanic subsurface structures,along with structural changes resulting from mesoscale processes,and the upper ocean’s responses to tropical cyclones.Furthermore,the incorporation of HY-2 satellite observations notably enhances the accuracy of temperature and salinity reconstructions in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and marginally improves salinity reconstruction accuracy in the North Indian Ocean when compared to the World Ocean Atlas 2018 monthly climatology thermohaline fields.As a result,the reconstructed product holds promise for providing quasi-real-time 3D temperature and salinity field information to facilitate fast decisionmaking during emergencies,and also offers foundational thermohaline fields for operational ocean reanalysis and forecasting systems.These contributions enhance the safety and stability of ocean subsurface activities and navigation.

What induced the trend shift of mixed-layer depths in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region in the mid-1980s?

An obvious trend shift in the annual mean and winter mixed layer depth(MLD)in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC)region was detected during the 1960–2021 period.Shallowing trends stopped in mid-1980s,followed by a period of weak trends.The MLD deepening trend difference between the two periods were mainly distributed in the western areas in the Drake Passage,the areas north to Victoria Land and Wilkes Land,and the central parts of the South Indian sector.The newly formed ocean current shear due to the meridional shift of the ACC flow axis between the two periods is the dominant driver for the MLD trends shift distributed in the western areas in the Drake Passage and the central parts of the South Indian sector.The saltier trends in the regions north to Victoria Land and Wilkes Land could be responsible for the strengthening mixing processes in this region.

An Introduction to the Integrated Climate Model of the Center for Monsoon System Research and Its Simulated Influence of El Ni?no on East Asian–Western North Pacific Climate

This study introduces a new global climate model--the Integrated Climate Model （ICM）--developed for the seasonal prediction of East Asian-western North Pacific （EA-WNP） climate by the Center for Monsoon System Research at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics （CMSR, IAP）, Chinese Academy of Sciences. ICM integrates ECHAM5 and NEMO2.3 as its atmospheric and oceanic components, respectively, using OASIS3 as the coupler. The simulation skill of ICM is evaluated here, including the simulated climatology, interannual variation, and the influence of E1 Nifio as one of the most important factors on EA-WNP climate. ICM successfully reproduces the distribution of sea surface temperature （SST） and precipitation without climate shift, the seasonal cycle of equatorial Pacific SST, and the precipitation and circulation of East Asian summer monsoon. The most prominent biases of ICM are the excessive cold tongue and unrealistic westward phase propagation of equatorial Pacific SST. The main interannual variation of the tropical Pacific SST and EA-WNP climate E1 Nifio and the East Asia-Pacific Pattern--are also well simulated in ICM, with realistic spatial pattern and period. The simulated E1 Nifio has significant impact on EA-WNP climate, as in other models. The assessment shows ICM should be a reliable model for the seasonal prediction of EA-WNP climate.

Development of a fine-resolution atmosphere-wave-ocean coupled forecasting model for the South China Sea and its adjacent seas

A 72-h fine-resolution atmosphere-wave-ocean coupled forecasting system was developed for the South China Sea and its adjacent seas. The forecasting model domain covers from from 15°S to 45°N in latitude and 99°E to135°E in longitude including the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Indonesian seas. To get precise initial conditions for the coupled forecasting model, the forecasting system conducts a 24-h hindcast simulation with data assimilation before forecasting. The Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter(EAKF) data assimilation method was adopted for the wave model MASNUM with assimilating Jason-2 significant wave height(SWH) data. The EAKF data assimilation method was also introduced to the ROMS model with assimilating sea surface temperature(SST), mean absolute dynamic topography(MADT) and Argo profiles data. To improve simulation of the structure of temperature and salinity, the vertical mixing scheme of the ocean model was improved by considering the surface wave induced vertical mixing and internal wave induced vertical mixing. The wave and current models were integrated from January 2014 to October 2015 driven by the ECMWF reanalysis 6 hourly mean dataset with data assimilation. Then the coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean forecasting system was carried out 14 months operational running since November 2015. The forecasting outputs include atmospheric forecast products, wave forecast products and ocean forecast products. A series of observation data are used to evaluate the coupled forecasting results, including the wind, SHW, ocean temperature and velocity.The forecasting results are in good agreement with observation data. The prediction practice for more than one year indicates that the coupled forecasting system performs stably and predict relatively accurate, which can support the shipping safety, the fisheries and the oil exploitation.

Review of research on Arctic sea ice physics based on the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition

China launched its Arctic research program and organized the first Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （CHINARE-Arctic） in 1999. By 2016, six further expeditions had been conducted using the R/V Xuelong. The main region of the expeditions has focused on the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean for sea ice observations. The expeditions have used icebreaker, helicopter, boat, floe, and buoy platforms to perform these observations. Some new technologies have been developed, in particular, the underway auto-observing system for sea ice thickness using an electromagnetic instrument. The long-term measurement systems, e.g., the sea ice mass balance buoy, allow observations to extend from summer to winter. Some international cooperation projects have been involved in CHINARE-Arctic, especially the ＂Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-Term Environmental Studies＂ project funded by the European Union during the International Polar Year. Arctic sea ice observations have been used to verify remote sensing products, identify changes in Arctic sea ice, optimize the parameterizations of sea ice physical processes, and assess the accessibility of ice-covered waters, especially around the Northeast Passage. Recommendations are provided as guidance to future CHINARE-Arctic projects. For example, a standardized operation system of sea ice observations should be contracted, and the observations of sea ice dynamics should be enhanced. The upcoming launch of a new Chinese icebreaker will allow increased ship time in support of future CHINARE Arctic oceanographic investigations.

Evaluation of ArcIOPS sea ice forecasting products during the ninth CHINARE-Arctic in summer 2018

Numerical sea ice forecasting products during the ninth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(9th CHINARE-Arctic)from Arctic Ice Ocean Prediction System(ArcIOPS)of National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center of China are evaluated against satellite-retrieved sea ice concentration data,in-situ sea ice thickness observations,and sea ice products from Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System(PIOMAS).The results show that ArcIOPS forecasts reliable sea ice concentration and thickness evolution.Deviations of the 168 h sea ice concentration and thickness forecasts with respect to the observations are less than 0.2 and 0.36 m.Comparison between outputs of the latest version of ArcIOPS and that of its previous version shows that the latest version has a substantial improvement on sea ice concentration forecasts due to data assimilation of new observational component,the sea surface temperature.Meanwhile,the sea ice volume product of the latest version is more close to the PIOMAS product.In the future,with more and more kinds of observations to be assimilated,the high-resolution version of ArcIOPS will be put into operational running and benefit Chinese scientific and commercial activities in the Arctic Ocean.

Validation of an operational forecasting system of sea dike risk in the southern Zhejiang Province, South China

In this study,an operational forecasting system of sea dike risk in the southern Zhejiang Province,South China was developed based on a coupled storm-surge and wave model.This forecasting system is important because of the high cost of storm-surge damage and the need for rapid emergency planning.A comparison with astronomical tides in 2016 and the validation of storm surges and high water marks of 20 typhoons verified that the forecast system has a good simulation ability.The system can forecast relatively realistic water levels and wave heights as shown under the parametric atmospheric forces simulated in a case study;the sea dikes in credible high risk were mainly located in the estuaries,rivers,and around the islands in the southern Zhejiang.Therefore,the forecast system is applicable in the southern Zhejiang with a support to the effective prevention from typhoon storm-surge damage.

Observed Frequent Occurrences of Marine Heatwaves in Most Ocean Regions during the Last Two Decades

Marine heatwaves(MHWs)are prolonged high-temperature extreme events in the ocean that can be devastating to marine life and seriously impact climate systems and economies.This paper describes the accessibility,content,characteristics,and potential applications of an MHW dataset to facilitate its use in scientific research.Daily intensities of global MHWs from 1982 to 2020 were analyzed using gridded SST data sourced from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA)Optimum Interpolation(OI)SST V2 high-resolution(0.25°)dataset.The analysis shows a linear increase in the frequency of MHWs in most ocean regions of the world as well as significant interdecadal changes.This data product can be used as a basic dataset to study the seasonal to decadal changes in extreme ocean events and explore the effects of global warming on the surface layers of oceans during the last 40 years.

Meteorological observations and weather forecasting services of the CHINARE

By 2018, China had conducted 34 scientific explorations in Antarctica spearheaded by the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition(CHINARE). Since the first CHINARE over 30 years ago, considerable work has been undertaken to promote the development of techniques for the observation of surface and upper-air meteorological elements, and satellite image and data reception systems at Chinese Antarctic stations and onboard Chinese icebreakers have played critical roles in this endeavor. The upgrade of in situ and remote sensing measurement methods and the improvement of weather forecasting skill have enabled forecasters to achieve reliable on-site weather forecasting for the CHINARE. Nowadays, the routing of icebreakers, navigation of aircraft, and activities at Chinese Antarctic stations all benefit from the accurate weather forecasting service. In this paper, a review of the conventional meteorological measurement and operational weather forecasting services of the CHINARE is presented.

Recent improvements to the physical model of the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea Operational Oceanography Forecasting System

In order to satisfy the increasing demand for the marine forecasting capacity,the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea Operational Oceanography Forecasting System(BYEOFS)has been upgraded and improved to Version 2.0.Based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System(ROMS),a series of comparative experiments were conducted during the improvement process,including correcting topography,changing sea surface atmospheric forcing mode,adjusting open boundary conditions,and considering atmospheric pressure correction.(1)After the topography correction,the volume transport and meridional velocity maximum of Yellow Sea Warm Current increase obviously and the unreasonable bending of its axis around 36.1°N,123.5°E disappears.(2)After the change of sea surface forcing mode,an effective negative feedback mechanism is formed between predicted sea surface temperature(SST)by the ocean model and sea surface radiation fluxes fields.The simulation errors of SST decreased significantly,and the annual average of root-mean-square error(RMSE)decreased by about 18%.(3)The change of the eastern lateral boundary condition of baroclinic velocity from mixed Radiation-Nudging to Clamped makes the unreasonable westward current in Tsushima Strait disappear.(4)The adding of mean sea level pressure correction option which forms the mean sea level gradient from the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea to the western Pacific in winter and autumn is helpful to increasing the fluctuation of SLA and outflow of the Yellow Sea when the cold high air pressure system controls the Yellow Sea area.

Ice concentration assimilation in a regional ice-ocean coupled model and its application in sea ice forecasting

A reasonable initial state of ice concentration is essential for accurate short-term forecasts of sea ice using ice-ocean coupled models. In this study, sea ice concentration data are assimilated into an operational ice forecast system based on a com- bined optimal interpolation and nudging scheme. The scheme produces a modeled sea ice concentration at every time step, based on the difference between observational and forecast data and on the ratio of observational error to modeled error. The impact and the effectiveness of data assimilation are investigated. Significant improvements to predictions of sea ice extent were obtained through the assimilation of ice concentration, and minor improvements through the adjustment of the upper ocean properties. The assimilation of ice thickness data did not significantly improve predictions. Forecast experiments show that the forecast accuracy is higher in summer, and that the errors on five-day forecasts occur mainly around the marginal ice zone.

Marine disaster prevention and integrated coastal zone management

Ocean is home town of wind and rain, treasury of resources. To exploit and use ocean will make great contribution to people’s existence and development. China is a great oceanic country with pre cinct sea area of 3,000,000 km2. The eastern coastal region with only 60 km width, 15 % area and 40% of population of China, has created about 60% of GDP and has become the most developed region. But marine disaster in China is frequent and serious. From statistical data, economy loss made by surge, billow, sea ice, tsunami, red tide, oil spill, coast erosion, bay deposit, sea water intrusion, sea level rise, land salinization, sea water pollution, etc. increase quickly. Economy loss per year is one billion in the l980s, 10 billion in the l990s, exceeded 20 billion in 1996, and 30 billion in 1997. About 80% of it happened in the coastal area. So, marine disaster at present has become obstacle of society progress and economy development in coastal area. To mitigate marine disaster has become need for the economy development, also important task of the integrated coastal zone management. In this article, we briefly introduce countermeasures for marine disaster prevention, coastal zone management, and achievements made in the past 50 years, its problems now confronted, and the main countermeasures in the 21St century.