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The oceanic subsurface variability off East Africa in the tropical western Indian Ocean plays a crucial role in ocean dynamics and living resources as well as weather and climate variability. A regional ocean model is applied to understand the oceanic subsurface interannual variability off East Africa. The region with the highest sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the offshore region lies adjacent to strong subsurface temperature variations located between 30 and 130 m corresponding with strong variations in the thermocline depth. The weakest SST variations in the Tanzanian shelf waters lie over the subsurface waters with the smallest temperature variations in the upper 200 m with weak variations in the thermocline depth. Such signals are associated with induced forcings from the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in both regions with different intensity and peaking times. The IOD-induced forcings are weaker, evolving in October and November-December in the region with the weakest and strongest SST variations, respectively. However, relatively stronger ENSO-induced forcings occur in both regions with stronger signals in the region with the strongest SST variations throughout the years except in August, and it peaks in January. The ENSO-induced forcings occur in January to May peaking in March and April in the region with the weakest SST. Consequently, anomalous Rossby waves as well as local Ekman downwelling and upwelling associated with both large-scale modes occur in the region leading to the subsurface temperature variations.

The central equatorial Indian Ocean (CEIO) is influenced by both, summer and winter monsoon and is known for cross basin exchange of water between the Arabian Sea (AS) and the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Here, we present planktic foraminiferal assemblage record from a sediment core (SSD-044/GC-01, 5°N; 77°E) from the CEIO, which is in the pathway of this cross-basin water exchange, in order to reconstruct changes in upper water column structure during the last 43 ka, at millennial year timescales. Our data displays an increase in ratio of mixed layer eutrophic to mixed layer oligotrophic foraminifer species from MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 3 to MIS 2 which further decreased sharply during the last deglaciation and remained low thereafter. This trend matches well with the sedimentary Corg content which is interpreted as a productivity signal, in line with other studies from this region. Furthermore, the relative abundance of thermocline foraminifer species displayed highest values during MIS 3, a decrease through the MIS 2, a sharp decrease through the early deglaciation and an increase thereafter into the Holocene. Our records suggest that the increased productivity at this site seems to be fed by nutrient injection from nutricline to the photic zone which manifests in a corresponding increase in thermocline foraminifera species. The nutrient injection to the photic zone maybe a result of increased vertical/convective mixing due to increased flow of cooler/high-salinity BoB water probably caused by decreased freshening of the BoB during glacials. Furthermore, our data suggests a warm, stratified upper water column and low surface nutrient (oligotrophic) conditions during the last deglaciation and the Holocene.

Oxygen isotope (δ18O) sclerochronology of benthic marine molluscs provides a means of reconstructing the seasonal range in seafloor temperature, subject to use of an appropriate equation relating shell δ18O to temperature and water δ18O, a reasonably accurate estimation of water δ18O, and due consideration of growth-rate effects. Taking these factors into account, δ18O data from late Pliocene bivalves of the southern North Sea basin (Belgium and the Netherlands) indicate a seasonal seafloor range a little smaller than now in the area. Microgrowth-increment data from Aequipecten opercularis, together with the species composition of the bivalve assemblage and aspects of preservation, suggest a setting below the summer thermocline for all but the latest material investigated. This implies a higher summer temperature at the surface than on the seafloor and consequently a greater seasonal range. A reasonable (3 ∘C) estimate of the difference between maximum seafloor and surface temperature under circumstances of summer stratification points to seasonal surface ranges in excess of the present value (12.4 ∘C nearby). Using a model-derived estimate of water δ18O (0.0 ‰), summer surface temperature was initially in the cool temperate range ( ∘C) and then (during the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period; MPWP) increased into the warm temperate range (>20 ∘C) before reverting to cool temperate values (in conjunction with shallowing and a loss of summer stratification). This pattern is in agreement with biotic-assemblage evidence. Winter temperature was firmly in the cool temperate range ( ∘C) throughout, contrary to previous interpretations. Averaging of summer and winter surface temperatures for the MPWP provides a figure for annual sea surface temperature that is 2–3 ∘C higher than the present value (10.9 ∘C nearby) and in close agreement with a figure obtained by averaging alkenone and TEX86 temperatures for the MPWP from the Netherlands. These proxies, however, respectively, underestimate summer temperature and overestimate winter temperature, giving an incomplete picture of seasonality. A higher annual temperature than now is consistent with the notion of global warmth in the MPWP, but a low winter temperature in the southern North Sea basin suggests regional reduction in oceanic heat supply, contrasting with other interpretations of North Atlantic oceanography during the interval. Carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) and biomineral unit thermometry offer means of checking the δ18O-based temperatures.

Deep water in the South China Sea is renewed by the cold and dense Luzon Strait overflow. However, from where and how the deep water upwells is poorly understood yet. Based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model reanalysis data, vertical velocity is derived to answer these questions. Domain-integrated vertical velocity is of two maxima, one in the shallow water and the other at depth, and separated by a layer of minimum at the bottom of the thermocline. Further analysis shows that this two-segmented vertical transport is attributed to the vertical compensation of subsurface water to the excessive outflow of shallow water and upward push of the dense Luzon Strait overflow, respectively. In the abyssal basin, the vertical transport increases upward from zero at the depth of 3 500–4 000 m and reaches a maximum of 1.5×106 m3/s at about 1 500 m. Deep water upwells mainly from the northeastern and southwestern ends of the abyssal basin and off the continental slopes. To explain the upward velocity arising from slope breaks, a possible mechanism is proposed that an onshore velocity component can be derived from the deep western boundary current above steep slopes under bottom friction.

In Norway, placement of the water treatment plant intake within the lake hypolimnion is considered a hygienic barrier against pathogens of fecal origin. It is unclear, however, whether this practice provides a barrier against opportunistic pathogens such as Legionella. In this study, water samples were collected at 10 m depth intervals near the drinking water intakes of two lakes. Legionella and one of their common hosts, Acanthamoeba spp., were quantified using culture-based assays (Legionella pneumophila only) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). L. pneumophila and Acanthamoeba spp. were never detected by qPCR; Legionella spp., however, were present in all samples at concentrations ranging from 2.33 to 4.14 log10[copies/L] in lake A and from 2.69 to 4.27 log10[copies/L] in lake B. For most sampling months in both lakes, there was no significant difference between total bacteria and Legionella spp. concentrations at the intake depth versus those on the lake surface. The results of this limited investigation of two Norwegian water supplies suggest that placement of water treatment plant intakes within the hypolimnion may not afford a sufficient hygienic barrier against Legionella.

We investigate the effect of variable marine biogeochemical light absorption on Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) and how this affects the South Asian climate. In twin experiments with a regional Earth system model, we found that the average SST is lower over most of the domain when variable marine biogeochemical light absorption is taken into account, compared to the reference experiment with a constant light attenuation coefficient equal to 0.06 m−1. The most significant deviations (more than 1 ∘C) in SST are observed in the monsoon season. A considerable cooling of subsurface layers occurs, and the thermocline shifts upward in the experiment with the activated biogeochemical impact. Also, the phytoplankton primary production becomes higher, especially during periods of winter and summer phytoplankton blooms. The effect of altered SST variability on climate was investigated by coupling the ocean models to a regional atmosphere model. We find the largest effects on the amount of precipitation, particularly during the monsoon season. In the Arabian Sea, the reduction of the transport of humidity across the Equator leads to a reduction of the large-scale precipitation in the eastern part of the basin, reinforcing the reduction of the convective precipitation. In the Bay of Bengal, it increases the large-scale precipitation, countering convective precipitation decline. Thus, the key impacts of including the full biogeochemical coupling with corresponding light attenuation, which in turn depends on variable chlorophyll a concentration, include the enhanced phytoplankton primary production, a shallower thermocline, and decreased SST and water temperature in subsurface layers, with cascading effects upon the model ocean physics which further translates into altered atmosphere dynamics.

A radiotracer investigation was carried out in a Thermal Stratification Test Facility (TSTF) with objectives of investigating the dispersion and diffusion of radionuclide and effectiveness of the thermocline to minimize the radionuclide content in the hot water layer. Technitium-99 m (99mTc) as sodium pertechnetate was used as a radiotracer in the investigation. Qualitative analysis showed that a thermocline is formed within the TSTF and is effective in preventing the transport of radionuclide from bottom section to the top section of the facility. It was found that the radiotracer injected at the bottom of the pool took about 17.4 h to disperse from bottom to the top of the facility. The results of the investigation helped in understanding the effectiveness of hot water layer and thus to minimize the pool top radiation levels.

Ocean spiciness is referred to as density-compensated temperature and salinity variations with warm (cool) and salty (fresh) waters having high (low) spiciness, respectively. The structure and evolution of density-compensated (warm/salty or cool/fresh) spiciness anomalies are investigated in the North Pacific thermocline using Argo observations during the period 2004-2020. Two well-organized decadal spiciness events are identified through isopycnal surface analyses. One warm/salty spiciness anomaly of about 0.15 °C and 0.05 g kg-1 temperature and salinity perturbations on 25 kg m-3 isopycnal appears in the eastern subtropical North Pacific at 18°N-30°N, 120°W-150°W in 2007, which then migrates southwestward along the mean circulation and arrives in the western tropics at 145°E–175°W, ~15°N in 2012-2013, with the reduced salinity perturbation of about 0.043 g kg-1. Another cool/fresh spiciness anomaly of about -0.2 °C and -0.07 g kg-1 temperature and salinity perturbations originates from the eastern subtropics at 120°W-150°W, ~30°N in 2014 and follows the similar advection pathway during the period from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. The subduction pathway can be adequately determined by the mean Montgomery stream function on the isopycnal surface; the propagation direction and speed are in good agreement with the expectation for the role played by advection due to the mean geostrophic current. Moreover, the subducted decadal spiciness anomalies can have negative feedback on sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the western tropical Pacific through the diapycnal processes. The identifications of these density-compensated spiciness anomalies and their propagation pathways provide a clear illustration of the oceanic extratropics-tropics interactions in the North Pacific Ocean.

Ocean temperature prediction has always occupied an important position in the research of ocean-related fields. The current studies are mostly based on the temperature of the sea surface, but the prediction of ocean internal temperature is more important in practical applications. At present, most of the research studies on the prediction of ocean internal temperature are based on time series, few of which consider the dual characteristics of time and space. Therefore, the accuracy is insufficient, especially for the prediction of thermocline and deep-sea locations. This letter proposes the stereo spatial and temporal 4-D convolution model (SST-4D-CNN) to predict the temperature in the ocean, which fully considers the dual characteristics of time series and oceanic spatial relationship to improve the prediction accuracy. The model includes 4-D convolution module, residual module and recalibration module to predict the horizontal and profile temperature changes from the sea surface to 2000-m underwater. In this letter, the prediction experiment is carried out using the real-time analysis data-temperature dataset from National Marine Data Center. The results show that the accuracy of this method in horizontal and profile prediction is above 98.02%, and most of them are more than 99%.

The effects of an inlet inertial jet on the thermal blending of hot and cold heat transfer fluid (molten salt) for a single tank sensible thermal energy storage system are studied using numerical simulations. The simulations show the evolution of the initial stratified layer (thermocline) for a temperature difference of 300 K with a corresponding Atwood number (At) of 0.066. Three diffuser arrangements are investigated: a flat plate solid diffuser, a coaxial ring diffuser with a solid center, and a proposed hemispherical diffuser. The thermal stratifications are examined by a mathematical model named Ideal stratification index (ISI). It is observed that the buoyancy-driven mixing is minimum for the hemispherical diffuser, and the resulting thermocline is 6% better compared to alternative diffusers at 27 l/min. Additionally, the working of the proposed diffuser is demonstrated via experiments with a saline-freshwater combination. These results reveal that the single tank thermocline storage performance can be improved for higher charging/discharging rates using hemispherical diffusers.

For the first time the vertical variation in light quality in the global ocean is quantified with a single parameter--the hue angle (αE, in degree) in chromaticity of downwelling irradiance. For oceanic waters, αE is ~140° at surface, but it becomes ~230° at the bottom of the euphotic zone; αE changes rapidly near the surface, and we term this layer of rapid change in light quality as chromocline, analogous to the thermocline or pycnocline in oceanography. The 3-D variations in light quality are further highlighted with data from satellite ocean color measurements, where global distributions of αE for depths of 99%, 37%, and 1% of surface photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) are presented. As an example to demonstrate the importance to consider the change in light quality, the relationship between the light quality and the ratio of phytoplankton absorbed light to PAR is presented where this ratio may vary by a factor of 3 or more under different chlorophyll-a concentrations; otherwise, the ratio would be constant vertically. We advocate quantitative measurement and report the light quality in the upper ocean with such a single and objective parameter to accompany the routine measurement and report the light intensity, which will greatly improve our understanding of light-related processes and further bridge ocean optics and oceanography.

The open ocean region of southern Bay of Bengal (BoB) (~ 5° N–10° N; 87° E–97° E) is characterized as the region of low chlorophyll-a concentration (

A 17 kWhth packed bed thermal energy storage (PBTES) system for concentrated solar power application (CSP) has been investigated by using a two-phase energy model. The PBTES system used in this stu...

The Indian Ocean presents two distinct climate regimes. The north Indian Ocean is dominated by the monsoons, whereas the seasonal reversal is less pronounced in the south. The prevailing wind pattern produces upwelling along different parts of the coast in both hemispheres during different times of the year. Additionally, dynamical processes and eddies either cause or enhance upwelling. This paper reviews the phenomena of upwelling along the coast of the Indian Ocean extending from the tip of South Africa to the southern tip of the west coast of Australia. Observed features, underlying mechanisms, and the impact of upwelling on the ecosystem are presented. In the Agulhas Current region, cyclonic eddies associated with Natal pulses drive slope upwelling and enhance chlorophyll concentrations along the continental margin. The Durban break-away eddy spun up by the Agulhas upwells cold nutrient-rich water. Additionally, topographically induced upwelling occurs along the inshore edges of the Agulhas Current. Wind-driven coastal upwelling occurs along the south coast of Africa and augments the dynamical upwelling in the Agulhas Current. Upwelling hotspots along the Mozambique coast are present in the northern and southern sectors of the channel and are ascribed to dynamical effects of ocean circulation in addition to wind forcing. Interaction of mesoscale eddies with the western boundary, dipole eddy pair interactions, and passage of cyclonic eddies cause upwelling. Upwelling along the southern coast of Madagascar is caused by the Ekman wind-driven mechanism and by eddy generation and is inhibited by the Southwest Madagascar Coastal Current. Seasonal upwelling along the East African coast is primarily driven by the northeast monsoon winds and enhanced by topographically induced shelf breaking and shear instability between the East African Coastal Current and the island chains. The Somali coast presents a strong case for the classical Ekman type of upwelling; such upwelling can be inhibited by the arrival of deeper thermocline signals generated in the offshore region by wind stress curl. Upwelling is nearly uniform along the coast of Arabia, caused by the alongshore component of the summer monsoon winds and modulated by the arrival of Rossby waves generated in the offshore region by cyclonic wind stress curl. Along the west coast of India, upwelling is driven by coastally trapped waves together with the alongshore component of the monsoon winds. Along the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka, the strong Ekman transport drives upwelling. Upwelling along the east coast of India is weak and occurs during summer, caused by alongshore winds. In addition, mesoscale eddies lead to upwelling, but the arrival of river water plumes inhibits upwelling along this coast. Southeasterly winds drive upwelling along the coast of Sumatra and Java during summer, with Kelvin wave propagation originating from the equatorial Indian Ocean affecting the magnitude and extent of the upwelling. Both El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events cause large variability in upwelling here. Along the west coast of Australia, which is characterized by the anomalous Leeuwin Current, southerly winds can cause sporadic upwelling, which is prominent along the southwest, central, and Gascoyne coasts during summer. Open-ocean upwelling in the southern tropical Indian Ocean and within the Sri Lanka Dome is driven primarily by the wind stress curl but is also impacted by Rossby wave propagations. Upwelling is a key driver enhancing biological productivity in all sectors of the coast, as indicated by enhanced sea surface chlorophyll concentrations. Additional knowledge at varying levels has been gained through in situ observations and model simulations. In the Mozambique Channel, upwelling simulates new production and circulation redistributes the production generated by upwelling and mesoscale eddies, leading to observations of higher ecosystem impacts along the edges of eddies. Similarly, along the southern Madagascar coast, biological connectivity is influenced by the transport of phytoplankton from upwelling zones. Along the coast of Kenya, both productivity rates and zooplankton biomass are higher during the upwelling season. Along the Somali coast, accumulation of upwelled nutrients in the northern part of the coast leads to spatial heterogeneity in productivity. In contrast, productivity is more uniform along the coasts of Yemen and Oman. Upwelling along the west coast of India has several biogeochemical implications, including oxygen depletion, denitrification, and high production of CH4 and dimethyl sulfide. Although weak, wind-driven upwelling leads to significant enhancement of phytoplankton in the northwest Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon. Along the Sumatra and Java coasts, upwelling affects the phytoplankton composition and assemblages. Dissimilarities in copepod assemblages occur during the upwelling periods along the west coast of Australia. Phytoplankton abundance characterizes inshore edges of the slope during upwelling season, and upwelling eddies are associated with krill abundance. The review identifies the northern coast of the Arabian Sea and eastern coasts of the Bay of Bengal as the least observed sectors. Additionally, sustained long-term observations with high temporal and spatial resolutions along with high-resolution modelling efforts are recommended for a deeper understanding of upwelling, its variability, and its impact on the ecosystem.

In this study, daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) product is used to detect the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). A 50–80-day ISO is identified south of the equator, peaking in boreal winter and propagating eastward. The mechanisms underneath are investigated using observational data and reanalysis products. The results suggest that the 50–80-day atmospheric ISO is enhanced by ocean dynamic processes during December–January. Monsoon transition in October–November causes large wind variability along the equator. Equatorial sea surface height/thermocline anomalies appear off Sumatra due to the accumulative effects of the wind variability, leading the atmospheric 50–80-day ISO by ~ 5–6 weeks. The wind-driven ocean equatorial dynamics are reflected from the Sumatra coast as downwelling oceanic Rossby waves, which deepen the thermocline and contribute to the SST warming in the southeastern TIO, affecting local atmospheric conditions. It offers insights into the role of ocean dynamics in the intensification of 50–80-day atmospheric ISOs over the eastern TIO and explains the seasonal peak of the eastward-propagating ISO during boreal winter. These results have implications for intraseasonal predictability.

After its maturity, El Nino usually decays rapidly in the following summer and evolves into a La Nina pattern. However, this was not the case for the 2018/19 El Nino event. Based on multiple reanalysis data sets, the space-time evolution and triggering mechanism for the unusual second-year warming in late 2019, after the 2018/19 El Nino event, are investigated in the tropical Pacific. After a short decaying period associated with the 2018/19 El Nino condition, positive sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) re-intensified in the eastern equatorial Pacific in late 2019. Compared with the composite pattern of El Nino in the following year, two key differences are evident in the evolution of SSTAs in 2019. First, is the persistence of the surface warming over the central equatorial Pacific in May, and second, is the re-intensification of the positive SSTAs over the eastern equatorial Pacific in September. Observational results suggest that the re-intensification of anomalous westerly winds over the western and central Pacific, induced remotely by an extreme Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event, acted as a triggering mechanism for the second-year warming in late 2019. That is, the IOD-related cold SSTAs in the eastern Indian Ocean established and sustained anomalous surface westerly winds over the western equatorial Pacific, which induced downwelling Kelvin waves propagating eastward along the equator. At the same time, the subsurface ocean provided plenty of warm water in the western and central equatorial Pacific. Mixed-layer heat budget analyses further confirm that positive zonal advection, induced by the anomalous westerly winds, and thermocline feedback played important roles in leading to the second-year warming in late 2019. This study provides new insights into the processes responsible for the diversity of El Nino evolution, which is important for improving the physical understanding and seasonal prediction of El Nino events.

The thermocline-sea surface temperature (SST) feedback is the most important component of the Bjerknes feedback, which plays an important role in the development of the air-sea coupling modes of the Indian Ocean. The thermocline-SST feedback in the Indian Ocean has experienced significant decadal variations over the last 40 a. The feedback intensified in the late twentieth century and then weakened during the hiatus in global warming at the early twenty-first century. The thermoclidal variations of feedback are similar in these two regions, there are still differences in the underlying mechanisms. The decadal variations of feedback in the southeastern Indian Ocean are dominated by variations in the depth of the thermocline, which are modulated by equatorial zonal wind anomalies. Whereas the decadal variation of feedback in the southwestern Indian Ocean is mainly controlled by the intensityne-SST feedback is most prominent in the southeastern and southwestern Indian Ocean. Although the deca of upwelling and thermocline depth in winter and spring, respectively. The upwelling and thermocline depth are both affected by wind stress curl anomalies over the southeastern Indian Ocean, which excite anomalous Ekman pumping and influence the southwestern Indian Ocean through westward propagating Rossby waves.

In the present study, heat redistribution in the Tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) associated with the prolonged La Nina events during 1958–2017 is examined using reanalysis/observations. It is found that the prolonged La Nina forcing strengthened the east–west thermocline gradient in the equatorial Indian Ocean and propelled the eastward extension of thermocline ridge of the Indian Ocean (TRIO) from its climatological location of southwestern TIO. The cyclonic winds over the southeastern TIO and the associated upwelling Rossby waves are primarily driving the TRIO intensification and its eastward extension. Anomalous subsurface warming, thermocline deepening, and the associated increase in the upper ocean heat content and sea-level in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean, southeastern TIO and Bay of Bengal (BoB) are found to be the characteristic features of the prolonged La Nina events. Cross equatorial Sverdrup transport near the eastern boundary during the prolonged La Nina events has increased the heat content of BoB and is found to be a pathway of Pacific water entering the north Indian Ocean.

Our study explores the variability of chlorophyll a and phycocyanin as well as the taxonomic and functional structure of phytoplankton in epilimnetic and metalimnetic strata regarding the main environmental features of the water column. The maximum phytoplankton pigment concentrations are located differently depending on the type of thermal stratification and light availability. In general, there were three situations observed during the summer stratification: the euphotic zone did not extend to the thermocline and the highest chlorophyll concentration developed above the thermocline level, at the bottom of the euphotic zone (type I); the euphotic zone reached beyond the thermocline, and the maximum chlorophyll concentration occurred above the thermocline (type II); or the euphotic zone was much greater than the thermocline depth and the peak phytoplankton density was located below the thermocline (type III). In metalimnetic samples, the most dominant cyanobacteria belonged to the Reynolds Functional Groups (RFG) H1, S1, and Lo; their occurrence differed depending on the types of light and thermal regimes. It was assumed that vertical heterogeneity affects the ecological status assessment based on phytoplankton. Calculating the two applied indices (TI index and Q index) based on metalimnetic and epilimnetic data (as opposed to only epilimnetic data) yielded worse ecological status in > 70% of cases.

Fishes typically occupy a species-specific temperature range, with their occupied depth being related to the lake’s temperature profile. When a fish’s preferred temperature range coincides with the thermocline, the location of their preferred thermal habitat is influenced by the rise and fall of internal waves, leading to possible changes in fish depth. These internal waves are common in large, stratified lakes, yet we do not know how they affect the spatial distribution and behavior of freshwater fishes. We conducted nighttime hydroacoustic surveys in a large, deep embayment of a large thermally stratified lake to observe whether pelagic fish respond to vertical oscillations of the thermocline caused by internal waves. The coldwater pelagic fish in our study (primarily cisco, Coregonus artedi) typically occupied a narrow vertical band approximately 5–8 m thick and temperatures between 10.8 ± 0.8–13.6 ± 1.6 °C (fishes sized 106–500 mm), just below the thermocline (centered around 15–17 °C). Importantly, the upper bound of fish depth varied in response to vertical thermocline movements associated with internal waves, suggesting fish respond to changes in their physical environment on timescales commensurate with basin-scale internal wave periods (hours to days), to remain within their preferred thermal habitat. Dissolved-oxygen levels were typically above avoidance thresholds of these fish, thus not likely exerting a strong influence on fish location. Our findings emphasize the need to account for internal waves when designing hydroacoustic and netting surveys, as thermocline movements can influence where fish are located.

In areas of intensive ship traffic, ships pass every 10 min. Considering the amount of ship traffic and the predicted increase in global maritime trade, there is a need to consider all types of impacts shipping has on the marine environment. While the awareness about, and efforts to reduce, chemical pollution from ships is increasing, less is known about physical disturbances, and ship-induced turbulence has so far been completely neglected. To address the potential importance of ship-induced turbulence on, e.g., gas exchange, dispersion of pollutants, and biogeochemical processes, a characterisation of the temporal and spatial scales of the turbulent wake is needed. Currently, field measurements of turbulent wakes of real-size ships are lacking. This study addresses that gap by using two different methodological approaches: in situ and ex situ observations. For the in situ observations, a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was placed at 32 m depth below the shipping lane outside Gothenburg harbour. Both the acoustic backscatter from the air bubbles in the wake and the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy were used to quantify the turbulent wake depth, intensity, and temporal longevity for 38 ship passages of differently sized ships. The results from the ADCP measurements show median wake depths of 13 m and several occasions of wakes reaching depths > 18 m, which is in the same depth range as the seasonal thermocline in the Baltic Sea. The temporal longevity of the observable part of the wakes had a median of around 10 min and several passages of > 20 min. In the ex situ approach, sea surface temperature was used as a proxy for the water mass affected by the turbulent wake (thermal wake), as lowered temperature in the ship wake indicates vertical mixing in a thermally stratified water column. Satellite images of the thermal infrared sensor (TIRS) onboard Landsat-8 were used to measure thermal wake width and length, in the highly frequented and thus major shipping lane north of Bornholm, Baltic Sea. Automatic information system (AIS) records from both the investigated areas were used to identify the ships inducing the wakes. The satellite analysis showed a median thermal wake length of 13.7 km (n=144), and the longest wake extended over 60 km, which would correspond to a temporal longevity of 1 h 42 min (for a ship speed of 20 kn). The median thermal wake width was 157.5 m. The measurements of the spatial and temporal scales are in line with previous studies, but the maximum turbulent wake depth (30.5 m) is deeper than previously reported. The results from this study, combined with the knowledge of regional high traffic densities, show that ship-induced turbulence occurs at temporal and spatial scales large enough to imply that this process should be considered when estimating environmental impacts from shipping in areas with intense ship traffic.

An eddy-resolving four-dimensional variational (adjoint) data assimilation and state estimate was constructed for the low- to mid-latitude Pacific, Indian Oceans, and South China Sea based on the framework of “Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Oceans (ECCO)”. It is named as the Two Oceans One Sea State Estimate (TOOSSE). It fits a model to a number of modern observations of 2015–2016, including the Argo float temperature and salinity, satellite altimetric sea surface anomalies, by adjusting initial temperature and salinity, sea surface boundary conditions, and background diapycnal diffusivities. In total, ∼50% of the original model-data misfits have been eliminated, and the estimated state agreed well with a variety of independent observations at meso- to large scales, and on the intra-seasonal to interannual timescales. Mesoscale variability is systematically strengthened in TOOSSE and closer to observations than that without data assimilation, which is especially evidenced by the improved simulation of the mesoscale tropical instability waves (TIWs). Adjustments to ocean surface forcing parameters exhibit both large and frontal/mesoscale structures, and the magnitude reach 20%–100% of the first guesses; the adjustments to diapycnal diffusivity exhibit an obvious elevation (decrement) in (below) the thermocline in the equatorial band. The results indicate that TOOSSE represents a dynamically and thermodynamically consistent ocean state estimate of the 2015–2016 Indo-Pacific Ocean, and can be widely utilized for regional process studies.

The thermal energy storage system is a pivotal system for solar thermal plants for improving reliability. The stability in the thermocline is more significant to clarify and improve the performance of thermal energy storage tank which legitimately shows the quality of the thermocline. In this stability analysis investigation, the modern engineering energy storage material concrete was used as a filler material for high-temperature thermal energy storage applications as a result of the intrinsic properties. A comprehensive laminar and k-e turbulent flow energy transport model accounts for the heat transfer fluid and filler material with adiabatic and non-adiabatic conditions using LTNE (Local Thermal Non-Equilibrium model). The axial, radial, and diagonal temperature differences were identified which was used to calculate the stability of the thermocline. A thermal energy storage tank size of 1 m height and 0.250 m diameter with a 0.030 m size of filler material packed with an average porosity of 0.3 for the storage capacity of 150 kWh/m3 is used for solar process heating applications considered for the present study. The thermocline stabilities are performed with Reynolds numbers, Re varied from 1 to 3000. It is found that the Re = 1 provides better stability in the axial and radial direction as well as diagonal than other Reynolds number. It is observed that Re = 1 provides superior discharging efficiency for nearly 5.84 hrs which is highly suitable for solar process heating applications and the discharging efficiency consistently drops, when Re increases from 1 to 3000. The wall condition of the tank and velocity of the heat transfer fluid is highly disturbing the thermocline in the radial direction and it creates a ‘spike’ profile in the axial direction. Based on the newly introduced stability scale, the effective length of packing and timing to achieve stability is identified for H/D = 4. From that result, the top and bottom layer of the thermocline tank porosity is also found which is used to decide the porosity of the packed bed distributors. The identified porosity for the top and bottom distributors in the ɛ = 0.3 thermal energy storage tank is less than 0.3 is more suitable for provide the uniform flow in the tank.

Solar hot water storage tanks with mantle heat exchangers are widely used in balcony wall-mounted solar heating system in China. The thermal behaviour of a novelty mantle solar water tank with vertical inlet and outlet water tubes has been investigated both experimentally and numerically. Dimensionless parameter can well characterize the stratification of water and thermocline dynamics in the water tank. In the discharging mode, as the dimensionless time increases, the thermocline thickness gradually increases, and the mixing in the water tank intensifies. The dimensionless exergy gradually decreases with the increase of the dimensionless time.

We simulated bottom resuspension events in Lake Erie, using a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model. Key parameters in the model, including critical bottom shear stress ( τ cr ) and resuspension rate (α) were calibrated and validated by comparing the model output to observations. These included total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations in the bottom boundary layer (RMSE = 0.74 mg L -1 ) and water column (RMSE = 0.81 mg L -1 ), and to time series of acoustic backscatter signal (R2 > 0.8) and turbidity (R2 ≈ 0.4) from long-term moorings near the lakebed in 2008–09 and 2013. Signals from phytoplankton, in spring and summer, caused discrepancies between modeled TSS and the observed turbidity data. Although common practice, we show that literature-based or field-observed critical shear stress should not be directly applied in large-scale Reynolds-averaged sediment model as this will likely underestimate resuspension. In agreement with the literature, the model reproduced more frequent and intensive surface-wave driven resuspension in the shallow regions ( τ c ) were comparable with those due to surface waves ( τ w ). However, on the north-shore of the eastern basin, τ c often predominated over τ w . We simulated thermocline motion, including up- and down-welling events and swashing of the internal Poincare wave, to contribute to τ c in the central basin and form nepheloid layers.

During the early part of the last glacial termination (17.2–15 ka) and coincident with a ∼35 ppm rise in atmospheric CO2, a sharp 0.3‰–0.4‰ decline in atmospheric δ13CO2 occurred, potentially constraining the key processes that account for the early deglacial CO2 rise. A comparable δ13C decline has also been documented in numerous marine proxy records from surface and thermocline-dwelling planktic foraminifera. The δ13C decline recorded in planktic foraminifera has previously been attributed to the release of respired carbon from the deep ocean that was subsequently transported within the upper ocean to sites where the signal was recorded (and then ultimately transferred to the atmosphere). Benthic δ13C records from the global upper ocean, including a new record presented here from the tropical Pacific, also document this distinct early deglacial δ13C decline. Here we present modeling evidence to show that rather than respired carbon from the deep ocean propagating directly to the upper ocean prior to reaching the atmosphere, the carbon would have first upwelled to the surface in the Southern Ocean where it would have entered the atmosphere. In this way the transmission of isotopically light carbon to the global upper ocean was analogous to the ongoing ocean invasion of fossil fuel CO2. The model results suggest that thermocline waters throughout the ocean and 500–2000 m water depths were affected by this atmospheric bridge during the early deglaciation.

Based on the local thermal non-equilibrium theory, a modified transient two-dimensional numerical model is developed to investigate the simultaneous charging and discharging performance of a molten-salt packed-bed thermocline tank employed in concentrated solar power plants. Two different types of operation including that of stable and periodic charging with steady discharging are analyzed. Three different solid fillers are utilized, including quartzite rock, slag pebbles, and alumina ceramics. The effects of charging/discharging flow rate ratio and non-charging periods on thermocline thickness and energy storage power have been investigated. The results show significant influences of the charging/discharging flow rate ratio. When charging is steady, the discharge performance of a packed-bed tank is better than that of a pure molten-salt tank at lower flow rate ratios. The thermocline thickness of the packed-bed tank is higher than that of a pure molten-salt tank for different solid materials. Compared with quartzite rock and slag pebbles, alumina ceramics achieves a higher thermal gradient. In periodic charging mode, as the cycle’s number of charging periods increases, thermocline thickness increases linearly. Operating at higher charging rates and shorter non-charging periods, the discharge outlet temperature of molten-salt becomes more stable for the steam generation process and hence, the discharge performance is improved.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is one of the major climate modes in the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO), influencing the surrounding climate and society. Under anthropogenic warming, the IOD is modulated by the changes in the ocean–atmosphere coupling in the TIO. This study focuses on the IOD seasonal phase locking, which means that the IOD usually peaks in boreal autumn. Based on high-emission scenario future projections, we found that the IOD phase locking changes substantially under anthropogenic warming. The early onset positive IOD that peaks in boreal summer occurs more frequently in the future climate. Our further investigation reveals that this robust change in IOD phase locking is related to the mean state responses to global warming. The shallower thermocline in the eastern equatorial IO is more suitable for IOD developing, helping IOD strengthen in boreal summer. When the basin-wide IOD pattern has fully developed, by contrast, the weakened atmospheric feedback is not conducive to maintaining zonal sea surface temperature gradient, leading to IOD weakened in boreal autumn. Therefore, the IOD peaks earlier under global warming. The change in IOD phase locking shows a potential impact on the surrounding climate, such as Indian summer monsoon variability.

This research evaluated the variability of current characteristics and seawater properties in the middle part of the southern shelf of the Caspian Sea. The effect of the coastal flow on marine debris dispreading was assessed in the southern Caspian Sea for the first time. The findings showed the existence of thermal stratification containing seasonal thermocline with thickness of about 40 m in the water column. Maximum monthly along-shore current velocities around 1.3 m s−1 were observed in November and December. Monthly variations were clearly found in both flow velocity and local wind components. However, no significant levels of correlation between wind and current speeds were observed during the study in the region. In some cases, the mean monthly cross-shore component velocities were measured at about 29 cm s−1 in November. The findings indicated that there was no upwelling phenomenon associated to the regional wind in the study area. In situ current measurements indicated dominant east and north-northeast directions, presumably related to the effect of general circulation in the southern basin. Current profiles in the water column displayed similarity in directions at 10, 15 and 20 m depths over the continental shelf. The field samples and analysis revealed that the soft and smaller-scale seawater litters can be carried long distances by the current along the coast. Most coastal based and marine litters originated from the tourist activities (in the middle and western parts of the shores) and waste emanated from the river (Tonekabon-Nowshahr).

This paper uses two subsets of ensemble historical-Nat simulations and pi-Control simulations from CMIP5 as well as observational/reanalysis datasets to investigate responses of the tropical Pacific to the 11-yr solar cycle. A statistically significant 11-yr solar signal is found in the upper-ocean layers above the thermocline and tropospheric circulations. A warming response initially appears in the upper layers of the central equatorial Pacific in the solar maximum years in observations, then increases and shifts into the eastern Pacific at lagged 1–3 yr. Meanwhile, an anomalous updraft arises over the western equatorial Pacific and shifts eastwards in the following years with anomalous subsidence over the Maritime Continent. These lagged responses are confirmed by the historical-Nat simulations, except that the initial signal is located more to the west and all the responses are weaker than the observed. A simplified mixed-layer heat budget analysis based on the historical-Nat simulations suggests that the atmospheric forcing, especially the shortwave radiation, is the major contributor to the initial warming response, and the ocean heat transport effect is responsible for the eastward displacement of the lagged warming responses. In the solar maximum years, the zonal ocean temperature gradient in the western–central Pacific is reduced by the initial warming, and anomalous westerly winds appear over the western equatorial Pacific and extend into the eastern Pacific during the lagged years. These anomalous westerly winds reduce the wind-driven ocean dynamical transport, resulting in the initial warming in the central equatorial Pacific being amplified and the surface warming shifting eastward during the lagged 1–3 yr.

The build-up of decadal timescale upper ocean heat content in the off-equatorial western tropical Pacific can provide necessary conditions for interannual El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events to contribute to decadal timescale transitions of tropical Pacific SSTs to the opposite phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). This can be viewed as a corollary to subseasonal westerly wind burst events contributing to El Nino interannual timescale transitions. A long pre-industrial control run with CESM1 is analyzed to show that there is a greater chance of ENSO activity to contribute to an IPO transition when off-equatorial western Pacific Ocean heat content reaches either a maximum (for El Nino to contribute to a transition to positive IPO) or minimum (for La Nina to contribute to a transition to negative IPO) as seen in observations. If above a necessary ocean heat content threshold, the convergence associated with westerly anomaly near-equatorial surface winds associated with El Nino activity can draw that heat content equatorward to sustain anomalously warm western and central Pacific SSTs. These are associated with positive precipitation and convective heating anomalies, a Gill-type response and wind stress curl anomalies that continue to feed warm water into the near-equatorial western Pacific. These conditions then sustain the decadal-timescale transition to positive IPO (with the opposite sign for transition to negative IPO). Associated central equatorial Pacific convective heating anomalies produce SLP and wind stress anomalies in the North and South Pacific that can excite westward-propagating off-equatorial oceanic Rossby waves to contribute to the western Pacific thermocline depth and consequent heat content anomalies.

During the northwest monsoon (NWM), southerly flow off the Natuna Islands appeared as the extension of the turning Vietnam coastal jet, known as Natuna off-shelf current (NOC). NOC is generated by the interaction of wind stress and the North Natuna Sea’s bottom topography. The purposes of the present study is to investigate the vertical variability of NOC and its relation to El Niňo Southern Oscillation (ENSO) using Marine Copernicus reanalysis data. The vertical variability refers to the spatial distribution of NOC pattern at the surface layer, thermocline layer, and deep/bottom layer. in 2014 as representative of normal ENSO condition. To investigate the effect of ENSO, the spatial distribution of NOC in 2011 and 2016 were compared which represent the La Niňa and El Niňo conditions, respectively. The results show that NOC starts to generate at the southeast monsoon season to the transition I season and peaks in the northwest monsoon season. The occurrence of NOC is identified at all depth layers with the weakened NOC at the deep layer. Related to the ENSO effect, La Niňa tends to strengthen NOC while El Niňo tends to weaken NOC. These are releted with the strengthening and weakening northerly wind speed during La Niňa and El Niňo, Respectively. During La Niňa events, the NOC occurs more frequently than during El Niňo. Thus, beside affecting the magnitude of NOC, ENSO also influence the frequency occurrence of NOC.

Thermocline storage performance is studied using a numerical model with three phases (fluid, solid, wall) and one dimension, which is then validated by comparison with experimental results. The impact of the interstitial fluid velocity on storage performance is presented and numerical simulations show the existence of an optimal velocity of 4 ⋅ 10−4 m s−1 that maximises the storage utilisation rate (80.6%) for ideal charges between 293 °C and 393 °C. This optimal velocity remains identical when the temperature level of the storage is shifted down and slightly increases to 4.8 ⋅ 10−4 m s−1 when the temperature difference is decreased by half (343°C–393 °C). A numerical sensitivity analysis is presented on the impact of heat losses, of thermal diffusion and of the convective heat transfer between the fluid and the solid phases, providing a physical interpretation of the location of the optimum depending on operating conditions. Experimentally, the impact of fluid velocity is too moderate to observe an optimal velocity, especially because of non-ideal inlet temperature conditions, but a deterioration of storage performance is observed at the lowest and highest velocities, with respectively −2.8% and −3.8% compared to the maximal utilisation rate. This moderate influence of both fluid velocity and temperature shows that thermocline storage presents good robustness of its performance to variations in operating conditions.

Akustik frekuensi rendah seperti seismik laut yang umumnya digunakan untuk pemetaan geologi sekarang berkembang menjadi perangkat untuk memetakan kolom perairan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memetakan thermohaline fine structure sepanjang line seismik di Laut Maluku bagian utara. Data seismik refleksi dari 72 saluran sepanjang lintasan 239 km diproses untuk menggambarkan struktur kolom perairan di Laut Maluku. Penampang seismik oseanografi menunjukkan dengan jelas adanya reflektor pada kedalaman 400 m dan 800 m yang merupakan batas bawah lapisan termoklin musiman dan termoklin permanen. Di antara kedalaman 400 m-800 m terdapat refleksi yang disebabkan oleh thermohaline staircase seperti yang terkonfirmasi oleh data CTD in situ dan arsip. Data seismik kolom perairan memperlihatkan adanya struktur seperti gelombang internal di bagian barat laut ambang Tufure dengan tinggi dan panjang gelombang berturut-turut sekitar 102 m dan 17 km. Amplitudo seismik di kolom perairan menunjukkan kesesuaian dengan kontras vertikal parameter fisika oseanografi seperti suhu, salinitas, dan kecepatan suara. Refleksi di kolom perairan bisa disebabkan oleh gradient suhu berkisar antara 0,03°C/m hingga >0,20°C/m. Impedansi akustik pada zona target berkisar antara 0,8 x 106 kg/m3 m/s hingga 2,06 x 106 kg/m3 m/s. Penelitian ini mengungkap bahwa data seismik kolom perairan bisa bermanfaat untuk mempelajari karakteristik kolom perairan di Laut Maluku.

Lake Telbyn is considered to be one of the largest lakes located in the eastern part of Kyiv. The artificial aeration of this lake was started at the end of 2016 by using of 8 aerators, which has been continuing so far. The main perpose of this measure is improving the ecological state of the lake mostly for recreational use. There were carried out a field study of the lake and the analysis of remote sensing data. Physical and chemical characteristics of water, phytoplankton biomass, chlo- rophyll a concentration and some other parameters at the different depths were studied. It was found out that artificial aeration has a positive effect on the ecological state of the lake. The water aeration causes the blur of thermocline whereas the impact on its depth is not essential. Under impact of aeration the concentration of dissolved oxygen become larger, mostly in the bottom layer. The highest concentration of ammonium nitrogen in a warm period is observed in the bottom layer of the lake. The deep location of aerators causes the increasing of concentration in bottom layer. At the same time there is not visible impact on concentration near the surface. The similar result was obtained for the concentration of inorganic phosphorus. The impact of aeration on algal bloom is not such essential as on hydrochemical characteristics. The artificial aeration causes negative impact on the phytoplankton abundance and less effect on their biomass. It means the larger effect on the algae with small cells. In other words the aeration has larger impact on green algae than on blue-green ones. The use of remote sensing data showed that ecological state of Lake Telbyn during the aeration period improved comparably with other lakes of Kyiv. As a result of aeration, the view of water surface of the lake became more similar to water surface of the Dnipro River, which flows through the city.

The response of a jet to sudden winds was examined using a simple numerical regional model and an analytical model to investigate the mechanism underlying the local wind dynamics of seasonal velocity variations in the upper layer of the Kuroshio. The numerical model was used to simulate the distinct seasonal features in summer and autumn in the East China Sea and successfully reproduced the seasonal features in the velocity field under different sudden wind conditions. The current speed increased and decreased under summer and autumn wind conditions, respectively; and the current axis shifted to the offshore and inshore sides under summer and autumn wind conditions, respectively. We focused on the current speed variation and hypothesized that the current speed variation is forced by the thermocline variation due to nonlinear Ekman pumping. This hypothesis was examined using a rigid-lid reduced-gravity analytical model with Ekman layer dynamics. The analytical model results showed that the asymmetry of the jet profile has a marked effect on the current speed variation. With a higher wavenumber on the west side of a northward jet, the current speed increased and decreased under summer and autumn wind conditions, respectively. These findings can be used to explain the seasonal velocity variations in the upper layer in the East China Sea and over the entire Kuroshio path.

In situ measurements of physical and biogeochemical variables were conducted along a transect in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Qatar during late summer (September 2014) and winter (January 2015) to investigate their vertical, spatial and temporal variability. The study reveals that the water column is characterized by strong stratification during late summer in the deepest station, where the water depth is around 65 m and the surface to bottom temperature variation is around 9.1°C. The water column is vertically homogeneous during winter due to surface cooling and wind mixing. The surface to 23 m water column is characterized by ample dissolved oxygen (DO) during late summer and winter in the offshore regions, however, relatively low DO is found during late summer due to weak mixing and advection under weak winds and currents. Dissolved oxygen drops to hypoxic levels below the summer thermocline, and the winter high DO layer extends up to the bottom. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is relatively high during late summer in the offshore region, while that in the nearshore regions is very low, which is linked to the anthropogenic stresses from the central east coast of Qatar. The results identified in this study fill an essential gap in the knowledge of regional primary production dynamics. Environmental Science Center (ESC) & Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (DBES), Qatar University (QU)

Vortical structures and wakes of bluff bodies in homogenous and stratified environment are common and important in ocean engineering. Based on the Boussinesq approximation, a thermocline model is proposed to deal with the variable density stratified fluid, and implemented in the commercial software Simcenter STAR-CCM+ framework. The improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) modeling method is adopted to resolve the coherent vortical structures and turbulent wakes precisely and efficiently. Four conditions consisting of one homogenous and three stratified fluid cases with different density gradient past a sphere at Reynolds number 3 700 are investigated. Results show that density stratification has a great impact on the vortical structures, the vertical motion is suppressed and internal waves will be induced and propagated, which is very different with that of homogenous situation. With the stratification strength increases, the vortical structures are gradually flattened, the asymmetry and anisotropy between vertical and horizontal motions are enhanced.

The Lombok Strait, as one of the outlet straits, is part of the ITF route, which is directly adjacent to the Indian Ocean. There is a sill in the Lombok Strait, which is a place for internal wave generation. Leg-1 data from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in collaboration with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology which is part of the Tropical Ocean Climate Study Expedition including CTD Yoyo and ADCP taken using ship vehicles R/V Kaiyo. CTD Snapshot from PUSHIDROSAL using the KRI Spica 934 vehicle part of the Opssurta Baruna Jaya 2 Expedition . Determination of seawater mass stratification with the criteria for the thermocline layer is ≥ 0.05 °C.m -1 . Four types of water masses were identified, Java Sea, mixed seawater mass (Java Sea - ITF) which occurred diapycnal mixing, North Pacific Subtropical Water (NPSW) and North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW). The seawater mass stratification in the Lombok Strait based on temperature, salinity and density which are seen to follow the internal tidal pattern. The average values for energy dissipation and vertical diffusivity for each layer and replication were 5.73 x 10 -7 W.Kg -1 and 3.67 x 10 -2 m 2. s -1 for CTD Yoyo and 2.25 x 10 -6 W.Kg -1 and 7.38 x 10 -2 m 2 .s -1 for CTD Snapshot . The value obtained is greater than the open ocean and straits in other studies. The high shear value confirms this in the thermocline layer. The Richardson gradient value> 0.25 is relatively constant in the thermocline layer.

Globally, reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are in decline and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and disturbance at aggregation sites. Here, passive acoustic telemetry and a suite of advanced oceanographic technologies were used for the first time to investigate the fine‐scale (5‐min) influence of oceanographic drivers on the visitation patterns of 19 tagged M. alfredi to a feeding aggregation site at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. Boosted regression trees indicate that tag detection probability increased with the intrusion of cold‐water bores propagating up the atoll slope through the narrow lagoon inlet during flood tide, potentially transporting zooplankton from the thermocline. Tag detection probability also increased with warmer near‐surface temperature close to low tide, with near‐surface currents flowing offshore, and with high levels of backscatter (a proxy of zooplankton biomass). These combinations of processes support the proposition that zooplankton carried from the thermocline into the lagoon during the flood may be pumped back out through the narrow inlet during an ebb tide. These conditions provide temporally limited feeding opportunities for M. alfredi, which are tied on the tides. Results also provide some evidence of the presence of Langmuir Circulation, which transports and concentrates zooplankton, and may partly explain why M. alfredi occasionally remained at the feeding location for longer than that two hours. Identification of these correlations provides unique insight into the dynamic synthesis of fine‐scale oceanographic processes which are likely to influence the foraging ecology of M. alfredi at Egmont Atoll, and elsewhere throughout their range.

Seasonal prediction of South China April to May rainfall is examined based on forecasts by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational model. El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major source of predictability, conveyed by the lower tropospheric anomalous western Pacific anticyclone and cyclone for El-Nino and La-Nina respectively. By separating ENSO into its diversity of eastern Pacific (EP) and central Pacific (CP) ENSO, different effects on South China rainfall are revealed. From observations, while rainfall is enhanced following EP El-Nino and reduced following EP La-Nina, rainfall remains close to climatology following CP ENSO. However, the seasonal forecast model predicts CP ENSO effect on South China rainfall to be similar to EP ENSO. The model develops excessive westward extension of the eastern Pacific cold tongue within seasonal timescale. While model predicts tropical central Pacific anomalous sea surface temperature (SST) following CP ENSO realistically, the colder mean state is proposed to weaken the anomalous convection, which subsequently induces bias in the western Pacific anomalous rotational flow and hinders South China rainfall prediction. Meanwhile following EP ENSO, the colder mean state is proposed to strengthen the thermocline feedback, inducing stronger tropical eastern Pacific anomalous SST. While bias in the western Pacific anomalous rotational flow is also induced, the bias is far away from South China so rainfall prediction is still realistic. This study highlights the importance of model mean state in the fidelity of model ENSO diversity teleconnections on seasonal timescale.

Vertical circulation reaches the bottom of the deepest (> 90 m) part of the northern basin of Lake Biwa, a warm monomictic lake, during winter (January to March) every year. In winter 2019, we found non-circulated water masses at the bottom of the lake where the basin is 90 m deep. This is the first observation of an incomplete vertical circulation event since we started monitoring Lake Biwa in 1979. Analysis of water quality monitoring and meteorological data shows that weaker cooling and weaker winds during winter 2019 affected vertical circulation. Dissolved oxygen concentrations in the bottom layer recovered even after the appearance of a seasonal thermocline. However, the concentrations remained below that in the surface layer.

Through an oceanic mixed-layer heat budget analysis, the dominant processes contributing to the largest decay rate (− 0.37 °C/mon) in EP El Nino, the moderate delay rate (− 0.22 °C/mon) in CP El Nino and the smallest decay rate (0.13 °C/mon) in La Nina, are identified. The result shows that both dynamic (wind induced equatorial ocean waves and thermocline changes) and thermodynamic (net surface solar radiation and latent heat flux changes) processes contribute to a fast decay and thus phase transition in EP El Nino composite, whereas the thermodynamic process has less effect on the decay rate for both CP El Nino and La Nina due to the westward shift of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) centers. Thus, the difference in surface wind stress forcing is critical in contributing to evolution asymmetry between CP El Nino and La Nina, while the difference in both the wind stress and heat flux anomalies contribute to evolution asymmetry between EP El Nino and La Nina. It is interesting to note that El Nino induced anomalous anticyclone over the western North Pacific is stronger and shifts more toward the east during EP El Nino than during CP El Nino, while compared to CP El Nino, the center of an anomalous cyclone during La Nina shifts further to the west. As a consequence, both EP and CP El Nino decay fast and transform into a La Nina episode in the subsequent year, whereas La Nina has a much slower decay rate and re-develops in the second year.

Seasonal modulation of subthermocline eddy kinetic energy (EKE) east of the Philippines and its associated dynamics are studied, using mooring measurements and outputs from an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model for the period from 2000 to 2017. Significantly high EKE appears below the thermocline in the latitude band between 5° and 14°N east of the Philippines. Separated by 10°N, the EKE in the northern and southern parts of the region shows nearly opposite seasonal cycles, with its magnitude reaching a maximum in early spring and minimum in summer in the northern part and reaching a maximum in summer and minimum in winter in the southern part of the region. Further investigation indicates that both baroclinic and barotropic instabilities are essential in generating the subthermocline eddies, but the seasonal variation of subthermocline EKE is mainly caused by the seasonal modulation of barotropic instability. The seasonal modulation of barotropic instability in the northern and southern part of the region is associated with the seasonal evolution of North Equatorial Undercurrent and Halmahera Eddy, respectively.

The Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) is one of the most intense of the world ocean OMZs witnessing denitrification, hence, has implications to global climate. In order to understand the Holocene variations in the OMZ of this region, a sediment core (BP3-GCR3) from a water depth of 500 m was retrieved, which is presently swept by nearly anoxic waters of the core of the OMZ. The sedimentary oxide-bound Mn, a reliable redox proxy, exhibits a gradual decrease from ∼14 ppm during the early-Holocene to ∼8 ppm during the late-Holocene, suggesting a relatively less intense OMZ during the former period. The concentration of a suite of other redox-sensitive elements (Fe, Co and Ce) associated with the dispersed sedimentary oxide particulates also show a gradual and coherent decrease through the Holocene suggesting reduction of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the core of the OMZ towards the modern times. This intensification of OMZ seems to be a result of increased export production coupled with decreasing ventilation of thermocline waters through the Holocene. A one-time positive shift is observed at ∼5.5 ka BP in the organic carbon content (OC) from ∼2 % to ∼10 % in core-top. This shift in OC content is also marked by rapid decrease of CaCO3 by ∼20 %, suggesting enhanced carbonate dissolution due to increased anoxia in the OMZ core caused by increased export production in the late Holocene.

The present study examines the representation of interannual and decadal variability of sea level over the Indo-Pacific region in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) historical simulations and future projections. The thermocline ridge region of the Indian Ocean (TRIO) shows strong sea level variability on both the interannual and decadal timescales in the CMIP5 historical simulations. Meanwhile, prominent interannual variability is seen in the tropical western Pacific and central to eastern equatorial Pacific, whereas, the decadal sea level variability is dominant in the North Pacific and western Pacific regions. CMIP5 models project similar spatial patterns of sea level variability over the Indo-Pacific region for the twenty-first century under the mid-range and high future emission scenarios, although with some differences in the amplitude and inter-model disagreement. In the interannual timescale, there is a regional contrast in the projected future variability between the Pacific (with increase in variability with increasing greenhouse gas emissions) and TRIO (with decrease of ~ 6 % variability), which is evident in both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 future emission scenarios with inter-model consensus. On the other hand, increase in decadal sea level variability (~ 6 % and ~ 8 % in RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios respectively) is projected over the North Pacific region (north of 30°N). In the Indian Ocean, increase in decadal sea level variability is projected over the northwestern region including Arabian Sea, though it is not a region of large decadal variability (in the reanalysis and historical simulations). Analysis revealed that the local wind forcing (wind stress curl) plays a dominant role in the sea level variability over the Indo-Pacific region on both interannual and decadal timescales.

The Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge (SCTR) is a key region which plays a major role in various regional climatic processes at all time scales. The vertical mixing at the base of mixed layer may be climatically important at this region, where a shallow thermocline and highly variable wind activity exists. In this study, we provide evidence of strong vertical mixing at the base of mixed layer and thermocline associated with near-inertial waves (NIWs) using the microstructure profiler time series data during boreal summer 2014. During the study, it was observed that the surface turbulent layer was mostly confined in the mixed layer with turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate of the order of 10−6 Wkg−1. Elevated dissipation rate in the order of 10−7–10−6 Wkg−1 was also observed at the base of the mixed layer and thermocline (60–100 m) during the entire period of observation. The estimated vertical diffusive heat flux across the mixed layer base (100 Wm−2) was strong and a moderate downward flux (~ 30 Wm−2) was noticed in the thermocline region. The analysis showed that the strong NIW triggered by a strong wind event were responsible for the high dissipation rate at the base of mixed layer and at deeper depths. The higher-mode NIW create elevated vertical shear at the base the mixed layer, which leads to the enhanced mixing. The study also showed the possible role of internal tides on the subsurface mixing in the region. The NIW-induced mixing may have important role on the mixed layer heat balance in a climatically active SCTR.