Search

An integrated observational field effort that makes simultaneous and collocated measurements of turbulence and fine-scale parameters has been conducted near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Full water column profiles are collected across the continental slope in July 2013. The observational results suggest that strong turbulence is patchy and mostly measured in the thermocline and deepwater when using the buoyancy Reynolds number, Re b =200 criterion, the boundary between weak and strong turbulence. Bottom enhanced turbulence is often seen on the continental slope. Using the ratio of the turbulent velocity scale and the oil droplets rising velocity, we develop criteria for when turbulence will dominate the movement of oil droplets and when turbulence can be ignored. Based on the data collected, for oil droplets with rising velocity greater than 6×10 −3 m s −1 , the turbulence effect can be ignored on the continental slope of the northern GOM. For oil droplets with rising speed less than 10 −4 m s −1 , their motions will be affected by the turbulent flow at all depths. For oil droplets with rising speed between 10 −4 and 6×10 −3 m s −1 , the role of turbulence will depend on the strength of the local turbulence and water stratification. We also relate turbulent velocity to the size and density of oil droplets by estimating the rising velocity of different size oil droplets due to balance between buoyancy and drag force. Droplet size and density difference are the two critical parameters in determining the role of turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 30-month time series of mean volume backscattering strength (MVBS) data obtained from moored acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) is used to analyze the evolution of vertically migrating scattering layers and their seasonal and annual variability in the Arabian and Oman Seas. Substantial diel vertical migration (DVM) is observed almost every day at all three mooring sites. Two daytime layers (Layers D1 and D2) and one nighttime layer (Layer E1) are typically present. The greatest biomass is observed near the surface during the night in Layer E1 and at depth between 250 and 450m during the daytime in Layer D2. All layers are deepest during the spring inter-monsoon and shallowest during the summer/fall southwest monsoon (SWM). Seasonal modulation of the D2 biomass change is evident in our high-resolution data. The lowest biomass in D2 is measured in the early summer (May or June) followed by a rapid biomass increase during the SWM (June–November) until the biomass reaches a maximum at the end of the SWM season. Short-period oscillations in D2 biomass are often seen with periods ranging from days to one month. Occasionally, a lower nighttime layer E2 is formed between 180 and 270m, mostly near the time of full moons. The upper daytime layer D1 is centered at 200m and densely concentrated. It is only formed during the winter northeast monsoon (NEM) and the spring inter-monsoon. The influence of physical processes on layer distribution is also investigated. Interestingly, the two daytime layers are found to be formed at the two boundaries of the Persian Gulf outflow water (PGW) and follow the seasonal depth change of the PGW. The timing of the DVM and the formation, persistence, decay and reformation of the deep scattering layers seem to be governed by light, both solar and lunar. The scattering strength, the layer depth and the layer thickness are likewise closely related to the Moon phase at night. Cloud coverage, the isotherm and the isohaline also appear to affect the distribution and depth of the scattering layers. The continuous multiple-year acoustic data from ADCPs allow us, for the first time, to study the seasonal and annual variations of scattering layers in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Moored observations in the northern Arabian Sea (NAS) show substantial velocity, temperature and dissolved oxygen fluctuations, accompanied by episodic high salinity intrusions with maximum on time scales of 2–10 days after the passage of Cyclone Gonu in 2007. These events are characterized by a rapid increase in temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen followed by an abrupt decline. The mechanisms behind these high salinity events are investigated using a comprehensive dataset of temperature and salinity profiles from ARGO floats and sea surface height anomaly maps. The spatial and temporal distribution of the Persian/Arabian Gulf outflow to the Sea of Oman is also studied using ARGO profiles. Persian Gulf water (PGW) is mainly measured close to the Strait of Hormuz or along the Oman coast on the continental slope in the Sea of Oman. Both mooring and ARGO data show that high salinity PGW can be advected off the slope and into the interior. More high salinity water is measured in the interior of the Sea of Oman within three months after the Gonu passage in summer 2007, which is caused by the combination effect of the oceanic responses to Cyclone Gonu and a clockwise eddy circulation located at northern Ras al Hadd. At other times, the high salinity water appears more in isolated patches and rare in the interior. This study provides a first look at the high salinity events appearing after Gonu and the properties and dynamics of the PGW in the northern Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In June 2007, tropical Cyclone Gonu passed over an ocean observing system consisting of a deep autonomous mooring system in the northern Arabian Sea and a shallow cabled mooring system in the Sea of Oman. Gonu was the largest cyclone known to have occurred in the Arabian Sea and to strike the Arabian Peninsula. The instruments on the moorings continuously recorded water velocities, temperature, conductivity, pressure, dissolved oxygen (DO) and turbidity at multiple depths and at hourly intervals during the storm. Near-inertial oscillations at all moorings from thermocline to seafloor are coincident with the arrival of Gonu. Sub-inertial oscillations with periods of 2–10 day are recorded at the post-storm relaxation stage of Gonu, primarily in the thermocline of the deep array and at the onshore regions of the shallow array. These oscillations consist of warm, saline water masses, likely originating from the Persian Gulf. Prominent 12.7-day sub-inertial waves, measured at a station ∼300km offshore, are bottom-intensified and have characteristics of baroclinic topographically trapped waves. Theoretical results from a topographically trapped wave model are in a good agreement with the observed 12.7-day waves at Murray Ridge. The wavelength of the 12.7-day waves is about 590km calculated from the dispersion relationship. Further analysis suggests that a resonant standing wave is responsible for trapping the 12.7-day wave energy inside the Sea of Oman basin. The observational results reported here are the first measurements of deepwater responses to a tropical cyclone in the Sea of Oman/Arabian Sea. Our study demonstrates the utility of sustained monitoring for studying the impact of extreme weather events on the ocean. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A numerical hydrodynamic simulation of the Texas–Louisiana continental shelf circulation is compared with hydrographic and moored observations of temperature, salinity, and current velocity. The spatial and temporal structure of the model error suggests that the model is able to reproduce the observed broad-scale features and seasonal patterns faithfully. However, there are energetic features that have small spatial and temporal scales, 30–50km and 5–12days, that are not reproduced in the model. These small-scale features are not well resolved concurrently in both space and time by most modern hydrographic and moored measurements, and thus appear as observational noise when comparing observations with numerical simulations. We demonstrate that these features are reproduced statistically within the model in terms of mean and variance, but are not reproduced exactly. Thus, these features create a substantial noise floor that constrain assessments of model skill to large spatial and temporal scales. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The circulation and distribution of water properties in the water column of the Gulf of Mexico influence the flux of carbon to the benthic environment. The eddy field of the upper 1000m creates environmental conditions that are favorable for biological productivity in an otherwise oligotrophic subtropical ocean. This eddy field results in the transport of nutrients and organic matter into the photic zone through cross-margin flow of shelf waters, upwelling in cyclones, and uplift from the interaction of anticyclones with bathymetry. These conditions then allow the productivity that becomes a possible source of carbon to the benthos. Data from four cruises during summers of 2000–2002 are used to describe the currents and water property distributions in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, which consists of water depths greater than 400m. Comparisons are made to historical data sets to provide an understanding of the persistence of the characteristics of the Gulf and the processes that occur there. The currents in the Gulf are surface intensified, have minimum in 800–1000m depths, and also exhibit bottom intensification, especially near sloping topography. Historical time series records show current speeds near-bottom reach 50–100cms−1. At basin scales, these currents tend to flow cyclonically (counter-clockwise) along the bathymetry. These near-bottom, episodic, high-speed currents provide a mechanism for the transport of organic material, in both large and small particle sizes, from one benthic area to another. The distributions of temperature, salinity, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen during the study appear to be unchanged from historical findings. The source waters for the deep Gulf are the water masses brought into the Gulf by the Loop Current system. The properties in the upper 100–200m are the most variable of the water column, consistent with their proximity to wind mixing, river discharge mixing, and atmospheric influences. Below 1500m, there are no major horizontal variations in these water properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on a study which summarized estimates of volume transport and property distributions through the Mozambique Channel and offered additional estimates and measurements based on acquired hydrographic and data. Historical background and interpretation; Results of the study; Float speed and velocity statistics.

Abstract: To examine the sources of freshwater and carbon cycling associated with Louisiana shelf hypoxia, we measured δ18O and δD of water, δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) in waters from 37 stations during April and July of 2008. Seafloor δ18O values resemble typical Gulf of Mexico seawater (≈1.1%) while surface waters values are substantially lower (e.g., <−2.0%) due to mixing with river-sourced freshwater. Salinity-δ18O regressions for 2008 surface waters show the δ18O of discharge to average −6.8% in April and −5.1% in July. Salinity-δD regressions show the δD of discharge to be −38% in April and −28% in July. Together these regressions suggest Mississippi discharge was the dominant freshwater source in the study area in April followed by a shift to nearly total Atchafalaya discharge during July, a trend that coincides with summer coastal current reversals. The δ13CDIC of July surface water varies from −5.0 to 1.2% and correlates with salinity indicating mixing of seawater and river water. April surface water shows no relationship with salinity because of the influence of primary productivity, which enriches certain waters in δ13CDIC and DO. The δ13CDIC of sub-pycnocline water ranges from −2.3 to 0.3%, with lower values reflecting increased respiration. The inshore (10m depth) δ13CDIC-DO relationship yields a lower y-intercept relative to offshore (20m depth) bottom waters, possibly indicating a terrestrial source of OC being respired. Mass balance estimations of respired OC do not have the accuracy to quantify any difference between nearshore and offshore locations. Regardless, the δ13CDIC-DO relationships suggest that the δ13C of biogenic carbonates may provide a valuable tool for paleo-redox studies in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Previous research has shown that acoustic volume backscatter intensity (ABI) from an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) can be a proxy for zooplankton and micronekton biomass over time or space. As part of NOAA''s Sperm Whale and Acoustic Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and a follow-on ichthyoplankton survey (SEAMAP), a ship-mounted 300-kHz broadband ADCP collected current velocity and ABI data from July to September 2001 in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. The present study sought to compare/contrast the variability in ABI both spatially and temporally using the data obtained from the SWAMP and SEAMAP cruises. The ADCP data were averaged over 2min and 4m vertical bins from 16 to 56m below sea surface. Usually, ABI in this epipelagic realm averaged 3dB higher at night than during the day because of diel vertical migration of zooplankton and micronekton into these near surface waters, while in a region having cyclonic circulation along the continental margin of the northeast Gulf, ABI averaged 6dB higher than in an anticyclonic warm filament there. Wet displacement volumes (WDV) were measured using Bongo net tows to estimate that a 6dB increase in ABI was equivalent to an increase from 9 to 10.5ml WDV of plankton+micronekton per 100m3. Sperm whale abundance has been shown to be positively correlated with regions of locally high ABI, and sperm whale sightings during SWAMP were also compared to our ABI measurements. Spectral and Empirical Orthogonal Function analyses were performed on subsets of the ABI data for which 10–14 day time series were available and showed 2–3 day periodicity near-surface, corresponding to spatial scales of 101–102 km. During summer 2001, the mesoscale circulation along the subtropical continental margin in the northeastern Gulf was found to be the principal forcing factor for low frequency ABI variation. Increased backscatter observations are also correlated with offshore flow from the continental margin to the deep ocean, particularly when the offshore flow is close to a river delta. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The radial profiles of turbulent statistics in bubble plumes were measured using PIV with fluorescent particles. • Bubble size and population have strong influences on mean flow and turbulence in bubble plumes. • The vertical component of velocity fluctuations =highlights the bubble impacts on turbulence in the plume. We report an experimental investigation of turbulence in bubble plumes released in unstratified quiescent water. The focus is to study the detailed turbulent statistics and the budget terms in the equations of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), particularly about their distributions in the radial direction of bubble plumes compared to those in the single-phase momentum jets and buoyant plumes. Two types of diffusers were used to generate plumes consisting of different bubble sizes and population at the same source gas discharge. The bubble plumes have different growth behaviors under different combination of sizes and population: the plumes with many small bubbles show decreasing centerline velocities along the vertical direction; the plumes with larger but fewer bubbles have a tighter bubble core, a smaller spreading ratio, and almost constant centerline velocities. The ratio of turbulence-to-mean in momentum flux is strongly affected by bubble sizes and population, demonstrated in the profiles of normalized turbulent velocity correlations using mean flow parameterizations. Velocity fluctuations show a strong vertical-to-horizontal anisotropy in bubble plumes compared to those in single-phase jets and plumes. Strong vertical fluctuating velocity component contributes a significant role in re-shaping the radial profiles of turbulent stresses and transport terms when the bubble plume is composed of larger but fewer bubbles. Local balance cannot be established in the equation of TKE traditionally used for single-phase flows. A bubble-related source term in the governing equation is needed to close the budget. An empirical equation using drag force and bubble slip velocity is validated for the TKE closure. We provide a diagram of TKE budget to illustrate the pathway of TKE terms in the radial direction, with the magnitude of each term influenced by bubble characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The hypoxic region in the northern Gulf of Mexico, one of the largest man-made hypoxic zones in the world, has received extensive scientific study and management interest. A previous statistical study has concluded that in addition to anthropogenic nitrogen loading, the observed hypoxic extent is correlated to the duration of upwelling favorable (westerly) wind without elucidating the underlying mechanism. In this study, we use a three-dimensional, coupled hydrological–biogeochemical model to mechanistically examine how variations of the hypoxic area are related to the duration of upwelling-favorable wind. We performed scenario experiments with different durations of upwelling-favorable wind using realistic winds from summer 2002 (when upwelling-favorable winds were present only for about 1month) and summer 2009 (when upwelling-favorable conditions started early and persisted for about 2months). While the maximum simulated hypoxic area is approximately 15,000km2 in both cases, the evolutions of the hypoxic area and the dates when its maximum extent are reached are different. With an early start of persistently upwelling-favorable wind in 2009, the hypoxic area reached its maximum in early summer and decreased afterwards. By contrast, the hypoxic area was small in early summer of 2002 and peaked during the short period of upwelling-favorable wind in late summer. The model revealed that the wind influences the evolution of the hypoxic area by changing the vertical and horizontal distributions of the low salinity, high chlorophyll water on the shelf. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coastal ocean productivity is often dependent on riverine sources of nutrients, yet it can be difficult to determine how far the influence of the river extends. The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) receives freshwater and nutrients discharged mainly from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. We used nutrient/salinity relationships to (i) differentiate the nutrient inputs of the two rivers and (ii) determine the potential extent of the zones where productivity is affected by each. We identified three different zones: one close to the coast having a linear nutrient/salinity relationship where physical forcing (river flow) dominates, one offshore with nutrient (N or Si) concentrations <1 μM, and one between them with variable nutrient concentrations largely controlled by consumption by autotrophs. While in the GOM salinity/nutrient relationships varied systematically with distance from the two rivers in winter, this was not seen in summer. Thus, the methodology is not always applicable directly, because the boundaries of the different regions vary with river flow, overall nutrient flux, and grids of stations at the regional spatial scale (15–20 km in the GOM), rather than single sections are needed to determine boundaries. • Identifying riverine influence on productivity in the northern Gulf of Mexico • Use of nutrient/salinity plots to differentiate inputs from two rivers • Verifying Rowe-Chapman (2002) hypothesis with in situ data [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bubble sizes and population have strong impacts on velocity, width, and fluxes of volume and momentum in bubble plumes. • Bubble impacts are attributed to different mechanisms of energy and momentum transport in the flow. • Integral model is a valid tool to characterize the bubble plume for different bubble sizes and population. We present an experimental study to investigate the impact of bubble size on behavior of bubble plumes from the integral point of view. Two distinct types of bubble plume were generated under the same volumetric gas flow rate: many small bubbles using an air-stone diffuser and a few large bubbles using a single-orifice diffuser. Using Particle Image Velocimetry, we measured the velocity field in the plumes, and derived the integral characteristics for comparison, including the evolution of plume width, centerline velocity, volume flux, momentum flux, momentum amplification factor, and the entrainment coefficient. The measurement data show that the evolution of all the parameters in the plumes are influenced strongly by the different bubble sizes and population. The plumes with many small bubbles behave closer to the single-phase coherent plumes, showing a linear growth of plume width and a decreasing centerline velocity. These characteristics are modified in the plumes with fewer but larger bubbles. With the same total initial buoyancy flux from the source, fewer but larger bubbles give rise to weaker mean flow characteristics, i.e., smaller plume velocity and weaker fluxes of volume and momentum. This modification is attributed to the different mechanisms in fundamental transport of energy and momentum between mean and fluctuating components. In the single-orifice cases, the plumes are influenced by stronger but less frequent bubble wakes, compared to those more coherent bubble plumes in the air-stone cases. Higher momentum amplification factors were found in bubble plumes with fewer but larger bubbles, indicating a stronger ratio of turbulence to mean in these plumes. Despite the modification, all bubble plumes support a typical shear entrainment process within 40 cm height-of-rise. Hence, the integral model and the universal scaling using the plume length scale D and the bubble slip velocity W s were found to describe the integral behavior of bubble plumes generally well in the range of our experimental parameters, regardless of the different bubble sizes and population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]