Internal Wave Energy Budget Studies in the South China Sea
Abstract : We are focused on understanding small-scale processes that influence the ocean's thermodynamic and dynamic properties on the sub-mesoscale (scales less than 10 km). This includes the role of turbulence in modifying the upper ocean temperature and density structure. In the South China Sea, large- amplitude, nonlinear waves force turbulence in the seasonally variable continental shelf region. New observational data is sought for use in characterizing turbulence phenomena, and for parameterizing processes in models.
Shelfbreak circulation and thermohaline structure in the northern south China Sea-contrasting spring conditions in 2000 and 2001
Two intensive, high-resolution hydrographic surveys during April 2000 and May 2001 are used to characterize the thermohaline and current structure at the shelfbreak in the South China Sea. In 2000, a strong anticyclonic circulation was present in the northern portion of the South China Sea with strong onshore currents east of Dongsha Island. The flow became polarized along isobaths as it encountered shallow water, with northeastward flows of over 0.9 m/s along steep topography. The flow was driven by strong density contrasts between waters of the outer shelf and upper slope. Shelf water was both cooler and more fresh than the water offshore, which had salinities close to that of Kuroshio water. In contrast, the mean flow in the northern South China Sea was predominantly cyclonic in 2001. Flow over the slope was to the southwest at up to 0.2 m/s. The water mass properties of the outer shelf and upper slope were similar, so that there were not the strong cross-shelf density gradients present as in 2000. A potential difference between the water mass structure of the two years was the difference in cooling during the preceding winters. In December, 1999, unusually strong cooling may have resulted in cooler shelf waters relative to the following year. The ASIAEX study area may be a particularly sensitive region to both seasonal and interannual variability, as it is near a bifurcation point associated with the Kuroshio Intrusion into the South China Sea.
Atmospheric drag effects on the KOMPSAT-1 satellite during geomagnetic superstorms
We examine the atmospheric drag on the low earth-orbiting satellite, KOMPSAT-1 in a sun-synchronous orbit at ~685-km altitude starting in 1999, during a 3-month (October-December) period in 2003. This 3-month interval includes the October 29-30 and November 20 magnetic superstorms and weak to moderate storms. We observed that the daily KOMPSAT-1 drag acceleration transiently responses to transient storm-time disturbances. That is, there is an one-to-one correspondence between the KOMPSAT-1 drag accelerations and the storm events. We find that the drag acceleration correlates strongly with the level of geomagnetic disturbance. This indicates that the trajectory of KOMPSAT-1 is significantly perturbed during extremely disturbed intervals because of atmospheric density increase. The main contributor to the density increase is Joule heating associated with the geomagnetic activity rather than the solar EUV radiation, as reported by previous studies. We suggest that understanding how the upper atmosphere responses to the geomagnetic-associated heating is important to predict space weather impacts on low earth-orbiting satellites.