scholarly journals Importance of Precipitation on the Upper Ocean Salinity Response to Typhoon Kalmaegi (2014)

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu Liu ◽  
Han Zhang ◽  
Jie Ming ◽  
Jiayu Zheng ◽  
Di Tian ◽  
...  

Using multiple-satellite datasets, in situ observations, and numerical simulations, the influence of typhoon-induced precipitation on the oceanic response to Typhoon Kalmaegi has been discussed. It is found that the convective system and precipitation distribution of Kalmaegi was asymmetric, which leaded to the asymmetric rainfall at observational stations. The sea surface salinity (SSS) of the buoy to the right of storm track increased with a 0.176 practical salinity units (psu) maximal positive anomaly, while the two buoys on the left side underwent several desalination processes, with a maximum decreases of 0.145 psu and 0.278 psu. Numerical simulations with and without precipitation forcing were also performed. Model results showed that typhoon-induced precipitation can weaken sea surface cooling by approximately 0.03–0.40 °C and suppress the SSS increase by approximately 0.074–0.152 psu. The effect of precipitation can be divided into the direct effect and indirect effect. On one hand, freshwater from precipitation directly dilutes the salinity. On the other hand, when salinity decreases, the ocean stratification will be enhanced, the vertical mixing will be restrained, and then the temperature and salinity can be further affected by weakened vertical mixing.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 420
Author(s):  
Jingru Sun ◽  
Gabriel Vecchi ◽  
Brian Soden

Multi-year records of satellite remote sensing of sea surface salinity (SSS) provide an opportunity to investigate the climatological characteristics of the SSS response to tropical cyclones (TCs). In this study, the influence of TC winds, rainfall and preexisting ocean stratification on SSS evolution is examined with multiple satellite-based and in-situ data. Global storm-centered composites indicate that TCs act to initially freshen the ocean surface (due to precipitation), and subsequently salinify the surface, largely through vertical ocean processes (mixing and upwelling), although regional hydrography can lead to local departure from this behavior. On average, on the day a TC passes, a strong SSS decrease is observed. The fresh anomaly is subsequently replaced by a net surface salinification, which persists for weeks. This salinification is larger on the right (left)-hand side of the storm motion in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere, consistent with the location of stronger turbulent mixing. The influence of TC intensity and translation speed on the ocean response is also examined. Despite having greater precipitation, stronger TCs tend to produce longer-lasting, stronger and deeper salinification especially on the right-hand side of the storm motion. Faster moving TCs are found to have slightly weaker freshening with larger area coverage during the passage, but comparable salinification after the passage. The ocean haline response in four basins with different climatological salinity stratification reveals a significant impact of vertical stratification on the salinity response during and after the passage of TCs.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2975
Author(s):  
Huabing Xu ◽  
Rongzhen Yu ◽  
Danling Tang ◽  
Yupeng Liu ◽  
Sufen Wang ◽  
...  

This paper uses the Argo sea surface salinity (SSSArgo) before and after the passage of 25 tropical cyclones (TCs) in the Bay of Bengal from 2015 to 2019 to evaluate the sea surface salinity (SSS) of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) remote sensing satellite (SSSSMAP). First, SSSArgo data were used to evaluate the accuracy of the 8-day SMAP SSS data, and the correlations and biases between SSSSMAP and SSSArgo were calculated. The results show good correlations between SSSSMAP and SSSArgo before and after TCs (before: SSSSMAP = 1.09SSSArgo−3.08 (R2 = 0.69); after: SSSSMAP = 1.11SSSArgo−3.61 (R2 = 0.65)). A stronger negative bias (−0.23) and larger root-mean-square error (RMSE, 0.95) between the SSSSMAP and SSSArgo were observed before the passage of 25 TCs, which were compared to the bias (−0.13) and RMSE (0.75) after the passage of 25 TCs. Then, two specific TCs were selected from 25 TCs to analyze the impact of TCs on the SSS. The results show the significant SSS increase up to the maximum 5.92 psu after TC Kyant (2016), which was mainly owing to vertical mixing and strong Ekman pumping caused by TC and high-salinity waters in the deep layer that were transported to the sea surface. The SSSSMAP agreed well with SSSArgo in both coastal and offshore waters before and after TC Roanu (2016) and TC Kyant (2016) in the Bay of Bengal.


2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisan Yu

Abstract The existence of a cool and salty sea surface skin under evaporation was first proposed by Saunders in 1967, but few efforts have since been made to perceive the salt component of the skin layer. With two salinity missions scheduled to launch in the coming years, this study attempted to revisit the Saunders concept and to utilize presently available air–sea forcing datasets to analyze, understand, and interpret the effect of the salty skin and its implication for remote sensing of ocean salinity. Similar to surface cooling, the skin salinification would occur primarily at low and midlatitudes in regions that are characterized by low winds or high evaporation. On average, the skin is saltier than the interior water by 0.05–0.15 psu and cooler by 0.2°–0.5°C. The cooler and saltier skin at the top is always statically unstable, and the tendency to overturn is controlled by cooling. Once the skin layer overturns, the time to reestablish the full increase of skin salinity was reported to be on the order of 15 min, which is approximately 90 times slower than that for skin temperature. Because the radiation received from a footprint is averaged over an area to give a single pixel value, the slow recovery by the salt diffusion process might cause a slight reduction in area-averaged skin salinity and thus obscure the salty skin effect on radiometer retrievals. In the presence of many geophysical error sources in remote sensing of ocean salinity, the salt enrichment at the surface skin does not appear to be a concern.


Author(s):  
Nicolas Reul ◽  
Bertrand Chapron ◽  
Semyon A. Grodsky ◽  
Sebastien Guimbard ◽  
Vladimir Kudryavtsev ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2995
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Bingham ◽  
Severine Fournier ◽  
Susannah Brodnitz ◽  
Karly Ulfsax ◽  
Hong Zhang

Sea surface salinity (SSS) satellite measurements are validated using in situ observations usually made by surfacing Argo floats. Validation statistics are computed using matched values of SSS from satellites and floats. This study explores how the matchup process is done using a high-resolution numerical ocean model, the MITgcm. One year of model output is sampled as if the Aquarius and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellites flew over it and Argo floats popped up into it. Statistical measures of mismatch between satellite and float are computed, RMS difference (RMSD) and bias. The bias is small, less than 0.002 in absolute value, but negative with float values being greater than satellites. RMSD is computed using an “all salinity difference” method that averages level 2 satellite observations within a given time and space window for comparison with Argo floats. RMSD values range from 0.08 to 0.18 depending on the space–time window and the satellite. This range gives an estimate of the representation error inherent in comparing single point Argo floats to area-average satellite values. The study has implications for future SSS satellite missions and the need to specify how errors are computed to gauge the total accuracy of retrieved SSS values.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 831
Author(s):  
Jorge Vazquez-Cuervo ◽  
Chelle Gentemann ◽  
Wenqing Tang ◽  
Dustin Carroll ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
...  

The Arctic Ocean is one of the most important and challenging regions to observe—it experiences the largest changes from climate warming, and at the same time is one of the most difficult to sample because of sea ice and extreme cold temperatures. Two NASA-sponsored deployments of the Saildrone vehicle provided a unique opportunity for validating sea-surface salinity (SSS) derived from three separate products that use data from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite. To examine possible issues in resolving mesoscale-to-submesoscale variability, comparisons were also made with two versions of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) model (Carroll, D; Menmenlis, D; Zhang, H.). The results indicate that the three SMAP products resolve the runoff signal associated with the Yukon River, with high correlation between SMAP products and Saildrone SSS. Spectral slopes, overall, replicate the −2.0 slopes associated with mesoscale-submesoscale variability. Statistically significant spatial coherences exist for all products, with peaks close to 100 km. Based on these encouraging results, future research should focus on improving derivations of satellite-derived SSS in the Arctic Ocean and integrating model results to complement remote sensing observations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 811
Author(s):  
Hao Liu ◽  
Zexun Wei

The variability in sea surface salinity (SSS) on different time scales plays an important role in associated oceanic or climate processes. In this study, we compare the SSS on sub-annual, annual, and interannual time scales among ten datasets, including in situ-based and satellite-based SSS products over 2011–2018. Furthermore, the dominant mode on different time scales is compared using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF). Our results show that the largest spread of ten products occurs on the sub-annual time scale. High correlation coefficients (0.6~0.95) are found in the global mean annual and interannual SSSs between individual products and the ensemble mean. Furthermore, this study shows good agreement among the ten datasets in representing the dominant mode of SSS on the annual and interannual time scales. This analysis provides information on the consistency and discrepancy of datasets to guide future use, such as improvements to ocean data assimilation and the quality of satellite-based data.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1249-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunzai Wang ◽  
Liping Zhang ◽  
Sang-Ki Lee

Abstract The response of freshwater flux and sea surface salinity (SSS) to the Atlantic warm pool (AWP) variations from seasonal to multidecadal time scales is investigated by using various reanalysis products and observations. All of the datasets show a consistent response for all time scales: A large (small) AWP is associated with a local freshwater gain (loss) to the ocean, less (more) moisture transport across Central America, and a local low (high) SSS. The moisture budget analysis demonstrates that the freshwater change is dominated by the atmospheric mean circulation dynamics, while the effect of thermodynamics is of secondary importance. Further decomposition points out that the contribution of the mean circulation dynamics primarily arises from its divergent part, which mainly reflects the wind divergent change in the low level as a result of SST change. In association with a large (small) AWP, warmer (colder) than normal SST over the tropical North Atlantic can induce anomalous low-level convergence (divergence), which favors anomalous ascent (decent) and thus generates more (less) precipitation. On the other hand, a large (small) AWP weakens (strengthens) the trade wind and its associated westward moisture transport to the eastern North Pacific across Central America, which also favors more (less) moisture residing in the Atlantic and hence more (less) precipitation. The results imply that variability of freshwater flux and ocean salinity in the North Atlantic associated with the AWP may have the potential to affect the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Philipps ◽  
Christine Boone ◽  
Estelle Obligis

Abstract Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) was chosen as the European Space Agency’s second Earth Explorer Opportunity mission. One of the objectives is to retrieve sea surface salinity (SSS) from measured brightness temperatures (TBs) at L band with a precision of 0.2 practical salinity units (psu) with averages taken over 200 km by 200 km areas and 10 days [as suggested in the requirements of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE)]. The retrieval is performed here by an inverse model and additional information of auxiliary SSS, sea surface temperature (SST), and wind speed (W). A sensitivity study is done to observe the influence of the TBs and auxiliary data on the SSS retrieval. The key role of TB and W accuracy on SSS retrieval is verified. Retrieval is then done over the Atlantic for two cases. In case A, auxiliary data are simulated from two model outputs by adding white noise. The more realistic case B uses independent databases for reference and auxiliary ocean parameters. For these cases, the RMS error of retrieved SSS on pixel scale is around 1 psu (1.2 for case B). Averaging over GODAE scales reduces the SSS error by a factor of 12 (4 for case B). The weaker error reduction in case B is most likely due to the correlation of errors in auxiliary data. This study shows that SSS retrieval will be very sensitive to errors on auxiliary data. Specific efforts should be devoted to improving the quality of auxiliary data.


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