scholarly journals LOCAL WIND FORCING AND SMALL SCALE UPWELLING

1982 ◽  
Vol 1 (18) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Cairns A.R. Bain

This study characterizes some wind stress effects on a coastal site which is a focus of small scale upwelling having a scale of the order of 10 km. Two time scales are considered. Firstly the seasonal character of wind stress with the associated sea temperature fluctuations is described. Secondly individual wind events of a few days duration are characterized by extent and rate of upwelling and offshore displacement of the thermocline front. Data on the thermocline displacement is fitted to Csanady's model of coastal upwelling, which leads to the prediction of upwelling parameters for given wind events.

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick T. Drake ◽  
Margaret A. McManus ◽  
Curt D. Storlazzi

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 415-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Largier

Bays in coastal upwelling regions are physically driven and biochemically fueled by their interaction with open coastal waters. Wind-driven flow over the shelf imposes a circulation in the bay, which is also influenced by local wind stress and thermal bay–ocean density differences. Three types of bays are recognized based on the degree of exposure to coastal currents and winds (wide-open bays, square bays, and elongated bays), and the characteristic circulation and stratification patterns of each type are described. Retention of upwelled waters in bays allows for dense phytoplankton blooms that support productive bay ecosystems. Retention is also important for the accumulation of larvae, which accounts for high recruitment in bays. In addition, bays are coupled to the shelf ecosystem through export of plankton-rich waters during relaxation events. Ocean acidification and deoxygenation are a concern in bays because local extrema can develop beneath strong stratification.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadegh Yari ◽  
Volker Mohrholz

<p>The Humboldt (Peruvian) Upwelling System (HUS) is the most productive among the main Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS), namely California, North West Africa, Benguela and itself. In spite of comparable upwelling intensity its fisheries production exceeds that of the other upwelling systems considerably (Chavez and Messie 2009). Wind is the major driving force of the coastal and curl driven upwelling, that controlls the nutrient supply from the deep water pool to the euphotic surface layer. Strength, spatial and temporal variability of the wind forcing are subjected to seasonal and interannual changes. The core of this study is describe the wind driven upwelling cells in the Peruvian coastal area in detail using long-term data which is not well understood. A better understanding of the state and dynamics of HUS seems essential for fututre regional climate predictions. ASCAT wind stress data for the period of 11 years (2008-2018) is analyzed to assess the spatio-temporal variations of the wind stress field, coastal upwelling and Ekman pumping along the Peruvian coast. The meridional component of wind stress off the peruvian coast, which is the main driver of offshore transport, has been marginally inensified over the entire priod. However, a high level of interannual variability is evident. The El-Niño years show anomalously high wind stress and associated Ekman transoprt. Our results indicate that the southern sector is more influenced by ENSO cycle than the northern sector. Additionally, a strong seasonality in the wind stress is observed. During the austral summer (December-February) the wind stress show the minimum value while the high values are observed in July-September.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Kersalé ◽  
Denis L. Volkov ◽  
Kandaga Pujiana ◽  
Hong Zhang

Abstract. The subtropical South Indian Ocean (SIO) has been described as one of the world's largest heat accumulators due to its remarkable warming during the past two decades. However, the relative contributions of the remote (of Pacific origin) forcing and local wind forcing to the variability of heat content and sea level in the SIO have not been fully attributed. Here, we combine a general circulation model, an analytic linear reduced gravity model, and observations to disentangle the spatial and temporal inputs of each forcing component on interannual to decadal timescales. A sensitivity experiment is conducted with artificially closed Indonesian straits to physically isolate the Indian and Pacific Oceans, thus, intentionally removing the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) influence on the Indian Ocean heat content and sea level variability. We show that the relative contribution of the signals originating in the equatorial Pacific versus signals caused by local wind forcing to the interannual variability of sea level and heat content in the SIO is dependent on location within the basin (low vs. mid latitude; western vs. eastern side of the basin). The closure of the ITF in the numerical experiment reduces the amplitude of interannual-to-decadal sea level changes compared to the simulation with a realistic ITF. However, the spatial and temporal evolution of sea level patterns in the two simulations remain similar and correlated with El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This suggests that these patterns are mostly determined by local wind forcing and oceanic processes, linked to ENSO via the ‘atmospheric bridge’ effect. We conclude that local wind forcing is an important driver for the interannual changes of sea level, heat content, and meridional transports in the SIO subtropical gyre, while oceanic signals originating in the Pacific amplify locally-forced signals.


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