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Origin, Variability, and Pathways of East Sea Intermediate Water in a High‐Resolution Ocean Reanalysis

  •  10 June 2021

Key Points

  • The main source of the East Sea Intermediate Water is the low salinity water at the northern end of the East/Japan Sea

  • The formation of the water mass was significantly decreased in 2018 due to enhanced cooling and reduced freshwater transport

  • A major portion of the water mass reaches the Ulleung Basin through the Ulleung Trough over a period of one year

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Monsoon‐Facilitated Off‐Shelf Transport of Dissolved Aluminum Across the East China Sea During Summer

  •  7 June 2021

Key Points

  • Combined field observations and numerical simulations were used to investigate the behavior of dissolved aluminum in the East China Sea (ECS)

  • Knowledge of processes and physical mechanisms underlying off-shelf transport of dissolved aluminum in the ECS was acquired

  • Quantitative study the off-shelf and on-shelf exchange fluxes of dissolved aluminum across the isobaths in the ECS

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Influence of Two Eddy Pairs on High‐Salinity Water Intrusion in the Northern South China Sea During Fall‐Winter 2015/2016

  •  5 June 2021

Key Points

  • Two processes of eddy pair intrusion were revealed in the northeastern South China Sea during fall-winter of 2015/2016

  • The northern anticyclonic and southern cyclonic eddies, together with their associated jet, affected the high-salinity water transport

  • The interior circulation and the development of eddy pairs jointly affected the relative contributions of eddy trapping and jet transport

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The Impact of Ocean‐Wave Coupling on the Upper Ocean Circulation During Storm Events

  •  5 June 2021

Key Points

  • Impact of ocean-wave coupling on Lagrangian trajectories during storm events is assessed and analyzed

  • Coupled system simulates more accurate surface dynamics than uncoupled models with larger improvement on the shelf

  • The Coriolis-Stokes force is the dominant wave interaction for both surface and 15 m drogued drifters

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Tropical Pacific Air‐Sea Interaction Processes and Biases in CESM2 and Their Relation to El Niño Development

  •  4 June 2021

Key Points

  • Coupled processes and subsurface dynamics near the eastern edge of the western Pacific (WP) Warm Pool are important for air-sea interactions

  • The CESM2 has warm and fresh surface biases in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a too thin barrier layer bias in WP

  • Barrier layer thickness biases in the west Pacific and isothermal layer depth biases in east influence the development of El Niño

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Observations of SST‐Induced Wind Perturbations in the Leeuwin Current

  •  2 June 2021

Key Points

  • Leeuwin Current (LC) sea surface temperature (SST) perturbation causes significant wind speed and wind stress curl anomalies along the current core

  • Perturbation wind stress curl drives anomalous downwelling and would reduce surface chlorophyll a concentrations along the LC SST front

  • The relationships between perturbation SST and perturbation wind and their derivatives in the LC have obvious seasonal variations

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Regional Trends in Southern Ocean Eddy Kinetic Energy

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • Eddy kinetic energy (EKE) computed from altimetry crossovers can well represent EKE changes in the Southern Ocean

  • No coherent increase in EKE over all areas of the Southern Ocean was identified since 1993

  • EKE in the Southern Ocean has increased since 1993 in one region that is downstream of the Campbell Plateau

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Water‐Mass Properties and Circulation in the Deep and Abyssal Philippine Sea

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • Details of the Lower Circumpolar Deep Water's distribution in the Philippine Sea are presented

  • Deep currents transport Lower Circumpolar Deep Water through the Kyushu-Palau Ridge at 22.5°N–29.5°N

  • A notable warming trend (0.33 ± 0.19 × 10−3°C yr−1) is identified below 2,000 m of the deep Philippine Sea since 1990

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Dynamics of Tidal and Residual Currents Based on Coastal Acoustic Tomography Assimilated Data Obtained in Jiaozhou Bay, China

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • Thirteen coastal acoustic tomography stations were deployed to obtain current field data in Jiaozhou Bay, China

  • Tidal and residual currents were obtained by data assimilation based on coastal acoustic tomography observations

  • Generation mechanisms for nonlinear and residual tidal currents in Jiaozhou Bay were demonstrated

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Extensive Remineralization of Peatland‐Derived Dissolved Organic Carbon and Ocean Acidification in the Sunda Shelf Sea, Southeast Asia

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • 70%–80% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) exported from the tropical peatlands is remineralized in the Sunda Shelf Sea

  • This drives a seasonal decline in pH by 0.1 and a net CO2 efflux of 2.4–4.9 mol m−2 yr−1 in the central Sunda Shelf

  • 20%–30% of the peatland-derived DOC might be relatively refractory and exported to the open Indian Ocean

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Impact of sea‐ice dynamics on the spatial distribution of diatom resting stages in sediments of the Pacific Arctic region

  •  17 June 2021

Key Points

  • Diatom resting stage assemblages were quantified and their relationship to the sea-ice dynamics in the Pacific Arctic region was explored.

  • Diatom composition follows spatial patterns that depend upon the variable timing of sea-ice retreat and accompanying light conditions.

  • Abundance of resting stage diatom cells in sediments varied by several orders of magnitude across the study region.

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The effect of resolution on vertical heat and carbon transports in a regional ocean circulation model of the Argentine Basin

  •  17 June 2021

Key Points

  • Three regional biogeochemical models of the Argentine Basin with increasing resolution are run to study the effect on fluxes and transports

  • Upward heat transport and surface heat flux are enhanced in the eddying model

  • Surface carbon fluxes do not differ by resolution but eddies transport anomalous carbon downwards

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A Newly Observed Deep Countercurrent in the Subtropical Northwest Pacific

  •  17 June 2021

Key Points

  • A newly identified deep countercurrent, named STDCC, has been found in the subtropical northwest Pacific from observations and ocean reanalyses

  • STDCC is identified in the latitudinal range of 19° – 25°N extending from 125° to 180°E with its core appearing between the depths of 1,250 and 2,000 m

  • The generation of STDCC is strongly associated with the westward-propagating eddies

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Revisiting the Atlantic South Equatorial Current

  •  17 June 2021

Key Points

  • The southern branch of the South Equatorial Current is a multi-banded flow with surface signatures arising from different subsurface cores.

  • The vertical extension and core depth of the bands increase poleward, while their core velocities increase equatorward.

  • The multi-banded flow seasonality modulates the annual cycle of the Brazil Current origin site and of the semi-permanent eddies off Brazil.

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Controls on the distributions of dissolved Cd, Cu, Zn, and Cu‐binding organic ligands in the East China Sea

  •  15 June 2021

Key Points

  • Surface water Cd, Cu and Zn controlled by phytoplankton uptake and regeneration.

  • Zn concentrations were elevated in the Kuroshio surface waters.

  • Deep water Cd, Cu and Zn distributions followed water mass mixing patterns.

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Time‐Dependent Probabilistic Tsunami Inundation Assessment Using Mode Decomposition to Assess Uncertainty for an Earthquake Scenario

  •  15 June 2021

Key Points

  • The singular value decomposition method is used to evaluate the eigenmodes of the tsunami inundation depth distribution and reduce the computational cost.

  • The variations in three variables are considered earthquake fault uncertainties: the fault depth, slip amount, and slip distribution.

  • A time-dependent probabilistic tsunami inundation assessment is performed with the BPT distribution to account for seismic imminence.

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Seasonal Controls on Sediment Delivery and Hydrodynamics in a Vegetated Tidally Influenced Interdistributary Island

  •  14 June 2021

Key Points

  • Waves, rather than currents, are the primary source of bottom stress, though their importance is greatly diminished by the presence of vegetation

  • Sediment concentration tended to increase with shear stress, but only after stresses exceeded 0.01-0.02 Pa

  • Hydrodynamics in the presence of vegetation were more favorable to floc formation

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Variations of the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait revealed by EOF analysis of repeated XBT data and sea‐level anomalies

  •  14 June 2021

Key Points

  • Variations of the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait (LS) were examined by analyzing sectional water temperature and sea-level anomaly data

  • Kuroshio-South China Sea water exchange contributes to the opposite seasonal variation in volume transport from east of Luzon to the LS

  • Westward propagated eddies along 21-24N and variations from the North Equatorial Current bifurcation impact the Kuroshio in the LS

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Seasonal and Mesoscale Variability of the Two Atlantic Water Recirculation Pathways in Fram Strait

  •  14 June 2021

Key Points

  • We present the first multi-year mooring-based observations of the Atlantic Water recirculation at the prime meridian

  • At 78°50’N we observe a continuous westward flow, present throughout the year and most affected by eddies in spring

  • At 80°10’N we only observe passing eddies, which are strongest during late autumn and winter, and absent during summer

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Mercury inputs into eastern China seas revealed by mercury isotope variations in sediment cores

  •  13 June 2021

Key Points

  • An Hg isotope mixing model revealed that Hg source contributions varied significantly among different sites and periods

  • Rapid industrialization and urbanization development since the 1980s have significantly increased Hg especially industrial Hg inputs

  • Notable even-isotope mass independent fractionation signatures were observed in one core, pointing to a source of atmospheric Hg0

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EN4: Quality controlled ocean temperature and salinity profiles and monthly objective analyses with uncertainty estimates

Key Points

  • EN4 dataset of quality-controlled temperature and salinity profiles is described
  • Dataset covers 1900 to present and includes monthly objective analyses
  • A novel method is presented to estimate uncertainty in the objective analyses

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Observation of rogue wave holes in a water wave tank

Key Points

  • Experimental generation of rogue wave holes
  • Rogue waves holes within the framework of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation
  • Rogue wave holes modeled by the Peregrine soliton

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A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Key Points

  • The sources, behavior, fate, and effects of microplastics are inexplicably tied to those of their plastic product and macrodebris precursors, as well as the nanoplastics into which they fragment
  • Microplastic sampling and characterization methods are evolving, but their inadequacies still hamper efforts to evaluate the true extent of their presence and consequences in the built and natural environments
  • Microplastics are a global/multimedia phenomenon; hence, they cannot be adequately understood, or related concerns resolved, in the context of the marine environment alone or a single discipline

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Seasonal and interannual variability of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Fresh Pool

Key Points

  • Satellite SSS in synergy with complementary EO data allows studying the seasonal and interannual dynamics of the Eastern Pacific Fresh Pool
  • Fresh pool zonal displacements and links between surface and subsurface processes respond to freshwater fluxes, wind stress, and currents
  • Fresh pool interannual variability is related to ENSO phases, a maximal extension was reached in 2015 coinciding with a strong El Nino event

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Enhanced sea‐air CO2 exchange influenced by a tropical depression in the South China Sea

Key Points

  • Surface water diluted by heavy rain had low pCO2,sw
  • Passage of a tropical depression led to high pCO2,sw by eddy-driven uplifting
  • The depression turned local water from a carbon sink to a source temporarily

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Role of Baroclinic Processes on Flushing Characteristics in a Highly Stratified Estuarine System, Mobile Bay, Alabama

Key Points

  • Baroclinic processes, particularly the density-driven circulation, are important in the flushing of the stratified estuary
  • Without the baroclinic processes, the flushing time can be overestimated by onefold under low to moderate river discharge conditions
  • This is the first study to summarize the full three-dimensional general circulation in Mobile Bay, whose pattern is primarily regulated by river discharge and modulated by wind forcing

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