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Call For Papers

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Research Article
Large Mesoscale Eddies in the Western Arctic Ocean
Credit: Kubryakov et al. 2021, Figure 1

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Research Article
Temporal Variations in Growth of Young-of-the-Year Pacific Cod
Credit: Li et al. 2021, Figure 2

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Research Article
Progression of Wave Breaker Types on a Plane Impermeable Slope
Credit: Moragues and Losada 2021, Figure 4a

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Research Article
The Impact of Climate Change on Ocean Submesoscale Activity
Credit: Richards et al. 2021, Figure 1

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Issue Information

  •  27 January 2022
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Factors Controlling Acidification in Intermediate and Deep/Bottom Layers of the Japan/East Sea

Lan Li, Baoshan Chen, Yiming Luo, Jinqi Xia, Di Qi,
  •  26 January 2022

Key Points

  • Factors controlling acidification of different water masses in Japan/East Sea are investigated using a multibox model

  • Reduced deep ventilation and increased intermediate ventilation and remineralization control acidification in these two contrasting layers

  • The sedimentary calcium carbonate is insignificant in neutralizing the rapid deep acidification in the Japan/East Sea

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Submesoscale Coherent Vortices Observed in the Northeastern South China Sea

Xincheng Zhang, Zhiwei Zhang, James C. McWilliams, Zhongbin Sun, Wei Zhao, Jiwei Tian,
  •  23 January 2022

Key Points

  • Two SCVs with opposite polarity are first reported in the northeastern SCS

  • Dynamic characteristics and momentum balance of the SCVs are revealed

  • The SCVs are generated through current-topography interactions

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Observations and Modeling of a Buoyant Plume Exiting Into a Tidal Cross‐Flow and Exhibiting Along‐Front Instabilities

Alexandra J. Simpson, Fengyan Shi, Joseph T. Jurisa, David A. Honegger, Tian-Jian Hsu, Merrick C. Haller,
  •  21 January 2022

Key Points

  • Novel observations of frontal instabilities on an ebbing plume are presented and their speeds and length scales are quantified

  • Non-hydrostatic modeling of a plume ebbing into a tidal cross-flow demonstrates similar shear instabilities

  • Modeling also confirms instability vs. gravity current behavior using a non-dimensional parameter characterization

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Free Wave Effects in Meteotsunamis

John Grue, Geir K. Pedersen, Øyvind Saetra,
  •  20 January 2022

Key Points

  • Foreward running waves are generated by ships and storms moving across great depth changes of the water

  • The forced wave and velocity field attached to the moving pressure system are modified at the depth change, generating the waves

  • Short waves are generated by the strong gradients of the pressure system

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Can the Surface Quasi‐Geostrophic (SQG) Theory Explain Upper Ocean Dynamics in the South Atlantic?

Mariana Miracca-Lage, Cristina González-Haro, Dante Campagnoli Napolitano, Jordi Isern-Fontanet, Paulo Simionatto Polito,
  •  20 January 2022

Key Points

  • The surface solution dominates the total stream function in winter. It has a small yet significant contribution in summer

  • The surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) and isQG methods depend more on the seasonality of the mixed-layer depth than on the content of eddy kinetic energy

  • The isQG reconstruction on the South Atlantic can reproduce mesoscale motions at depths above 500 m with a threshold of 0.5 correlation

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Atlantic Water Inflow Through the Yermak Pass Branch: Evolution Since 2007

Camila Artana, Christine Provost, Zoé Koenig, Marylou Athanase, Ava Asgari,
  •  20 January 2022

Key Points

  • New mooring data in the Yermak Pass Branch documented larger velocity variations (40%) in 2017–2020 than in 2007

  • Year 2018 stood out with exceptionally ice-free conditions and enhanced eddy activity at the mooring location

  • Synoptic model-based estimate of Atlantic Water volume transport in the Yermak Pass Branch from 2007 to 2020 varies from −1 to 5 Sv

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Decadal Variations in Radiocarbon in Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) Along a Transect in the Western North Pacific Ocean

Tiantian Ge, Chunle Luo, Peng Ren, Hongmei Zhang, Zhaohui Chen, Shuwen Sun, Liping Xu, Xuchen Wang,
  •  19 January 2022

Key Points

  • Strong bomb 14C signals are well mixed into the upper 200–500 m water depth through air-sea exchange long a transect in the western NP Ocean

  • Distribution of radiocarbon in DIC in the Kuroshio Extension region was influenced strongly by Oyashio Currents carrying low Δ14C values

  • Bomb 14C penetration signal in the NP has been reduced and diluted by deep waters carrying depleted 14C-DIC over the last 30 years

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Decadal to Multidecadal Variability of the Western North Pacific Subtropical Front and Countercurrent

Baolan Wu, Lixiao Xu, Xiaopei Lin,
  •  19 January 2022

Key Points

  • The decadal-multidecadal variation of the western North Pacific subtropical front and countercurrent is controlled by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)

  • The AMO modulates the Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) variability, which controls the upper pycnocline slope and dominates the intensity of the countercurrent

  • It takes ∼5 years for the STMW to reach the countercurrent region, corresponding to the time lag of the frontal changes with the AMO

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Reconstructing Fine‐Scale Ocean Variability via Data Assimilation of the SWOT Pre‐Launch In Situ Observing System

Matthew R. Archer, Zhijin Li, Jinbo Wang, Lee-Lueng Fu,
  •  18 January 2022

Key Points

  • Data assimilation (DA) of routine observations of large/mesoscale circulation allows effective assimilation of mooring data at fine scales

  • Mooring DA reconstructs 0- to 500-m hourly steric height with O(1-cm) error, and subcentimeter error for periods longer than 2-day

  • DA performance relies on observing system design; capturing the 2D horizontal gradient field is important for SWOT evaluation

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The interannual variability of eddy kinetic energy in the Kuroshio large meander region and its relationship to Kuroshio latitudinal position at 140°E

Qiang Wang, Youmin Tang,
  •  4 February 2022

Key Points

  • EKE in the Kuroshio LM region has a remarkable interannual variability

  • EKE interannual variability in the LM area has a leading correlation with that of the Kuroshio latitudinal position at 140°E

  • Baroclinic instability and advection are responsible for the EKE variability and its relationship to Kuroshio position at 140°E

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Direct Observations of the Role of Lateral Advection of Sea Ice Meltwater in the Onset of Autumn Freeze Up

Laura Crews, Craig M. Lee, Luc Rainville, Jim Thomson,
  •  3 February 2022

Key Points

  • High spatial and temporal resolution observations by ship-based and autonomous instruments in the ice-free Beaufort Sea are presented

  • Modified meltwater advected about 100 km over several weeks, cooling and shoaling the mixed layer and hastening freeze up by several days

  • Meltwater advection caused nearly as much mixed layer heat loss as was caused by seasonally integrated heat loss to the atmosphere

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Effect of the intensified sub‐thermocline eddy on strengthening the Mindanao Undercurrent in 2019

Fuad Azminuddin, Jae Hak Lee, Dongchull Jeon, Chang-Woong Shin, Cesar Villanoy, Seok Lee, Hong Sik Min, Dong Guk Kim,
  •  3 February 2022

Key Points

  • Data from moored current meters and model outputs show the enhanced Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) in 2019

  • The intensified sub-thermocline eddy southeast of Mindanao Island is found to cause the observed strong MUC event

  • The behavior of this eddy is related to changes in the strength of the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent

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Wind profile in the wave boundary layer and its application in a coupled atmosphere‐wave model

Lichuan Wu, Fangli Qiao,
  •  3 February 2022

Key Points

  • The net upward momentum flux under swell conditions, for the first time, was implemented into a coupled model

  • The misalignment angle between wind stress and mean wind was considered in a turbulence closure model

  • The impact of swell-induced upward momentum flux on the wind speed decreases with atmospheric convection

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Phytoplankton Community Patterns in the Northeastern South China Sea: Implications of intensified Kuroshio intrusion during the 2015/16 El Niño

Xiang Ding, Jiaxing Liu, Huangchen Zhang, Zhixin Ke, Jiajun Li, Weiwei Liu, Kaizhi Li, Chunyu Zhao, Yehui Tan,
  •  2 February 2022

Key Points

  • Seasonal variability of the phytoplankton community in the northeastern South China Sea is closely associated with the strength of Kuroshio intrusion

  • The intensified Kuroshio intrusion triggered higher cyanobacteria Trichodesmium erythraeum abundance during the El Niño summer

  • Kuroshio intrusion significantly reduced phytoplankton network stability in summer but not in winter

Open access

Structure and Variability of the Kuroshio and Luzon Undercurrent Observed by a Mooring Array

Jie Ma, Shijian Hu, Dunxin Hu, Cesar Villanoy, Qingye Wang, Xi Lu, Xin Yuan,
  •  1 February 2022

Key Points

  • Kuroshio and Luzon Undercurrent east of Luzon was directly measured by a mooring array

  • Direct observations confirm the existence of the Luzon Undercurrent but it was reversed due to strong anti-cyclonic eddies

  • The LUC variability is found to be mainly a result of the first two baroclinic modes

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Variability and Dynamics of Along‐Shore Exchange on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) Continental Shelf

Xin Wang, Carlos Moffat, Michael S. Dinniman, John M. Klinck, Dave Sutherland, Borja Aguiar-González,
  •  31 January 2022

Key Points

  • Model results show significant along-shore exchange of properties on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) continental shelf

  • The exchange results in flooding of the central WAP by Weddell Sea water, impacted by the Southern Annular Mode

  • Winter transport of cold water from Bransfield Strait heavily influences the heat budget of the continental shelf around Palmer Station

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Long‐range lateral transport of dissolved manganese and iron in the subarctic Pacific

Kuo Hong Wong, Jun Nishioka, Taejin Kim, Hajime Obata,
  •  31 January 2022

Key Points

  • Temporal variability of dissolved manganese in intermediate water

  • Transport distances of dissolved manganese and iron in intermediate water were the longest in the Pacific

  • Low pH and dissolved oxygen conditions facilitated long-range transport in intermediate water

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Pacific Waters pathways and vertical mixing in the CESM1‐LE: implication for mixed layer depth evolution and sea ice mass balance in the Canada Basin

Juliette Lavoie, Bruno Tremblay, Erica Rosenblum,
  •  31 January 2022

Key Points

  • There is an absence of Pacific Waters in the Canada Basin in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 Large Ensemble (CESM1-LE)

  • The CESM1-LE does not simulate the large shoaling of the mixed-layer observed between 1975-1976 and 2004-2018

  • The impact of missing Pacific Waters is estimated at 0.40 m of reduced winter ice growth using a 1D heat budget

Open access

Interpretation of Subsurface Salinity EOFs on Southern ECS Shelf Using SODA Reanalysis: Large‐scale Patterns and Seasonal to Interannual Variations

Peng Qi, Yun-xia Guo,
  •  28 January 2022

Key Points

  • Seaward penetration of the shelf water and shelfward intrusion of the Kuroshio are a pair of contradiction in the two-way intrusions

  • Oceanic stratification, besides topography uplifting, plays an important role in the subsurface intrusion of Kuroshio

  • Isopycnals extending further north and outcropping in early spring pave the way for subduction of overlying less saline shelf water

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A third‐generation wave model for coastal regions: 1. Model description and validation

N. Booij, R. C. Ris, L. H. Holthuijsen,
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Sequential data assimilation with a nonlinear quasi‐geostrophic model using Monte Carlo methods to forecast error statistics

Geir Evensen,
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El Niño Modoki and its possible teleconnection

Karumuri Ashok, Swadhin K. Behera, Suryachandra A. Rao, Hengyi Weng, Toshio Yamagata,
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Relationship between wind speed and gas exchange over the ocean

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

Simon A. Good, Matthew J. Martin, Nick A. Rayner,

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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Mixed layer depth over the global ocean: An examination of profile data and a profile‐based climatology

Clément de Boyer Montégut, Gurvan Madec, Albert S. Fischer, Alban Lazar, Daniele Iudicone,
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Monsoons: Processes, predictability, and the prospects for prediction

P. J. Webster, V. O. Magaña, T. N. Palmer, J. Shukla, R. A. Tomas, M. Yanai, T. Yasunari,
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A finite‐volume, incompressible Navier Stokes model for studies of the ocean on parallel computers

John Marshall, Alistair Adcroft, Chris Hill, Lev Perelman, Curt Heisey,
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Statistics for the evaluation and comparison of models

Cort J. Willmott, Steven G. Ackleson, Robert E. Davis, Johannes J. Feddema, Katherine M. Klink, David R. Legates, James O'Donnell, Clinton M. Rowe,
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A negative feedback mechanism for the long‐term stabilization of Earth's surface temperature

James C. G. Walker, P. B. Hays, J. F. Kasting,
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A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Robert C. Hale, Meredith E. Seeley, Mark J. La Guardia, Lei Mai, Eddy Y. Zeng,

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

S. Guimbard, N. Reul, B. Chapron, M. Umbert, C. Maes,

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

Qingyang Sun, DanLing Tang, Louis Legendre, Ping Shi,

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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A 3‐D coupled ice‐ocean model applied to Hudson Bay, Canada: The seasonal cycle and time‐dependent climate response to atmospheric forcing and runoff

François J. Saucier, Jacques Dionne,
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The Role of the New Zealand Plateau in the Tasman Sea Circulation and Separation of the East Australian Current

Christopher Y. S. Bull, Andrew E. Kiss, Erik van Sebille, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Matthew H. England,

Key Points

  • EAC separation latitude shifts south 1.1 degrees when the New Zealand submarine platform is completely removed and Tasman Sea is leveled
  • The presence of the New Zealand submarine platform weakens the EAC extension and strengthens the Tasman Front
  • Meridional gradients in the basin-wide wind stress curl are not the sole factor determining the mean latitude of EAC partial separation

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Mixed layer depth over the global ocean: An examination of profile data and a profile‐based climatology

Clément de Boyer Montégut, Gurvan Madec, Albert S. Fischer, Alban Lazar, Daniele Iudicone,
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Observation of rogue wave holes in a water wave tank

A. Chabchoub, N. P. Hoffmann, N. Akhmediev,

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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Submesoscale Sea Ice‐Ocean Interactions in Marginal Ice Zones

Georgy E. Manucharyan, Andrew F. Thompson,

Key Points

  • Energetic submesoscale ocean variability forms at marginal ice zones due to mixed-layer instabilities of ice-edge meltwater fronts
  • Mechanical sea ice-ocean interactions trap sea ice in cyclonic eddies and filaments—regions with dramatically enhanced ocean heat fluxes
  • The strength of submesoscale sea ice-ocean coupling is expected to increase with thinning of Arctic sea ice and marginal ice zone expansion

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North Atlantic Ocean Internal Decadal Variability: Role of the Mean State and Ocean‐Atmosphere Coupling

Guillaume Gastineau, Juliette Mignot, Olivier Arzel, Thierry Huck,

Key Points

  • The AMOC and AMV decadal variability can emerge from a self-sustained oceanic mode based on coupled model results
  • Increasing atmospheric resolution decreases the oceanic variability due to mean state changes
  • Atmosphere-ocean coupling causes a moderate increase of the AMOC variability

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Understanding Arctic Ocean Circulation: A Review of Ocean Dynamics in a Changing Climate

Mary-Louise Timmermans, John Marshall,

Key Points

  • Major features of Arctic Ocean circulation are reviewed and interpreted theoretically
  • Fundamental ocean dynamics are set in the context of a changing Arctic climate
  • We describe how Arctic dynamics might change in the future

Plain Language Summary

The Arctic region is experiencing the most rapid environmental changes on Earth, with unparalleled air temperature increases, a warming ocean, and melting permafrost, snow, and ice. The ocean is a central control via Arctic Ocean warming, freshening, and circulation dynamics that link to the sea ice, atmosphere, and terrestrial environment. Given the rapid pace of Arctic change, it is vital to take stock of present understanding of the ocean circulation to address knowledge gaps and make viable future predictions. Present understanding of the principal geophysical fluid dynamics of Arctic Ocean circulation is synthesized here, and we speculate on how the dynamics of the ocean-ice-atmosphere system might change in a warming Arctic.

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