Sea surface height variability in the Rio de la Plata estuary from synoptic to inter-annual scales: Results of numerical simulations     

V.L. Meccia  C.G. Simionato  M.E. Fiore  E.E. D'Onofrio  W.C. Dragani   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,85(2):327-343

A long term simulation of the barotropic circulation in the Río de la Plata estuary was performed with the aim of identifying the characteristic patterns of sea surface height (SSH) variability from synoptic to inter-annual time scales and their forcing mechanisms. Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HamSOM), forced by tides, monthly mean runoffs and 4-daily 10 m winds and surface atmospheric pressure from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis was run. The solution was analyzed for the period 1965–2004. Inter-annual variability accounts for almost 10% of the variance. The first EOF mode of SSH variability on this time scale is associated with a mean anomaly of approximately 0.25 m at the upper estuary forced by both runoff and winds, which seems to be strongly associated with the ENSO cycles. Other two modes, with periodicities around 2.5 and 10 years were also found. Even though they are linked to weaker SSH anomalies, they are consistent with inter-annual modes of wind variability reported by other authors. Those modes are important, particularly if they act in phase, because they can provide a background for stronger surges. In contrast with the salinity field, SSH variability on seasonal time scales accounts for a very small percentage of variance and it is the combination of an annual and a semi-annual signal forced by winds and runoff, respectively. Approximately 90% of the variance is due to wind driven variability on sub-annual time scales. The most significant SSH anomalies in this band are associated with cyclogenetic events in the atmosphere, occurring either over Uruguay or over the Patagonian Shelf, whereas the strengthening or weakening of the semi-permanent South Atlantic anticyclone displays a relatively smaller influence. In agreement with previous publications, the estuary's spatial patterns in response to short-scale wind variability seem to be determined by wind direction more than by wind speed.  相似文献   

Short time-scale wind forced variability in the Río de la Plata Estuary and its role on ichthyoplankton retention     

C.G. Simionato  A. Berasategui  V.L. Meccia  M. Acha  H. Mianzan 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008

The Río de la Plata Estuary presents a strong bottom salinity front located over a submerged shoal. Apparently favored by retention processes, it is a spawning ground for several coastal fishes. This estuary is very shallow and essentially wind driven and, moreover, in time scales relevant to biota, estuarine circulation is wind dominated and highly variable. Two intriguing questions are, therefore, how this system can favor retention and what the involved mechanisms are. This paper qualitatively explores mechanisms involved in the estuary where retention is favored applying numerical simulations in which neutral particles – simulating fish eggs and early larvae – are released along the bottom frontal zone and tracked for different wind conditions. Results suggest that retentive features can be a consequence of estuarine response to natural wind variability acting over bathymetric features. For winds from most directions, particles either remain trapped near their launching position or move northeastward to southwestward along the shoal. As alternation of winds that favor along-shoal motion is the dominant feature of wind variability in the region, a retentive scenario results from prevailing wind variability. Additionally, winds that tend to export particles with a poor chance of being restored to the front are neither frequent nor persistent. Results show, therefore, that physical forcing alone might generate a retentive scenario at the inner part of this estuary. The physical retention mechanism is more effective for bottom than for surface launched particles. Wind statistics indicate that the proposed mechanism has different implications for retention along the seasons. Spring is the most favorable season, followed by summer, when particles would have a larger propensity to reach the southern area of the estuary (Samborombón Bay). Fall and winter are increasingly less favorable. All these features are consistent with patterns observed in the region in organisms having different life history traits.  相似文献   

North Atlantic gyre circulation in PRIMAVERA models     

Meccia  Virna L.  Iovino  Doroteaciro  Bellucci  Alessio 《Climate Dynamics》2021,56(11):4075-4090

We study the impact of horizontal resolution in setting the North Atlantic gyre circulation and representing the ocean–atmosphere interactions that modulate the low-frequency variability in the region. Simulations from five state-of-the-art climate models performed at standard and high-resolution as part of the High-Resolution Model Inter-comparison Project (HighResMIP) were analysed. In some models, the resolution is enhanced in the atmospheric and oceanic components whereas, in some other models, the resolution is increased only in the atmosphere. Enhancing the horizontal resolution from non-eddy to eddy-permitting ocean produces stronger barotropic mass transports inside the subpolar and subtropical gyres. The first mode of inter-annual variability is associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in all the cases. The rapid ocean response to it consists of a shift in the position of the inter-gyre zone and it is better captured by the non-eddy models. The delayed ocean response consists of an intensification of the subpolar gyre (SPG) after around 3 years of a positive phase of NAO and it is better represented by the eddy-permitting oceans. A lagged relationship between the intensity of the SPG and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is stronger in the cases of the non-eddy ocean. Then, the SPG is more tightly coupled to the AMOC in low-resolution models.

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