Hou Yijun

Sea surface height and transport stream function of the South China Sea from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

A fine-grid model (1/6°) covering the South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea and Japan/East Sea, which is embedded into a coarse-grid (3°) global model, was established to study the SCS circulation. In the present paper, we report the model-produced monthly and annual mean transport stream functions and sea surface heights(SSH) and their anomalies of the SCS. Comparison to the TOPEX/Poseidon data shows that the model-produced monthly sea surface height anomalies (SSHA) are in good agreement with altimeter measurements. Based on the results, the circulation of the SCS, especially the upper layer circulation, is discussed. In the surface layer, the western Philippine Sea water intrudes into the SCS through the Luzon Strait in autumn, winter and spring, but not in summer. However, as far as the whole water column is concerned, the water intrudes into the SCS through the Luzon Strait all the year round. This indicates that in summer the water still intrudes into the SCS in the subsurface and intermediate layers. The area near the northern continental slope of the SCS is dominated by a cyclonic circulation all the year round. The SCS Southern Anticyclonic Gyre, SE Vietnam Off-Shore Current in summertime and SCS Southern Cyclonic Gyre in wintertime are reproduced reasonably. The difference between the monthly averaged SSH and SSHA is significant, indicating the importance of the mean SSH in the SCS circulation.

SAR imaging simulation of horizontal fully two-dimensional internal waves

Based on the research of Lynett and Liu, a new horizontal fully two-dimensional internal wave propagation model with rotation effect was deduced, which can be used to simulate the characteristics of internal waves in a horizontal fully two-dimensional plane. By combining the imaging mechanism of Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR), a simulation procedure was fatherly acquired, which can simulate the propagation characteristics of oceanic internal waves into SAR images. In order to evaluate the validity of the proposed simulation procedure, case studies are performed in South China Sea and results from simulation procedure are analyzed in detail. A very good consistency was found between the simulation results and satellite images. The proposed simulation procedure will be a possible foundation for the quantitative interpretation of internal waves from fully two-dimensional satellite images.

Numerical study of the influence of waves and tide-surge interaction on tide-surges in the Bohai Sea

The author’s combined numerical model consisting of a third generation shallow water wave model and a 3-D tide-surge model with wave-dependent surface wind stress were used to study the influence of waves on tide-surge motion. For the typical weather case, in this study, the magnitude and mechanism of the influence of waves on tide-surges in the Bohai Sea were revealed for the first time. The results showed that although consideration of the wave-dependent surface wind stresses raise slightly the traditional surface wind stress, due to the accumulated effects, the computed results are improved on the whole. Storm level maximum modulation can reach 0.4 m. The results computed by the combined model agreed well with the measured data.

Statistical distribution of nonlinear random water wave surface elevation

This study deals with the development of statistical modeling for water wave surface elevation by using a method that combines a dynamic solution with random process statistics. Ocean wave data taken from four NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) buoys moored in the northeast Pacific were used to validate the model. The results indicated that the nonlinear probability density distribution of ocean wave surface elevation derived from the model described the measurements much better than Gaussian distribution and Longuet-Higgins distribution.

Wind vector retrieval using dual polarization imagery of ASAR

A new algorithm for retrieving wind vector using dual polarization imagery of advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) is developed and tested. Based on the combination of co-polarization and cross-polarization, this new algorithm effectively eliminates the 180 degrees ambiguity which occurs when using single imagery of the ASAR to retrieve wind vector. This algorithm also solves the problem that the retrieval results will break clown on very small spatial scales. The results retrieved from dual polarization imagery of ASAR show that the wind speed and direction are in agreement with the data from Quikscat and buoy measurements. The root mean square errors of wind direction and speed between the retrieved results and data from Quikscat are 2.21 degrees and 0.53 m/s, respectively. Comparisons between the new method and the traditional method show that the new methods fit the buoy data and Quikscat data a little better than the traditional method in this image.

Numerical simulation of scatterometer assimilated wind and ocean wave in eastern China seas and adjacent waters

Using the latest version of Mesoscale Modeling System (MM5v3), we assimilated wind data from the scatterometer and built a model to assimilate the wind field over eastern China seas and adjacent waters and applied the wave model WAVEWATCH-III to test the sea area with assimilative wind and blended wind of QSCAT and NCEP as driving forces. High precision and resolution numerical wave results were obtained. Analysis indicated that if we replace the model wind result with the blended wind, better sea surface wind results and wave results could be obtained.

Relationship between wave steepness and wave age in the course of wind wave growth

It is traditionally assumed that the relationship between wave steepness and wave age is independent of the wind wave growth state. In fact, the traditional relationship can not describe the whole course of wind wave growth. This paper assumes that the relationship between wave steepness and wave age changes with the variety of dimensionless fetch. Based on the relationship proposed by Hou and Wen (1990), a new relationship in the course of wind wave growth is revealed. Comparisons between the present study and other previous relationships show that this new relationship explains better the observations than the other existing relationships. In the case of small fetch, wave age value increases more quickly than other models while it is in opposition to that in the case of large fetch. The result in present paper can clearly reflect the whole course of wind wave growth, it is an improvement for traditional results.

Study of long-wave breaking

This paper reports study on the mechanism of long-wave breaking in a one-dimensional open channel, without bottom friction, or with linear bottom friction. In general, the wave breaking phenomenon is related to the notion of “blow-up of solution” and can be studied by using the blow-up theory of partial differential equations (PDE). A pair of Riemann invariants are introduced to transform the governing equations into ordinary differential equations (ODE) along the characteristic directions of the governing equations. From the properties of the solutions of the ODE, the time and location of wave breaking are estimated and the criterion of long-wave breaking for the case with linear bottom friction is obtained.

The mean properties and variations of the Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres estimated by Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) products

Based on the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) products, we study the mean properties and variations of the Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres (SHSGs) in this paper. The results show that the gyre strengths in the SODA estimates are (55.9±9.8)×106 m3/s for the Weddell Gyre (WG), (37.0±6.4)×106 m3/s for the Ross Gyre (RG), and (27.5±8.2)×106 m3/s for the Australian-Antarctic Gyre (AG), respectively. There exists distinct connectivity between the adjacent gyres and then forms an oceanic super gyre structure in the southern subpolar oceans. And the interior exchanges are about (8.0±3.2)×106 m3/s at around 70°E and (4.3±3.1)×106 m3/s at around 140°E. The most pronounced variation for all three SHSGs occurs on the seasonal time scale, with generally stronger (weaker) SHSGs during austral winter (summer). And the seasonal changes of the gyre structures show that the eastern boundary of the WG and AG extends considerably further east during winter and the interior exchange in the super gyre structure increases accordingly. The WG and RG also show significant semi-annual changes. The correlation analyses confirm that the variations of the gyre strengths are strongly correlated with the changes in the local wind forcing on the semi-annual and seasonal time scales.

Comparison of two wind algorithms of ENVISAT ASAR at high wind

Two wind algorithms of ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR), i. e. CMOD4 model from the European Space Agency (ESA) and CMOD_IFR2 model from Quilfen et al., are compared in this paper. The wind direction is estimated from orientation of low and linear signatures in the ASAR imagery. The wind direction has inherently a 1801 ambiguity since only a single ASAR image is used. The 1801 ambiguity is eliminated by using the buoy data from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) buoys moored in the Pacific. Wind speed is obtained with the two wind algorithms using both estimated wind direction and normalized radar cross section (NRCS). The retrieved wind results agree well with the data from Quikscat. The root mean square error (RMSE) of wind direction is 2.801. The RMSEs of wind speed from CMOD4 model and CMOD_IFR2 model are 1.09 m/s and 0.60 m/s respectively. The results indicate that the CMOD_IFR2 model is slight better than CMOD4 model at high wind.