Homework 1-EESS 146B/246B–Due April 16
Homework 1-EESS 146B/246B–Due April 16
Homework 1-EESS 146B/246B–Due April 16
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<strong>Homework</strong> 1-<strong>EESS</strong> <strong>146B</strong>/<strong>246B–Due</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>16</strong><br />
Please turn in the Ocean Data View exercise seperately from the problem set.<br />
Ocean Data View Exercise<br />
Use ODV to make figures similar to figure 1 showing profiles of the in situ density, potential<br />
temperature, salinity, potential density, and the Brunt Vaisala (a.k.a buoyancy) frequency<br />
from the WOCE CTD data set, which can be downloaded at<br />
http://www.ewoce.org/data/index.html#WHP CTD Data<br />
Plot profiles from the following latitude ranges: the tropics: 0 < |latitude| < 20, subtropics:<br />
20 < |latitude| < 40, subpolar regions: 40 < |latitude| < 60, and the polar<br />
regions: 60 < |latitude|. Make eight figures, i.e. two profiles for each region.<br />
For each figure,<br />
• Identify the pycnocline and a mixed layer if present. If a mixed layer is present<br />
estimate its depth.<br />
• Calculate the change in salinity ∆S, potential temperature ∆θ, and potential density<br />
∆σ across the pycnocline. Estimate the change in density across the pycnocline associated<br />
with the salinity, ∆σS = ρrefβS∆S, and the temperature, ∆σθ = −ρrefαT ∆θ.<br />
Recall that while βS varies very little, the thermal expansion coefficient is a strong<br />
function of temperature. Use the values of αT (θ) listed in the table 1 to estimate<br />
∆σθ.<br />
Compare the near surface values of the salinity and potential temperature and the strength<br />
of the stratification in the pycnocline for the four regions. Comment on the relative contributions<br />
of salinity and temperature in setting the change in density across the pycnocline<br />
in the low versus high latitudes.<br />
Problem Set<br />
1. Equation of state of seawater. Figure 2 shows profiles of density, temperature,<br />
and salinity that were made at two stations (labeled A and B) in the Gulf Stream. At<br />
station A, the potential temperature and salinity on the σθ = 26.27 kg m −3 density<br />
surface is θ = 19.0 ◦ C and S = 36.7 psu, respectively. Use the profiles to determine<br />
the depth where the σθ = 26.27 kg m −3 density surface sits at station B. What is<br />
the salinity on the σθ = 26.27 kg m −3 density surface at this station? Given this<br />
information, estimate the potential temperature at station B on this density surface?<br />
Assume an equation of state of the form: σ = σo + ρref(−αT [θ − θo] + βS[S − So]),<br />
where αT = 2.3 × 10 −4 ◦ C −1 and βS = 7.5 × 10 −4 psu −1 . Given the difference in<br />
temperature and salinity of the water on the σθ = 26.27 kg m −3 isopycnal at stations<br />
A and B, did the water at station B originate north or south of the water at station<br />
A? State the reasoning for your answer.<br />
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2. Buoyancy and stratification. Imagine you were to push a parcel of water from<br />
the σθ = 26.27 density surface at station A down 50 m. Using the observations<br />
shown in figure 2, estimate the force (per unit mass) that you would need to exert<br />
to keep the parcel at that depth.<br />
3. Heat contained in the ocean. Hurricanes get their energy from the heat contained<br />
in the tropical oceans. A typical hurricane extracts heat from the ocean at a rate of<br />
5 × 10 19 Joules day −1 . Assuming that a hurricane sits over an area of the ocean of<br />
1 × 10 12 m 2 for a period of two days, how much will the mixed layer deepen by this<br />
heat extraction if during deepening the profiles of temperature can be modeled as<br />
T1 =<br />
<br />
To<br />
To + dT<br />
dz<br />
<br />
T o<br />
T2 =<br />
z > −H<br />
,<br />
(z + H) z < −H<br />
z > −D<br />
,<br />
(z + D) z < −D<br />
T o + dT<br />
dz<br />
where T1 and T2 are the temperature profiles before and after the passage of the<br />
hurricane, T o = To + dT<br />
dz (H − D), and D > H. Assume that T1 = 28 C, H = 50 m,<br />
and dT/dz = 0.05 C m−1 for your calculation. By how much does the sea surface<br />
temperature drop after the passage of the hurricane?<br />
4. Physical Interpretation of the Coriolis force. A ball is at rest on the Earth’s<br />
approximately ellipsoidal surface (figure 3) in the Northern Hemisphere. Viewed<br />
from space the ball is spinning about the Earth’s axis at the angular velocity Ω of<br />
the Earth.<br />
• Describe the force balance on the ball from the perspective of a stationary<br />
observer looking at the ball from space.<br />
• If the ball were given a kick to the east, how would the force balance (again<br />
as viewed from the stationary frame) change? What does this change in force<br />
balance imply about the north-south movement of the ball?<br />
• If the ball had instead been given a kick to the north, describe how conservation<br />
of angular momentum would affect the motion of the ball.<br />
• Reanswer the questions above for the case when the ball is in the Southern<br />
Hemisphere.<br />
• Using your answers to these questions, describe the physics behind the Coriolis<br />
force on the rotating Earth.<br />
Assume that the ball stays on the surface of the Earth and that friction is not<br />
important.<br />
5. Geostrophic balance. Figure 4 shows the trajectory of a “champion” surface<br />
drifter, which made one and a half loops around Antarctica between March, 1995,<br />
and March, 2000 (courtesy of Nikolai Maximenko). Red dots mark the position of<br />
the float at 30 day intervals.<br />
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• Compute the mean speed of the drifter over the 5 years.<br />
• Assuming that this near surface mean current is in geostrophic balance, given<br />
this value of the speed estimate the tilt in the sea surface that must accompany<br />
the flow. Using this estimate, how large is the change in sea surface height (SSH)<br />
across the 600 km-wide Drake Passage? How does your estimate compare to<br />
the observed drop in SSH seen in the satellite altimetry data (e.g. figure 9.19<br />
in the textbook)?<br />
• Assuming that the mean zonal current at the bottom of the ocean is zero, use the<br />
thermal wind relation to compute the depth-averaged density gradient across<br />
the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, then estimate the mean density contrast<br />
across the Drake Passage. Using ODV and the WOCE data set, compare this<br />
estimate to the observed density contrast across the Drake Passage.<br />
3
Figure 1: Profiles of in situ density, potential temperature, salinity, potential density,<br />
and the buoyancy (Brunt-Vaisala) frequency from one station from the WOCE<br />
CTD data, plotted using Ocean Data View. An xview file that can be used<br />
to make a figure similar to this can be downloaded from the class website at:<br />
http://pangea.stanford.edu/courses/<strong>EESS</strong><strong>146B</strong>web/<strong>Homework</strong> 1.xview<br />
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Figure 2: Profiles of potential density (left) , salinity (middle), and potential temperature<br />
(right) at stations A (gray curves) and B (black curves) in the Gulf Stream. The vertical<br />
location, salinity, and temperature on the σθ = 26.27 kg m −3 density surface at station A<br />
is indicated by the asterisk.<br />
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Figure 3: A ball is confined to move on the approximately ellipsoidal surface of the Earth.<br />
The Earth rotates about its axis at an angular velocity Ω.<br />
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Figure 4: The trajectory of a surface drifter which made one and a half loops around<br />
Antarctica between March, 1995, and March, 2000 (courtesy of Nikolai Maximenko). Red<br />
dots mark the position of the float in 30 day intervals. The float is moving in a clockwise<br />
direction.<br />
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Table 1: The temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient αT .<br />
θ ( ◦ C) αT × 1 × 10 4 ( ◦ C −1 )<br />
-1.5 0.4<br />
1.5 0.8<br />
4.5 1.1<br />
7.5 1.4<br />
10.5 1.7<br />
13.5 2.0<br />
<strong>16</strong>.5 2.3<br />
19.5 2.6<br />
22.5 2.8<br />
25.5 3.0<br />
28.5 3.2<br />
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