Marine Ecosystems Research Department - jamstec japan agency ...

JAMSTEC 2002 Annual Report
Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change
Latitude
Fig. 1 Gulfstream II at Koror International Airport
Mirai Doppler RADAR & GMS-VIS
Dropsonde (1 - 7)
5
0
130 135 140
Longitude
Fig. 2 Doppler radar reflectivity of R/V Mirai, located on 2N
138.5E, was superposed on GMS visible image. The blue
line is a flight path of Gulfstream II. The numbers (1 to 7)
are positions of dropsonde launching.
within the Doppler radar observation range of the R/V
Mirai. In the case of line-shape convective clouds, a
total of dropsondes were launched from the aircraft
(Fig. ). We are now making a comparison between
the observation and meso-scale numerical models. We
also obtained the data of the other case of dry-air intrusion
to the middle troposphere after the MJO passage.
In March , the wind profiler system that had
been used in the observation of downstream Yangtze
River by the Cloud and Precipitation Processes Group
was installed at Aimeliik, a new site in Palau.
controls the global climate variability through coupled
processes between the atmosphere and the ocean. In
order to clarify important processes and mechanisms
involved in the variability in the tropical Indian Ocean
and to contribute to accumulation of the in situ data of
the upper-layer conditions, we are continuing to conduct
the following observations (Fig. ). They include
() an ADCP mooring at E on the equator, () VOS
XBT/XCTD lines, () wide area XBT/XCTD observations,
() hydrographic observations by the R/V Mirai,
and () surface drifting buoy deployments.
In FY, we participated in the MR-K
cruise of the R/V Mirai to replace the ADCP mooring
in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean, and we
obtained about months of upper-layer velocity data.
The preliminary analysis of these data indicate quite
energetic intra-seasonal variability both in zonal and
meridional currents (Fig. ). We also observed the
spatial structure of the temperature, salinity, and
velocity along the cruise track, using XCTD, CTD,
and the ship-mounted ADCP.
In addition, in this fiscal year, we continued to
maintain two VOS XBT/XCTD lines one in the
northern Indian Ocean and the other in the western
tropical Pacific Ocean (Fig. ). The subsurface temperature
and salinity data along the two lines are continuously
being accumulated for studying the interannual
variability in the tropical Indo-Pacific sector.
(b) Indian Ocean Observation sub-group
Warm surface water pool in the tropical eastern
Indian Ocean is known as an important factor that
Fig. 3 Summary of the observations
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