[1] Intraseasonal thermocline oscillations in Lake Tanganyika are analysed using observations near Mpulungu and simple analytical/numerical models, in order to understand their origin. The region around the lake is characterised by strong and persistent southeast winds during the four months dry season, lasting from May to August. The associated wind-stress causes the tilting of the thermocline which oscillates for the whole year. The wavelet transform spectra of temperature at 30 m depth of the lake near Mpulungu indicates the presence of various scales of motion, localised in frequency and time. The dominant modes of thermocline oscillations are intraseasonal variability with 3 -4 weeks periods. Similar results are obtained from a reduced-gravity model with various wind forcing, including the observed forcing, and a simple analytical solution. In addition, the model results indicates that the dominant mode of oscillation exhibits one node only. From the study, it is inferred that the free modes of oscillations of the lake are in resonance with wind pulses.
The abundance of two main pelagic fish species in Lake Tanganyika (Stolothrissa tanganicae and Lates stappersii) has always been observed to fluctuate considerably at different time scales. The inverse correlation between the abundance of these species has often been interpreted as the consequence of predator-prey relations (avoidance behaviour by the prey). However, currently the two species often appear spatially segregated in the lake, S. tanganicae dominating in the north while L. stappersii is generally abundant in the south where it feeds mostly on shrimps. A fluctuating abundance of the species is nevertheless observed. As these fish species have a major importance for the fisheries, we investigated the limnological variability in relation to the shortterm variability of fish catches. The abundance of S. tanganicae was positively correlated to plankton biomass (r = 0.65), while water transparency (r = 0.56), depth of mixed layer (r = -0.70) and oxygenated water appeared important drivers for the abundance of L. stappersii. Alternating ''mixing'' and ''stable'' states of the epilimnion related to seasonal and internal waves variability are probably determinant for the short-term variability in abundance of Handling editor: M. Power
Marine air intrusion and subsequent cloud formation plays a dominant role in the energy budget and mass balance of the Antarctic. However, the intrusion is very difficult to understand using the ground‐based measurements alone. In this paper we present simulations of marine air intrusion into the Adelie Land, East Antarctica, using the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR), for July 1994 and January 1995. The model is nested into the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses. The simulations show a strong influence of large‐scale disturbances, over the ocean, which helped in the penetration of marine air into the interior and the formation of clouds. Each marine air intrusion episode resulted in cloud formation in July 1994. Blocking anticyclones have also been found to be responsible for much of the moisture transport far into the interior elevated locations. MAR simulations, as well as ECMWF analyses, show influence of cyclones in strengthening and prolonging the surface layer flow. The study also indicated that the influence of depressions on surface winds is pronounced during the period when the depression is approaching the Adelie Land coast.
Abstract. The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method is well suited for the modelling, with a relatively small number of elements, of three-dimensional flows exhibiting strong velocity or density gradients. Its performance can be highly enhanced by having recourse to r-adaptivity. Here, a vertical adaptive mesh method is developed for DG finite elements. This method, originally designed for finite difference schemes, is based on the vertical diffusion of the mesh nodes, with the diffusivity controlled by the density jumps at the mesh element interfaces.The mesh vertical movement is determined by means of a conservative arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation. Though conservativity is naturally achieved, tracer consistency is obtained by a suitable construction of the mesh vertical velocity field, which is defined in such a way that it is fully compatible with the tracer and continuity equations at a discrete level.The vertically adaptive mesh approach is implemented in the three-dimensional version of the geophysical and environmental flow Second-generation Louvain-la-Neuve Iceocean Model (SLIM 3D; www.climate.be/slim). Idealised benchmarks, aimed at simulating the oscillations of a sharp thermocline, are dealt with. Then, the relevance of the vertical adaptivity technique is assessed by simulating thermocline oscillations of Lake Tanganyika. The results are compared to measured vertical profiles of temperature, showing similar stratification and outcropping events.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.