Surface and subsurface dispersal of radioactive materials from Fukushima by subpolar gyre and intermediate waters in the North Pacific.

Radioactive materials were released into the ocean following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011. Six years after the accident, the radioactive material concentration was markedly increased in the Okhotsk Intermediate Water (OIW) of the Sea of Okhotsk. This material may have been subjected to southward subsurface dispersal by the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), which originates from the OIW. The spatiotemporal limitations of available methods have made it challenging to track the dispersal paths of radioactive materials in the North Pacific Subpolar region. Here, we performed a tracer experiment using a three-dimensional numerical model to determine the path of 137Cs from Fukushima to the Sea of Okhotsk via surface subpolar gyre currents and subsurface dispersion by OIW and NPIW. The results showed that the 137Cs concentration in the Sea of Okhotsk increased via the surface current and moved progressively southward via OIW six years after the accident and eastward via OIW and NPIW nine years after the accident, indicating that 137Cs transported by NPIW entered the subtropical region. Based on experiments, this temporal change was mainly caused by ocean currents. Thus, subsurface recirculation of radioactive material via the OIW and NPIW should be considered based on the predicted path and travel time of additional materials released from the power plant.

Immense variability in the sea surface temperature near macro tidal flat revealed by high-resolution satellite data (Landsat 8).

Sea surface temperature (SST) is crucial for understanding the physical characteristics and ecosystems of coastal seas. SST varies near the tidal flat, where exposure and flood recur according to the tidal cycle. However, the variability of SST near the tidal flat is poorly understood owing to difficulties in making in-situ observations. The high resolution of Landsat 8 enabled us to determine the variability of SST near the macro tidal flat. The spatial distribution of the SST extracted from Landsat 8 changed drastically. The seasonal SST range was higher near the tidal flat than in the open sea. The maximum seasonal range of coastal SST exceeded 23 °C, whereas the range in the open ocean was approximately 18 °C. The minimum and maximum horizontal SST gradients near the tidal flat were approximately - 0.76 °C/10 km in December and 1.31 °C/10 km in June, respectively. The heating of sea water by tidal flats in spring and summer, and cooling in the fall and winter might result in a large horizontal SST gradient. The estimated heat flux from the tidal flat to the seawater based on the SST distribution shows seasonal change ranging from - 4.85 to 6.72 W/m2.

Persistence of coastal upwelling after a plunge in upwelling-favourable wind.

Unprecedented coastal upwelling off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula was reported during the summer of 2013. The upwelling continued for more than a month after a plunge in upwelling-favourable winds and had serious impacts on fisheries. This is a rare phenomenon, as most coastal upwelling events relax a few days after the wind weakens. In this study, observational data and numerical modelling results were analysed to investigate the cause of the upwelling and the reason behind it being sustained for such an extended period. Coastal upwelling was induced by an upwelling-favourable wind in July, resulting in the dynamic uplift of deep, cold water. The dynamic uplift decreased the steric sea level in the coastal region. The sea level difference between the coastal and offshore regions produced an intensified cross-shore pressure gradient that enhanced the surface geostrophic current along the coast. The strong surface current maintained the dynamic uplift due to geostrophic equilibrium. This positive feedback between the dynamic uplift and geostrophic adjustment sustained the coastal upwelling for a month following a plunge in the upwelling-favourable wind.

Nonlinear internal wave spirals in the northern East China Sea.

Oceanic internal waves are known to be important to the understanding of underwater acoustics, marine biogeochemistry, submarine navigation and engineering, and the Earth's climate. In spite of the importance and increased knowledge of their ubiquity, the wave generation is still poorly understood in most parts of the world's oceans. Here, we use satellite synthetic aperture radar images, in-situ observations, and numerical models to (1) show that wave energy (having relatively high amplitude) radiates from a shallow sill in the East China Sea in all directions, but with a significant time lag dependent on background conditions, (2) reveal that wave fronts are locally formed with often favorable conditions for re-initiation, and (3) demonstrate the resulting variety of wave patterns. These findings would be the case for any broad shelf having shallow sills with time-varying conditions, and therefore have significant implications on the redistribution of energy and materials in the global as well as regional ocean.

Salt Plug Formation Caused by Decreased River Discharge in a Multi-channel Estuary.

Freshwater input to estuaries may be greatly altered by the river barrages required to meet human needs for drinking water and irrigation and prevent salt water intrusion. Prior studies have examined the salt plugs associated with evaporation and salt outwelling from tidal salt flats in single-channel estuaries. In this work, we discovered a new type of salt plug formation in the multi-channel Pasur River Estuary (PRE) caused by decreasing river discharges resulting from an upstream barrage. The formation of a salt plug in response to changes in river discharge was investigated using a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) recorder during spring and neap tides in the dry and wet seasons in 2014. An exportation of saline water from the Shibsa River Estuary (SRE) to the PRE through the Chunkhuri Channel occurred during the dry season, and a salt plug was created and persisted from December to June near Chalna in the PRE. A discharge-induced, relatively high water level in the PRE during the wet season exerted hydrostatic pressure towards the SRE from the PRE and thereby prevented the intrusion of salt water from the SRE to the PRE.

Improving a prediction system for oil spills in the Yellow Sea: effect of tides on subtidal flow.

A multi-nested prediction system for the Yellow Sea using drifter trajectory simulations was developed to predict the movements of an oil spill after the MV Hebei Spirit accident. The speeds of the oil spill trajectories predicted by the model without tidal forcing were substantially faster than the observations; however, predictions taking into account the tides, including both tidal cycle and subtidal periods, were satisfactorily improved. Subtidal flow in the simulation without tides was stronger than in that with tides because of reduced frictional effects. Friction induced by tidal stress decelerated the southward subtidal flows driven by northwesterly winter winds along the Korean coast of the Yellow Sea. These results strongly suggest that in order to produce accurate predictions of oil spill trajectories, simulations must include tidal effects, such as variations within a tidal cycle and advections over longer time scales in tide-dominated areas.