No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2002. / Restricted until October 2003. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 3, 2005). Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-178).

Both the SW South China Sea and southern Beaufort Sea represent areas of extended continental crust, located on continental margins associated with oceanic spreading centres and zones of continent ocean transition (COT). Multichannel seismic reflection data are interpreted to characterize the COT in the SW South China Sea and the Southern Beaufort Sea. Based on the modelling and subsidence analysis, these two areas, SW South China Sea and southern Beaufort Sea, are compared with each other and the process of formation of hyper-extended crust in marginal oceanic basins can be conceptually modelled. It is noted that the initial weak thinning of the continental crust happened and the ductile middle/lower crust is coupled with the brittle upper crust. As extension continued, the continental crust is thinned down to ~10km, which is in accord with depth-dependent lithosphere thinning. Major crustal thinning is unlikely to result from brittle, high-angle normal fault in the upper crust. The degrees of lower crustal extension are so high and very high amounts of lower crustal extension, presumably achieved by ductile flow, would be required to have affected the crust within the COT. The seafloor spreading centre existed in the area adjacent to the research regions, so the extension within the COT occurred prior to the onset of seafloor spreading and the lower ductile flow is away from the continent and towards the oceanic crust. The interpretations require that the continental lithosphere prior to seafloor spreading must have been very weak given the evidence for significant lower crustal flow, inferred shallow depth of the brittle ductile transition and the fact that the COT continued to extend after the cessation of seafloor spreading.

No description available.

No description available.

Tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change is governed by internal dynamics (e.g. eyewall contraction, eyewall replacement cycles, interactions of the inner-core with the rainbands) and environmental conditions (e.g. vertical wind shear, moisture distribution, and surface properties). This study aims to gain a better understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for TC intensity changes with a particular focus to those related to the vertical wind shear and surface properties by using high resolution, full physics numerical simulations. First, the effects of the vertical wind shear on a rapidly intensifying storm and its subsequent weakening are examined. Second, a fully coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean model with a sea spray parameterization is used to study the impact of sea spray on the hurricane boundary layer. The coupled model consists of three components: the high resolution, non-hydrostatic, fifth generation Pennsylvania State University-NCAR mesoscale model (MM5), the NOAA/NCEPWAVEWATCH III (WW3) ocean surface wave model, and theWHOI threedimensional upper ocean circulation model (3DPWP). Sea spray parameterizations were developed at NOAA/ESRL and modified by the author to be introduced in uncoupled and coupled simulations. The model simulations are conducted in both uncoupled and coupled modes to isolate various physical processes influencing TC intensity. The very high-resolutionMM5 simulation of Hurricane Lili (at 0.5 km grid resolution) showed a rapid intensification associated with a contracting eyewall. Changes in both the magnitude and the direction of the vertical wind shear associated with an approaching upper-tropospheric trough were responsible for the weakening of the storm before landfall. Hurricane Lili weakened in a 5-10 m/s vertical wind shear environment. The simulated storm experienced wind shear direction normal to the storm motion, which produced a strong wavenumber one rainfall asymmetry in the downshear-left quadrant of the storm. The rainfall asymmetry was confirmed by various observations from the TRMM satellite and the WSR-88D ground radar in the coastal region. The increasing vertical wind shear induced a vertical tilt of the vortex with a time lag of about 5-6 hours after the wavenumber one rainfall asymmetry was first observed in the model simulation. Other key factors controlling intensity and intensity change in tropical cyclones are the air-sea fluxes. Accurate measurement and parameterization of air-sea fluxes under hurricane conditions are challenging. Although recent studies have shown that the momentum exchange coefficient levels off at high wind speed, little is known about the high wind behavior of the exchange coefficient for enthalpy flux. One of the largest uncertainties is the potential impact of sea spray. The current sea spray parameterizations are closely tied to wind speed and tend to overestimate the mediated heat fluxes by sea spray in the hurricane boundary layer. The sea spray generation depends not only on the wind speed but also on the variable wave state. A new spray parameterization based on the surface wave energy dissipation is introduced in the coupled model. In the coupled simulations, the wave energy dissipation is used to quantify the amount of wave breaking related to the generation of sea spray. The spray parameterization coupled to the waves may be an improvement compared to sea spray parameterizations that depends on wind speed only.

The seasonal pattern of ice motion in response to wind forcing and potential consequences to upwelling on the Mackenzie Shelf are considered using satellite-derived ice motion data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the NCEP 10 m wind data. The frequency of strong upwelling-favorable alongshore ice motion is high in early winter (November and December) compared to middle and late winter (January to May).For periods when the alongshore component of the wind is upwelling-favorable, the ratio of ice drift divided by wind speed on the Mackenzie Shelf is 0.024 in November and0.008 in March; we conjecture that this ratio decreases as winter progresses because the internal ice stress becomes stronger as both ice thickness and ice concentration increase. This constitutes a possible 10-fold decrease in the seasonal transmission of wind stress to the underlying water from November to March. This ratio in May (0.015) is higher than that in March. We suggest that it is because the internal ice stress becomes weaker as ice concentration decreases on the Mackenzie Shelf in May. Hence, under the same wind forcing, the potential for winter upwelling on Mackenzie Shelf may be enhanced if climate warming results in reduced ice thickness and/or ice concentration. Numerical model results show that the stress on the shelf could be reduced because of the internal ice stress from the pack ice over the deep ocean when the ice moves like a rigid body. We found that the model results are not realistic when the ice strength is 5,000 Nm-2. When the ice strength is 27,500 Nm-2, the model results are more realistic.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (p.117-142).