Phillips Helen E.

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Phillips
First Name
Helen E.
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0000-0002-2941-7577

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The scientific and societal uses of global measurements of subsurface velocity

2019-07-24 , Szuts, Zoltan B. , Bower, Amy S. , Donohue, Kathleen A. , Girton, James B. , Hummon, Julia M. , Katsumata, Katsuro , Lumpkin, Rick , Ortner, Peter B. , Phillips, Helen E. , Rossby, H. Thomas , Shay, Lynn Keith , Sun, Charles , Todd, Robert E.

Ocean velocity defines ocean circulation, yet the available observations of subsurface velocity are under-utilized by society. The first step to address these concerns is to improve visibility of and access to existing measurements, which include acoustic sampling from ships, subsurface float drifts, and measurements from autonomous vehicles. While multiple programs provide data publicly, the present difficulty in finding, understanding, and using these data hinder broader use by managers, the public, and other scientists. Creating links from centralized national archives to project specific websites is an easy but important way to improve data discoverability and access. A further step is to archive data in centralized databases, which increases usage by providing a common framework for disparate measurements. This requires consistent data standards and processing protocols for all types of velocity measurements. Central dissemination will also simplify the creation of derived products tailored to end user goals. Eventually, this common framework will aid managers and scientists in identifying regions that need more sampling and in identifying methods to fulfill those demands. Existing technologies are capable of improving spatial and temporal sampling, such as using ships of opportunity or from autonomous platforms like gliders, profiling floats, or Lagrangian floats. Future technological advances are needed to fill sampling gaps and increase data coverage.

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Near-surface salinity reveals the oceanic sources of moisture for Australian precipitation through atmospheric moisture transport

2020-07-01 , Rathore, Saurabh , Bindoff, Nathaniel L. , Ummenhofer, Caroline C. , Phillips, Helen E. , Feng, Ming

The long-term trend of sea surface salinity (SSS) reveals an intensification of the global hydrological cycle due to human-induced climate change. This study demonstrates that SSS variability can also be used as a measure of terrestrial precipitation on interseasonal to interannual time scales, and to locate the source of moisture. Seasonal composites during El Niño–Southern Oscillation/Indian Ocean dipole (ENSO/IOD) events are used to understand the variations of moisture transport and precipitation over Australia, and their association with SSS variability. As ENSO/IOD events evolve, patterns of positive or negative SSS anomaly emerge in the Indo-Pacific warm pool region and are accompanied by atmospheric moisture transport anomalies toward Australia. During co-occurring La Niña and negative IOD events, salty anomalies around the Maritime Continent (north of Australia) indicate freshwater export and are associated with a significant moisture transport that converges over Australia to create anomalous wet conditions. In contrast, during co-occurring El Niño and positive IOD events, a moisture transport divergence anomaly over Australia results in anomalous dry conditions. The relationship between SSS and atmospheric moisture transport also holds for pure ENSO/IOD events but varies in magnitude and spatial pattern. The significant pattern correlation between the moisture flux divergence and SSS anomaly during the ENSO/IOD events highlights the associated ocean–atmosphere coupling. A case study of the extreme hydroclimatic events of Australia (e.g., the 2010/11 Brisbane flood) demonstrates that the changes in SSS occur before the peak of ENSO/IOD events. This raises the prospect that tracking of SSS variability could aid the prediction of Australian rainfall.

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Bermuda’s tale of two time series : Hydrostation S and BATS

2007-03 , Phillips, Helen E. , Joyce, Terrence M.

This paper describes the oceanic variability at Bermuda between 1989 and 1999, recorded in two overlapping hydrographic time series. Station S and Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Study (BATS), which are 60 km apart, both show that a multidecadal trend of deep warming has reversed, likely as a result of the increased production of Labrador Sea Water since the early 1980s. In addition to recording similar changes in watermass properties, the two time series show similar mean vertical structure and variance as a function of pressure for temperature, salinity, and density above 1500 dbar. The seasonal cycles of these water properties at the two sites are statistically indistinguishable. The time series differ in the individual eddy events they record and in their variability below 1500 dbar. The two time series are used to investigate the propagation of eddy features. Coherence and phase calculated from the low-mode variability of density show westward propagation at 3 cm s−1 of wavelengths around 300–500 km. Satellite altimeter data are used to provide a broader spatial view of the eddy (or wave) field near Bermuda.

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Global perspectives on observing ocean boundary current systems

2019-08-08 , Todd, Robert E. , Chavez, Francisco P. , Clayton, Sophie A. , Cravatte, Sophie , Goes, Marlos Pereira , Graco, Michelle , Lin, Xiaopei , Sprintall, Janet , Zilberman, Nathalie , Archer, Matthew , Arístegui, Javier , Balmaseda, Magdalena A. , Bane, John M. , Baringer, Molly O. , Barth, John A. , Beal, Lisa M. , Brandt, Peter , Calil, Paulo H. R. , Campos, Edmo , Centurioni, Luca R. , Chidichimo, Maria Paz , Cirano, Mauro , Cronin, Meghan F. , Curchitser, Enrique N. , Davis, Russ E. , Dengler, Marcus , deYoung, Brad , Dong, Shenfu , Escribano, Ruben , Fassbender, Andrea , Fawcett, Sarah E. , Feng, Ming , Goni, Gustavo J. , Gray, Alison R. , Gutiérrez, Dimitri , Hebert, Dave , Hummels, Rebecca , Ito, Shin-ichi , Krug, Marjolaine , Lacan, Francois , Laurindo, Lucas , Lazar, Alban , Lee, Craig M. , Lengaigne, Matthieu , Levine, Naomi M. , Middleton, John , Montes, Ivonne , Muglia, Michael , Nagai, Takeyoshi , Palevsky, Hilary I. , Palter, Jaime B. , Phillips, Helen E. , Piola, Alberto R. , Plueddemann, Albert J. , Qiu, Bo , Rodrigues, Regina , Roughan, Moninya , Rudnick, Daniel L. , Rykaczewski, Ryan R. , Saraceno, Martin , Seim, Harvey E. , Sen Gupta, Alexander , Shannon, Lynne , Sloyan, Bernadette M. , Sutton, Adrienne J. , Thompson, LuAnne , van der Plas, Anja K. , Volkov, Denis L. , Wilkin, John L. , Zhang, Dongxiao , Zhang, Linlin

Ocean boundary current systems are key components of the climate system, are home to highly productive ecosystems, and have numerous societal impacts. Establishment of a global network of boundary current observing systems is a critical part of ongoing development of the Global Ocean Observing System. The characteristics of boundary current systems are reviewed, focusing on scientific and societal motivations for sustained observing. Techniques currently used to observe boundary current systems are reviewed, followed by a census of the current state of boundary current observing systems globally. The next steps in the development of boundary current observing systems are considered, leading to several specific recommendations.

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Mixing variability in the Southern Ocean

2015-04 , Meyer, Amelie , Sloyan, Bernadette M. , Polzin, Kurt L. , Phillips, Helen E. , Bindoff, Nathaniel L.

A key remaining challenge in oceanography is the understanding and parameterization of small-scale mixing. Evidence suggests that topographic features play a significant role in enhancing mixing in the Southern Ocean. This study uses 914 high-resolution hydrographic profiles from novel EM-APEX profiling floats to investigate turbulent mixing north of the Kerguelen Plateau, a major topographic feature in the Southern Ocean. A shear–strain finescale parameterization is applied to estimate diapycnal diffusivity in the upper 1600 m of the ocean. The indirect estimates of mixing match direct microstructure profiler observations made simultaneously. It is found that mixing intensities have strong spatial and temporal variability, ranging from O(10−6) to O(10−3) m2 s−1. This study identifies topographic roughness, current speed, and wind speed as the main factors controlling mixing intensity. Additionally, the authors find strong regional variability in mixing dynamics and enhanced mixing in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current frontal region. This enhanced mixing is attributed to dissipating internal waves generated by the interaction of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the topography of the Kerguelen Plateau. Extending the mixing observations from the Kerguelen region to the entire Southern Ocean, this study infers a large water mass transformation rate of 17 Sverdrups (Sv; 1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) across the boundary of Antarctic Intermediate Water and Upper Circumpolar Deep Water in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This work suggests that the contribution of mixing to the Southern Ocean overturning circulation budget is particularly significant in fronts.

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Turbulent mixing variability in an energetic standing meander of the Southern Ocean

2022-07-21 , Cyriac, Ajitha , Phillips, Helen E. , Bindoff, Nathaniel L. , Polzin, Kurt L.

This study presents novel observational estimates of turbulent dissipation and mixing in a standing meander between the Southeast Indian Ridge and the Macquarie Ridge in the Southern Ocean. By applying a finescale parameterization on the temperature, salinity, and velocity profiles collected from Electromagnetic Autonomous Profiling Explorer (EM-APEX) floats in the upper 1600 m, we estimated the intensity and spatial distribution of dissipation rate and diapycnal mixing along the float tracks and investigated the sources. The indirect estimates indicate strong spatial and temporal variability of turbulent mixing varying from O(10−6) to O(10−3) m2 s−1 in the upper 1600 m. Elevated turbulent mixing is mostly associated with the Subantarctic Front (SAF) and mesoscale eddies. In the upper 500 m, enhanced mixing is associated with downward-propagating wind-generated near-inertial waves as well as the interaction between cyclonic eddies and upward-propagating internal waves. In the study region, the local topography does not play a role in turbulent mixing in the upper part of the water column, which has similar values in profiles over rough and smooth topography. However, both remotely generated internal tides and lee waves could contribute to the upward-propagating energy. Our results point strongly to the generation of turbulent mixing through the interaction of internal waves and the intense mesoscale eddy field.

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Internal waves and mixing near the Kerguelen Plateau

2015-12-07 , Meyer, Amelie , Polzin, Kurt L. , Sloyan, Bernadette M. , Phillips, Helen E.

In the stratified ocean, turbulent mixing is primarily attributed to the breaking of internal waves. As such, internal waves provide a link between large-scale forcing and small-scale mixing. The internal wave field north of the Kerguelen Plateau is characterized using 914 high-resolution hydrographic profiles from novel Electromagnetic Autonomous Profiling Explorer (EM-APEX) floats. Altogether, 46 coherent features are identified in the EM-APEX velocity profiles and interpreted in terms of internal wave kinematics. The large number of internal waves analyzed provides a quantitative framework for characterizing spatial variations in the internal wave field and for resolving generation versus propagation dynamics. Internal waves observed near the Kerguelen Plateau have a mean vertical wavelength of 200 m, a mean horizontal wavelength of 15 km, a mean period of 16 h, and a mean horizontal group velocity of 3 cm s−1. The internal wave characteristics are dependent on regional dynamics, suggesting that different generation mechanisms of internal waves dominate in different dynamical zones. The wave fields in the Subantarctic/Subtropical Front and the Polar Front Zone are influenced by the local small-scale topography and flow strength. The eddy-wave field is influenced by the large-scale flow structure, while the internal wave field in the Subantarctic Zone is controlled by atmospheric forcing. More importantly, the local generation of internal waves not only drives large-scale dissipation in the frontal region but also downstream from the plateau. Some internal waves in the frontal region are advected away from the plateau, contributing to mixing and stratification budgets elsewhere.

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Interannual variability of the South Indian Countercurrent

2016-05-26 , Menezes, Viviane V. , Phillips, Helen E. , Vianna, Marcio L. , Bindoff, Nathaniel L.

In the present work, we investigate the interannual variability of the South Indian Countercurrent (SICC), a major and still understudied current of the Indian Ocean circulation. To characterize the interannual variability of the SICC, four different data sets (altimetry, GLORYS, OFAM3, and SODA) are analyzed using multiple tools, which include Singular Spectrum Analysis and wavelet methods. The quasi-biennial band dominates the SICC low-frequency variance, with the main peak in the 1.5–1.8 year interval. A secondary peak (2.1–2.5 year) is only found in the western basin. Interannual and decadal-type modulations of the quasi-biennial signal are also identified. In addition, limitations of SODA before the 1960s in the SICC region are revealed. Within the quasi-biennial band, the SICC system presents two main patterns with a multiple jet structure. One pattern is characterized by a robust northern jet, while in the other the central jet is well developed and northern jet is weaker. In both patterns, the southern jet has always a strong signature. When the northern SICC jet is stronger, the northern cell of the subtropical gyre has a triangular shape, with its southern limb having a strong equatorward slant. The quasi-biennial variability of the SICC is probably related to the Indian Ocean tropical climate modes that are known to have a strong biennial characteristic.

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Improving Australian rainfall prediction using sea surface salinity

2021-03-01 , Rathore, Saurabh , Bindoff, Nathaniel L. , Ummenhofer, Caroline C. , Phillips, Helen E. , Feng, Ming , Mishra, Mayank

This study uses sea surface salinity (SSS) as an additional precursor for improving the prediction of summer [December–February (DJF)] rainfall over northeastern Australia. From a singular value decomposition between SSS of prior seasons and DJF rainfall, we note that SSS of the Indo-Pacific warm pool region [SSSP (150°E–165°W and 10°S–10°N) and SSSI (50°–95°E and 10°S–10°N)] covaries with Australian rainfall, particularly in the northeast region. Composite analysis that is based on high or low SSS events in the SSSP and SSSI regions is performed to understand the physical links between the SSS and the atmospheric moisture originating from the regions of anomalously high or low, respectively, SSS and precipitation over Australia. The composites show the signature of co-occurring La Niña and negative Indian Ocean dipole with anomalously wet conditions over Australia and conversely show the signature of co-occurring El Niño and positive Indian Ocean dipole with anomalously dry conditions there. During the high SSS events of the SSSP and SSSI regions, the convergence of incoming moisture flux results in anomalously wet conditions over Australia with a positive soil moisture anomaly. Conversely, during the low SSS events of the SSSP and SSSI regions, the divergence of incoming moisture flux results in anomalously dry conditions over Australia with a negative soil moisture anomaly. We show from the random-forest regression analysis that the local soil moisture, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and SSSP are the most important precursors for the northeast Australian rainfall whereas for the Brisbane region ENSO, SSSP, and the Indian Ocean dipole are the most important. The prediction of Australian rainfall using random-forest regression shows an improvement by including SSS from the prior season. This evidence suggests that sustained observations of SSS can improve the monitoring of the Australian regional hydrological cycle.

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Detecting change in the Indonesian Seas

2019-06-04 , Sprintall, Janet , Gordon, Arnold L. , Wijffels, Susan E. , Feng, Ming , Hu, Shijian , Koch-Larrouy, Ariane , Phillips, Helen E. , Nugroho, Dwiyoga , Napitu, Asmi , Pujiana, Kandaga , Susanto, R. Dwi , Sloyan, Bernadette M. , Yuan, Dongliang , Riama, Nelly Florida , Siswanto, Siswanto , Kuswardani, Anastasia , Arifin, Zainal , Wahyudi, A’an J. , Zhou, Hui , Nagai, Taira , Ansong, Joseph , Bourdalle-Badié, Romain , Chanut, Jerome , Lyard, Florent , Arbic, Brian K. , Ramdhani, Andri , Setiawan, Agus

The Indonesian seas play a fundamental role in the coupled ocean and climate system with the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) providing the only tropical pathway connecting the global oceans. Pacific warm pool waters passing through the Indonesian seas are cooled and freshened by strong air-sea fluxes and mixing from internal tides to form a unique water mass that can be tracked across the Indian Ocean basin and beyond. The Indonesian seas lie at the climatological center of the atmospheric deep convection associated with the ascending branch of the Walker Circulation. Regional SST variations cause changes in the surface winds that can shift the center of atmospheric deep convection, subsequently altering the precipitation and ocean circulation patterns within the entire Indo-Pacific region. Recent multi-decadal changes in the wind and buoyancy forcing over the tropical Indo-Pacific have directly affected the vertical profile, strength, and the heat and freshwater transports of the ITF. These changes influence the large-scale sea level, SST, precipitation and wind patterns. Observing long-term changes in mass, heat and freshwater within the Indonesian seas is central to understanding the variability and predictability of the global coupled climate system. Although substantial progress has been made over the past decade in measuring and modeling the physical and biogeochemical variability within the Indonesian seas, large uncertainties remain. A comprehensive strategy is needed for measuring the temporal and spatial scales of variability that govern the various water mass transport streams of the ITF, its connection with the circulation and heat and freshwater inventories and associated air-sea fluxes of the regional and global oceans. This white paper puts forward the design of an observational array using multi-platforms combined with high-resolution models aimed at increasing our quantitative understanding of water mass transformation rates and advection within the Indonesian seas and their impacts on the air-sea climate system. Introduction

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Progress in understanding of Indian Ocean circulation, variability, air-sea exchange, and impacts on biogeochemistry

2021-11-26 , Phillips, Helen E. , Tandon, Amit , Furue, Ryo , Hood, Raleigh R. , Ummenhofer, Caroline C. , Benthuysen, Jessica A. , Menezes, Viviane V. , Hu, Shijian , Webber, Ben , Sanchez-Franks, Alejandra , Cherian, Deepak A. , Shroyer, Emily L. , Feng, Ming , Wijesekera, Hemantha W. , Chatterjee, Abhisek , Yu, Lisan , Hermes, Juliet , Murtugudde, Raghu , Tozuka, Tomoki , Su, Danielle , Singh, Arvind , Centurioni, Luca R. , Prakash, Satya , Wiggert, Jerry D.

Over the past decade, our understanding of the Indian Ocean has advanced through concerted efforts toward measuring the ocean circulation and air–sea exchanges, detecting changes in water masses, and linking physical processes to ecologically important variables. New circulation pathways and mechanisms have been discovered that control atmospheric and oceanic mean state and variability. This review brings together new understanding of the ocean–atmosphere system in the Indian Ocean since the last comprehensive review, describing the Indian Ocean circulation patterns, air–sea interactions, and climate variability. Coordinated international focus on the Indian Ocean has motivated the application of new technologies to deliver higher-resolution observations and models of Indian Ocean processes. As a result we are discovering the importance of small-scale processes in setting the large-scale gradients and circulation, interactions between physical and biogeochemical processes, interactions between boundary currents and the interior, and interactions between the surface and the deep ocean. A newly discovered regional climate mode in the southeast Indian Ocean, the Ningaloo Niño, has instigated more regional air–sea coupling and marine heatwave research in the global oceans. In the last decade, we have seen rapid warming of the Indian Ocean overlaid with extremes in the form of marine heatwaves. These events have motivated studies that have delivered new insight into the variability in ocean heat content and exchanges in the Indian Ocean and have highlighted the critical role of the Indian Ocean as a clearing house for anthropogenic heat. This synthesis paper reviews the advances in these areas in the last decade.

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