Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015
Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simula... more Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simulation and altimeter Observations, Deep-Sea Research I, http://dx.Abstract Satellite altimetry is routinely used to monitor Loop Current intrusion and eddy shedding in the Gulf of Mexico. Statistical estimates of the location and variability of the Loop Current vary significantly among published studies and it is not obvious whether these differences are caused by observational errors, different analysis methodologies, processing and gridding of altimeter data products, or the highly variable nature of the Loop Current system itself. This study analyzes the uncertainty of basic Loop Current statistical estimates derived from altimeter observations, i.e. the northern and western extent, the mean Loop Current eddy separation period, and the relationship between the Loop Current retreat latitude and eddy separation period. The robustness of these statistics is assessed using sea surface height data from a 1/25° free-running multidecadal numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model. A suite of sensitivity tests is performed to identify sources of uncertainty in the Loop Current statistics. The tests demonstrate that the Loop Current metrics from the altimeter fields are less sensitive to the choice of the reference sea surface height mean field or Loop Current front definition than to satellite sampling patterns. Analysis of the model and altimetry-derived sea surface height fields shows that the Loop Current variability changes between regimes of rapid and slow eddy formation cycles. This analysis leads to a discussion of the stationarity of the LC system. The mean separation period estimated from the altimeter fields for 1993-2010
An ocean and atmospheric modeling system is developed for the Florida Big Bend Region (BBR) in th... more An ocean and atmospheric modeling system is developed for the Florida Big Bend Region (BBR) in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico for interdisciplinary studies and support of a coastal observing system. The ocean modeling component consists of ROMS configured at 30 arcsec resolution nested within a 1/25° HYCOM Gulf of Mexico - Western Atlantic nowcast/forecast system. This methodology is employed
The public reporting burden for This collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per... more The public reporting burden for This collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Executive Services and Communications Directorate (0704-0188), Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
1] A new method is described for forcing regional ocean models with wind stress fields derived fr... more 1] A new method is described for forcing regional ocean models with wind stress fields derived from satellite scatterometer data. A variational technique is applied to produce regularly gridded surface wind (stress) fields in time and space using data from the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer aboard the QuikSCAT satellite. Three uniformly gridded wind stress products are produced with satellite scatterometer data for the Gulf of Mexico, one based solely on scatterometer data and the other two constrained to a background field derived from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. These, along with winds from the Eta-29 NWP model, are used to force a high-resolution ocean model of the Gulf of Mexico. The four wind products are compared to National Data Buoy Center in situ observations. Ocean model data are compared to coastal sea level stations and moored acoustic Doppler current profiler data over the West Florida Shelf. The results show that the satellite products capture much of the variability at atmospheric synoptic scales and show great promise for representing energetic episodic events such as tropical cyclones. The techniques presented in this work are applicable to improving numerical ocean simulations of inaccessible or data-sparse regions of the world. (2005), Remotely sensed winds for episodic forcing of ocean models,
This study investigates the characteristics of tides in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the response... more This study investigates the characteristics of tides in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the response to forcing by local tidal potential and tides propagating as waves through straits connecting this semienclosed sea to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Numerical simulations performed with the Navy Coastal Ocean Model run in a barotropic configuration with 1/60° horizontal resolution are used
The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per... more The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching exisling data sources, alliathing and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of Soirmaton, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Executive Services and Communications Directorate (0704-0188). Respondents should be aware tIbit notrtithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB cpnirol number.
1] The decadal variability of the convective activity in the Labrador Sea is investigated using 4... more 1] The decadal variability of the convective activity in the Labrador Sea is investigated using 43 years of model output from a prognostic coupled ice-ocean model that simulates both the Arctic and the North Atlantic Oceans. The fields of the surface density and the mixed-layer depth indicate that the center of the convective activity is located in western Labrador Sea. The decadal variations of the convective depth are controlled to large extent by the oceanic preconditioning associated with changes in subsurface stratification. The intensity of the convective mixing varies from year to year, depending upon how strong the isopycnal doming is at the preconditioning stage at the center of the convective region. The variations of the subsurface stratification seem to be related to the subsurface temperature changes. Convective activity in the Labrador Sea: Preconditioning associated with decadal variability in subsurface ocean stratification,
... The wave was amplified as the storm moved nearly parallel to the shelf and at comparable spee... more ... The wave was amplified as the storm moved nearly parallel to the shelf and at comparable speed to the wave phase speed. ... Citation: Morey, SL, S. Baig, MA Bourassa, DS Dukhovskoy, and JJ O'Brien (2006), Remote forcing contribution to storm-induced sea level rise during ...
Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) fisheries account for 41% of the U.S. marine recreational fish catch and 16... more Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) fisheries account for 41% of the U.S. marine recreational fish catch and 16% of the nation's marine commercial fish landings. Mercury (Hg) concentrations are elevated in some fish species in the Gulf, including king mackerel, sharks, and tilefish. All five Gulf states have fish consumption advisories based on Hg. Per-capita fish consumption in the Gulf region is elevated compared to the U.S. national average, and recreational fishers in the region have a potential for greater MeHg exposure due to higher levels of fish consumption. Atmospheric wet Hg deposition is estimated to be higher in the Gulf region compared to most other areas in the U.S., but the largest source of Hg to the Gulf as a whole is the Atlantic Ocean (>90%) via large flows associated with the Loop Current. Redistribution of atmospheric, Atlantic and terrestrial Hg inputs to the Gulf occurs via large scale water circulation patterns, and further work is needed to refine estimates of the relative importance of these Hg sources in terms of contributing to fish Hg levels in different regions of the Gulf. Measurements are…
A mass balance model of mercury (Hg) cycling and bioaccumulation was applied to the Gulf of Mexic... more A mass balance model of mercury (Hg) cycling and bioaccumulation was applied to the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), coupled with outputs from hydrodynamic and atmospheric Hg deposition models. The dominant overall source of Hg to the Gulf is the Atlantic Ocean. Gulf waters do not mix fully however, resulting in predicted spatial differences in the relative importance of external Hg sources to Hg levels in water, sediments and biota. Direct atmospheric Hg deposition, riverine inputs, and Atlantic inputs were each predicted to be the most important source of Hg to at least one of the modeled regions in the Gulf. While incomplete, mixing of Gulf waters is predicted to be sufficient that fish Hg levels in any given location are affected by Hg entering other regions of the Gulf. This suggests that a Gulf-wide approach is warranted to reduce Hg loading and elevated Hg concentrations currently observed in some fish species. Basic data to characterize Hg concentrations and cycling in the Gulf are lacking but needed to adequately understand the relationship between Hg sources and fish Hg concentrations.
A deficiency in regional to coastal scale ocean modeling is the availability of wind forcing prod... more A deficiency in regional to coastal scale ocean modeling is the availability of wind forcing products that accurately represent energetic weather systems. These tropical and extratropical storms have a profound impact on the upper ocean circulation, particularly in shallow regions. This research explores methods of using data from the Seawinds scatterometer aboard the QuikSCAT satellite to force a regional ocean model. A numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) is forced with three different wind data sets, the Eta-29 numerical weather prediction model, an objectively gridded scatterometer data set, and a hybrid of the two products. The ocean model solution over the West Florida Shelf (WFS) is compared to observations for the time period of August -September, 1999, which includes the passage of Tropical Storm Harvey. The WFS is chosen as a testbed for the study of the impacts of these wind products because it has been shown that the circulation in this region is dominantly controlled by the local wind stress . The model to data comparisons yield information about how the modeled ocean responds to the wind forcing. The results are used to evaluate a new approach to using winds measured from a polar orbiting satellite scatterometer to force regional or coastal ocean models.
Résumé/Abstract The seasonal variability of circulation on the continental shelves of the norther... more Résumé/Abstract The seasonal variability of circulation on the continental shelves of the northern and western Gulf of Mexico is explained using observational data and a high-resolution numerical model. It is shown that the primarily wind-driven circulation governs ...
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015
Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simula... more Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simulation and altimeter Observations, Deep-Sea Research I, http://dx.Abstract Satellite altimetry is routinely used to monitor Loop Current intrusion and eddy shedding in the Gulf of Mexico. Statistical estimates of the location and variability of the Loop Current vary significantly among published studies and it is not obvious whether these differences are caused by observational errors, different analysis methodologies, processing and gridding of altimeter data products, or the highly variable nature of the Loop Current system itself. This study analyzes the uncertainty of basic Loop Current statistical estimates derived from altimeter observations, i.e. the northern and western extent, the mean Loop Current eddy separation period, and the relationship between the Loop Current retreat latitude and eddy separation period. The robustness of these statistics is assessed using sea surface height data from a 1/25° free-running multidecadal numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model. A suite of sensitivity tests is performed to identify sources of uncertainty in the Loop Current statistics. The tests demonstrate that the Loop Current metrics from the altimeter fields are less sensitive to the choice of the reference sea surface height mean field or Loop Current front definition than to satellite sampling patterns. Analysis of the model and altimetry-derived sea surface height fields shows that the Loop Current variability changes between regimes of rapid and slow eddy formation cycles. This analysis leads to a discussion of the stationarity of the LC system. The mean separation period estimated from the altimeter fields for 1993-2010
Oceans 2003. Celebrating the Past ... Teaming Toward the Future (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37492), 2003
... E. Kvaleberg, S. L. Morey and J. J. O'Brien ... 4.3. 20 days into th... more ... E. Kvaleberg, S. L. Morey and J. J. O'Brien ... 4.3. 20 days into the model run, the initial small scale disturbances have grown to about 15-20 km, and they show a clear tendency for rapidly stretching offshore while curving southward. ...
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015
Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simula... more Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simulation and altimeter Observations, Deep-Sea Research I, http://dx.Abstract Satellite altimetry is routinely used to monitor Loop Current intrusion and eddy shedding in the Gulf of Mexico. Statistical estimates of the location and variability of the Loop Current vary significantly among published studies and it is not obvious whether these differences are caused by observational errors, different analysis methodologies, processing and gridding of altimeter data products, or the highly variable nature of the Loop Current system itself. This study analyzes the uncertainty of basic Loop Current statistical estimates derived from altimeter observations, i.e. the northern and western extent, the mean Loop Current eddy separation period, and the relationship between the Loop Current retreat latitude and eddy separation period. The robustness of these statistics is assessed using sea surface height data from a 1/25° free-running multidecadal numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model. A suite of sensitivity tests is performed to identify sources of uncertainty in the Loop Current statistics. The tests demonstrate that the Loop Current metrics from the altimeter fields are less sensitive to the choice of the reference sea surface height mean field or Loop Current front definition than to satellite sampling patterns. Analysis of the model and altimetry-derived sea surface height fields shows that the Loop Current variability changes between regimes of rapid and slow eddy formation cycles. This analysis leads to a discussion of the stationarity of the LC system. The mean separation period estimated from the altimeter fields for 1993-2010
An ocean and atmospheric modeling system is developed for the Florida Big Bend Region (BBR) in th... more An ocean and atmospheric modeling system is developed for the Florida Big Bend Region (BBR) in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico for interdisciplinary studies and support of a coastal observing system. The ocean modeling component consists of ROMS configured at 30 arcsec resolution nested within a 1/25° HYCOM Gulf of Mexico - Western Atlantic nowcast/forecast system. This methodology is employed
The public reporting burden for This collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per... more The public reporting burden for This collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Executive Services and Communications Directorate (0704-0188), Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
1] A new method is described for forcing regional ocean models with wind stress fields derived fr... more 1] A new method is described for forcing regional ocean models with wind stress fields derived from satellite scatterometer data. A variational technique is applied to produce regularly gridded surface wind (stress) fields in time and space using data from the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer aboard the QuikSCAT satellite. Three uniformly gridded wind stress products are produced with satellite scatterometer data for the Gulf of Mexico, one based solely on scatterometer data and the other two constrained to a background field derived from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. These, along with winds from the Eta-29 NWP model, are used to force a high-resolution ocean model of the Gulf of Mexico. The four wind products are compared to National Data Buoy Center in situ observations. Ocean model data are compared to coastal sea level stations and moored acoustic Doppler current profiler data over the West Florida Shelf. The results show that the satellite products capture much of the variability at atmospheric synoptic scales and show great promise for representing energetic episodic events such as tropical cyclones. The techniques presented in this work are applicable to improving numerical ocean simulations of inaccessible or data-sparse regions of the world. (2005), Remotely sensed winds for episodic forcing of ocean models,
This study investigates the characteristics of tides in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the response... more This study investigates the characteristics of tides in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the response to forcing by local tidal potential and tides propagating as waves through straits connecting this semienclosed sea to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Numerical simulations performed with the Navy Coastal Ocean Model run in a barotropic configuration with 1/60° horizontal resolution are used
The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per... more The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching exisling data sources, alliathing and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of Soirmaton, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Executive Services and Communications Directorate (0704-0188). Respondents should be aware tIbit notrtithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB cpnirol number.
1] The decadal variability of the convective activity in the Labrador Sea is investigated using 4... more 1] The decadal variability of the convective activity in the Labrador Sea is investigated using 43 years of model output from a prognostic coupled ice-ocean model that simulates both the Arctic and the North Atlantic Oceans. The fields of the surface density and the mixed-layer depth indicate that the center of the convective activity is located in western Labrador Sea. The decadal variations of the convective depth are controlled to large extent by the oceanic preconditioning associated with changes in subsurface stratification. The intensity of the convective mixing varies from year to year, depending upon how strong the isopycnal doming is at the preconditioning stage at the center of the convective region. The variations of the subsurface stratification seem to be related to the subsurface temperature changes. Convective activity in the Labrador Sea: Preconditioning associated with decadal variability in subsurface ocean stratification,
... The wave was amplified as the storm moved nearly parallel to the shelf and at comparable spee... more ... The wave was amplified as the storm moved nearly parallel to the shelf and at comparable speed to the wave phase speed. ... Citation: Morey, SL, S. Baig, MA Bourassa, DS Dukhovskoy, and JJ O'Brien (2006), Remote forcing contribution to storm-induced sea level rise during ...
Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) fisheries account for 41% of the U.S. marine recreational fish catch and 16... more Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) fisheries account for 41% of the U.S. marine recreational fish catch and 16% of the nation's marine commercial fish landings. Mercury (Hg) concentrations are elevated in some fish species in the Gulf, including king mackerel, sharks, and tilefish. All five Gulf states have fish consumption advisories based on Hg. Per-capita fish consumption in the Gulf region is elevated compared to the U.S. national average, and recreational fishers in the region have a potential for greater MeHg exposure due to higher levels of fish consumption. Atmospheric wet Hg deposition is estimated to be higher in the Gulf region compared to most other areas in the U.S., but the largest source of Hg to the Gulf as a whole is the Atlantic Ocean (>90%) via large flows associated with the Loop Current. Redistribution of atmospheric, Atlantic and terrestrial Hg inputs to the Gulf occurs via large scale water circulation patterns, and further work is needed to refine estimates of the relative importance of these Hg sources in terms of contributing to fish Hg levels in different regions of the Gulf. Measurements are…
A mass balance model of mercury (Hg) cycling and bioaccumulation was applied to the Gulf of Mexic... more A mass balance model of mercury (Hg) cycling and bioaccumulation was applied to the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), coupled with outputs from hydrodynamic and atmospheric Hg deposition models. The dominant overall source of Hg to the Gulf is the Atlantic Ocean. Gulf waters do not mix fully however, resulting in predicted spatial differences in the relative importance of external Hg sources to Hg levels in water, sediments and biota. Direct atmospheric Hg deposition, riverine inputs, and Atlantic inputs were each predicted to be the most important source of Hg to at least one of the modeled regions in the Gulf. While incomplete, mixing of Gulf waters is predicted to be sufficient that fish Hg levels in any given location are affected by Hg entering other regions of the Gulf. This suggests that a Gulf-wide approach is warranted to reduce Hg loading and elevated Hg concentrations currently observed in some fish species. Basic data to characterize Hg concentrations and cycling in the Gulf are lacking but needed to adequately understand the relationship between Hg sources and fish Hg concentrations.
A deficiency in regional to coastal scale ocean modeling is the availability of wind forcing prod... more A deficiency in regional to coastal scale ocean modeling is the availability of wind forcing products that accurately represent energetic weather systems. These tropical and extratropical storms have a profound impact on the upper ocean circulation, particularly in shallow regions. This research explores methods of using data from the Seawinds scatterometer aboard the QuikSCAT satellite to force a regional ocean model. A numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) is forced with three different wind data sets, the Eta-29 numerical weather prediction model, an objectively gridded scatterometer data set, and a hybrid of the two products. The ocean model solution over the West Florida Shelf (WFS) is compared to observations for the time period of August -September, 1999, which includes the passage of Tropical Storm Harvey. The WFS is chosen as a testbed for the study of the impacts of these wind products because it has been shown that the circulation in this region is dominantly controlled by the local wind stress . The model to data comparisons yield information about how the modeled ocean responds to the wind forcing. The results are used to evaluate a new approach to using winds measured from a polar orbiting satellite scatterometer to force regional or coastal ocean models.
Résumé/Abstract The seasonal variability of circulation on the continental shelves of the norther... more Résumé/Abstract The seasonal variability of circulation on the continental shelves of the northern and western Gulf of Mexico is explained using observational data and a high-resolution numerical model. It is shown that the primarily wind-driven circulation governs ...
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015
Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simula... more Characterization of the uncertainty of loop current Metrics using a multidecadal numerical simulation and altimeter Observations, Deep-Sea Research I, http://dx.Abstract Satellite altimetry is routinely used to monitor Loop Current intrusion and eddy shedding in the Gulf of Mexico. Statistical estimates of the location and variability of the Loop Current vary significantly among published studies and it is not obvious whether these differences are caused by observational errors, different analysis methodologies, processing and gridding of altimeter data products, or the highly variable nature of the Loop Current system itself. This study analyzes the uncertainty of basic Loop Current statistical estimates derived from altimeter observations, i.e. the northern and western extent, the mean Loop Current eddy separation period, and the relationship between the Loop Current retreat latitude and eddy separation period. The robustness of these statistics is assessed using sea surface height data from a 1/25° free-running multidecadal numerical simulation of the Gulf of Mexico HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model. A suite of sensitivity tests is performed to identify sources of uncertainty in the Loop Current statistics. The tests demonstrate that the Loop Current metrics from the altimeter fields are less sensitive to the choice of the reference sea surface height mean field or Loop Current front definition than to satellite sampling patterns. Analysis of the model and altimetry-derived sea surface height fields shows that the Loop Current variability changes between regimes of rapid and slow eddy formation cycles. This analysis leads to a discussion of the stationarity of the LC system. The mean separation period estimated from the altimeter fields for 1993-2010
Oceans 2003. Celebrating the Past ... Teaming Toward the Future (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37492), 2003
... E. Kvaleberg, S. L. Morey and J. J. O'Brien ... 4.3. 20 days into th... more ... E. Kvaleberg, S. L. Morey and J. J. O'Brien ... 4.3. 20 days into the model run, the initial small scale disturbances have grown to about 15-20 km, and they show a clear tendency for rapidly stretching offshore while curving southward. ...
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Papers by Steven Morey