An offshore eddy in the California current system Part I: Interior dynamics

From January 9 to 17, 1981, detailed observations of the horizontal and vertical structure beneath one of the quasi-permanent semi-stationary mesoscale offshore eddy signatures in the California Current System (CCS) discussed by Bernstein, Breaker and Whritner (1977), Burkov and Pavlova (1980), and Simpson (1982) were made. The vertical sections of temperature and density show the presence of three-layer system. A subsurface warm-core eddy, whose diameter is about 150 km at the 7°C isotherm, is the dominant feature. A warm surface layer, which extends to a depth of 75 m, lies over the eddy. Between the warm surface layer and the subsurface warm-core eddy, there is a cold-core region which extends to a depth of about 200 m. There is a high degree of symmetry about the vertical axis of rotation. Vertical sections of salinity and dissolved oxygen are entirely different from sections of temperature and density. Diagrams of water mass characteristics confirm that the core of the eddy, found between 250–600 m, consists of inshore water from the California Undercurrent (CU). Below about 700 m, local waters from the Deep Poleward Flow (DPF) have been incorporated into the eddy. The observed distributions of properties (T, S, δ_θ, O₂) are inconsistent with a single, local generation process for the eddy system. Radial distributions of angular velocity, normalized gradient velocity and relative vorticity support the use of a Gaussian radial height field as an initial condition in eddy models. Possible reasons why CCS eddies may differ dynamically from Gulf Stream rings are given in the text. At the time the observations were made, the system as a whole was in near geostrophic balance. Local geostrophic balance, however, cannot explain the observed distribution of properties and structure. The observed symmetry in the structure of the eddy system, chemical evidence (Simpson, 1984), biological distributions (Haury, 1984) and satellite images of the CC (Koblinsky, Simpson and Dickey, 1984) suggest that lateral entrainment of warm (oceanic) and cold (coastal) water into the upper two layers of the three-layer system by the subsurface eddy is a likely generation mechanism for the cold-core region. The coastal origin of the frontal structure along the northeastern quadrant and the oceanic origin of the frontal structure along the southwestern quadrant of the eddy system further support lateral entrainment as a generation mechanism for the cold core. This entrainment makes the CCS eddy system different from cold-core rings in the Gulf Stream and rather similar to some warm-core eddies found in the East Australian Current. The presence of CU water in the core of this eddy raises the question of how CU water was transported from the continental slope. Eddy generation mechanisms, other than baroclinic instability of the CC, may be required to explain the distribution, persistence, and core composition of offshore mesoscale eddies in the CCS. There is evidence that barotropic, in addition to baroclinic, processes may be important.     

An offshore eddy in the California current system part III: Chemical structure

From January 9 to 17, 1981, detailed physical, chemical and biological measurements were made through the historical surface signature (Berstein, Breaker and Whritner, 1977; Burkov and Pavlova, 1980; Simpson, 1982) of a warm-core eddy in the California Current System. The data show a three-layer system: surface layer to 75 m, intermediate cold-core region to about 200 m, and the physically dominant subsurface warm-core eddy to about 1400 m. The chemical structure simultaneously possesses characteristics of both warm- and cold-core eddies. This structure results from a complex interplay among non-local eddy generation processes at the time the three-layer system was formed and a continuous set of interactions within the three-layer system, both inshore (cold) and offshore (warm) waters of the California Current and coastal and local biological processes (e.g. this California Current System eddy is $\text{not}$ an isolated structure like some Gulf Stream rings). The dominant biological/chemical process in the euphotic zone is phytoplankton photosynthesis; photosynthetic alteration of the chemical structure below 100 m is much reduced. The effects of heterotrophic activity on the deeper-lying chemical structure, however are not as significant as those of autotrophs on the chemical structure of the euphotic zone. Hence, below 100 m, the distribution and structure of chemical properties is controlled primarily by physical processes. The continuous set of interactions of the three-layer system with coastal and oceanic waters of the California Current make this offshore eddy in the California Current System fundamentally different chemically and biologically from cold-core Gulf Stream rings and rather similar to some of the warm-core eddies found in the East Australian Current.     

Mixing and biological production at eddy margins in the eastern Gulf of Alaska

We performed a multi-day shipboard experiment in June 2001 to test whether combining water from within an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy in the eastern Gulf of Alaska with water from outside could result in enhanced phytoplankton growth and to determine how mixing might influence planktonic assemblages. Initially, the eddy had lower standing stocks of algal pigments (chlorophyll a [chl a] and accessory pigments), nutrients, phytoplankton, and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen compared to waters outside of the eddy. The eddy possessed a greater diversity and abundance of coastal diatoms while the outside waters had a greater proportion of oceanic species, including the endemic pennate diatom, Nitzschia cylindroformis. After one week of incubation, rates of primary production were significantly higher in the mixed water compared to both the eddy and outside treatments. Pigment concentrations (except chl c₃, alloxanthin, and zeaxanthin) and the proportion of large diatoms (mainly Pseudo-nitzschia spp.) and heterotrophic dinoflagellates were greater in the mixed water than would be expected from the simple combination of inside and outside waters. Nutrient limitation (most likely by trace metals) appeared to be less severe in the mixed water. Chl a was enhanced in the mixed water, particularly when compared to the eddy water. The mixing of eddy and outside water masses stimulated primary production by ∼20%, but more importantly, the mixing resulted in a distinct planktonic assemblage. The biomass enrichment was short-lived, indicating that the maintenance of elevated chl a would require further mixing events in a physical setting that also permits an accumulation of biomass. We note that submesoscale processes, including the intensification of ageostrophic circulation that elicits strong vertical mixing in the presence of strain, might explain observed patterns of high phytoplankton standing stocks at the inner edges of Haida eddies in the field.     

Characteristic ichthyoplankton taxa in the separation zone of the East Australian Current: Larval assemblages as tracers of coastal mixing

Ichthyoplankton assemblages were compared between regions dominated by the oligotrophic East Australian Current (EAC) and the inner-shelf waters off southeastern Australia, to determine if the early life history of fish was related to the separation of the EAC from the coast, producing different water masses as well as characteristic taxa. Samples were collected at the surface and in sub-surface waters, at 50 and 100 m isobath stations, during two summer research voyages in November 1998 and January 1999. On both voyages the study region was characterized by coastal and EAC waters in the north (∼31°S), and in the south by topographically induced upwelling (∼31°S), associated with narrowing of the continental shelf and separation of the EAC from the coast. Among the 111 families of larval fish, we observed distinctive assemblages of ichthyoplankton associated with the two different water masses. A greater abundance of the Carangidae, Labridae, Lutjanidae, Microcanthidae, Myctophidae and Scombridae was associated with the nutrient poor EAC water mass, while the Callionymidae, Clupeidae, Platycephalidae and Sillaginidae were mostly found in the cooler and/or fresher inner-shelf water mass. We assessed these patterns with opportunistic samples from an unusual, wind-driven upwelling event in the north (∼31°S) earlier in the November voyage. The relative abundance of these 10 characteristic families distinguished this wind-driven upwelling event from the subsequent relaxation and predominance of the EAC assemblage at this location just 6 d later. Distinctive and abundant families such as larval clupeids, relative to larval carangids, could be a useful marker of inner-shelf, EAC and mixed water masses in the absence of robust hydrographic data. This and related studies indicate contrast in early life histories of Sardinops sagax and Trachurus spp., which appear to spawn respectively in the inner-shelf and outer-shelf waters. The post-flexion stages of S. sagax predominate in the outer-shelf and Tasman Front, while post-flexion Trachurus spp. predominate in inner-shelf water masses.     

Microbial dynamics in cyclonic and anticyclonic mode-water eddies in the northwestern Sargasso Sea

The EDdy Dynamics, mixing, Export, and Species composition (EDDIES) project provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the response of the microbial community and further understand the biological and biogeochemical consequences of mesoscale perturbation events in an oligotrophic system. In order to characterize microbial dynamics, we performed measurements of bacterial biomass (BB) and production (BP) and phytoplankton pigment analyses in two upwelling eddies in the Sargasso Sea sampled in 2004 and 2005. We also observed a 3-fold increase in BP at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site during the passage of a cyclonic eddy in 2003. Although the integrated BB and BP over 140 m in 2004 and 2005 eddies remained within the climatological range measured at the BATS site, there was systematic variability in bacterioplankton dynamics across both eddies. Cyclonic eddy C1 demonstrated decreased BP at the feature's center relative to its periphery, and BP was not correlated with total chlorophyll a (TChl a) variability. However, BP correlated with prymnesiophyte pigments throughout the feature. In contrast, mode-water eddy A4 showed an enhancement in BP at the eddy center (EC) relative to its edges and was coincident with elevated TChl a, high primary production measurements, and a high concentration of diatoms. In eddy A4, the tight relationship between enhanced BP, TChl a and specific phytoplankton taxa implies that the phytoplankton community structure was an important factor influencing BP variability. While the heterotrophic bacterial response in C1 and A4 was not enhanced relative to BATS summer climatology, these data and the presence of similar nutrient fields across both eddies suggest that BP and BB were influenced by the eddy perturbations and responded to changes in the phytoplankton community.     

Mesoscale distribution of larval Euphausia similis in various water masses of the East Australian Current

Larval Euphausia similis were collected off temperate eastern Australia in spring 2004 and 2006 to evaluate the relationships between larval populations, mesoscale oceanographic variability, and the wider planktonic community. Larval E. similis were present in greater numbers in the East Australian Current (EAC) relative to productive coastal waters. Larval E. similis density was homogenous across the EAC—Tasman Sea frontal region, but larvae were smaller in the Tasman Sea. Larval E. similis density was not enhanced within a cold core eddy relative to the surrounding EAC. We observed a negative correlation between larval E. similis density and larval fish density, and a weak positive correlation with fluorescence. Evaluation of a significant fish density×fluorescence interaction term showed that the effect of fish density was reduced at high fluorescence values. Analysis of normalized biomass size spectrum (NBSS) provided evidence for potential competitive exclusion of copepods by krill. Data presented in this study suggest a predatory influence on surface E. similis populations by mesopelagic larval fish. The degree of predation appears to be dependent on food availability, potentially mediated by changes in the physiological condition of krill.     

Plankton distribution associated with frontal zones in the vicinity of the Pribilof Islands

We studied the effect of four types of fronts, the coastal front, the middle front, the shelf partition front and the shelf break front on the quantitative distribution and the composition of plankton communities in the Pribilof area of the eastern Bering Sea shelf in late spring and summer of 1993 and 1994. The coastal fronts near St. Paul and St. George Islands and the coastal domains encircled by the fronts featured specific taxonomic composition of planktonic algae, high abundance and production of phytoplankton, as well as large numbers of heterotrophic nanoplankton. The coastal fronts also were characterized by high values of total mesozooplankton biomass, high concentrations of Calanus marshallae, as well as relatively high abundances of Parasagitta setosa and Euphausiacea compared to surrounding shelf waters. We hypothesize that wind-induced erosion of a weak thermocline in the inner part of the coastal front as well as transfrontal water exchange in subthermocline layers result in nutrient enrichment of the euphotic layer in the coastal fronts and coastal domains in summer time. This leads to prolonged high primary production and high phytoplankton biomass. In this paper a new type of front—the shelf partition front located 45–55 km to the north-east off St. Paul Island—is described, which is assumed to be formed by the flux of oceanic domain waters onto the shelf. This front features a high abundance of phytoplankton and a high level of primary production compared to the adjacent middle shelf. Near the southwestern periphery of the front a mesozooplankton peak occurred, composed of C. marshallae, with biomass in the subthermocline layer, reaching values typical for the shelf break front and the highest for the area. High abundance of phyto- and zooplankton as well as heterotrophic nanoplankton and elevated primary production were most often observed in the area adjacent to the shelf break front at its oceanic side. The phyto- and mesozooplankton peaks here were formed by oceanic community species. The summer levels of phytoplankton numbers, biomass and primary production in the shelf break frontal area were similar to those reported for the outer and middle shelf during the spring bloom and the coastal domains and coastal fronts in summer. In the environment with a narrow shelf to the south of St. George Island, the mesozooplankton peak was observed at the inner side of the shelf break front as close as 20 km from the island shore and was comprised of a “mixed” community of shelf and oceanic species. The biomass in the peak reached the highest values for the Pribilof area at 2.5 g mean wet weight m⁻³ in the 0–100 m layer. Details of the taxonomic composition and the numbers and production of phytoplankton hint at the similarity of processes that affect the phytoplankton summer community in the coastal domains of the islands, at the coastal fronts, and at the oceanic side of the shelf break front. The middle front was the only one that had no effect on plankton composition or its quantitative characteristics in June and July. Location of a variety of frontal productive areas within 100 km of the Pribilof Islands creates favorable foraging habitat for higher trophic level organisms, including sea birds and marine mammals, populating the islands.     

Nutrient supply to anticyclonic meso-scale eddies off western Australia estimated with artificial tracers released in a circulation model

The phytoplankton distribution off western Australia in the period from April to October is unique in that high biomass is generally associated with anticyclonic eddies and not with cyclonic eddies. As the western Australian region is oligotrophic this anomalous feature must be related to differing nutrient supply pathways to the surface mixed layer of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. A suite of modelled abiotic tracers suggests that cyclonic eddies are predominantly supplied by diapycnal processes that remain relatively weak until June–July, when they rapidly increase because of deepening surface mixed layers, which start to tap into the nutrient-replete waters below the euphotic zone. To the contrary, we find that anticyclonic eddies are predominantly supplied by injection of shelf waters, which carry elevated levels of inorganic nutrients and biomass. These injections start with the formation of the eddies in April–May, continue well into the austral winter and reach as far as several hundred kilometers offshore. The diapycnal supply of nutrients is suppressed in anticyclonic eddies since the injection of warm, low-salinity shelf waters delays the erosion of the density gradient at the base of the mixed layer. Our results are consistent with the observed seasonal cycles of chlorophyll a and observation of particulate organic matter export out of the surface mixed layer of an anticyclonic eddy in the region.     

Circulation

Low-frequency current and temperature variability on the southeast US continental shelf during summer conditions of weak wind forcing and vertical stratification was found to be similar in many aspects to previous findings for winter, when stronger wind forcing and vertical homogeneity prevails. Subtidal variability in the outer shelf is dominated by the weekly occurrence of Gulf Stream frontal eddies and meanders. These baroclinic events strongly affect the balance of momentum in the outer shelf, but not at mid-shelf. A negative alongshore sea level slope of order −10⁻⁷ is required to balance mean along-shelf momentum at the shelf edge, similar to oceanic estimates, and can contribute to the observed northward mean flow over the shelf.Low-frequency flow at mid-shelf and coastal sea level fluctuations appear to occur as a forced wave response to local alongshore wind stress events that are coherent over the shelf domain. Momentum balances indicate a trapped wave response similar to the arrested topographic wave found in the mid-Atlantic Bight (CSANADY, 1978). Density driven currents from river discharge do not appear to be significant at mid-shelf. Cold, subsurface intrusions of deeper, nutrient rich Gulf Stream waters can occasionally penetrate to mid- and inner-shelf regions north of Cape Canaveral, causing strong phytoplankton and zooplankton responses. These events were observed following the simultaneous occurrence of upwellings from northward winds and Gulf Stream frontal eddies at the shelf break during periods when the Stream was in an onshore position. Subsurface Gulf Stream intrusions to mid-shelf occur only during the summer, when the shelf is vertically stratified and cross-shelf density gradients do not present a barrier as in winter.     

Physical-biological coupling in the Algerian Basin (SW Mediterranean): Influence of mesoscale instabilities on the biomass and production of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton

The biomass and production of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton was investigated in relation to the mesoscale structures found in the Algerian Current during the ALGERS'96 cruise (October 1996). Biological determinations were carried out in three transects between 0° and 2°E aimed at crossing a so-called event, formed by a coastal anticyclonic eddy associated with an offshore cyclonic eddy to the west. The concentration of chlorophyll a (Chl) was maximum (>1.2 mg m⁻³) within the cyclonic eddy and at the frontal zones between the Modified Atlantic Water (MAW) of the Algerian Current and the Mediterranean waters further north. Chl (total and >2 μm) was significantly correlated with proxies of nutrient flux into the upper layers. Autotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic bacterial abundance and production presented clear differences between MAW and Mediterranean water, with higher values at those stations under the influence of the Algerian Current. In general, greater differences were observed in production than in biomass variables. The photosynthetic parameters (derived from P–E relationships) and integrated primary production (range 189–645 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) responded greatly to the different hydrological conditions. The mesoscale phenomena inducing fertilization caused a 2 to 3-fold increase in primary production rates. The relatively high values found within the cyclonic eddy suggest that, although short-lived in comparison with anticyclonic eddies, these eddies may produce episodic increases of biological production not accounted for in previous surveys in the region.     

Effects of environmental gradients concerning water qualities on the structure of the phytoplankton community in the coastal sea

The effects on the structure of the phytoplankton community of in situ environmental gradients concerning water qualities, formed during the mixing process of coastal with oceanic waters, were investigated on macro scale over a wide area of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan.The community structure of the phytoplankton varied almost constantly along the in situ environmental gradients in the community, which was shown by use of the diversity index rather than a mere listing of the phytoplankton community. These observations were considered to be the result of the direct or indirect response of the phytoplankton community to environmental gradients which occur in situ, which mean a series of variations of the habitat of the phytoplankton community. Their effects were reflected not in biomass but in the structure of the phytoplankton community. It was difficult to establish quantitatively the extent of their effects because of the variability in the degree of the environmental gradients which occur in situ.     

The biological oceanography of the East Australian Current and surrounding waters in relation to tuna and billfish catches off eastern Australia

The surface and sub-surface biological oceanography of tuna fishing grounds within the East Australian Current (EAC) was compared in 2004 with two other fishing areas further offshore. Our aim was to determine whether the biological oceanography of the region could explain the distribution and intensity of pelagic fishery catches inside and outside the EAC at that time. The EAC fishing area was noticeably warmer, less saline and lower in nutrients than waters in the other fishing areas. The EAC waters were dominated by large diatoms, the biomass of which was significantly higher than in the seamount and offshore areas, apparently the result of a cold core eddy beneath the EAC surface filament. Over the seamount and offshore more typical Tasman Sea waters prevailed, although the presence of a relatively deeper oxygen minimum layer over the seamount suggested topographically induced mixing in the area. Notably, sub-surface zooplankton and micronekton biomass was significantly higher around the seamount than in the two other areas. The offshore region was characterised by frontal activity associated with the Tasman front. Micronekton net biomass was generally highest in surface waters in this region. Examination of tuna catch records at that time showed yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) dominated the catches of the EAC, whereas swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) were the main species caught offshore. We suggest the yellowfin tuna concentrate in waters that are not only warmer but where prey species are concentrated near the surface. Offshore, deeper living species such as swordfish and bigeye tuna (T. obesus) can take advantage of prey species that are distributed deeper in the water column and along the flanks of the many seamounts in the region, or that are concentrated at fronts associated with the Tasman Front. Although only a snapshot of the region, relatively consistent catch data over time suggests the underlying biological oceanography may persist over longer time periods, particularly during the Austral spring.     

Elevated biomass of mesozooplankton and enhanced fecal pellet flux in cyclonic and mode-water eddies in the Sargasso Sea

Accumulating evidence points to the importance of mesoscale eddies in supplying nutrients to surface waters in oligotrophic gyres. However, the nature of the biological response and its evolution over time has yet to be elucidated. Changes in mesozooplankton community composition due to eddy perturbation also could affect biogeochemical cycling. Over the course of two summers we sampled seven eddies in the Sargasso Sea. We focused on and followed a post-phytoplankton bloom cyclonic eddy (C1) in 2004 and a blooming mode-water anticyclonic eddy (A4) in 2005. We collected zooplankton in all eddies using a Multiple Opening and Closing Net Environmental Sampling System (MOCNESS) and quantified biomass (>0.15 mm, in five size fractions) from 0 to 700 m over nine discrete depth intervals. Zooplankton biomass (>0.5 mm) in the upper 150 m was similarly enhanced at night for the periphery of C1 and the center of A4 at 0.514 g m⁻² and 0.533 g m⁻², respectively, compared to outside (0.183 g m⁻² outside C1 and 0.197 g m⁻² outside A4). Despite minimal chlorophyll a enhancement and dominance by picoplankton in C1, zooplankton biomass increased most for the largest size class (>5 mm). Gut fluorescence for euphausiids and large copepods was also elevated on the C1 periphery. In A4, peak biomass occurred at eddy center coincident with peak primary production, but was highly variable (changing by >3-fold) over time, perhaps resulting from the dense, but patchy distribution of diatom chains in this region. Shifts in zooplankton community composition and abundance were reflected in enhancement of fecal pellet production and active transport by diel vertical migration in eddies. Inside C1 the flux of zooplankton fecal pellets at 150 m in June 2004 was 1.5-fold higher than outside the eddy, accounting for 9% of total particulate organic carbon (POC) flux. The flux of fecal pellets (mostly from copepods) increased through the summer in eddy A4, matching concurrent increases in zooplankton <2 mm in length, and accounting for up to 12% of total POC flux. Active carbon transport by vertically migrating zooplankton was 37% higher on the periphery of C1 and 74% higher at the center of A4 compared to the summer mean at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station. Despite contrasting responses by the phytoplankton community to cyclonic and mode-water eddies, mesozooplankton biomass was similarly enhanced, possibly due to differential physical and biological aggregation mechanisms, and resulted in important zooplankton-mediated changes in mesoscale biogeochemistry.     

The formation and evolution of East Australian current warm-core eddies

Data on East Australian Current (EAC) warm-core eddies were obtained over the period 1976–1978 by the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). In that time we have learned that warm eddies form by pinch-off of poleward EAC meanders, can coalesce with the EAC and appear generally similar to Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and other current system eddies. Two eddies were tracked over 1977–1978 with satellite buoys and one (eddy B) was repeatedly studied over eleven months. A deep winter core formed by winter convective cooling and the following summer a new surface mixed layer formed on top of the core. The seasonal changes have been analysed for heat content and changes in dynamic relief. The eddy decayed with a time constant of 650 ± 150 days, due to upwelling below the seasonal thermocline. Surface cooling had little effect on eddy lifetime. The eddy contracted horizontally, possibly after some interaction with the EAC, giving rise to eddy spin-up with increasing age. Surface currents increased after eleven months to 2.0 m s^?1. The dynamic relief during summer was also apparently boosted by contact with the EAC. Eddy B was observed to coalesce with a new meander of the EAC rather than drift away to the south. It is proposed that the formation of these eddies is governed by the westward propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave known as the Tasman Front. Pinch-off of eddies adjacent to the coast and the variable flow of the EAC may be caused by the baroclinic wave ‘breaking’ on the coast. The eddy formation rate is about two per year and most eddies coalesce with the EAC and do not escape to the south. Eddies coalesce and re-separate, creating many subsurface isothermal layers from old cores south of 34°S.     

Spatial distribution of the phytoplankton in the White Sea during atypical domination of dinoflagellates (July 2009)

The species composition and biomass of phytoplankton, concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and nutrients, and accompanying hydrophysical conditions have been studied in the White Sea on July 6–11, 2009. The temperature of the surface water layer was lower than the multiyear average in July. Dinoflagellates dominated in the entire studied area; this was not the typical event for July. We suggest that domination of dinoflagellates was caused by low water temperature, when the nutrient regeneration rate was insufficient to support diatom growth. The abundance of microalgae and the structure of the phytoplankton community depended on the water structure. Variations in the phytoplankton community structure were caused not by substitution of specific species but rather by variability of the abundance of a single species, Heterocapsa triquetra. The highest phytoplankton biomass has been recorded in weakly stratified waters, where tidal mixing supplied the income of inorganic nutrients. The income of nutrients to the photic layer was limited in the stratified waters of Dvina Bay during the summer low-water period, so the phytoplankton abundance was low. We suggest that the lens of surface desalinated water presumably originated from the outlet of the Dvina River was registered in the central part of the White Sea.     

Diatoms in the desert: Plankton community response to a mesoscale eddy in the subtropical North Pacific

As part of the E-Flux project, we documented spatial variability and temporal changes in plankton community structure in a cold-core cyclonic eddy in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Cyclone Opal spanned 200 km in diameter, with sharply uplifted isopycnals (80–100 m relative to surrounding waters) and a strongly expressed deep chlorophyll a maximum (DCM) in its central core region of 40 km diameter. Microscopic and flow cytometric analyses of samples from across the eddy revealed dramatic transitions in phytoplankton community structure, reflecting Opal's well-developed physical structure. Upper mixed-layer populations in the eddy resembled those outside the eddy and were dominated by picophytoplankton. In contrast, the DCM was composed of large chain-forming diatoms dominated by Chaetoceros and Rhizosolenia spp. Diatoms attained unprecedented levels of biomass (nearly 90 μg C l⁻¹) in the center of the eddy, accounting for 85% of photosynthetic biomass. Protozoan grazers displayed two- to three-fold higher biomass levels in the eddy center as well. We also found a distinct and persistent layer of senescent diatom cells overlying healthy populations, often separated by less than 10 m, indicating that we were sampling a bloom in a state of decline. Time-series sampling over 8 days showed a successional shift in community structure within the central diatom bloom, from the unexpected large chain-forming species to smaller forms more typical of the subtropical North Pacific. The diatom bloom of Cyclone Opal was a unique, and possibly extreme, example of biological response to physical forcing in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, and its detailed study may therefore help to improve our predictive understanding of environmental controls on plankton community structure.     

Eddy-induced cross-shelf phytoplankton transport along the downwelling coast off Western Australia

Along the downwelling coast off Western Australia, late-autumn/early-winter chlorophyll a blooms are observed on the continental shelf south of Shark Bay (26°S), in contrast with summer blooms in the north. The late-autumn/early-winter blooms are in phase with seasonal strengthening of the Leeuwin Current and its eddy field. Anticyclonic eddies entrain the high phytoplankton biomass waters from the shelf and transport offshore into the oligotrophic, subtropical marine environment, as revealed by coalescing the finite-size Lyapunov exponent (FSLE) of the surface geostrophic flow field and the satellite chlorophyll a images.     

中尺度涡影响下的南海西部活性铝分布

To understand the distribution of aluminum(Al) under the influence of mesocale eddies in the western South China Sea(SCS), sea level anomaly, geostrophic current, environmental parameters and reactive Al were investigated in the western SCS in August 2013. The highest reactive Al concentration((180±64) nmol/L) was observed in the surface waters, indicating a substantial atmospheric input. Vertically, the reactive Al decreased from the surface high concentration to the subsurface minima at the depth of chlorophyll a(Chl a) maxima and then increased again with depth at most of the stations. The average concentration of reactive Al in the upper 100 m water column was significantly lower in the cyclonic eddy((137±6) nmol/L) as compared with that in the noneddy waters((180±21) nmol/L). By contrast, the average concentrations of Chl a and silicate in the upper 100 m water column were higher in the cyclonic eddy and lower in the anticyclonic eddy. There was a significant negative correlation between the average concentrations of reactive Al and Chl a in the upper 100 m water column. The vertical distribution of reactive Al and the negative correlation between reactive Al and Chl a both suggest that the reactive Al in the upper water column was significantly influenced by biological removal processes. Our results indicate that mesoscale eddies could regulate the distribution of reactive Al by influencing the primary production and phytoplankton community structure in the western SCS.     

Inshore-offshore and vertical patterns of phytoplankton biomass and community composition in Santa Monica Bay, CA (USA)

Spatial gradients in biomass and community composition have important consequences for ecosystem structure and function. In this study, small-scale inshore-offshore (1-10 km) and vertical (1-50 m) patterns of microphytoplankton biomass and community composition are described, and the environmental controls of microphytoplankton biomass are evaluated in a coastal ecosystem of the Southern California Bight (SCB). During a two-year period, persistent inshore-offshore gradients in phytoplankton biomass and occasional inshore-offshore gradients in community composition, coincident with regional precipitation, were found, although the strength of the gradients varied between sampling periods. The chlorophyll a maximum was generally present between 15 and 45 m, the cell abundance maximum occurred in surface waters, and there was little evidence of vertical gradients in community composition. Variability in chlorophyll a concentrations was linked to variability in environmental parameters only after some rain and upwelling events. This study demonstrates that inshore-offshore patterns in phytoplankton biomass previously documented at large spatial scales (100-700 km) in the SCB can also persist at smaller scales (1-10 km), although the mechanisms for the gradients are likely to be different at the different spatial scales. The results provide a baseline data set that can be used to focus monitoring and management efforts in the SCB. In particular, this work shows that a limited number of sampling stations are sufficient for phytoplankton monitoring in Santa Monica Bay.