VERTICAL PROFILES OF CHL-A AND PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY IN THE MIDDLE CONTINENTAL SHELF AREA AND EDDY AREA OF THE EAST CHINA SEA

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＣｏｎｔｉｎｅｎｔａｌｓｈｅｌｆａｒｅａｓａｒｅｒｅｐｏｒｔｅｄｔｏｈａｖｅｈｉｇｈｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙ (ＧｕｏａｎｄＰａｎ ,1 992 ;Ｆｕｒｕｙａｅｔａｌ.,1 998.,Ｎｉｎｇｅｔａｌ.,1 988) .Ｅｖｅｎｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｈｅｙｃｏｍｐｒｉｓｅｏｎｌｙａｓｍａｌｌｐａｒｔｏｆｔｈｅｗｏｒｌｄ’ｓｔｏｔａｌｏｃｅａｎｉｃａｒｅａ ,ｔｈｅｉｒｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙａｃｃｏｕｎｔｓｆｏｒａｌａｒｇｅｐｒｏｐｏｒｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｔｏｔａｌｐｒｉｍａｒｙｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙ(Ｗｏｌ…     

Temporal-Spatial Variation of Surface Suspended Matter and Controlling Factors in the Inner Shelf of the East China Sea in Winter

Based on the observed surface suspended matter in the East China Sea in February 2007 and June 2015, an empirical model was established using L1 b's band 4 data to retrieve surface suspended matter from the Moderate Resolution Imagine Spectroradiometer Terra imagery. The squared correlation coefficient is 0.8358, and the root mean square error is 0.4285 mg L-1. The model reflects the distribution characteristics of surface suspended matter in the inner shelf of the East China Sea. In this paper, the satellite images of the study area were retrieved in January from 2001 to 2015, and the monthly distribution of surface suspended matter were obtained. The inter-annual distribution of the study area is similar, and the concentration of surface suspended matter is higher near the shore than offshore. A large amount of surface suspended matter is transported southeast under the influence of Zhejiang and Fujian coastal current and Taiwan warm current. Only a small amount of surface suspension can reach the Kuroshio area. The surface suspended matter concentration changes obviously near the estuary because of the effect of differences in the flux of the Yangtze River. Meanwhile, winter monsoon, temperature front, El Ni?o events, and other factors affect the distribution of surface suspended matter in 100 m isobath to coastal water but minimally influence the distribution in 100 m isobath to deep sea.     

VERTICAL PROFII,ES OF CHL-A AND PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY IN THE MIDDLE CONTINENTAL SHELF AREA AND EDDY AREA OF THE EAST CHINA SEA

Vertical profiles of chl-a and primary productivity in the middle continental shelf area and eddy area of the East China Sea were studied using data from a cruise in the East China Sea in February to March, 1997 and a cruise in July, 1998. The results showed that chl-a vertical distribution closely related to in situ hydrological and nutrient conditions. Chla-a concentration ranged from 0.22 to 0.35 mg/m³ and 0.93–1.09 mg/m³ in the eddy area and in the middle continental shelf area, respectively. In both areas, chl-a concentrations in deep layers were slightly higher than those in shallow layers, but was of the same order of magnitude. In summer, when a thermocline existed in the water column, highest chl-a concentrations appeared at the base of the thermocline layers in both areas. In the eddy area, chl-a concentration maximized at 31.743 mg/m³, and averaged 1.143 mg/m³ below 30 m depth. In the middle continental shelf area, the highest chl-a concentration was 2.120 mg/m³, the average was 1.168 mg/m³. The primary productivity reached 1418.76 mgC/(m²·d) in summer and 1360.69 mgC/(m²·d) in winter. In the eddy area, the primary productivity was 787.50 mgC/(m²·d) in summer and 159.04 mgC/(m²·d) in winter. Vertical carbon sinking rate from the deep layer to the bottom in both areas is also discussed in this paper. Contribution NO. 4183 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Project No. 49636210 supported by NSFC.     

ANALYSIS OF Cu, Cd, Co AND Ni IN SURFACE WATER OF THE KUROSHIO AREA IN THE EAST CHINA SEA

Study of 1986 and 1987 heavy metal distribution in surface water of the Kuroshio area in the East China Sea showed regional and slight seasonal variations in distribution and concentration . Heavy metal levels in Taiwan Strait, the sea area north of Taiwan and the continental shelf are higher than those in the main axis of the Kuroshio . Dissolved Cu in summer and winter decreases with the increase of salinity , but dissolved Cd has no obvious change with salinity .     

Seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea in 2011

The seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and East China Sea (ECS) in 2011 were analyzed using the in-situ data collected on four cruises. There was something special in the observations for the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) during that year. The YSWC was confirmed to be a seasonal current and its source was closely associated with the Kuroshio onshore intrusion and the northerly wind. It was also found that the YSCWM in the summer of 2011 occupied a more extensive area in comparison with the climatologically-mean case due to the abnormally powerful wind prevailing in the winter of 2010 and decaying gradually thereafter. Resulting from the reduced Changjiang River discharge, the CDW spreading toward the Cheju Island in the summer of 2011 was weaker than the long-term mean and was confined to flow southward in the other seasons. The other water masses seemed normal without noticeable anomalies in 2011. The Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) water, driven by the northerly wind, flowed southeastward as a whole except for its northeastward surface layer in summer. The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) was the strongest in summer and the weakest in winter in its northward movement. The Kuroshio water with an enhanced onshore intrusion in autumn was stable in hydrographic features apart from the seasonal variation of its surface layer.     

Spatio-temporal variations in the siphonophore community of the northern South China Sea

To understand how hydrological and biological factors affect near-to off-shore variations in the siphonophore community,we sampled zooplankton at 82 stations in the northern South China Sea during summer,winter,and spring.Forty-one species of siphonophore were collected by vertical trawling.The species richness of siphonophores increased from the nearshore to offshore regions in all three seasons of investigation,with maximum richness in summer and minimum richness in winter.The abundance of siphonophores was also higher in summer than in spring and winter,concentrated in the nearshore region in the warm season and scattered in the offshore region in the cold season.Four siphonophore groups were classified according to the frequency of occurrence:nearshore,near-offshore,offshore,and tropical pelagic.Among them,the nearshore group had higher abundance nearshore compared with the offshore.The tropical pelagic group had higher species number offshore than nearshore.Spatial and temporal fluctuations in taxonomic composition and abundance of siphonophores were due to the influence of the coastal upwelling and surface ocean currents of the South China Sea,driven by the East Asia monsoonal system.     

The suspended sediment concentration distribution in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The distribution of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (BYECS) is studied based on the observed turbidity data and model simulation results. The observed turbidity results show that (i) the highest SSC is found in the coastal areas while in the outer shelf sea areas turbid water is much more difficult to observe, (ii) the surface layer SSC is much lower than the bottom layer SSC and (iii) the winter SSC is higher than the summer SSC. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is used to simulate the SSC distribution in the BYECS. A comparison between the modeled SSC and the observed SSC in the BYECS shows that the modeled SSC can reproduce the principal features of the SSC distribution in the BYECS. The dynamic mechanisms of the sediment erosion and transport processes are studied based on the modeled results. The horizontal distribution of the SSC in the BYECS is mainly determined by the current-wave induced bottom stress and the fine-grain sediment distribution. The current-induced bottom stress is much higher than the wave-induced bottom stress, which means the tidal currents play a more significant role in the sediment resuspension than the wind waves. The vertical mixing strength is studied based on the mixed layer depth and the turbulent kinetic energy distribution in the BYECS. The strong winter time vertical mixing, which is mainly caused by the strong wind stress and surface cooling, leads to high surface layer SSC in winter. High surface layer SSC in summer is restricted in the coastal areas.     

Impact of climatic change on sea surface temperature variation in Subei coastal waters,East China

Sea surface temperature （SST） variation in the Subei coastal waters, East China, which is important for the ecological environment of the Yellow Sea where Enteromorphaprolifera blooms frequently, is affected by the East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM）, El Nifio-Southem Oscillation （ENSO）, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. In this study, correlations between climatic events and SST anomalies （SSTA） around the Subei （North Jiangsu Province, East China） Coast from 1981-2012 are analyzed, using empirical orthogonal function （EOF） and correlation analyses. First, a key region was determined by EOF analysis to represent the Subei coastal waters. Then, coherency analyses were performed on this key region. According to the correlation analysis, the EAWM index has a positive correlation with the spring and summer SSTA of the key region. Furthermore, the Nifio3.4 index is negatively correlated with the spring and summer SSTA of the key region 1 year ahead, and the PDO has significant negative coherency with spring SSTA and negative coherency with summer SSTA in the key region 1 year ahead. Overall, PDO exhibits the most significant impact on SSTA of the key region. In the key region, all these factors are correlated more significantly with SSTA in spring than in summer. This suggests that outbreaks ofEnteromorpha prolifera in the Yellow Sea are affected by global climatic changes, especially the PDO.     

MEAN SEA LEVEL AND SEA SURFACE VARIABILITY OF NQRTHWEST PACIFIC OCEAN AND EASTERN CHINA SEAS FROM GEOSAT ALTIMETRY

Collinear analysis technique is widely used for determining sea surface variability with Geosat altimeterdata from its Exact Repeat Mission(ERM).But most of the researches have been only on global scaleor in oceans deeper than 2000 m.In shallow shelf waters this method is hampered by the inaccuracy ofocean tide data supplied with Geosat Geophysical Data Records(GDRs).This work uses a modified collinearanalysis technique characterized by simultaneous separation of mean sea level and ocean tide with theleast squares method,to compute sea surface variability in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and eastern ChinaSeas.The mean sea level map obtained contains not ouly bathymetric but also dynamic features such asamphidromes,indicating considerable improvement over previous works.Our sea surface variability mapsshow clearly the main current system,the well-known Zhejiang coastal upwelling,and a northern East Chi-na Sea meso-scale eddy in good agreement with satellite sea surface temperature(SST)observation and his-to     

Study on the seasonal variation of the suspended sediment distribution and transportation in the East China Seas based on SeaWiFS data

The monthly mean suspended sediment concentration in the upper layer of the East China Seas was derived from theretrieval of the monthly binned SeaWiFS Level 3 data during 1998 to 2006.The seasonal variation and spatial distribution of thesuspended sediment concentration in the study area were investigated.It was found that the suspended sediment distribution presentsapparent spatial characteristics and seasonal variations,which are mainly affected by the resuspension and transportation of the sus-pended sediment in the study area.The concentration of suspended sediment is high inshore and low offshore,and river mouths aregenerally high concentration areas.The suspended sediment covers a much wider area in winter than in summer,and for the samesite the concentration is generally higher in winter.In the Yellow and East China Seas the suspended sediment spreads farther to theopen sea in winter than in summer,and May and October are the transitional periods of the extension.Winds,waves,currents,ther-mocline,halocline,pycnocline as well as bottom sediment feature and distribution in the study area are important influencing factorsfor the distribution pattern.If the 10mg L-1 contour line is taken as an indicator,it appears that the transportation of suspended sedi-ment can hardly reach 124°00'E in summer or 126°00'E in winter,which is due to the obstruction of the Taiwan Warm Current andthe Kuroshio Current in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.     

Simulated circulations off the Changjiang （Yangtze） River mouthin spring and autumn

The circulations off the Changjiang mouth in May and November were simulatedby a three dimension numerical model with monthly averaged parameters of dynamic factors in this paper. The area covers the East China Sea (ECS), Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Simulated results show that the circulation off the Changjiang mouth in spring and autumn is mainly the Changjiang runoff and Taiwan Warm Current (TWC). The Changjlang discharge is much larger in May than in November, and the wind is westward in May, and southward in November offthe Changjiang mouth. The runoff in May branches in three parts, one eastward flows, the other two flow northward and southward along the Subei and Zhejiang coast respectively. The Changjiang diluted water expands eastward off the mouth, and forms a strong salinity front near the mouth. Surface circulation in autumn is similar to that in winter, the runoff southward flows along the coast, and the northward flowing TWC becomes weaker compared to that in spring and summer. The bottom circulations in May and November are mainly the runoff near the mouth and the TWC off the mouth, and the runoff and TWC are greater in May than in November.     

Distribution and Characteristics of Hazardous Geological Features in the Marine Coastal and Offshore Areas of Zhejiang Province,East China Sea

Newly acquired high-resolution shallow seismic profiles(7069 km in length) in the coastal and offshore areas of Zhejiang Province, East China Sea, China, have revealed eight marine hazardous geological features: shallow gas, sand ridges, erosion ditches, scarps, irregular bedrock features, underwater shoals, buried paleo-channels, and submarine deltas. Based on the seismic profiles, we have constructed a marine geological map of these hazardous features. Shallow gas accumulations are common and occur mainly in two separate nearshore regions that cover 4613 and 3382 km~2 respectively. There are also scattered shallow gas accumulations in the offshore area, typically accompanied by paleo-channels that occur mainly in the middle of the study area. Sand ridges, erosion ditches, scarps, and irregular bedrock features are found mainly in the northeast of the study area in association with each other. In the southeastern part of the study area, the sand ridges have a linear form and trend NW–SE, representing the western part of the linear sand ridges in the East China Sea. The maximum slope gradient is 1?, which suggests that this area is prone to landslides. These hazardous marine geological features are important to marine and engineering activities in this region.     

Seasonal variation of the barrier layer in the PN section

In this paper, we use the conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) observation data and a three-dimensional ocean model in a seasonally-varying forcing field to study the barrier layer (BL) in the PN section in the East China Sea (ECS). The BL can be found along the PN section with obviously seasonal variability. In winter, spring and autumn, the BL occurs around the slope where the cold shelf water meets with the warm Kuroshio water. In summer, the BL can also be found in the shelf area near salinity front of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Dilution Water (YRDW). Seasonal variations of BL in the PN section are caused by local hydrological characteristics and seasonal variations of atmospheric forcing. Strong vertical convection caused by sea surface cooling thickens the BL in winter and spring in the slope area. Due to the large discharge of Changjiang River in summer, the BL occurs extensively in the shelf region where the fresh YRDW and the salty bottom water meet and form a strong halocline above the seasonal thermocline. The formation mechanism of BL in the PN section can be explained by the vertical shear of different water masses, which is called the advection mechanism. The interannual variation of BL in summer is greatly affected by the YRDW. In the larger YRDW year (such as 1998), a shallow but much thicker BL existed on the shelf area. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2005CB422303 and 2007CB411804), the Key Project of the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2006DFB21250), the “111 Project” of the Ministry of Education (No. B07036), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (No. NECT-07-0781)     

PHYTOPLANKTON DISTRIBUTION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN THE EAST CHINA SEA(ECS) CONTINENTAL SHELF

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＰｈｙｔｏｐｌａｋｔｏｎｈａｓａｋｅｙｒｏｌｅｉｎｔｈｅｍａｒｉｎｅｅｃｏｓｙｓｔｅｍａｓｔｈｅｂａｓｉｃｐａｒｔｉｎｔｈｅｆｏｏｄｃｈａｉｎ ,ｗｈｉｃｈｉｓｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｆｏｒａｓｓｅｓｓｉｎｇｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙｐｏｔｅｎｔｉａｌａｎｄｆｉｓｈｅｒｙｒｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ.Ｐｈｙｔｏｐｌａｎｋｔｏｎａｌｓｏｈａｓａｎｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｒｏｌｅｉｎｔｈｅｃａｒｂｏｎｂｉｏｇｅｏｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｃｙｃｌｅ,ｂｅｃａｕｓｅｉｔｃａｎａｂｓｏｒｂａｌａ…     

DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SEASONAL THERMOCLINE IN THE DEEP SEA REGION OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＸｕｅｔａｌ.(1993)ｓｔｕｄｉｅｄｔｈｅｂａｓｉｃｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆｔｈｅｔｈｅｒｍｏｃｌｉｎｅｉｎｔｈｅｃｏｎｔｉｎｅｎｔａｌｓｈｅｌｆａｎｄｉｎｔｈｅｄｅｅｐｓｅａｒｅｇｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅＳｏｕｔｈＣｈｉｎａＳｅａ(ＳＣＳ)ａｎｄｔｈｅｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｃｅｓｂｅｔｗｅｅｎｔｈｅｍｂｙａｎａｌｙｚｉｎｇ1907-1990ｈｉｓｔｏｒｉｃａｌｄａｔａｏｎｔｈｅＳＣＳ.Ｈｅｐｏｉｎｔｅｄｏｕｔｔｈａｔｔｈｅｔｈｅｒｍｏｃｌｉｎｅｉｎｔｈｅｄｅｅｐｓｅａｒｅｇｉｏｎｅｘｉｓ…     

NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE WIND-DRIVEN CIRCULATION IN THE BOHAI, HUANGHAI AND EAST CHINA SEAS IN WINTER

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＴｒａｄｉｔｉｏｎａｌｌｙ,ｔｈｅｃｏｎｔｉｎｅｎｔａｌｓｈｅｌｆｃｉｒｃｕｌａｔｉｏｎｉｓｊｕｄｇｅｄｏｎｔｈｅｂａｓｉｓｏｆｔｈｅｗａｔｅｒｓａｌｉｎｉｔｙａｎｄｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅｄｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎ,ｍａｓｓａｎａｌｙｓｉｓａｎｄｏｂｓｅｒｖｅｄｃｕｒｒｅｎｔｖｅｌｏｃｉｔｙｂｙｋｉｎｅｍｏｍｅｔｅｒ.Ｌｉｍｉｔｅｄｏｂｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎａｌｄａｔａｍａｋｅｓｉｔｄｉｆｆｉｃｕｌｔｔｏｄｅｍｏｎｓｔｒａｔｅｔｈｅｃｉｒｃｕｌａｔｉｏｎｍｅｃｈａｎｉｓｍ.Ｗｉｔｈ…     

A strategy for studying shelf circulation in China Seas —Interannual variability of shelf circulation

Circulation in China Seas has been investigated by Chinese oceanographers in some detail for many years. However, owing to data being sparse and scarce, studies were basically concerned in interseasonal (mainly summer and winter) fluctuations and almost none was in the interannual variability of the circulation in China Seas. It is pointed out that the routine (monthly or bimonthly) hydrographical section data on the continental shelf of China Seas accumulated since 1975, can be used to examine the interannual variability of the shelf circulation. An example is given to show there is interannual variability of shelf circulation in the East China Sea. And what is more, a hypothesis is proposed to describe where the interannual variability comes from and to explain why it is strongly correlated with El Niño events. It is strongly suggested that the interannual variability of the shelf circulation in China Seas be studied, as a strategy, with the routine hydrographical survey, which should be seriously continued, combined with cooperative study in the Philippine Sea and the western tropical Pacific Ocean.