2008年夏季白令海营养盐的分布及其结构状况

中国第3次北极考察对白令海营养盐的分布及结构状况进行了观测分析,结果表明,白令海营养盐分布和结构状况区域性特征明显。海盆区表层DIN、磷酸盐和硅酸盐平均浓度分别为9.73,0.94,11.06 μmol/dm3;陆架区表层DIN,磷酸盐和硅酸盐平均浓度分别为0.60, 0.43, 3.74 μmol/dm3。营养盐高值主要出现在白令海西南部的海盆区和海峡口西南侧水域,低值出现于陆架边缘的陆坡区和陆架东部水域。白令海盆区真光层DIN,磷酸盐、硅酸盐浓度普遍较高,叶绿素浓度则较低,具有典型的高营养盐、低叶绿素(HNLC)特征。海盆区生物作用不是营养盐空间分布的主要调控因子,而陆架区营养盐的分布变化不仅受控于物理海洋输运过程的变化,同时也受夏季浮游生物生长、营养盐吸收消耗所影响。陆架和陆坡区表层海水N/P,Si/P比值平均分别为1.8, 9.9和3.2, 2.2,呈明显的低N/P,Si/P比值结构特征,陆坡区缺硅明显,陆架区缺氮显著。在白令海水域磷酸盐浓度普遍较高,它不可能成为浮游植物光合作用限制因子。受硅限制水域主要限于陆坡区硅藻大量繁殖时期,属偶然性限制,在白令海陆架区绝大部分水域主要表现为氮限制。     

西北冰洋中太平洋入流水营养盐的变化特征

利用1999,2003和2008年夏季(7-9月)三次中国北极科学考察数据资料,分析和讨论太平洋入流水营养盐的分布和楚科奇海关键生物地球化学过程对太平洋水化学性质的改造.结果表明,2003和2008年在白令海峡南部64.3°N纬向断面(BS断面)由于水团性质差异显著,营养盐呈西高、东低的分布趋势.2003年BS断面水柱...     

Hydrographic conditions during the 2004 SBI process experiments

Western Arctic Shelf-Basin Interactions (SBI) process experiment cruises were conducted during spring and summer in 2002 and 2004. A comparison of the 2004 data with the results from 2002 reveals several similarities but also some distinct differences. Similarities included the following: (1) Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (ammonium+nitrate+nitrite) limited phytoplankton growth in both years, suggesting that the fixed-N transport through Bering Strait is a major control on biological productivity. (2) The head of Barrow Canyon was a region of enhanced biological production. (3) Plume-like nutrient maxima and N** minima (a signal of sedimentary denitrification) extending from the shelf into the interior were common except at our easternmost section where the nearshore end of these features intersected the slope. (4) Particularly during summer, oxygen supersaturations were common in or just above the shallow nitracline. (5) Surface waters at our deepest stations were already depleted in nitrate, ammonium and urea during our springtime observations. A major difference between the 2 years was the greater influence of warm, relatively low-nutrient Alaska Coastal Water (ACW) during 2004 entering the region via Bering Strait. This increased inflow of ACW may have reduced photic zone nutrient concentrations. The differences in water temperature and nutrients were most pronounced in the upper ∼100 db, and the increased influence of warm water in 2004 relative to 2002 was most evident in our East Barrow (EB) section. Although the EB data were collected on essentially the same year-days (29 July–4 August 2002 vs. 29 July–6 August 2004), the surface layers were up to 5° warmer in 2004.While the stronger inflow of ACW in 2004 may have reduced the autochthonous nutrient supply, rates of primary production, bacterial production, and particulate organic carbon export were higher in 2004. This conundrum might be explained by differences in the availability of light. Although, springtime ice thicknesses were greater in 2004 than in 2002, snow cover was significantly less and may have more than compensated for the modest differences in ice thickness vis a vis light penetration. In addition, there was a rapid and extensive retreat of the ice cover in summer 2004. Increased light penetration in 2004 may have allowed phytoplankton to increase utilization of nutrients in the shallow nitracline. In addition, more light combined with warmer temperatures could enhance that fraction of primary production supported by nutrient recycling. Enhanced subsurface primary production during summer 2004 is suggested not only by the results of incubation experiments but by more extreme dissolved oxygen supersaturations in the vicinity of the nitracline. We cannot, however, ignore aliasing that might arise from somewhat different station distributions and timing. It is also possible that the rapid ice retreat and warmer temperatures lead to an acceleration in the seasonal progression of biological processes such that the summer 2004 SBI Process Cruise (HLY 04-03) experiment was observing a state that might have existed a few weeks after completion of the 2002 summer cruise (HLY 02-03). Despite these complications, there is little doubt that biological conditions at the ensemble of hydrographic stations occupied in 2004 during the SBI Process Cruises differed significantly from those at the stations occupied in 2002.     

Spatial variability in the partial pressures of CO2 in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas

In the summers of 1999 and 2003, the 1st and 2nd Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions measured the partial pressure of CO₂ in the air and surface waters (pCO₂) of the Bering Sea and the western Arctic Ocean. The lowest pCO₂ values were found in continental shelf waters, increased values over the Bering Sea shelf slope, and the highest values in the waters of the Bering Abyssal Plain (BAP) and the Canadian Basin. These differences arise from a combination of various source waters, biological uptake, and seasonal warming. The Chukchi Sea was found to be a carbon dioxide sink, a result of the increased open water due to rapid sea-ice melting, high primary production over the shelf and in marginal ice zones (MIZ), and transport of low pCO₂ waters from the Bering Sea. As a consequence of differences in inflow water masses, relatively low pCO₂ concentrations occurred in the Anadyr waters that dominate the western Bering Strait, and relatively high values in the waters of the Alaskan Coastal Current (ACC) in the eastern strait. The generally lower pCO₂ values found in mid-August compared to at the end of July in the Bering Strait region (66–69°N) are attributed to the presence of phytoplankton blooms. In August, higher pCO₂ than in July between 68.5 and 69°N along 169°W was associated with higher sea-surface temperatures (SST), possibly as an influence of the ACC. In August in the MIZ, pCO₂ was observed to increase along with the temperature, indicating that SST plays an important role when the pack ice melts and recedes.     

A year in the physical oceanography of the Chukchi Sea: Moored measurements from autumn 1990–1991

Year-long time-series of temperature, salinity and velocity from 12 locations throughout the Chukchi Sea from September 1990 to October 1991 document physical transformations and significant seasonal changes in the throughflow from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean for one year. In most of the Chukchi, the flow field responds rapidly to the local wind, with high spatial coherence over the basin scale—effectively the ocean takes on the lengthscales of the wind forcing. Although weekly transport variability is very large (ca. -2 to ), the mean flow is northwards, opposed by the mean wind (which is southward), but presumably forced by a sea-level slope between the Pacific and the Arctic, which these data suggest may have significant variability on long (order a year) timescales. The high flow variability yields a significant range of residence times for waters in the Chukchi (i.e. one to six months for half the transit) with the larger values applicable in winter.Temperature and salinity (TS) records show a strong annual cycle of freezing, salinization, freshening and warming, with sizable interannual variability. The largest seasonal variability is seen in the east, where warm, fresh waters escape from the buoyant, coastally trapped Alaskan Coastal Current into the interior Chukchi. In the west, the seasonally present Siberian Coastal Current provides a source of cold, fresh waters and a flow field less linked to the local wind. Cold, dense polynya waters are observed near Cape Lisburne and occasional upwelling events bring lower Arctic Ocean halocline waters to the head of Barrow Canyon. For about half the year, at least at depth, the entire Chukchi is condensed into a small region of TS-space at the freezing temperature, suggesting ventilation occurs to near-bottom, driven by cooling and brine rejection in autumn/winter and by storm-mixing all year.In 1990–1991, the ca. 0.8 Sv annual mean inflow through Bering Strait exits the Chukchi in four outflows—via Long Strait, Herald Valley, the Central Channel, and Barrow Canyon—each outflow being comparable (order 0.1–0.3 Sv) and showing significant changes in volume and water properties (and hence equilibrium depth in the Arctic Ocean) throughout the year. The clearest seasonal cycle in properties and flow is in Herald Valley, where the outflow is only weakly related to the local wind. In this one year, the outflows ventilate above and below (but not in) the Arctic halocline mode of 33.1 psu. A volumetric comparison with Bering Strait indicates significant cooling during transit through the Chukchi, but remarkably little change in salinity, at least in the denser waters. This suggests that, with the exception of (in this year small) polynya events, the salinity cycle in the Chukchi can be considered as being set by the input through Bering Strait and thus, since density is dominated by salinity at these temperatures, Bering Strait salinities are a reasonable predictor of ventilation of the Arctic Ocean.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of dissolved inorganic carbon and net community production in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

As part of the 2002 Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project, spatio-temporal variability of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was employed to determine rates of net community production (NCP) for the Chukchi and western Beaufort Sea shelf and slope, and Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Seasonal and spatial distributions of DIC were characterized for all water masses (e.g., mixed layer, halocline waters, Atlantic layer, and deep Arctic Ocean) of the Chukchi Sea region during field investigations in spring (5 May–15 June 2002) and summer (15 July–25 August 2002). Between these periods, high rates of phytoplankton production resulted in large drawdown of inorganic nutrients and DIC in the Polar Mixed Layer (PML) and in the shallow depths of the Upper Halocline Layer (UHL). The highest rates of NCP (1000–2850 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) occurred on the shelf in the Barrow Canyon region of the Chukchi Sea and east of Barrow in the western Beaufort Sea. A total NCP rate of 8.9–17.8×10¹² g for the growing season was estimated for the eastern Chukchi Sea shelf and slope region. Very low inorganic nutrient concentrations and low rates of NCP (<15–25 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) estimated for the mixed layer of the adjacent Arctic Ocean basin indicate that this area is perennially oligotrophic.     

Water mass of the northward throughflow in the Bering Strait in the summer of 2003

1 IntroductionTheBeringStrait, with them aximum depth lessthan 60 m , isthe uniquepassagebetween the ArcticOcean and the North Pacific Ocean, and links twoshelfseas:theBeringSeainthesouthandtheChukchiSea in the north. The background flow field oftheBering…     

Seasonal and spatial distribution of particulate organic matter (POM) in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

As part of the Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project, the production and fate of organic carbon and nitrogen from the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves were investigated during spring (5 May–15 June) and summer (15 July–25 August) cruises in 2002. Seasonal observations of suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) and large-particle (>53 μm) size class suggest that there was a large accumulation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) between spring and summer in the surface mixed layer due to high phytoplankton productivity. Considerable organic matter appeared to be transported from the shelf into the Arctic Ocean basin in an elevated POC and PON layer at the top of the upper halocline. Seasonal changes in the molar carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the suspended particulate organic matter (POM) pool reflect a change in the quality of the organic material that was present and presumably being exported to the sediment and to Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves. In spring, low particulate C:N ratios (<6; i.e., N rich) were observed in nitrate-replete surface waters. By the summer, localized high particulate C:N ratios (>9; i.e., N-poor) were observed in nitrate-depleted surface waters. Low POC and inorganic nutrient concentrations observed in the surface layer suggest that rates of primary, new and export production are low in the Canada Basin region of the Arctic Ocean.     

Strong hydrographic controls on spatial and seasonal variability of dissolved organic carbon in the Chukchi Sea

A detailed analysis of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) distribution in the Western Arctic Ocean was performed during the spring and summer of 2002 and the summer of 2003. DOC concentrations were compared between the three cruises and with previously reported Arctic work. Concentrations of DOC were highest in the surface water where they also showed the highest degree of variability spatially, seasonally, and annually. Over the Canada Basin, DOC concentrations in the main water masses were: (1) surface layer (71±4 μM, ranging from 50 to 90 μM); (2) Bering Sea winter water (66±2 μM, ranging from 58 to 75 μM); (3) halocline layer (63±3 μM, ranging from 59 to 68 μM), (4) Atlantic layer (53±2 μM, ranging from 48 to 57 μM), and (5) deep Arctic layer (47±1 μM, ranging from 45 to 50 μM). In the upper 200 m, DOC concentrations were correlated with salinity, with higher DOC concentrations present in less-saline waters. This correlation indicates the strong influence that fluvial input from the Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers had on the DOC system in the upper layer of the Chukchi Sea and Bering Strait. Over the deep basin, there appeared to be a relationship between DOC in the upper 10 m and the degree of sea-ice melt water present. We found that sea-ice melt water dilutes the DOC signal in the surface waters, which is contrary to studies conducted in the central Arctic Ocean.     

Phytoplankton community in the Western Arctic in July–August 2003

The phytoplankton community was studied in Bering Strait and over the shelf, continental slope, and deep-water zones of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in the middle of the vegetative season (July–August 2003). Its structure was analyzed in relation to ice conditions and the seasonal patterns of water warming, stratification, and nutrient concentrations. The overall ranges of variation in phytoplankton abundance and biomass were estimated at 2.0 × 10² to 6.0 × 10⁶ cells/l and 0.1 to 444.1 mg C/m³. The bulk of phytoplankton cells concentrated in the seasonal picnocline, at depths of 10–25 m. The highest values of cell density and biomass were recorded in regions influenced by the inflow of Bering Sea waters or characterized by intense hydrodynamics, such as the Bering Strait, Barrow Canyon, and the outer shelf and slope of the Chukchi Sea. In the middle of the vegetative season, the phytoplankton in the study region of the Western Arctic proved to comprise three successional (seasonal) assemblages, namely, the early spring, late spring, and summer assemblages. Their spatial distribution was dependent mainly on local features of hydrological and nutrient regimes rather than on general latitudinal trends of seasonal succession characteristic of arctic ecosystems.     

Transport of copper from the Bering Sea to the northwestern North Pacific

Dissolved copper concentrations in surface waters of the Bering Sea ranged from 106 to 882 ngl^–1. Higher concentrations were found in continental shelf waters. In the northwestern North Pacific dissolved copper ranged from 54 to 140 ngl^–1. Particulate copper concentrations varied regionally and seasonally from 6 to 79 ngl^–1. Regionally averaged particulate copper concentrations decreased from 175 to 33g g^–1 against an increase in suspended materials because of the dilution effects of biological fractions. Apparent sporadic increases in copper concentrations were found in the mixing area of the Kuroshio and the Oyashio waters. The feature is attributed to the lateral distribution of different water types rather than to the upwelling of deeper waters by eddies. In the same area west of 160E, waters with high concentrations of dissolved copper (96±9 ngl^–1) were found. Their origin appears to be the continental shelf of the Bering Sea. In spite of intensive biological activity, a considerable fraction of copper added to shelf waters was transported to the area off Japan via the circulation in the Bering Sea and the Oyashio current.     

Micro- and macronutrients in the southeastern Bering Sea: Insight into iron-replete and iron-depleted regimes

Surface transects and vertical profiles of macronutrients, dissolved iron (D-Fe), and dissolved manganese (D-Mn) were investigated during August 2003 in the southeastern Bering Sea. We observed iron-limited, HNLC surface waters in the deep basin of the Bering Sea (15-20 μmol/kg nitrate, ∼0.07 nmol/kg D-Fe, and ?1.0 nmol/kg D-Mn); nitrate-limited, iron-replete surface waters over the shelf (<0.1 μmol/kg nitrate, 0.5-4 nmol/kg D-Fe, and 2-33 nmol/kg D-Mn); and high biomass at the shelf break (“Green Belt”), where diatoms appeared to have been stressed by low D-Fe concentrations (<0.3 nmol/kg). Sources of nitrate and iron to the Green Belt were investigated. A mixture of Aleutian North Slope Current water (with elevated, but non-sufficient iron concentrations relative to its high nitrate concentrations) and surface waters from the vicinity of the Bering Canyon (with lower nitrate concentrations, but similar dissolved iron concentrations) was carried along the shelf break by the Bering Slope Current. This water mixture provided macro- and micronutrients at the southern end of the shelf break. The oceanic domain supplied additional macronutrients to Green Belt waters, while the bottom layer of the outer shelf domain supplied additional macro- and micronutrients through enhanced vertical mixing at the shelf break. Surface waters near the Pribilof Islands, where the highest surface D-Fe concentrations were observed (∼5-6 nmol/kg), represent a potential source of additional iron to Green Belt waters. During summer, the subsurface water of the middle shelf domain is a potential source of nitrate to the nitrate depleted waters of the shelf. In this subsurface cool pool, we observed evidence of substantial denitrification with lower than expected nitrate concentrations.     

Evaluation of shelf–basin interaction in the western Arctic by use of short-lived radium isotopes: The importance of mesoscale processes

Shelf–basin exchange in the western Arctic was evaluated by use of water-column analyses of ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratios and the first measurements of the short-lived ²²⁴Ra (T_1/2=3.64 d) in the Arctic. During the 2002 shelf–basin interaction (SBI) program, excess ²²⁴Ra was detected over the shelf but was not found seaward of the shelf-break. Similarly, the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio dropped rapidly from the shelf across the shelf-break. Consequently, the model age gradient (elapsed time since shelf residence) northward across the Chukchi Shelf increased from 1–5 years nearshore to approximately 14 years in surface waters sampled off shelf at the southern margin of the Beaufort Gyre. This steep gradient is consistent with very slow exchange between the Chukchi Shelf and the Beaufort Gyre, whereby Bering Strait inflow is constrained by the Earth's rotation to follow local isobaths and does not easily move into deeper water. The strong dynamic control inhibiting water that enters the system through Bering Strait from flowing north across isobaths also would lead to a long recirculation time of river water emptied into the Beaufort Gyre. Possible mechanisms that can generate cross-shelf currents that break the topographic constraint to follow isobaths, and thereby transport water (and associated properties) off the shelves include wind-induced upwelling/downwelling, meandering jets, and eddies. Evidence of such a process was found during the ICEX project in the Beaufort Sea in April 2003 when excess ²²⁴Ra was measured over 200 km from any shelf source. This required an NE offshore flow of 40 cm s⁻¹ assuming that the source water derives from the mouth of Barrow Canyon. A weak northeastward flow was measured using an LADCP within the upper 300 m of the ocean, but was of lower speed than required by the ²²⁴Ra_xs at the time of the ICEX occupation.     

Nitrogen Uptake in Permanently Well-mixed Temperate Coastal Waters

Uptake rates of ammonium, nitrate, urea and nitrite were measured for 1 year (1988) at a coastal station in the well-mixed waters of the western English Channel. Ammonium was the major form of nitrogen (N) utilized (48%) by phytoplankton, followed by nitrate (32%), urea (13%) and nitrite (7%). Seasonal changes of uptake of ammonium, nitrate and urea showed a broad, intense summer maximum. Nitrite uptake was low throughout the year except for a peak value in June. Uptake rates of ammonium and nitrate were independent of substrate concentrations, whereas those of urea and nitrite were not. The summer maxima of ammonium, nitrate and total N uptake, and the significant relationships of N-uptake index to ambient light, and of chlorophyll-a-specific N uptake to surface-incident light, indicate that light is the major factor controlling N uptake in these waters. This is due to the permanent vertical mixing which reduces the mean light available for N uptake to <15% of the incident light. Mixing also injects regenerated N continuously into the euphotic zone, thus alleviating nitrogen limitation and accounting for the larger proportion of regenerated N uptake in total N uptake.     

Circulation on the north central Chukchi Sea shelf

Mooring and shipboard data collected between 1992 and 1995 delineate the circulation over the north central Chukchi shelf. Previous studies indicated that Pacific waters crossed the Chukchi shelf through Herald Valley (in the west) and Barrow Canyon (in the east). We find a third branch (through the Central Channel) onto the outer shelf. The Central Channel transport varies seasonally in phase with Bering Strait transport, and is 0.2 Sv on average, although some of this might include water entrained from the outflow through Herald Valley. A portion of the Central Channel outflow moves eastward and converges with the Alaskan Coastal Current at the head of Barrow Canyon. The remainder appears to continue northeastward over the central outer shelf toward the shelfbreak, joined by outflow from Herald Valley. The mean flow opposes the prevailing winds and is primarily forced by the sea-level slope between the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Current variations are mainly wind forced, but baroclinic forcing, associated with upstream dense-water formation in coastal polynyas might occasionally be important.Winter water-mass modification depends crucially on the fall and winter winds, which control seasonal ice development. An extensive fall ice cover delays cooling, limits new ice formation, and results in little salinization. In such years, Bering shelf waters cross the Chukchi shelf with little modification. In contrast, extensive open water in fall leads to early and rapid cooling, and if accompanied by vigorous ice production within coastal polynyas, results in the production of high-salinity (>33) shelf waters. Such interannual variability likely affects slope processes and the transport of Pacific waters into the Arctic Ocean interior.     

白令海陆架区夏季水文分布特征及年际变化

On the basis of the CTD data obtained within the Bering Sea shelf by the Second to Sixth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in the summers of 2003, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, the classification and interannual variation of water masses on the central Bering Sea shelf and the northern Bering Sea shelf are analyzed. The results indicate that there are both connection and difference between two regions in hydrological features. On the central Bering Sea shelf, there are mainly four types of water masses distribute orderly from the slope to the coast of Alaska: Bering Slope Current Water(BSCW), MW(Mixed Water), Bering Shelf Water(BSW) and Alaska Coastal Water(ACW). In summer, BSW can be divided into Bering Shelf Surface Water(BSW_S) and Bering Shelf Cold Water(BSW_C). On the northern Bering Sea shelf near the Bering Strait,it contains Anadyr Water(AW), BSW and ACW from west to east. But the spatial-temporal features are also remarkable in each region. On the central shelf, the BSCW is saltiest and occupies the west of 177°W, which has the highest salinity in 2014. The BSW_C is the coldest water mass and warmest in 2014; the ACW is freshest and mainly occupies the east of 170°W, which has the highest temperature and salinity in 2012. On the northern Bering Sea shelf near the Bering Strait, the AW is saltiest with temperature decreasing sharply compared with BSCW on the central shelf. In the process of moving northward to the Bering Strait, the AW demonstrates a trend of eastward expansion. The ACW is freshest but saltier than the ACW on the central shelf,which is usually located above the BSW and is saltiest in 2014. The BSW distributes between the AW and the ACW and coldest in 2012, but the cold water of the BSW_C on the central shelf, whose temperature less than 0°C, does not exist on the northern shelf. Although there are so many changes, the respond to a climate change is synchronized in the both regions, which can be divided into the warm years(2003 and 2014) and cold years(2008, 2010 and 2012). The year of 2014 may be a new beginning of warm period.     

210Pb as a tracer of shelf–basin transport and sediment focusing in the Chukchi Sea

Activities of dissolved, particulate, and sedimentary ²¹⁰Pb were measured in the shelf-slope region of the Chukchi Sea. Samples were collected as part of the Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) Phase II process study (6 May–15 June, 2002) along three shelf–basin transects identified as West Hanna Shoal, East Hanna Shoal, and Barrow Canyon. Distributions of ²¹⁰Pb and suspended particulate matter indicate efficient removal of ²¹⁰Pb over the shelf by particle scavenging. Low ²¹⁰Pb activities measured throughout the halocline of the Canada Basin are attributed to shelf scavenging and subsequent advective transport into the interior basin. Additionally, ²¹⁰Pb inventories were used to construct a water-column-sediment budget of ²¹⁰Pb and determine regions of particle export and deposition on the continental shelf and slope. Sediment focusing calculated with this ²¹⁰Pb budget was observed throughout the shelf-slope region, particularly in shallow (∼100 m) shelf waters at Barrow Canyon. Despite elevated concentrations of suspended particulate matter in Barrow Canyon, the ²¹⁰Pb budget does not indicate that sediment transport occurred from the West and East Hanna Shoals into Barrow Canyon.     

The distribution of chlorophyll a and its influencing factors in different regions of the Bering Sea

The distribution of chlorophyll a(Chl a) and its relationships with physical and chemical parameters in different regions of the Bering Sea were discussed in July 2010. The results showed the seawater column Chl a concentrations were 13.41–553.89 mg/m2 and the average value was 118.15 mg/m2 in the study areas. The horizontal distribution of Chl a varied remarkably from basin to shelf in the Bering Sea. The regional order of Chl a concentrations from low to high was basin, slope, outer shelf, inner shelf, and middle shelf. The vertical distribution of Chl a was grouped mainly from single-peak type in basin, slope, outer shelf, and middle shelf, where the deep Chl a maxima(DCM) layer was observed at 25–50 m, 30–35 m, 36–44 m, and 37–47 m, respectively. The vertical distribution of Chl a mainly had three basic patterns: standard single-peak type, surface maximum type, and bottom maximum type in the inner shelf. The analysis also showed that the transportation of ocean currents may control the distribution of Chl a, and the effects were not simple in the basin of the Bering Sea. There was a positive correlation between Chl a and temperature, but no significant correlation between Chl a and nutrients. The Bering Sea slope was an area deeply influenced by slope current. Silicate was the factor that controlled the distribution of Chl a within parts of the water in the slope. Light intensity was an important environmental factor in controlling seawater column Chl a in the shelf, where Chl a was limited by nitrate rather than phosphate within the upper water. Meanwhile, there was a positive relationship between Chl a and salinity. Algal blooms broke out at Sta. B6 of the southwestern St. Lawrence Island and Stas F6 and F11 in the middle of the Bering Strait.     

北白令海透明胞外聚合颗粒物的含量与来源

透明胞外聚合颗粒物(TEP)是海水中大量存在的黏性颗粒物质,它对于海洋颗粒物的聚集、有机碳的埋藏、食物网物质的传递、痕量金属的清除与迁出等均起着重要作用。本研究开展了夏季北白令海陆架、陆坡和海盆区透明胞外聚合颗粒物含量和分布的研究。结果表明,北白令海TEP含量介于34~628 mg/m3(Xeq)之间,其中陆架、陆坡和海盆区TEP的平均含量分别为240, 145和83 mg/m3(Xeq),整体呈现由陆架向外海降低的趋势。在陆坡和海盆区,TEP含量随着深度的增加而降低,但在陆架近底层水中,观察到TEP高含量的特征,与近底层水高的TSM, POC相对应。TEP与荧光强度、TSM、POC等的关系分析显示,研究海域TEP存在两个来源,其一为海洋上层水体的浮游生物,其主要贡献于陆架上层、陆坡和海盆水体;其二为陆架沉积物的底栖生物,其通过沉积物再悬浮贡献于陆架近底层水。     

Distributions of nutrients in the East China Sea and the South China Sea connection

Surface maps of nitrate, phosphate and silicate of the East China Sea (ECS) have been constructed and are described. Reports on exchanges of material between the ECS and the South China Sea (SCS) through the Taiwan Strait are reviewed. Recent advances seem to have reversed the earlier view that the SCS exports nutrients to the ECS through the Taiwan Strait. This is because the northward flow of seawater in the summer carries little nutrient. On the other hand, the waters flowing southward along the coast of China in winter carry orders of magnitude higher nutrient concentrations. The outflow of subsurface waters from the SCS, however, is the major source of new nutrients to the ECS continental shelves because these subsurface waters flow out of the Luzon Strait, join the northwardly flowing Kuroshio and enter the Okinawa trough. Around 10% of the nutrients exported from the SCS through the Luzon Strait upwell onto the ECS shelf. These inputs are larger than the aggregate of all the rivers that empty into the ECS, contributing 49% of the externally sourced nitrogen, 71% of the phosphorous, and 54% of the silica for the ECS.