Variations in the Atlantic inflow to the Nordic Seas, 1955–1996

Hydrographic observations on the Svinøy section, which runs NW from about 62°N on the Norwegian coast to 64°40′N on the prime meridian, have been used to investigate variations in the Atlantic inflow to the Nordic Seas. The data are from the winter 1955 to 1973 and from the spring and the summer 1978 to 1996. The observations show that in the summer there exist two cores of water with salinity above 35.25 at about 100 m depth, but in the spring and the winter the core furthest offshore is less distinct. Geostrophic calculations show that, for all data sets, there are two kernels with northward currents in the Svinøy section: one over the inner part of the continental slope (over 600–800 m depths) and one further offshore (over 1400–2500 m depth). The mean volume transports of Atlantic water in the section are 4.5, 5.0 and 5.6 Sv in spring, summer and winter, respectively. Results from an Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the summer data indicate that there is a dual structure in the section when interannual variations are considered. In the western part of the section the temperature and salinity are negatively correlated with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index, but in the eastern part of the section they are weakly positively correlated. This is not found in the winter data from 1955 to 1973. The geostrophic volume transport in the summer through the Svinøy section is positively correlated with the NAO indices for winter and spring, where the March NAO index gave the best correlation. Also, the summer volume transports west and east in the section seem to be in opposite phase. From the summer data 1978 to 1996 there is a positive linear trend for the eastern transport (+2.4 Sv), but there is a negative linear trend for the western transport (−2.0 Sv). The transport through the whole section has increased by 1.1 Sv during the same similar period. The atmospheric conditions were different in years with relatively low temperatures and salinities in the western part of the section compared to those years with relatively high temperatures and salinities. It is proposed that interannual variations of temperature, salinity and volume transport in the Svinøy section are controlled mostly by a large-scale variable pressure system (i.e. the North Atlantic Oscillation index).     

Variability in upper-ocean water properties in the NE Pacific Ocean

A review of oceanographic properties in the vicinity of Ocean Station Papa (OSP) is presented, using data collected over the past 42 years. Average annual signals at OSP and seasonal characteristics along Line P represent variability on a large scale in the Gulf of Alaska. Between winter and summer, the upper ocean mixed layer varies between 120 and 40 m, monthly average winds decrease from 12 m/s in winter to 7 m/s in July, seawater temperatures warm from lows of 6°C to highs >12°C, waters freshen slightly in summer, and macronutrients are partially depleted by phytoplankton growth (removal of 7.8 μM NO₃ in 1970s and 6.5 μM NO₃ in 1990s). El Niño events influence this area by transporting heat northward. During the prolonged El Niño of the early 1990s, warming persisted at OSP through 1994, resulting in a reduced macronutrient supply during winter mixing. Changes in water properties over the four decades of observations are evident. There are trends towards warmer and less saline surface waters, lower winter nitrate and silicate levels, and less macronutrient utilisation in the 1990s compared to the 1970s. We speculate that these changes must be reducing the productivity of NE subarctic Pacific waters.     

Seasonal variability of dissolved oxygen,percent oxygen saturation,and apparent oxygen utilization in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Using objectively analyzed seasonal fields of dissolved oxygen content, percent oxygen saturation, and apparent oxygen utilization (AOU), we describe the large-scale seasonal variability of oxygen for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the upper 400 m. The winter minus summer basin zonal averages of AOU reveal a two-layer feature in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, for both hemispheres. Biological activity and seasonal stratification in the summer give the upper 50–75 m of the water column in each basin a lower AOU in summer than winter. Greater mixing of upper ocean waters in winter gives the 75–400 m layer lower AOU values in that season. The basin integral seasonal volumes of oxygen for both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific mirror what is occurring in the atmosphere, indicating that there is a seasonal flux of oxygen across the air–sea interface. Winter total O₂ volume in the ocean is above the annual mean; the summer volume is below. Larger seasonal differences in the total O₂ content are observed in the North Atlantic Ocean than the North Pacific Ocean. A seasonal net outgassing (SNO) of 8.3×10¹⁴ moles O₂ is calculated from basin means, which is 25% higher than previous results.     

Summer and winter air–sea CO2 fluxes in the Southern Ocean

The seasonal variability of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) system in the Southern Ocean, south of 50°S, is analysed from observations obtained in January and August 2000 during OISO cruises conducted in the Indian Antarctic sector. In the seasonal ice zone, SIZ (south of 58°S), surface ocean CO₂ concentrations are well below equilibrium during austral summer. During this season, when sea-ice is not obstructing gas exchange at the air–sea interface, the oceanic CO₂ sink ranges from −2 to −4 mmol/m²/d in the SIZ. In the permanent open ocean zone, POOZ (50–58°S), surface oceanic fugacity fCO₂ increases from summer to winter. The seasonal fCO₂ variations (from 10 to 30 μatm) are relatively low compared to seasonal amplitudes observed in the subtropics or the subantarctic zones. However, these variations in the POOZ are large enough to cross the atmospheric level from summer to winter. Therefore, this region is neither a permanent CO₂ sink nor a permanent CO₂ source. In the POOZ, air–sea CO₂ fluxes calculated from observations are about −1.1 mmol/m²/d in January (a small sink) and 2.5 mmol/m²/d in August (a source). These estimates obtained for only two periods of the year need to be extrapolated on a monthly scale in order to calculate an integrated air–sea CO₂ flux on an annual basis. For doing this, we use a biogeochemical model that creates annual cycles for nitrate, inorganic carbon, total alkalinity and fCO₂. The changing pattern of ocean CO₂ summer sink and winter source is well reproduced by the model. It is controlled mainly by the balance between summer primary production and winter deep vertical mixing. In the POOZ, the annual air–sea CO₂ flux is about −0.5 mol/m²/yr, which is small compared to previous estimates based on oceanic observations but comparable to the small CO₂ sink deduced from atmospheric inverse methods. For reducing the uncertainties attached to the global ocean CO₂ sink south of the Polar Front the regional results presented here should be synthetized with historical and new observations, especially during winter, in other sectors of the Southern Ocean.     

Direct observation of subtropical mode water circulation in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Eighteen Degree Water (EDW) is the dominant subtropical mode water of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre and is hypothesized as an interannual reservoir of anomalous heat, nutrients and CO₂. Although isolated beneath the stratified upper-ocean at the end of each winter, EDW may re-emerge in subsequent years to influence mixed layer properties and consequently air–sea interaction and primary productivity. Here we report on recent quasi-Lagrangian measurements of EDW circulation and stratification in the western subtropical gyre using an array of acoustically-tracked, isotherm-following, bobbing profiling floats programmed to track and intensively sample the vertically homogenized EDW layer and directly measure velocity on the 18.5 °C isothermal surface.The majority of the CLIVAR Mode Water Dynamics Experiment (CLIMODE) bobbers drifted within the subtropical gyre for 2.5–3.5 years, many exhibiting complex looping patterns indicative of an energetic eddy field. Bobber-derived Lagrangian integral time and length scales (3 days, 68 km) associated with motion on 18.5 °C were consistent with previous measurements in the Gulf Stream extension region and fall between previous estimates at the ocean surface and thermocline depth. Several bobbers provided evidence of long-lived submesoscale coherent vortices associated with substantial EDW thickness. While the relative importance of such vortices remains to be determined, our observations indicate that these features can have a profound effect on EDW distribution. EDW thickness (defined using a vertical temperature gradient criterion) exhibits seasonal changes in opposition to a layer bounded by the 17 °C and 19 °C isotherms. In particular, EDW thickness is generally greatest in winter (as a result of buoyancy-forced convection), while the 17°–19 °C layer is thickest in summer consistent with seasonal Ekman pumping. Contrary to previous hypotheses, the bobber data suggest that a substantial fraction of subducted EDW is isolated from the atmosphere for periods of less than 24 months. Seasonal-to-biennial re-emergence (principally within the recirculation region south of the Gulf Stream) appears to be a common scenario which should be considered when assessing the climatic and biogeochemical consequences of EDW.     

An inverse modeling study in Fram Strait. Part II: Water mass distribution and transports

A water-mass analysis is carried out in Fram Strait, between 77.15 and 81.15°N, based on three-dimensional large-scale potential temperature and salinity distributions reconstructed from the MIZEX 84 hydrographic data collected in summer 1984. Combining these distributions with the geostrophic flow field derived from the same data in a companion paper (Schlichtholz and Houssais, 1999), the heat, fresh water and volume transports are estimated for each of the water masses identified in the strait. Twelve water masses are selected based on their different origins. Among them, the Polar Water (PW) enters Fram Strait from the Arctic Ocean both over the Greenland Slope and over the western slope of the Yermak Plateau. In the Atlantic Water (AW) range, four modes with distinct geographical distributions are indentified. In the Deep Water range, the Eurasian Basin Deep Water (EBDW) is confined to the Lena Trough and to the Molloy Deep area where it is involved in a cyclonic circulation. The warm and shallower mode of the Norwegian Sea Deep Water (NSDW), concentrated to the west, is mainly seen as an outflow from the Arctic Ocean while the cold and deeper mode, essentially observed to the east, enters the strait from the Greenland Sea. Apart from the EBDW, there is a tendency for all water masses of polar origin to flow along the Greenland Slope. The two most abundant water masses, the AW and the NSDW, occupy as much as 67% of the total water volume. The southward net transport of PW through Fram Strait is about 1 Sv at 78.9°N. At the same latitude, the net transport of AW is southward and equal to about 1.7 Sv. Only the transport of the warm mode (AWw) is northward, amounting to 0.2 Sv. The overall net outflow of the Deep Waters to the Greenland Sea is about 2.6 Sv. Two upper water masses, the fresh (AWf) and the cold (AWc) mode of the AW, and one deep-water mass, the NSDW, appear to be produced in the strait, with production rates, between 77.6 and 79.9°N, of about 0.2, 1.0 and 1.7 Sv, respectively. A southward net fresh-water transport through the strait of about 2000 km³ yr⁻¹ (relative to a salinity of 34.93) is mainly due to the PW. The net heat transport relative to −0.1°C is northward, but undergoes a rapid northward decrease, suggesting an area-averaged surface heat loss of 50–100 W m⁻² in the strait.     

Mesoscale and seasonal variability of community production and respiration in the surface waters of the N.E. Atlantic Ocean

Gross community production (GCP) and dark community respiration (DCR) rates were measured in the N.E. Atlantic Basin (38–45°N and 15°20′–21°20′W) during the Programme Océanographique Multidisciplinaire Méso-Echelle (POMME). Three cruises were conducted over a one-year period (2001), and GCP and DCR were measured at 20 stations using seawater taken from 5 m. In winter, GCP is light limited whereas DCR, which is mainly due to bacteria, is limited by substrate availability. GCP and DCR were under the influence of mesoscale features, with the cyclonic structure enhancing the autotrophy. In spring, light and resource availability remain the major controlling parameters, which are constrained by north–south zonation, rather than mesoscale features. The most productive area is south of 41°N at the start of the bloom and is associated with greater DCR as autotrophs contribute to community respiration. The late-summer period is oligotrophic, which contrasts with the previous winter and spring period, characterised by a large quantity of TOC accumulated (+13.2 μM C from spring to late-summer) and with greater DCR in the southern area. The GCP/DCR ratio greatly varied seasonally, ranging from 0.6 in late summer to 1.3 in winter and 2.4 in spring. These results, even restricted to surface ecosystem metabolism (5 m), strongly suggest that the trophic status of a regional system in the open ocean should be determined over a seasonal cycle.     

The Effect of Seasonal Variability of Atlantic Water on the Arctic Sea Ice Cover

Under the influence of global warming, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean (AO) is expected to reduce with a transition toward a seasonal ice cover by the end of this century. A comparison of climate-model predictions with measurements shows that the actual rate of ice cover decay in the AO is higher than the predicted one. This paper argues that the rapid shrinking of the Arctic summer ice cover is due to its increased seasonality, while seasonal oscillations of the Atlantic origin water temperature create favorable conditions for the formation of negative anomalies in the ice-cover area in winter. The basis for this hypothesis is the fundamental possibility of the activation of positive feedback provided by a specific feature of the seasonal cycle of the inflowing Atlantic origin water and the peaking of temperature in the Nansen Basin in midwinter. The recently accelerated reduction in the summer ice cover in the AO leads to an increased accumulation of heat in the upper ocean layer during the summer season. The extra heat content of the upper ocean layer favors prerequisite conditions for winter thermohaline convection and the transfer of heat from the Atlantic water (AW) layer to the ice cover. This, in turn, contributes to further ice thinning and a decrease in ice concentration, accelerated melting in summer, and a greater accumulation of heat in the ocean by the end of the following summer. An important role is played by the seasonal variability of the temperature of AW, which forms on the border between the North European and Arctic basins. The phase of seasonal oscillation changes while the AW is moving through the Nansen Basin. As a result, the timing of temperature peak shifts from summer to winter, additionally contributing to enhanced ice melting in winter. The formulated theoretical concept is substantiated by a simplified mathematical model and comparison with observations.     

Phytoplankton dynamics in the NE subarctic Pacific

Ocean Station Papa (OSP, 50°N 145°W) in the NE subarctic Pacific is characterised as high nitrate low chlorophyll (HNLC). However, little is known about the spatial extent of these HNLC waters or the phytoplankton dynamics on the basin scale. Algal biomass, production and size-structure data are presented from winter, spring and summer between 1992 and 1997 for five stations ranging from coastal to open-ocean conditions. The inshore stations (P04–P16) are characterised by the classical seasonal cycle of spring and late summer blooms (production >3 g C m⁻² d⁻¹), diatoms are not Fe-stressed, and growth rate is probably controlled by macronutrient supply. The fate of the phytoplankton is likely sedimentation by diatom-dominated spring blooms, with a pelagic recycling system predominating at other times. The offshore stations (P20/OSP) display low seasonality in biomass and production (OSP, mean winter production 0.3 g C m⁻² d⁻¹, mean spring/summer production 0.85 g C m⁻² d⁻¹), and are dominated by small algal cells. Low Fe availability prevents the occurrence of diatom blooms observed inshore. The main fate of phytoplankton is probably recycling through the microbial food web, with relatively low sedimentation compared to inshore. However, the supply of macro- and micro-nutrients to the coastal and open ocean, respectively, may vary between years. Variability in macro-nutrient supply to the coastal ocean may result in decreased winter reserve nitrate, summer nitrate limitation, subsequent floristic shifts towards small cells, and reduced primary production. Offshore, higher diatom abundances are occasionally observed, perhaps indicating episodic Fe supply. The two distinct oceanic regimes have different phytoplankton dynamics resulting in different seasonality, community structure and fate of algal carbon. These differences will strongly influence the biogeochemical signatures of the coastal and open-oceanic NE subarctic Pacific.     

Depth habitats and seasonal distributions of recent planktic foraminifers in the Canary Islands region (29°N) based on oxygen isotopes

Seasonal depth stratified plankton tows, sediment traps and core tops taken from the same stations along a transect at 29°N off NW Africa are used to describe the seasonal succession, the depth habitats and the oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O_shell) of five planktic foraminiferal species. Both the δ¹⁸O_shell and shell concentration profiles show variations in seasonal depth habitats of individual species. None of the species maintain a specific habitat depth exclusively within the surface mixed layer (SML), within the thermocline, or beneath the thermocline. Globigerinoides ruber (white) and (pink) occur with moderate abundance throughout the year along the transect, with highest abundances in the winter and summer/fall season, respectively. The average δ¹⁸O_shell of G. ruber (w) from surface sediments is similar to the δ¹⁸O_shell values measured from the sediment-trap samples during winter. However, the δ¹⁸O_shell of G. ruber (w) underestimates sea surface temperature (SST) by 2 °C in winter and by 4 °C during summer/fall indicating an extension of the calcification/depth habitat into colder thermocline waters. Globigerinoides ruber (p) continues to calcify below the SML as well, particularly in summer/fall when the chlorophyll maximum is found within the thermocline. Its vertical distribution results in δ¹⁸O_shell values that underestimate SST by 2 °C. Shell fluxes of Globigerina bulloides are highest in summer/fall, where it lives and calcifies in association with the deep chlorophyll maximum found within the thermocline. Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides, dwelling and calcifying a part of their lives in the winter SML, record winter thermocline (～180 m) and deep surface water (～350 m) temperatures, respectively. Our observations define the seasonal and vertical distribution of multiple species of foraminifera and the acquisition of their δ¹⁸O_shell.     

Spatial and temporal variability of POC in the northeast Subarctic Pacific

Particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations from 0 to 1000 m were quantified in size-fractionated particulate matter samples obtained by the multiple unit large volume in situ filtration system (MULVFS) in 1996 and 1997 along the 1600 km long “line P” transect from continental slope waters near southern Vancouver Island to Ocean Station PAPA (OSP, 50°N, 145°W). Regression of in situ POC vs. beam attenuation coefficient, c, from a simultaneously deployed 1-m pathlength SeaTech transmissometer gave slope, intercept and r² values of 6.15±0.19×10⁻⁵ m⁻¹ (nmol C l⁻¹)⁻¹, 0.363±0.003 m⁻¹, and 0.951 (n=145), respectively. This result agreed within several percent of calibrations obtained from two 2600-km-long transects of the equatorial Pacific in 1992 (Bishop, 1999). Data from other, more frequently deployed transmissometers were standardized against the 1-m instrument, and the combined optical data set was used to document POC variability at finer spatial and temporal scales than could be sampled directly using either conventional water bottle casts or MULVFS. Published bottle POC vs. c relationships show much more variability and remain problematic. Along the line P transect in the salinity-stratified upper 100 m, POC isolines shoaled from winter to summer in concert with seasonal stratification. At the same time, POC was progressively enriched in subeuphotic zone waters to depths greater than 500 m. Near-surface POC fields sampled in the winter time showed strong temporal POC variability over time scales of days as well as between years. POC concentrations at OSP in February 1996 were higher than those found at any other time of year. Less variability was found along line P in other seasons. In May 1996, kilometer-scale spatial variability of POC at OSP was small; dawn vs. dusk variations of c were used to calculate 0–100 m POC turnover times shorter than 6 d. Calculations also suggest that 25–50% of primary productivity was expressed as dissolved organic carbon at OSP in May 1996.     

Dense shelf water formation and brine-driven circulation in the Adélie and George V Land region

The formation and outflow of dense shelf water (DSW) from the Adélie and George V Land region and the seasonal variation in the ocean circulation therein are investigated using a global ice-ocean model with fine resolution around East Antarctica. The model reproduces key elements of the overall system described by previous observational studies: modified Circumpolar Deep Water intrusions into the Adélie Depression, enhanced sea-ice production in the coastal polynya regime, and seasonal variation in the export of DSW through the Adélie Sill. We find two distinct seasonal circulation patterns in the Adélie Depression. The first is a vertical circulation formed over the southwestern flank of the Mertz Bank in winter, with a southeastward inflow of light water in the upper layer and a northwestward outflow of dense water in the lower layer. The second is a surface-intensified clockwise circulation trapped in the Adélie Depression during summer. This seasonal variation is attributed to the spinning-up and down of the haline circulation which is driven by the brine-rejection from enhanced sea ice formation in the coastal polynyas. In the model a similar haline circulation also develops in the Mertz Depression. Assuming a critical density of 27.88 (27.80) kg m⁻³ for outflowing DSW, the annual mean export from the Adélie and Mertz Sills are 0.21 (0.37) Sv and 0.12 (0.32) Sv, respectively. The model clearly shows a dual-system for DSW formation and export from the Adélie and Mertz Depressions, consistent with recent observational analysis over the continental slope and rise.     

The annual cycle of vertical mixing and restratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba (Red Sea) based on high temporal and vertical resolution observations

The stratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba follows a well-known annual cycle of well-mixed conditions in winter, surface warming in spring and summer, maximum vertical temperature gradient in late summer, and erosion of stratification in fall. The strength and structure of the stratification influences the diverse coral reef ecosystem and also affects the strength of the semi-diurnal tidal currents. Long-term (13 months) moored thermistor data, combined with high temporal and vertical resolution density profiles in deep water, show that transitions from summer to fall and winter to spring/summer occur in unpredictable, pulses and are not slow and gradual, as previously deduced from monthly hydrographic measurements and numerical simulations forced by monthly climatologies. The cooling and deepening of the surface layer in fall is marked by a transition to large amplitude, semi-diurnal isotherm displacements in the stratified intermediate layer. Stratification is rebuilt in spring and summer by intermittent pulses of warm, buoyant water that can increase the upper 100–150 m by 2 °C that force surface waters down 100–150 m over a matter of days. The stratification also varies in response to short-lived eddies and diurnal motions during winter. Thus, the variability in the stratification exhibits strong depth and seasonal dependence and occurs over range of timescales: from tidal to seasonal. We show that monthly or weekly single-cast hydrographic data under-samples the variability of the stratification in the Gulf and we estimate the error associated with single-cast assessments of the stratification.     

C : N ratios in the mixed layer during the productive season in the northeast Atlantic Ocean

Redfield stoichiometry has proved a robust paradigm for the understanding of biological production and export in the ocean on a long-term and a large-scale basis. However, deviations of carbon and nitrogen uptake ratios from the Redfield ratio have been reported. A comprehensive data set including all carbon and nitrogen pools relevant to biological production in the surface ocean (DIC, DIN, DOC, DON, POC, PON) was used to calculate seasonal new production based on carbon and nitrogen uptake in summer along 20°W in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The 20°W transect between 30 and 60°N covers different trophic states and seasonal stages of the productive surface layer, including early bloom, bloom, post-bloom and non-bloom situations. The spatial pattern has elements of a seasonal progression. We also calculated exported production, i.e., that part of seasonal new production not accumulated in particulate and dissolved pools, again separately for carbon and nitrogen. The pairs of estimates of `seasonal new production’ and `exported production’ allowed us to calculate the C : N ratios of these quantities. While suspended particulate matter in the mixed layer largely conforms to Redfield stoichiometry, marked deviations were observed in carbon and nitrogen uptake and export with progressing season or nutrient depletion. The spring system was characterized by nitrogen overconsumption and the oligotrophic summer system by a marked carbon overconsumption. The C : N ratios of seasonal new as well as exported production increase from early bloom values of 5–6 to values of 10–16 in the post-bloom/oligotrophic system. The summertime accumulation of nitrogen-poor dissolved organic matter can explain only part of this shift.     

Phytoplankton of the western Arctic in the spring and summer of 2002: Structure and seasonal changes

We analyzed the taxonomic structure and spatial variability of phytoplankton abundance and biomass in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas during spring and summer seasons of the SBI program. Phytoplankton samples were collected during two surveys from May 10 to June 13 and from July 19 to August 21 of 2002. In May and June, ice cover exceeded 80% over most of the study area and there was no vertical stratification, indicating that the successional state of the phytoplankton corresponded to the end of the winter biological season. The phytoplankton abundance ranged from a few tens to a few thousands of cells per liter, while biomass varied from 0.1 to 3.0 mg C m⁻³. Small areas of high phytoplankton abundance (0.13–1.3×10⁶ cells L⁻¹) and biomass (22–536 mg C m⁻³), dominated by early spring diatoms Pauliella taeniata and Fragilariopsis oceanica in the surface waters, which indicated the beginning of the spring bloom, were observed only in the southeastern part of the Chukchi shelf and off Point Barrow. In July and August summer period, more than a half of the study area had <50% ice cover and the water column was stratified by temperature and salinity. Over the Chukchi shelf and continental slope of the Beaufort Sea, the phytoplankton abundance and biomass were an order of magnitude higher in July–August than in May–June. The taxonomic diversity of algae also increased due to the appearance of late-spring and summer diatoms, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophorids (Emiliania huxleyi). Interestingly, the seasonal differences between phytoplankton abundance and taxonomic composition in the spring and summer periods varied the least over the Chukchi Sea slope and in the deep-water area of the Arctic Ocean. High algae concentrations in summer were located in the lower layers of the euphotic zone, suggesting that the spring bloom on both the Chukchi shelf and in the western part of the Beaufort Sea occurred in late June/early July. In the spring and summer, the microalgal community was characterized by a high abundance of 4–10 μm flagellates, which exceeded the abundance of all other taxonomic groups. In both seasons studied, phytoplankton reached its maximum abundance within restricted areas in the southern part of the Chukchi Sea southwest of Point Hope, in the northern part of the Chukchi shelf between the 50- and 100-m isobaths, on the shelf northwest of Point Barrow, and over the continental slope in the Beaufort Sea. The pronounced spatial difference in the seasonal state was a characteristic feature of the phytoplankton community in the western Arctic.     

Structure and mechanisms of the Arabian Sea variability during the winter monsoon

In the southern Arabian Sea (between the Equator and 10°N), the shoaling of isotherms at subsurface levels (20 °C isotherm depth is located at ∼90 m) leads to cooling at 100 m by 2–3 °C relative to surrounding waters during the winter monsoon. The annual and interannual variations of this upwelling zone, which we call the Arabian Sea dome (ASD), are studied using results from an eddy-permitting ocean general circulation model in conjunction with hydrography and TOPEX/ERS altimeter data. The ASD first appears in the southeastern Arabian Sea during September–October, maturing during November–December to extend across the entire southern Arabian Sea (along ∼5°N). It begins to weaken in January and dissipates by March in the southwestern Arabian Sea. From the analysis of heat-budget balance terms and a pair of model control experiments, it is shown that the local Ekman upwelling induced by the positive wind-stress curl of the winter monsoon generates the ASD in the southeastern Arabian Sea. The ASD decays due to the weakening of the cyclonic curl of the wind and the westward penetration of warm water from the east (Southern Arabian Sea High). The interannual variation of the ASD is governed by variations in the Ekman upwelling induced by the cyclonic wind-stress curl. Associated with the unusual winds during 1994–1995 and 1997–1998 Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) periods, the ASD failed to develop. In the absence of the ASD during the IOD events, the 20 °C isotherm depth was 20–30 m deeper than normal in the southern Arabian Sea resulting in a temperature increase at 97 m of 4–5 °C. An implication is that the SST evolution in the southern Arabian Sea during the winter monsoon is primarily controlled by advective cooling: the shoaling of isotherms associated with the ASD leads to SST cooling.     

Origin and variability of downward biogeochemical fluxes on the Rhone continental margin (NW mediterranean)

A one year study of downward particle fluxes conducted in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea is presented. Two mooring lines equipped with sediment traps and current meters were deployed at around 1000 m depth on the northeastern continental slope of the Gulf of Lions, one inside the Grand-Rhône canyon and the other outside on the adjacent open slope. Mean total mass fluxes increased slightly with trap depth inside the canyon, a feature quite typical of fluxes in continental margin environments. The near-bottom trap inside the canyon collected more material than its counterpart deployed at equivalent depth on the open slope, indicating a preferential transport of material within the canyon. Major biogeochemical constituents (organic and inorganic carbon, opal, and siliciclastic residue) revealed a marked difference in particle composition between the sub-surface (80 m) and deeper traps, suggesting the existence of at least two sources of material. The two shallower traps showed a clear biological signal: flux peaks were related to periods of surface biological production, especially perceptible in summer and autumn. The particulate matter trapped at deeper levels in the canyon and on the open slope was characterized by a more stable composition with a major lithogenic contribution, originating from sedimentary material most probably resuspended on the upper- or mid-slope. The seasonal variability was dominated by the summer/winter alternation; the latter period was characterized by a weak stratification of the water column and an enhanced current variability favoring vertical exchanges. The present results are compared with those obtained previously in the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon on the southwestern side of the Gulf of Lions. The comparison shows strong differences between the NE entrance and the SW exit of the gulf, with respect to the general along-slope circulation of water masses, both in terms of intensity of particulate fluxes and transport processes.     

Direct velocity measurements of deep circulation southwest of the Shatsky Rise in the western North Pacific

Direct velocity measurements undertaken using a nine-system mooring array (M1–M9) from 2004 to 2005 and two additional moorings (M7p and M8p) from 2003 to 2004 reveal the spatial and temporal properties of the deep-circulation currents southwest of the Shatsky Rise in the western North Pacific. The western branch of the deep-circulation current flowing northwestward (270–10° T) is detected almost exclusively at M2 (26°15′N), northeast of the Ogasawara Plateau. It has a width less than the 190 km distance between M1 (25°42′N) and M3 (26°48′N). The mean current speed near the bottom at M2 is 3.6±1.3 cm s^?1. The eastern branch of the deep-circulation current is located at the southwestern slope of the Shatsky Rise, flowing northwestward mainly at M8 (30°48′N) on the lower part of the slope of the Shatsky Rise with a mean near-bottom speed of 5.3±1.4 cm s^?1. The eastern branch often expands to M7 (30°19′N) at the foot of the rise with a mean near-bottom speed of 2.8±0.7 cm s^?1 and to M9 (31°13′N) on the middle of the slope of the rise with a speed of 2.5±0.7 cm s^?1 (nearly 4000 m depth); it infrequently expands furthermore to M6 (29°33′N). The width of the eastern branch is 201±70 km on average, exceeding that of the western branch. Temporal variations of the volume transports of the western and eastern branches consist of dominant variations with periods of 3 months and 1 month, varying between almost zero and significant amount; the 3-month-period variations are significantly coherent to each other with a phase lag of about 1 month for the western branch. The almost zero volume transport occurs at intervals of 2–4 months. In the eastern branch, volume transport increases with not only cross-sectional average current velocity but also current width. Because the current meters were too widely spaced to enable accurate estimates of volume transport, mean volume transport is overestimated by a factor of nearly two, yielding values of 4.1±1.2 and 9.8±1.8 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^?1) for the western and eastern branches, respectively. In addition, a northwestward current near the bottom at M4 (27°55′N) shows a marked variation in speed between 0 and 20 cm s^?1 with a period of 45 days. This current may be part of a clockwise eddy around a seamount located immediately east of M4.     

Very large subaqueous sand dunes on the upper continental slope in the South China Sea generated by episodic,shoaling deep-water internal solitary waves

Very large subaqueous sand dunes were discovered on the upper continental slope of the northern South China Sea. The dunes were observed along a single 40 km long transect southeast of 21.93°N, 117.53°E on the upper continental slope in water depths of 160 m to 600 m. The sand dunes are composed of fine to medium sand, with amplitudes exceeding 16 m and crest-to-crest wavelengths exceeding 350 m. The dunes' apparent formation mechanism is the world's largest observed internal solitary waves which generate from tidal forcing on the Luzon Ridge on the east side of the South China Sea, propagate west across the deep basin with amplitudes regularly exceeding 100 m, and dissipate extremely large amounts of energy via turbulent interaction with the continental slope, suspending and redistributing the bottom sediment. While subaqueous dunes are found in many locations throughout the world's oceans and coastal zones, these particular dunes appear to be unique for two principal reasons: their location on the upper continental slope (away from the influence of shallow-water tidal forcing, deep basin bottom currents and topographically-amplified canyon flows), and their distinctive formation mechanism (approximately 60 episodic, extremely energetic, large amplitude events each lunar cycle).     

Structure of potential upwelling areas in the Philippines

The three-dimensional structure of two potential mesoscale upwelling areas that are located in the external waters of the Philippine archipelago (i.e. northwest of Luzon and east of Mindanao) were constructed by analysis of historical data. A unique characteristic of both upwelling sites is that they can be identified by their anomalously cold subsurface temperatures rather than sea surface temperature distributions. As such, they cannot be observed in sea surface temperature fields derived by satellite imagery. The data used in the analysis were obtained from the National Oceanographic Data Center hydrographic database. Objective analysis was performed to produce monthly temperature fields at several standard depths within the upper 500 m of the region 0–30°N and 100–140°E with a horizontal grid resolution of 0.5°. The extent and timing of these upwelling areas are described. A review of existing hypothesis on the mechanisms for their evolution and seasonal modulation are presented. The change in heat content during the upwelling season is greater than 300 W m⁻² in both areas. Based on the excursion of isotherms, vertical velocities of 83 cm day⁻¹ and 26 cm day⁻¹ were obtained for upwelling northwest of Luzon and east of Mindanao, respectively.