Sensor-based profiles of the NO parameter in the central Arctic and southern Canada Basin: New insights regarding the cold halocline

Here we report the first optical, sensor-based profiles of nitrate from the central Makarov and Amundsen and southern Canada Basins of the Arctic Ocean. These profiles were obtained as part of the International Polar Year program during spring 2007 and 2008 field seasons of the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) and Beaufort Gyre Exploration Program (BGEP). These nitrate data were combined with in-situ, sensor-based profiles of dissolved oxygen to derive the first high-resolution vertical NO profiles to be reported for the Arctic Ocean. The focus of this paper is on the halocline layer that insulates sea ice from Atlantic water heat and is an important source of nutrients for marine ecosystems within and downstream of the Arctic. Previous reports based on bottle data have identified a distinct lower halocline layer associated with an NO minimum at about S=34.2 that was proposed to be formed initially in the Nansen Basin and then advected downstream. Greater resolution afforded by our data reveal an even more pronounced NO minimum within the upper, cold halocline of the Makarov Basin. Thus a distinct lower salinity source ventilated the Makarov and not the Amundsen Basin. In addition, a larger Eurasian River water influence overlies this halocline source in the Makarov. Observations in the southern Canada Basin corroborate previous studies confirming multiple lower halocline influences including diapycnal mixing between Pacific winter waters and Atlantic-derived lower halocline waters, ventilation via brine formation induced in persistent openings in the ice, and cold, O₂-rich lower halocline waters originating in the Eurasian Basin. These findings demonstrate that continuous sensing of chemical properties promises to significantly advance understanding of the maintenance and circulation of the halocline.     

Intermediate Waters in the East/Japan Sea

Properties of the intermediate layer in the East/Japan Sea are examined by using CREAMS data taken mainly in summer of 1995. Vertical profiles of potential temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen and relationships between these physical and chemical properties show that the dissolved oxygen concentration of 250 μmol/l, roughly corresponding to 0.6°C at the depth of about 400 db, makes a boundary between intermediate and deep waters. Water colder than 0.6°C has a very stable relationship between potential temperature and salinity while salinity of the water warmer than 0.6°C is lower in the western Japan Basin than that in the eastern Japan Basin. The low salinity water with high oxygen corresponds to the East Sea Intermediate Water (ESIW; <34.06 psu, >250 μmol/l and >1.0°C) which was previously identified by Kim and Chung (1984) and the high salinity water with high oxygen found in eastern Japan Basin is named as the High Salinity Intermediate Water (HSIW; >34.07 psu, >250 μmol/l and >0.6°C). Spatial distribution of salinity and acceleration potential on the surface of σ_ϑ = 27.2 kg/m³ shows that the ESIW prevailing in the western Japan Basin is transported eastward by a zonal flow along the polar front near 40°N and a cyclonic gyre in the eastern Japan Basin is closely related to the HSIW. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

~(234)U/~(238) as a potential tracer for tracking water masses mixing in the northern East China Sea

The optimum multiparameter(OMP) method was often used to determine the percentages of water masses based on temperature, salinity and other parameters, like nutrient or dissolved oxygen(DO). There are a number of water masses in the East China Sea(ECS), a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. However, it is difficult to clarify the proportion of water masses using traditional parameters, such as temperature, salinity, nutrient or DO because of the occurring of intensive biogeochemical processes in the near shore and shelf areas. Here, we reported the use of ~(234)U/~(238)Uactivity ratio embedded in the OMP method. The results indicate that seawater in the northern ECS mainly consisted of the estuarine water of Changjiang River(CEW), Kuroshio water(KW), and Yellow Sea Coastal Current(YSCC). In March 2017, the CEW only influenced the offshore waters shallower than30 m; the KW affected the east edge and the YSCC contributed more than 75% in the northern ECS.     

2008年夏季加拿大海盆永久冰区的淡水累积现象

A combination of δ~(18)O and salinity data was employed to explore the freshwater balance in the Canada Basin in summer 2008.The Arctic river water and Pacific river water were quantitatively distinguished by using different saline end-members.The fractions of total river water,including the Arctic and Pacific river water,were high in the upper 50 m and decreased with depth as well as increasing latitude.In contrast,the fraction of Pacific river water increased gradually with depth but decreased toward north.The inventory of total river water in the Canada Basin was higher than other arctic seas,indicating that Canada Basin was a main storage region for river water in the Arctic Ocean.The fraction of Arctic river water was higher than Pacific river water in the upper 50 m while the opposite was true below 50 m.As a result,the inventories of Pacific river water were higher than those of Arctic river water,demonstrating that the Pacific inflow through the Bering Strait is the main source of freshwater in the Canada Basin.Both the river water and sea-ice melted water in the permanent ice zone were more abundant than those in the region with sea-ice just melted.The fractions of total river water,Arctic river water,Pacific river water increased northward to the north of 82°N,indicating an additional source of river water in the permanent ice zone of the northern Canada Basin.A possible reason for the extra river water in the permanent ice zone is the lateral advection of shelf waters by the Trans-Polar Drift.The penetration depth of sea-ice melted waters was less than 30 m in the southern Canada Basin,while it extended to 125 m in the northern Canada Basin.The inventory of seaice melted water suggested that sea-ice melted waters were also accumulated in the permanent ice zone,attributing to the trap of earlier melted waters in the permanent ice zone via the Beaufort Gyre.     

Seasonal and inter-annual variability in properties of surface water off Santander,Bay of Biscay, 1991–1995

The annual cycle of temperature, salinity and nutrients of surface waters (up to 100 m depth) was studied from June 1991 to December 1995 in a cross-shelf section over the continental shelf waters off Santander (southern Bay of Biscay). The time series showed that the temperature followed the expected seasonal warming and cooling pattern, which determines a seasonal process of stratification and mixing of the water column. The stratification period occurs annually between May and October in a layer of about 50 m depth from the neritic station beyond to the shelf-break. In the period between November and April the water column remained mixed. During spring and summer low salinity values were found in the surface due to continental runoff and advection from oceanic waters. In late autumn and winter, the salinity pattern was governed by an influx of salty water associated with the poleward current. As in other temperate latitudes, nitrates showed the highest values in winter throughout the water column and the lowest values at the surface during the stratified period. Wind-induced upwelling events were observed mainly in summer, which are characterised by low temperatures (< 12°C), high salinity and nutrient concentrations. The inter-annual variability of temperature showed a warming trend in the upper layers but this sign was not found at 100 m depth. In salinity a decreasing trend was observed throughout the water column, and this feature corresponds to the relaxing of the high salinity anomaly detected in the North Atlantic at the beginning of the 1990s. Both trends were coherent in the cross-shelf section from the coast to the slope.     

Study of zooplankton ecology in Zhejiang coastal upwelling system-Zooplankton biomass and abundance of major groups

The studied area is a shallow water area that belongs to the East China Sea continent shelf. The distribution of zooplankton biomass is higher inshore than offshore. The maximum abundance is in the inshore edge of the centre of upwelling, which is the superposed area of the salinity front and temperature front, due to the fact that the mixture of three different waters has brought about a concentration of nutrients. The herbivorous Euphausia, Copepoda and Tunicata are the major groups of the abundant area. Tunicata possess the possibility to compete against other kinds of herbivorous zooplankton. This means that there is negative correlation between the distribution of Tunicata and that of Copepoda and Euphausia. The positions of maximum areas of zooplankton biomass, phytoplankton individual and the concentration of phosphates and chlorophyll-a overlap one another. In the centre of upwelling, zooplankton can not adapt itself to the environment of lower temperature and less oxygen even with rich nutrient     

Long-term bottom water warming in the north Ross Sea

We measured potential temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen profiles from the surface to the bottom at two locations in the north Ross Sea (65.2°S, 174.2°E and 67.2°S, 172.7°W) in December 2004. Comparison of our data with previous results from the same region reveals an increase in potential temperature and decreases in salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration in the bottom layer (deeper than 3000 m) over the past four decades. The changes were significantly different from the analytical precisions. Detailed investigation of the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and σ ₃ value distributions and the bottom water flow in the north Ross Sea suggests a long-term change in water mass mixing balance. That is to say, it is speculated that the influence of cool, saline, high-oxygen bottom water (high-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) formed in the southwestern Ross Sea has possibly been decreased, while the influences of relatively warmer and fresher bottom water (low-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) and the Adélie Land Bottom Water coming from the Australia-Antarctic Basin have increased. The possible impact of global warming on ocean circulation needs much more investigation.     

北极楚科奇海北部特征水团对浮游植物空间分布的调控

通过楚科奇海北部–加拿大海盆西侧交接地带的生态调查,我们发现0～150 m海域水体中以融冰水(MW,0～20 m)、白令海夏季水(s BSW)和阿拉斯加沿岸流(ACW)等水团为主。水温和营养盐变化与水团息息相关,物理–生化的耦合作用进一步影响了浮游植物分布和群落结构。叶绿素a浓度最大值多位于约50 m深、富含营养盐的s BSW和ACW暖水团中。sBSW和ACW中分别以小型(占比约74%)和微微型(占比约65%)浮游植物为主。藻华初期,溶解无机氮(DIN)虽呈相对限制状态,但仍高于浮游植物生长所需阈值。双单元混合模型显示：浮游植物对氮去除明显,氮吸收量与叶绿素a浓度呈正比,且在温度略高的ACW水团中氮吸收量高于s BSW水团。在北极变暖、波弗特流涡增强以及ACW和sBSW营养盐补给下,该区域的浮游植物的叶绿素a浓度(均值：(0.327±0.163)mg/m³,范围：0.04～0.69 mg/m³)与历史数据相比有所提高。这将增加北极海区的碳吸收通量,有利于其作为碳汇区的发展。     

Variation of freshwater components in the Canada Basin during 1967–2010

As a conservative tracer, oxygen isotopes in seawater are widely used for water mass analysis, along with temperature and salinity. In this study, seawater oxygen-18 datasets in the Canada Basin during 1967–2010 were obtained from the four cruises of the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(1999, 2003, 2008, and 2010) and the NASA database. Fractions of sea ice meltwater and river runoff were determined from the salinity-18O system. Our results showed that the river runoff decreased from the south to the north in the Canada Basin. The enhanced amount of river runoff observed in the southern Canada Basin may originate from the Mackenzie River, transported by the Beaufort Gyre. The river runoff component showed maximum fractions during 1967–1969, 1978–1979, 1984–1985, 1993–1994, and 2008–2010, indicating the refresh time of the river runoff was 5.0–16.0 a in the Canada Basin. The temporal variation of the river runoff was related to the change of the Arctic Oscillation(AO) index, suggesting the freshwater stored in the Canada Basin was affected by surface sea ice drift and water mass movement driven by atmospheric circulation.     

Factors controlling trophic conditions in the North-West Adriatic basin: Seasonal variability

The North-Adriatic basin shows typical shallow water mass characteristics which in a first approach, can be considered independent of the Middle and the Southern basins, being more affected by seasonal temperature and salinity variability. Primary production estimates represent the main quantitative assessments of the trophic conditions of a marine system, resulting from the combined effect of a large number of oceanographic factors. In this paper the results from three EUROMARGE AS (EEC-MAST II-MTP project) field trips carried out in 1994 are presented as a contribution to the better understanding of the factors controlling the trophic balance in the Northern Adriatic basin. These results include: depth profiles of salinity, nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations, oxygen saturation, phytoplankton taxonomy and abundance, estimated biomass and primary production measurements by the ¹⁴C in-situ incubation method. The field trips were carried out in three seasons (February, July, September 1994) and the results reported belong to three stations in the northern basin, 5 miles off Ravenna, Cesenatico and Ancona, respectively. As expected, the physical situation of the water column was different in the three periods: the water was mixed in February and stratified in July and September. Nutrient concentrations were higher in winter, whilst the maximum of primary production was measured in September. The phytoplankton was composed predominantly of diatoms. The correlations between primary production and salinity reflect a difference in the factors controlling primary production. During February and September nutrients coming from rivers play an important role, although with a decreasing influence from station 1, nearest to the Po delta, towards station 3. Depth profiles of nutrient concentrations and O₂ saturation measured during summer in the water column suggest that regeneration of nutrients in the water column down to the bottom boundary layer must play an important role in the nutrient cycling and dynamics in the basin.     

1972-2013年北欧海深层水增暖

The warming of deep waters in the Nordic seas is identified based on observations during Chinese 5th Arctic Expedition in 2012 and historical hydrographic data. The most obvious and earliest warming occurrs in the Greenland Basin(GB) and shows a coincident accelerated trend between depths 2 000 and 3 500 m. The observations at a depth of 3 000 m in the GB reveal that the potential temperature had increased from-1.30°C in the early 1970 s to-0.93°C in 2013, with an increase of about 0.37°C(the maximum spatial deviation is 0.06°C) in the past more than 40 years. This remarkable change results in that deep waters in the center of the Lofton Basin(LB) has been colder than that in the GB since the year 2007. As for the Norwegian Basin(NB), only a slight trend of warming have been shown at a depth around 2 000 m since the early 1980 s, and the warming amplitude at deeper waters is just slightly above the maximum spatial deviation, implying no obvious trend of warming near the bottom. The water exchange rate of the Greenland Basin is estimated to be 86% for the period from 1982 to 2013, meaning that the residence time of the Greenland Sea deep water(GSDW) is about 35 years. As the weakening of deep-reaching convection is going on, the abyssal Nordic seas are playing a role of heat reservoir in the subarctic region and this may cause a positive feedback on the deep-sea warming in both the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic seas.     

Distribution of Pacific-origin water in the region of the Chukchi Plateau in the Arctic Ocean in the summer of 2003

1Introduction Besidestheprecipitationandriverdischarges,the watersinthePacificOceanandtheAtlanticOceanare thesourcesoftheArcticOceanwater.TheAtlantic waterenterstheArcticOceanviatheFramStraitand theBarentsSea.Foritsdenserfeatureduetohigh salinity,mostofitsinkstothenorthofSvaldbardand circulatesinallthedeepbasinsintheArcticOcean, formingthedeepandbottomwatersoftheArcticO- cean(Aagaardetal.,1985;Rudelsetal.,1999).The BeringStraitistheonlychannelforthePacificwater toflowintotheArcticOce…     

Chlorofluoromethanes in the western Indian sector of the Southern Ocean and their relations with geochemical tracers

The first vertical profiles of chlorofluoromethanes (Freons F11 and F12) measured during the austral summer 1987 (INDIGO-3 cruise) in the region of Enderby Land (30°E) and the Princess Elizabeth Trough (90°E) arc presented in relation to hydrological and geochemical characteristics. In the open ocean, transient tracer penetration reaches 1000 m. Off the West Ice Shelf and Enderby Land, a significant decrease in Freons is found below the cold Winter Water and just above the deep oxygen minimum and temperature maximum of the upper Circumpolar Deep Water (200–400 m). In the region off MacRobertson Land, where the oxygen minimum is deeper (1000 m), the Freon gradients are less abrupt. In deep open ocean waters, no Freons were detected in the core of the Circumpolar Deep Water. However, near the continental shelf, we have encountered Freon minima associated with salinity maxima, indicating significant mixing between deep and (recent) ventilated waters. Over the whole water column, a strong zonal contrast emerges in tracer distributions between stations situated to the east and to the west of MacRobertson Land (65°E), which may be associated with the Weddell Gyre extension. Freon maxima associated with oxygen maxima and temperature and salinity minima that characterize Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) have been found over all the region studied; the tracers indicate three main bottom waters that are related to Weddell Sea, Ross Sea and local origins. At two stations located on the edge of the continental shelf, Freon measurements suggest that the AABW formation was recent, and the tracers' continuity reveals a preferential westward flow of bottom waters. Although it is clear that bottom water formation takes place around 60–70°E, the information is too sparse to specify the source regions.     

大亚湾夏季浮游植物群落结构及对淡澳河输入的响应特征*

浮游植物是水生生态系统的基础生产者, 其群落结构直接影响到生态系统的健康和安全。河流输入是人类活动影响大亚湾水体环境最重要的途径之一, 淡水输入改变了水体温度、盐度、浊度和营养盐等环境因子, 对浮游植物群落结构产生影响。文章调查研究了2015年河流输入最强的夏季丰水期大亚湾的水体环境因子和浮游植物群落结构, 分析了在较强河流输入影响下浮游植物群落结构的动态变化及其对环境因子的响应。结果发现, 夏季大亚湾淡澳河的输入使湾顶淡澳河口区域形成层化的低盐、高温、低透明度、高营养盐的水体, 湾中部表层水体则受一定强度河流羽流影响, 而湾口和湾中部底层水体主要受外海水影响。淡澳河淡水输入是夏季大亚湾外源性氮、磷营养盐的主要来源, 而硅酸盐除河流输入外, 外海水也输入较多的营养盐使得底层水体硅酸盐浓度较高。夏季大亚湾水体营养比例失衡较严重, 溶解无机磷是限制浮游植物生长的重要因子。硅藻是大亚湾夏季浮游植物的优势类群, 调查发现3种优势种[极小海链藻(Thalassiosira minima)、中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)和圆海链藻(Thalassiosira rotula)]均为硅藻。通过聚类分析, 可将大亚湾夏季浮游植物群落主要分为3种类型, 分别为: 浮游植物丰度较大的极小海链藻藻华暴发的群落, 位于淡澳河口, 受河流输入影响明显; 中肋骨条藻占据优势的群落, 分布在受一定强度的河流及其羽流影响的湾顶和湾中部区域; 浮游植物丰度较低的群落, 无明显优势种, 主要分布在湾口海水影响区域。淡澳河口的水体环境有利于小型链状硅藻极小海链藻的快速繁殖并暴发了藻华, 藻华发生时的海水环境条件为: 温度30~31°C, 盐度17‰~31‰, 水体透明度0.45~1.2m。硅藻对不同营养盐利用的差异以及随后的生物碎屑和颗粒沉降过程导致藻华发生区域Si∶N值略降低, N∶P值显著升高。河流输入影响下, 单一物种大量生长使得浮游植物群落种类组成丰度分布极不均匀, 从而导致淡澳河口浮游植物群落的种类多样性和均匀度指数降低, 种类多样性和均匀度指数均从淡澳河口向湾口逐渐增大。     

Wyville Thomson Ridge Overflow Water: Spatial and temporal distribution in the Rockall Trough

Wyville Thomson Ridge Overflow Water (WTOW), which is the only part of the outflow from the Norwegian Sea not to directly enter the Iceland Basin, is shown to be a significant water mass in the northern Rockall Trough. It is found primarily at intermediate depths (600–1200 m) beneath the northward flowing warm Atlantic waters, and above recirculating Mediterranean influenced waters and Labrador Sea Water (LSW). The bottom of the WTOW layer can be identified by a mid-depth inflexion point in potential temperature–salinity plots. An analysis of historical data reveals that WTOW has been present in all but eight of the last 31 years at 57.5°N in the Rockall Trough. A denser component of WTOW below 1500 m has also been present, although it appears to be less persistent (12 out of the 31 years) and limited to the west of the section. The signature of intermediate WTOW was absent in two periods, the mid-1980s and early 1990s, both of which coincided with a freshening, and probable increase in volume, of LSW in the trough. Potential temperature–salinity diagrams from historical observations indicate that WTOW persists at least as far south as 55°N (and as far west as 20°W in the Iceland Basin) although its signature is quickly lost on leaving the Rockall Trough. We suggest that a transport of WTOW down the western side of the trough exists, with WTOW at intermediate depths entering the eastern trough either via a cyclonic recirculation, or as a result of eddy activity. Further, WTOW is seen on the Rockall–Hatton Plateau and in the deep channels connecting with the Iceland Basin, suggesting additional possible WTOW transport pathways. These suggested transport routes remain to be confirmed by further observational or modelling studies.     

胶州湾东北部养殖海域夏季营养盐分布特征及其对浮游植物生长的影响

以2000年夏季胶州湾东北部养殖海域(女姑山)的现场调查为基础,结合前3年的调查结果和相关的历史资料,对该海域夏季营养盐含量分布特征及其对浮游植物生长的可能限制因子进行了分析和探讨。研究结果表明,胶州湾东北部典型养殖海域夏季表层水体各种营养盐含量高于胶州湾全湾夏季及全年的平均值,铵氮是总溶解态无机氮的主要组成形态,硝态氮次之。该海域的环境因素适宜浮游植物的生长,相关分析显示:叶绿素a与pH及DO呈显著正相关,与PO4、SiO3、NH4、DIN呈负相关。通过分析营养盐对浮游植物生长的限制因素发现,该海域各种营养盐含量相对较高,无机氮不会成为浮游植物生长的限制因素,磷酸盐有限制的可能性,而浮游植物生长受控于硅酸盐的几率最大。     

234U/238U as a potential tracer for tracking water masses mixing in the northern East China Sea

The optimum multiparameter (OMP) method was often used to determine the percentages of water masses based on temperature, salinity and other parameters, like nutrient or dissolved oxygen (DO). There are a number of water masses in the East China Sea (ECS), a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. However, it is difficult to clarify the proportion of water masses using traditional parameters, such as temperature, salinity, nutrient or DO because of the occurring of intensive biogeochemical processes in the near shore and shelf areas. Here, we reported the use of 234U/238U activity ratio embedded in the OMP method. The results indicate that seawater in the northern ECS mainly consisted of the estuarine water of Changjiang River (CEW), Kuroshio water (KW), and Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC). In March 2017, the CEW only influenced the offshore waters shallower than 30 m; the KW affected the east edge and the YSCC contributed more than 75% in the northern ECS.     

Chlorophyll distribution in a temperate estuary: The Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait

Data collected during 7 years of seasonal surveys are used to investigate the distribution of phytoplankton biomass within the estuarine waters of the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait. Variability of the chlorophyll distribution is examined in relation to the density stratification, light availability and nutrient concentration. In the Strait of Georgia, both the horizontal and vertical distribution of chlorophyll are found to be linked to the presence of a near-surface layer of increased density stratification. Despite important year-to-year variability, the seasonal cycle of chlorophyll in the Strait of Georgia is dominated every year by relatively large near-surface concentrations in the spring that are linked to the seasonal increase in solar radiation onto the stratified near-surface layer. In the vertical, a sub-surface peak is observed around 10 m depth, corresponding to the depth of maximum water column stability. Nutrients within the euphotic zone are in general abundant, with the exception of the Strait of Georgia in summer where phytoplankton growth is potentially limited by low nitrate concentration near the surface. The depth of the euphotic zone is estimated along the thalweg of the estuary from transmissometer profiles. It appears to vary relatively little within the estuary from a minimum of 20 m in spring, near the mouth of the Fraser River, to an autumnal maximum of about 30 m in the northern Strait of Georgia. Finally, the estimated self-shading contribution to light attenuation is shown to be generally significant (5–10%) in the surface waters of the Strait of Georgia, during spring and summer, reaching values as high as 35% during the spring bloom.     

Hydrochemistry of the Tumen River Estuary,Sea of Japan

The hydrological and hydrochemical parameters of the Tumen River estuary were collected at 13 stations in May and October 2015. Vertical temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, and turbidity profiles were obtained. Water was sampled from the surface and bottom layer. The water samples were analyzed for major ions, pH, salinity, concentrations of dissolved oxygen, major nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, humic matter, and δ¹⁸О and δD isotopes. This estuary is attributed to microtidal type with a flushing time of about 10 h. A phytoplakton bloom occurred in the top layer of the estuary. For surface horizons, the hydrochemical parameters show a linear correlation with salinity. In the bottom horizons, all these parameters, except for major ions and δ¹⁸О and δD isotopes, reveal substantial nonconservative behavior. The nonconservative behavior of the hydrochemical parameters in the bottom waters was mainly caused by degradation of the phytoplankton biomass at the water/sediment interface. Hypoxic conditions were established in the bottom waters of the estuary in May.     

Relationship between Salinity and Nutrients in the Subsurface Layer in the Suruga Bay

We investigated the water structure and nutrient distribution in the Suruga Bay from April 2000 to July 2002, especially the Offshore Water, which occupies a large part of the bay. The maximum salinity in the upper 200 m varied between 34.49 and 34.71, indicating a temporal change in the influence of Kuroshio Water on the Offshore Water. Seasonal variation in nutrient concentrations was largest from surface to 50 m. On the other hand, the variance in nutrient concentrations within each season was largest in the subsurface layer of 100–300 m in spring, summer and fall. In the Offshore Water, the change of nutrients was negatively correlated with that of salinity in each season. This suggests that an increasing intrusion of saline water brings about a lower nutrient concentration in the Offshore Water. Likewise, negative correlations were observed between the change of the maximum salinity and chlorophyll a (Δ [chl.a-int])/nutrients integrated in the upper 200 m. Δ[chl.a-int] was significantly correlated with the changes of nitrate and phosphorus, but there were no significant correlations between Δ[chl.a-int] and the change of silicate. These results suggest that the concentrations of chlorophyll a and nutrients in the Offshore Water were decreased due to the increasing intrusion of Kuroshio Water. The Offshore Water is likely to be related to the regulation of primary production by nitrate.