Dimethylsulfide in coastal zone of the East China Sea

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) in seawater were observed four times from February 1993 to August 1994 along a fixed section (PN line) in the East China Sea. The DMS concentrations showed remarkable temporal and spatial variations. The DMS concentrations were generally higher in the upper euphotic layer of the continental shelf zone in summer. The spatial variation, however, was more pronounced even in well mixed winter water, where the concentration of DMS varied widely from 3 to 106 ng-S/l in the continental shelf zone while the salinity was vertically almost uniform. This means that DMS in seawater is rapidly produced and decomposed with a time scale less than one month in the water column. The largest value of 376 ng-S/l was obtained at 5 m depth near the mouth of Changjiang River in August 1994. The mean concentrations in the surface 30 m layer in the continental shelf zone were 21, 54, 126 and 57 ng-S/l in February, October, June and August, respectively, which were about twice as large as those in the Kuroshio region. The mean fluxes of DMS from the East China Sea to the atmosphere are estimated to be 49 g-S/m²/day in winter and 194 g-S/m²/day in summer in the continental shelf zone, and to be 32 and 107 g-S/m²/day in the Kuroshio region.     

Relations between methane venting,geological structure and seismo-tectonics in the Okhotsk Sea

Methane investigations carried out in the Okhotsk Sea show that the methane flux from the earths interior into the water column increased during periods of seismo-tectonic activity between 1988 and 2002. In this case, methane gas hydrates found on the northeast Sakhalin slope may have decomposed due to a reactivation of fault zones. Methane emissions in the Okhotsk Sea generally can be divided into two forms. Firstly, methane vents from decomposing gas hydrates and/or free gas exist below gas hydrate saturated sediments via fault zones, venting into the water column with high bubble concentrations that were recorded by echosounding. These hydro-acoustic anomalies were named flares. Methane concentration inside these flares reached 10,000–20,000 nl/l (background methane concentrations in the Okhotsk Sea are less than 90–100 nl/l). Secondly, methane migrates as seepage into the water column from oil- and gas-bearing sedimentary source rocks on the eastern Sakhalin shelf, without showing acoustic anomalies in the water column, probably by filtration and diffusion processes. In these areas methane concentration reached 500–3,000 nl/l. In seismo-tectonically active regions, like the northwestern part of the Okhotsk Sea, many new flares were observed. Their distribution and orientation are usually controlled by fault zones (East Sakhalin Shear Zone in the Okhotsk Sea).     

Annual dynamics of pelagic primary production and respiration in a shallow coastal basin

The Wadden Sea (North Sea, Europe) is a shallow coastal sea with high benthic and pelagic primary production rates. To date, no studies have been carried out in the Wadden Sea that were specifically designed to study the relation between pelagic respiration and production by comparable methods. Because previous studies have suggested that the import of primary-produced pelagic organic matter is important for benthic Wadden Sea carbon budgets, we hypothesised that on an annual average the northern Wadden Sea water column is autotrophic. To test this hypothesis, we studied annual dynamics of primary production and respiration at a pelagic station in a shallow tidal basin (List Tidal Basin, northern Wadden Sea). Since water depth strongly influences production estimates, we calculated primary production rates per unit area in two ways: on the basis of the mean water depth (2.7 m) and on the basis of 1 m depth intervals and their respective spatial extent in the List Tidal Basin. The latter more precise estimate yielded an annual primary production of 146 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. Estimates based on the mean water depth resulted in a 40% higher annual rate of 204 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. The total annual pelagic respiration was 50 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. The P/R ratio varied between seasons: from February to October the water column was autotrophic, with the highest P/R ratio of 4–5 during the diatom spring bloom in April/May. In autumn and winter the water column was heterotrophic. On an annual average, the water column of the List Tidal Basin was autotrophic (P/R 3). We suggest that a large fraction of the pelagic produced organic matter was respired locally in the sediment.     

Oceanic pycnocline depth retrieval from SAR imagery in the existence of solitary internal waves

Oceanic pycnocline depth is usually inferred from in situ measurements. It is attempted to estimate the depth remotely. As solitary internal waves occur on oceanic pycnocline and propagate along it, it is possible to retrieve the depth indirectly in virtue of the solitary internal waves. A numerical model is presented for retrieving the pycnocline depth from synthetic aperture radar （SAR） images where the solitary internal waves are visible and when ocean waters are fully stratified. This numerical model is constructed by combining the solitary internal wave model and a two-layer ocean model. It is also assumed that the observed groups of solitary internal wave packets on the SAR imagery are generated by local semidiurnal tides. A case study in the East China Sea shows a good agreement with in situ CTD （conductivity-temperature-depth） data.     

Dynamics analysis for flux of carbon dioxide across seasurface

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Nutrient gradients from the eutrophic Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary to the oligotrophic Kuroshio waters and re-evaluation of budgets for the East China Sea Shelf

Eutrophication has become an overwhelming phenomenon in the coastal environment off the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, illustrated by an increase in nutrient concentration, frequent red-tide events and hypoxia in near-bottom waters, while the open East China Sea Shelf and Kuroshio waters remain oligotrophic. Observations made in the Changjiang Estuary and the East China Sea in 1999–2003 cover a broad range of hydrographic and chemical properties. The concentration gradients of nutrients across the shelf indicate that high levels from land-sources are constrained to the coastal and inner-shelf region by the complex circulation regime. In surface waters, nutrient species gradually decrease from eutrophic coastal to oligotrophic open shelf waters, depending on the hydrographic stages of the Changjiang, although biological uptake and regeneration in the upper water column can produce patchy character of nutrient distribution. Taiwan Current Warm Water and Kuroshio Surface Water are devoid of nutrients. Remineralization of nutrient species takes place in the near-bottom waters in the inner-shelf following extensive bacterial demand for organic matter. Hence the burial efficiency is low with regard to the biogenic species, either allochthonous or autochthonous, or both. The Kuroshio Sub-surface Waters are rich in nutrients, and their incursion into the East China Sea can be tracked by salinity and temperature, reaching within water depth of 50–100 m at mid-shelf. Relative to shelf waters, the Kuroshio intrusion is characterized by high and DIP/DOP ratios. In the water column, the ratio of DIP/DOP to is higher than the Redfield P/N value, suggesting rapid regeneration of phosphorus relative to nitrogen in the East China Sea. The results of a box-model suggest that the East China Sea Shelf do likely not export substantial amounts of dissolved biogenic elements to the open Northwest Pacific Ocean.     

东海泥质和砂质沉积区悬浮物垂向分布的季节变化特征

9404,9410 ,9702及98074个航次对东海泥质和砂质沉积区总悬浮颗粒物的季节调查显示由于冷涡区海水的底层幅聚作用使得位于冷涡中心的111站悬浮物含量高且集中在底层 ;111站海水中悬浮物含量冬、春季高 ,夏、秋季低 ,而410站则是春、夏高 ,秋、冬低。东海悬浮物的垂向分布可归纳为4类 :上低下高型 ,上高中低下高型 ,上低中高下低型及均匀型     

Cold water areas in the vicinity of the shoal,Kokushô-sone

By using data obtained at about 120 XBT stations, cold water regions in the vicinity of the shoal, Kokushô-sone (30°00N, 128°30E), which is located in the current zone of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea, were investigated.The temperature cross-sections obtained were compared with corresponding cross-sections obtained from the four former cruises which were already reported. On the present cruise forced upwelling area was found along the south slope of the shoal, instead of the north slope as was found on the former cruises.The area of the cold water region found along the south slope tends to decrease with decrease in depth, and at depths shallower than 250 m the cold water region extends northward passing the shoal. The area at a depth of 400 m is comparable to that of the shoal itself, and is about 35 km².Physical parameters and their scales which seem to be related to the dynamics near the shoal are given in the Appendix.     

基于水-汽平衡器的离轴积分腔输出光谱法(ICOS)走航观测海水中溶解CH4

A new off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy(ICOS) is coupled to Weiss equilibrator for continuous highresolution dissolved methane measurement in the surface ocean. The time constant for the equilibrator in freshwater at room temperature is determined via dis-equilibration and re-equilibration experiments. The constant for methane is about 40 min. The system is calibrated using a standard gas of 3.980×10–6, and the precision of the ICOS for methane is 0.07%. This system is equipped onboard to measure the spatial distribution in methane concentrations of South Yellow Sea(SYS) along the cruise track from Shanghai to Qingdao. Result shows that the methane concentration varies from 2.79 to 36.36 nmol/L, reveals a significant pattern of methane source in SYS, and a distinct decreasing trend from south to north. The peak value occurs at the coast area outside mouth of the Changjiang River, likely to be affected by the Changjiang diluted water mass dissolving a large amount of rich in methane. Moreover, all the surface waters are oversaturated, air-to-sea fluxes range from 98.59 to 5 485.35 μmol/(m2·d)(average value(1 169.74±1 398.46) μmol/(m2·d)), indicating a source region for methane to the atmosphere. Key words: methane, equilibrator, off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy(ICOS), South Yellow Sea     

中国东部边缘海冬季硅酸盐的分布特征及主要来源

利用2007年1～2月的调查资料,分析讨论了中国东部陆架边缘海(南黄海、东海)冬季硅酸盐的分布特征及其主要影响因素。结果表明:近岸海域硅酸盐的高值区位于受长江冲淡水影响的区域;东海的硅酸盐浓度高于南黄海。长江冲淡水和黑潮水是影响东海和南黄海硅酸盐分布的主要因素。黑潮中层水是东海陆架区硅酸盐的主要来源。     

Role of sea ice on satellite-observed chlorophyll-a concentration variations during spring bloom in the East/Japan sea

The relationship between the spring bloom along the Primorye coast and the sea ice of the Tatarskiy Strait in the northern region of the East/Japan Sea, a semi-enclosed marginal sea in the North Pacific, was investigated using the ten-year SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a concentration data and DMSP/SSMI sea ice concentration data from 1998 to 2007. Year-to-year variations in the chlorophyll-a concentrations in the spring were positively correlated with those of the sea ice concentrations in the Tatarskiy Strait in the previous winter with a correlation coefficient of 0.77. Abrupt increases in nutrients, essential for the spring bloom in the upper ocean during spring, were supplied from sea ice-melted waters. Time series of vertical distributions of the nutrients indicated that phosphate concentrations were extremely elevated in the upper ocean (less than 100 m) without any connection to high concentrations in the deep waters below. The water mass from sea ice provided preferable conditions for the spring bloom through changes in the vertical stratification structure of the water columns. Along-coast ratios of stability parameters between two neighboring months clearly showed the rapid progression of the generation of a shallow pycnocline due to fresh water originating from sea ice. This study addressed the importance of the physical environment for biogeochemical processes in semi-enclosed marginal seas affected by local sea ice.     

Seasonal Variation in Lower Trophic Level Ecosystem of Hakata Bay, Japan

The seasonal variation in lower trophic level ecosystem of Hakata Bay, Japan is investigated using observed data from April 1993 to March 1994 and a numerical ecosystem model. Primary production was largest in September 1993 due to high DIP concentration but secondary production was largest in August 1993 due to high water temperature. Yearly averaged primary production in Hakata Bay is larger than that in the Seto Inland Sea but yearly averaged secondary production in Hakata Bay is smaller than that in the Seto Inland Sea. New production was nearly the same as regenerated production in summer but the former was larger than the latter in winter. Yearly averaged ratio of new production to regenerated production in Hakata Bay is larger than that in the open ocean.     

Investigation of the biogeochemistry of methane and mechanisms of its transfer in the Black Sea

We demonstrate the importance of investigation of the behavior of methane as a source of energy and an element of the Black-Sea ecosystem affecting the global behavior of the climate. We describe the genesis of methane and the processes of its aerobic and anaerobic oxidation. An especially important biogeochemical and ecological role is played by the anaerobic oxidation of methane guaranteeing the formation of its effective sink inside the anaerobic zone and preventing its penetration into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. On the basis of the analysis of the experimental data available from the literature, we also discuss the principal regularities of the distribution of concentration of methane and its flows. It is shown that the formation of methane hydrates at the bottom in the abyssal part of the Black Sea and the events of jet gas release on the periphery of the basin can be regarded as the components of a single global process of gas release from the bottom of the Black Sea. We present estimates of the components of methane budget in the Black Sea. The results of simulation of the dynamics of methane bubbles and the processes of their gas exchange with the medium are analyzed. The data of hydroacoustic measurements are used to evaluate the distribution of methane bubbles in sizes and the mass transfer of methane through the ocean–atmosphere interface. Finally, we consider the methods of mathematical simulation of the distribution of methane in the ecosystem of the Black Sea. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 40–56, September–October, 2008.     

东、黄海典型海域叶绿素a含量的垂向变化与周日波动

2000年10月21至11月5日对东海与黄海典型海区进行了叶绿素a浓度的现场周日观测，地理环境和水文状况的差异使各海区的垂向变化与日波动表现各自的特征：东海观测站位在垂向上的分布比较单一，多数呈上混合层均匀分布型并在跃层以上递减；长江口受潮流影响大，偶而在底层峰值，而南黄海观测站位垂向布出现了均匀分布型与次表层双峰型两种，受潮流等影响，叶绿素a浓度的日变化在各海区间及各自的垂向上都有所差异；出现层化的测站，跃层以上日波动层以下明显；在E7测站的表层和长江口测站的底层都以半日周期为，而南黄海测站以全日周期为主。     

东海海水中的溶存甲烷

基于1994年秋季航次在东海的调查资料,较详细地分析了溶存甲烷在水体中的分布规律、成因和来源.表层水中溶存甲烷呈过饱和状态,饱和度127%～254%,温跃层以上水体中,甲烷的断面分布不同于营养盐的分布,各站测值相近,没有显示出受长江冲淡水的影响,而呈现的舌状分布,在陆架底层水中有明显的高浓度甲烷水体,表明甲烷从沉积物中迅速扩散进入底层水.黑潮次表层水的涌升过程稀释了陆架边缘底层水中的甲烷.在陆架和大洋区测站上,甲烷的垂直分布不同,前者主要受物理混合过程所控制;后者呈大洋区分布特征,在温跃层附近出现甲烷的次表层最大,这可能是陆架底层高浓度甲烷沿等密度面的输送所致.     

2011年春、夏季黄、东海水团与水文结构分布特征

根据2011年春季(4月)夏季(8月)两个航次调查的CTD温盐资料,获得观测期间黄、东海主要水团特征:(1)夏季黄海冷水团10℃等温线在黄海海域中部30m以深,影响范围西至122°E南至34°N,最低温度为6.2℃,比气候态平均冷水团温度低约2℃;(2)夏季冲淡水以长江口为中心,呈半圆形向外扩展,并无明显NE转向,30.00等盐线在32°N断面上东至124°E,南至29.5°N,扩展范围与往年相比偏西1°左右,而在SE方向较往年有明显延伸扩展。水文结构特征为:(1)春季,温跃层主要在南黄海中部以西,跃层强度仅为0.10—0.40℃/m;密跃层主要在长江口以东,跃层强度0.20—0.30kg/m4;(2)夏季,温跃层强度最高值在长江口东北,跃层强度达到2.41℃/m,上界深度5.5m,厚度2.5m;黄海温跃层强度普遍强于东海,主要是冷水团区域表底显著的温度差异造成;密跃层强度高值区在33°N断面西侧海区,强度达到1.38kg/m4,上界深度5.5m,厚度约为1.5m;沿长江冲淡水舌轴方向的密跃层强度为0.30—0.60kg/m4,自西向东逐渐减弱。     

Seasonal Cycle of Vertical Structure and Deep Water Renewal in the Clyde Sea

Two strings of moored current meters deployed between March 1993 and May 1994, together with monthly CTD surveys, provide the first comprehensive set of observations over the seasonal cycle in the Clyde Sea. In the summer, a strong thermal stratification maintained a partial isolation of the deep waters. In winter, the stratification was weaker, and a 1 °C temperature inversion was persistent from November to the end of March. Rapid inflow of dense water from the North Channel of the Irish Sea served to re-establish the strong stratification in the spring. The mean rate of exchange was estimated from the salinity (practical salinity scale) and mass budgets to be 1·1×10⁴ m³ s⁻¹, indicating an average flushing time for the Clyde Sea of 3–4 months.Episodic increases in deep water salinity indicated that bottom water renewal occurred throughout the winter. Intense renewal events were observed in March 1993 and February 1994, when the North Channel density was near its seasonal maximum, and were coincident with periods of high wind stress. In the month prior to these rapid spring inflows, the basin bottom salinity reached its seasonal minimum, indicating that the effects of mixing dominated over renewal at this time. A marked inflow in the summer was inferred from the salinity budget, and observed as a salinity increase at a depth of 90 m. A 2-layer flow was observed in the Arran Deep basin throughout the year, the surface flow forming part of a clockwise circulation about Arran, with an opposing bottom layer circulation. This surface circulation prevents freshwater from entering the Kilbrannan Sound, leaving this area relatively susceptible to deep water mixing by the wind.At a station in the north of the basin, the internal tidal current was observed to have an amplitude of 2–3 cm s⁻¹, which is half the amplitude of the barotropic tide. The energy available to mix the water column mixing associated with the internal tide at this position is estimated to be 0·01 mWm⁻², which is 2 orders of magnitude less than wind mixing. The kinetic energy density in the Clyde Sea was found to be predominantly in low frequency oscillations (<1·0 cycles per day), the seasonal variation exhibiting some correlation with the wind.     

Transient Eastern Mediterranean deep waters in response to the massive dense-water output of the Aegean Sea in the 1990s

We present a detailed account of the changing hydrography and the large-scale circulation of the deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean (EMed) that resulted from the unique, high-volume influx of dense waters from the Aegean Sea during the 1990s, and of the changes within the Aegean that initiated the event, the so-called ‘Eastern Mediterranean Transient’ (EMT). The analysis uses repeated hydrographic and transient tracer surveys of the EMed in 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2001/2002, hydrographic time series in the southern Aegean and southern Adriatic Seas, and further scattered data. Aegean outflow averaged nearly 3 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ between mid-1992 and late 1994, and was largest during 1993, when south and west of Crete Aegean-influenced deep waters extended upwards to 400 m depth. EMT-related Aegean outflow prior to 1992, confined to the region around Crete and to 1800 m depth-wise, amounted to about 3% of the total outflow. Outflow after 1994 up to 2001/2002, derived from the increasing inventory of the tracer CFC-12, contributed 20% to the total, of 2.8 × 10¹⁴ m³. Densities in the southern Aegean Sea deep waters rose by 0.2 kg/m³ between 1987 and 1993, and decreased more slowly thereafter. The Aegean waters delivered via the principal exit pathway in Kasos Strait, east of Crete, propagated westward along the Cretan slope, such that in 1995 the highest densities were observed in the Hellenic Trench west of Crete. Aegean-influenced waters also crossed the East Mediterranean Ridge south of Crete and from there expanded eastward into the southeastern Levantine Sea. Transfer into the Ionian mostly followed the Hellenic Trench, largely up to the trench’s northern end at about 37°N. From there the waters spread further west while mixing with the resident waters. Additional transfer occurred through the Herodotus Trough in the south. Levantine waters after 1994 consistently showed temperature–salinity (T–S) inversions in roughly 1000–1700 m depth, with amplitudes decreasing in time. The T–S distributions in the Ionian Sea were more diverse, one cause being added Aegean outflow of relatively lower density through the Antikithira Strait west of Crete. Spreading of the Aegean-influenced waters was quite swift, such that by early 1995 the entire EMed was affected. and strong mixing is indicated by near-linear T–S relationships observed in various places. Referenced to 2000 and 3000 dbar, the highest Aegean-generated densities observed during the event equaled those generated by Adriatic Sea outflow in the northern Ionian Sea prior to the EMT. A precarious balance between the two dense-water source areas is thus indicated. A feedback is proposed which helped triggering the change from a dominating Adriatic source to the Aegean source, but at the same time supported the previous long-year dominance of the Adriatic. The EMed deep waters will remain transient for decades to come.     

veKdv方程的若干系数在南海北部的地理分布特征及其季节变化分析

应用中国近海及邻近海域海洋再分析资料(简称CORA)研究南海北部第一模态内波场运动学参数的地理分布特征及其季节变化。首先分析了Brunt-Väisälä频率的统计特征;其次,基于弱非线性变系数扩展Kortewed-de Vries (veKdv)方程模型,计算了它的输入系数,即线性长波相速度,平方和立方非线性系数和频散系数,这些参数可用于定性评估内孤立波传播可能的极性,内孤立波的形态,幅度限制以及传播速度等。分析结果表明,南海北部季节性密度跃层从2月开始出现,最大浮力频率约在20 m。它在6—7月达到最强,自8月开始减弱,在10月消退。另一密度跃层出现在8—11月,最大浮力频率约在80 m,冬季大致在120 m。季节性密度跃层在4—9月十分明显,而8—10月双跃层现象显著,冬季仅出现较弱的第二密度跃层。在1—3月和10—12月海盆深水区最大Brunt-Väisälä频率值要大于陆架浅水区;而在5—9月情况则相反。Brunt-Väisälä频率最大值所在深度随季节变化显著,冬季最深,6—7月则最浅。计算的线性内波相速度、频散系数和幅度放大因子的空间特征主要取决于地形变化;平方(立方)非线性系数与地形关系较小,随季节变化明显,它们主要取决于局地海洋环境特征。通过分析veKdv方程的系数特征,解释了为何在夏季南海北部最容易观测到大振幅内孤立波和在吕宋海峡以东海域难以观测到孤立波的原因。