Paleoenvironment changes in the NW Okhotsk Sea for the last 18 kyr determined with micropaleontological,geochemical, and lithological data

Lithological, geochemical, and micropaleontological data indicate that the Late Glacial of the northwestern Okhotsk Sea (OS) is characterised by severe climatic and environmental conditions with mainly perennial sea ice coverage and low productivity accompanied by weak deep-water ventilation and a temperate formation of the upper Sea of Okhotsk Intermediate Water (SOIW). The age model of the studied core sediments was constructed by AMS ¹⁴C dating. The most severe environmental conditions occurred during the period 15.8–14.8 kyr, synchronous with cold Heinrich event 1. Insignificant regional environmental amelioration accompanied by an increase of productivity and ice weakening during summer occurred almost simultaneously with the Bølling–Allerøed (BA) warming. The obtained results distinguished both the Bølling and Allerøed warmings as having different environmental conditions. Oxygen content in the surface sediment was low, as seen from the production of the benthic foraminifera (BF) species. During 12.6–11.1 kyr, synchronous with the Younger Dryas (YD) cold event, the regional environment conditions were cold, but not as severe as the glacial ones. Some climatic warming since the Preboreal has stimulated sea ice melting and surface amelioration during the summer season, which in turn led to a productivity rise and changes in the water column and bottom environment. Some increase in the surface water stratification and the intensified oceanic diatom and surface radiolarian production is parallel with the development of a mesopelagic regime of productivity. The surface sediment condition favours BF abundance and domination by BF species tolerant to oxygen deficiencies. During the Boreal period more stable surface conditions were accompanied by continuously high productivity and an intensifying of its mesopelagic regime.Significant regional climate warming since the Atlantic (9 kyr ago) strongly intensified the summer sea ice melting in the OS, and this created considerable surface environment amelioration with the preferential transport of bacteria and phytodetritus into the SOIW. Further considerable warming of the regional climate from 6 kyr ago contributed to slight sea ice changes, surface water warming, and the enhancement of its stratification; all typical for most of the OS. Along with a high nutrient supply from the Amur River, the NW OS experienced a strong diatom production increase with the maximum amount occurring during the last 3.6 kyr. This changed the productivity type and organic matter export into the water column while increasing the feeding of the “productive” Plagoniidae spp. group and decreasing the microbial biomass supply into the upper SOIW. Some sea surface water cooling or saltier conditions at the beginning of the Subatlantic (2.4–1.8 kyr) was followed by its warming or freshening 1.5–1.0 kyr ago, which likely correlated with the Medieval Warm Period. In turn, that probably led to strong surface water stratification, productivity deterioration and considerable changes in the overall NW OS environment. The established sequence of the northwestern OS environmental changes during the Late Glacial–Holocene is related to the Northern Hemispheric climate changes and was likely forced by atmospheric teleconnection in line with the polar circulation index variability.     

Mesopelagic fishes of the Bering Sea and adjacent northern North Pacific Ocean

Fourteen midwater trawl collections to depths of 450 m to 1,400 m were taken at eleven stations in the Bering Sea and adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific by the R/V Hakuho Maru during the summer of 1975. A total of 29 kinds of fishes were identified. Mesopelagic fishes of the families Myctophidae, Gonostomatidae and Bathylagidae predominated in the catches, contributing 14 species (94%) of the fishes caught.Seventeen species of fishes were caught in the Bering Sea, and all of these are known from nearby areas. The mesopelagic fish fauna of the Bering Sea is similar to that in adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific Ocean: endemic species are rare or absent. Stenobrachius nannochir was usually the most common mesopelagic fish in our catches.Stenobrachius leucopsarus is a diel vertical migrant that is usually the dominant mesopelagic fish in modified Subarctic waters of the northeastern Pacific. The change in dominance fromS. nannochir in the western Bering Sea toS. leucopsarus in the eastern Bering Sea is related to differences in oceanographic conditions.     

Variations of the oxygen minimum zone of the Okhotsk Sea during the last 50 ka as indicated by benthic foraminiferal and biogeochemical data

Benthic foraminiferal and sediment biogeochemical data (total organic carbon, calcium carbonate and biogenic opal contents) in two cores (1265 and 1312 m water depths) from the southeastern Sakhalin slope and one core (839 m water depth) from the southwestern Kamchatka slope were investigated to reconstruct variations of the oxygen minimum zone during the last 50 ka in the Okhotsk Sea. The oxygen minimum zone was less pronounced during cooling in the MIS 2 that is suggested to be caused by a maximal expansion of sea ice cover, decrease of marine productivity and increase of production of the oxygenated Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW). A two-step-like strengthening of oxygen minimum zone during the warmings in the Termination 1a and 1b was linked to (1) enhanced oxygen consumption due to degradation of large amount of organic matter in the water column and bottom sediments, originated from increased marine productivity and supply of terrigenous material from the submerged northern shelves; (2) sea ice cover retreat and reduction of OSIW production; (3) freely inflow of the oxygen-depleted intermediate water mass from the North Pacific.     

Millennium scale environment changes of the Okhotsk Sea during last 80 kyr and their phase relationship with global climate changes

The paper presents the records of several paleoproductivity proxies (PP) (biogenic opal and Ba (Si_bio, Ba_bio), organic carbon (C_org) and carbonate Ca_carb, chlorin and benthic foraminifera abundance (BFA)) in sediments of the Okhotsk Sea for the last 80 kyr with a resolution of ∼100–300 years. The sediment age model was based on the AMS ¹⁴C data, records of benthic foraminifera δ¹⁸O, paleointensity of the Earth’s geomagnetic field and magnetic susceptibility. PP values demonstrate series of severe prolonged productivity drops in the Okhotsk Sea followed by a sharp increase during the last glaciation. On the basis of quantitative estimations of the paleoproductivity in the Okhotsk Sea during the cold MIS 2 and warm Holocene (Gorbarenko and Goldberg, 2005), it is suggested that the millennium scale relationship in productivity-climate changes of this basin was similar: an increase in the sea’s productivity was related with regional climate warming and vice-versa. The PP records of productivity/climate oscillations in the Okhotsk Sea during MIS 2–4 occurred contemporaneously with the North Atlantic cold Heinrich events (HE) and Greenland Dansgaard-Oyeshger interstadial (DOI). Observed successions of prolonged climate cooling events followed by rapid, abrupt warming are similar to climate and environmental oscillations in the N. Atlantic and Greenland, that confirms the millennium-scale climate changes synchronicities in the Northern Hemisphere including the far NW Pacific, the hydrology and climate conditions of which are close to those of the Okhotsk Sea. Synchronism of the N. Hemisphere severe cooling (including the Okhotsk Sea) with the Antarctic warming suggests that mechanisms of the “seesaw” effect (Blunier and Brook, 2001) in the low latitude heat redistribution between high latitudes of both hemispheres were more complicated than direct NADW formation forcing and encompasses the global atmospheric reorganization. Within the PP used a closer connection in the Okhotsk Sea millennium oscillations was observed for the C_org, BFA and chlorin; Ba_bio increases more closely to DOI. Si_bio variability does not show any evident correlation with productivity changes.     

Late glacial to Holocene sea-level changes in the Sea of Marmara: new evidence from high-resolution seismics and core studies

The late glacial to Holocene sedimentary record of the northern shelf of the Sea of Marmara (SoM) has been documented by detailed seismo-, chrono-, and biostratigraphic analyses using sub-bottom (Chirp) profiles and sediment cores. During MIS 3 and the main part of MIS 2 (60–15 ¹⁴C ka b.p.), disconnection from the Mediterranean and Black seas together with a dry climate resulted in a regression in the SoM, when the Sea was transformed into a brackish lake. The river incisions below 105 m water depth along the northern shelf took place during the last glacial maximum, when the lake level was modulated by stillstands at −98 and −93 m. The post-glacial freshwater transgressive stage of the Marmara ‘Lake’ occurred between 15 and 13.5 ¹⁴C ka b.p., leading to a rise in water level to −85 m by 13.0 ¹⁴C ka b.p., as evidenced by broad wave-cut terraces along the northern shelf. Since 12 ¹⁴C ka b.p., high-frequency sea-level fluctuations have been identified at the SoM entrance to the Strait of İstanbul (SoI). Thus, wave-cut terraces have been recorded at water depths of −76 and −71 m that, according to an age model for core MD04-2750, have ages of 11.5 and 10.5 ¹⁴C ka b.p., respectively. Ancient shoreline at −65 m along the northern shelf presumably formed soon after the Younger Dryas (YD) at ca. 10.1 ¹⁴C ka b.p. Moreover, there is compelling evidence of Holocene outflow from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. At the SoM entrance to the SoI, the existence of bioherms on the reflector surface together with abundant Brizalina spathulata and Protoglobulimina pupoides in a core suggests a return to higher salinities due to strong Mediterranean water incursion into the SoM at ∼8.8 ¹⁴C ka b.p. This finding is consistent with earlier suggestions that, after the YD, the Black Sea was flooded by outflow from the SoM as a result of global sea-level rise.     

Basin-Scale Geographic Patterns of Bacterioplankton Biomass and Production in the Subarctic Pacific, July–September 1997

Bacterial biomass and production rate were measured in the surface (0–100 m) and mesopelagic layers (100–1,000 m) in the subarctic Pacific and the Bering Sea between July–September, 1997. Depth profiles were determined at stations occupied in oceanic domains including the subarctic gyres (western, Bering Sea, and Gulf of Alaska) and a boundary region south of the gyres. In the surface layer (0–100 m), both bacterial biomass and production were generally high in the western and Bering Sea gyres, with the tendency of decrease toward east. This geographic pattern was consistent with the dominant regime of phytoplankton biomass at the time of our survey. A significant portion of variation in bacterial production was explained by the concentration of chlorophyll a (r ² = 0.340, n = 60, P < 0.001) and, to the greater extent, by the concentration of semilabile total organic carbon (SL-TOC = TOC at a given depth—TOC at 1,000 m, r ² = 0.488, n = 59, P < 0.0001). Temperature significantly improved the regression model: temperature and chlorophyll jointly explained 60% of variation in bacterial production. These results support the hypothesis that bacteiral growth is largely regulated by the combination of temperature and the supply of dissolved organic carbon in subarctic surface waters. In the mesopelagic layer (100–1,000 m), the geographic pattern of bacterial production was strikingly different from the surface phytoplankton distribution: the production was high in the boundary region where the phytoplankton biomass was lowest. Bacterial growth appeared to be largely controlled by the supply of organic carbon, as indicated by the strong dependency of bacterial production on SL-TOC (r ² = 0.753, n = 75, P < 0.0001). The spatial uncoupling between surface phytoplankton and mesopelagic bacterial production suggests that the supply rate of labile dissolved organic carbon in the mesopelagic zone does not simply reflect the magnitude of the particulate organic carbon flux in the subarctic Pacific.     

Sea-surface bioproductivity changes in the Northwest Pacific over the last 25 kyr

The sea-surface bioproductivity changes over the last 25 kyr were inferred from published data on 30 sediment cores from the open Northwest Pacific (NWP), Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea and Sea of Japan accounting for the glacioeustatic sea-level changes. A novel method was developed to compare the variations of several independent productivity proxies relative to the present-day values. During the Last Glacial Maximum, the bioproductivity in the Sea of Okhotsk and the western Bering Sea (BS) was lower than at present, whereas the southern and southeastern Bering Sea and the open NWP are characterized by enhanced bioproductivity. During the early deglacial stage, an increase in bioproductivity was estimated only for the southeastern Bering Sea. High and fairly high bioproductivity was estimated for Heinrich 1 in the open NWP, above the Umnak Plateau and on the Shirshov and Bowers Ridges in the Bering Sea. The high productivity in the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk and NWP during the Bølling/Allerød was caused by the global warming and enhanced nutrient supply by meltwater from the continent. During the Early Holocene, high productivity was estimated for almost the entire NWP. The Late Holocene sea-surface bioproductivity was generally lower than that of the Early Holocene. Proposed factors that have controlled the sea-surface bioproductivity during the last 25 kyr include: the location of the sea ice margin, the river runoff, gradual flooding of the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk shelf areas, the water mass exchange between the marginal seas and the open NWP, the eolian supply and the deep vertical mixing of the water column.     

Late Pleistocene-Holocene Paleoceanography and Ventilation of the Gulf of California

Sediment cores collected in 1990 from the Gulf of California have been studied using stable isotope and radiocarbon techniques to reconstruct the climate and ventilation histories since the last glacial maximum. Benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O from core tops in a water depth range of 145 to 1442 m increases by about 2% with increasing depth. This is consistent with a composite temperature profile constructed from several hydrocasts in the various gulf basins. However, the δ¹⁸O water/salinity relationship is not sufficiently linear in gulf locations or in nearby open Pacific Geochemical Ocean Sections Study (GEOSECS) stations to be useful in solving paleotemperature equations. Of the most common benthic foraminifera, only Planulina ariminensis has δ¹³C that is consistent with the measured δ¹³C of ΣCO₂. Several cores in the depth range 500 to 900 m have the laminated Holocene and Bolling/Allerod sediments, and the nonlaminated glacial age and Younger Dryas sediments that are typical of the gulf and other locations such as Santa Barbara Basin. The best of those, Jumbo Piston Core (JPC) 56 from 818 m water depth on the western margin of Guaymas Basin, was sampled for intensive study. Oxygen isotope ratios in benthic and planktonic foraminifera show little evidence for deglacial temperature oscillations. Carbon isotope ratios are generally lower during warm epochs, but the most striking result is strongly lowered benthic and planktonic δ¹³C about 9500 years ago. This may reflect water column oxidation of locally released methane. Neither benthic δ¹³C in depth section nor paired benthic and planktonic ¹⁴C data in JPC56 are consistent with increased intermediate water ventilation during the glacial maximum and Younger Dryas. Likewise, ¹⁴C data from 5 pairs of foraminifera from the Okhotsk Sea fail to support better ventilation in that basin during the last glacial maximum. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Paleoceanographic records and sea ice extension history on the slope of the northern Bering Sea over the last 100 ka B.P.

1Introduction TheBeringSea,locatedinthesub-arcticNorth Pacific,playsanimportantroleininfluencingtheevo- lutionaryprocessoftheglobalclimaticsystembecause itsseasonalseaiceisformedinrelativelowerlatitudes (Takahashi,1999).ItisalsoasinkofatmosphericCO2, whichisoriginatedfromtheeffectivebiologicalpump inthissea.Particulatefluxdatameasuredinthesea overthelast10aindicatethattheorganic/inorganic carbonratiowasalwaysgreaterthan1,whichexplains thattheBeingSeaoccupiesasignificantpositionin theproces…     

Depth distribution of radiolarians from the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, western Arctic

The depth distributions of the radiolarian fauna in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, marginal seas of the western Arctic Ocean, were examined quantitatively in depth-stratified plankton tows from 4 or 5 intervals above 500 m and in surface sediments from various depths between 163 and 2907 m. The radiolarian assemblage from the water column in September 2000 was dominated by Amphimelissa setosa and followed by the Actinomma boreale/leptoderma group, Pseudodictyophimus gracilipes and Spongotrochus glacialis. These species are related to the Arctic Surface Water shallower than 150 m. This assemblage is similar to that in the Greenland Sea relating to the ice edge, but did not contain typical Pacific radiolarians in spite of the flow of water of Pacific origin in this region. The living depth of Ceratocyrtis historicosa was restricted to the relatively warm water between 300 and 500 m corresponding to the upper Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW) originating from the Atlantic Ocean. Radiolarian assemblages in the surface sediments are similar to those in the plankton tows, except for common Cycladophora davisiana in sediment samples below 500 m. C. davisiana is probably a deep-water species adapted to the lower AIW or the Canadian Basin Deep Water ventilated from the shelves.     

Paleoclimatic and diagenetic history of the late quaternary sediments in a core from the Southeastern Arabian Sea: Geochemical and magnetic signals

Geochemical and rock-magnetic investigations were carried out on a sediment core collected from the SE Arabian Sea at 1420 m depth in oxygenated waters below the present-day oxygen minimum zone. The top 250 cm of the core sediments represent the last 35 kaBP. The · ¹⁸O values of Globigerinoides ruber are heaviest during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and appear unaffected by low-saline waters transported from the Bay of Bengal by the strong northeast monsoon and West Indian coastal current. The signatures of Bølling-Allerød and Younger Dryas events are distinct in the records of magnetic susceptibility, organic carbon (OC) and · ¹⁸O. Glacial sediments show higher OC, CaCO₃, Ba, Mo, U and Cd, while the early-to-late Holocene sediments show increasing concentrations of OC, CaCO₃, Ba, Cu, Ni and Zn and decreasing concentrations of Mo, U and Cd. Productivity induced low-oxygenated bottom waters and reducing sedimentary conditions during glaciation, and productivity and oxygenated bottom waters in the Holocene are responsible for their variation. The core exhibits different stages of diagenesis at different sediment intervals. The occurrence of fine-grained, low-coercivity, ferrimagnetic mineral during glacial periods is indicative of its formation in organic-rich, anoxic sediments, which may be analogous to the diagenetic magnetic enhancement known in sapropels of the Mediterranean Sea and Japan Sea. The glacial sediments exhibiting reductive diagenesis with anoxic sedimentary environment in this core correspond to reductive diagenesis and intermittent bioturbation (oxygenation) reported in another core in the vicinity. This suggests that the poorly oxygenated bottom water conditions during glacial times should not be generalized, but are influenced locally by productivity, sedimentation rates and sediment reworking.     

末次冰期以来南海东北部陆源有机碳埋藏通量演变:海平面和季风驱动

大陆边缘盆地是大陆风化剥蚀产物的主要沉积汇,其中有机碳的埋藏通量及其控制机制的研究对于理解全球碳循环具有重要科学意义。本研究基于南海东北部台西南盆地TWS-1岩芯的AMS14C测年、总有机碳、总氮含量和稳定碳同位素组成的分析,探讨了末次盛冰期23ka BP以来南海东北部陆源有机碳的来源、历史和影响机制。与潜在物源端元对比表明,台湾是研究站位沉积物陆源有机碳的主要物源,相对海源其贡献比例约为58%,陆源物质可能主要通过海底峡谷水道和低海平面时期陆架河流输入。重建的陆源有机碳通量在末次冰消期早期(19—13kaBP)和中全新世(7—4ka BP)期间有两个峰值,分别约0.16g/(cm2·ka)和0.09g/(cm2·ka)。综合分析表明,二者分别受控于冰期低海平面时期增强的陆架风化剥蚀和全新世季风强盛期降水驱动的古台湾岛剥蚀。我们的工作表明冰期-间冰期循环中海平面和季风分别驱动的大陆边缘有机碳埋藏可能对全球碳循环和大气CO2浓度演变有重要影响。     

Horizontal transport of the calanoid copepod Neocalanus in the North Pacific: The influences of the current system and the life history

The horizontal transport of calanoid copepod Neocalanus flemingeri, N. plumchrus and N. cristatus in the subarctic North Pacific has been investigated by particle tracking experiments using an ocean circulation model. In our physical numerical model, the current and frontal systems in the subarctic Pacific are reproduced realistically, and fine-resolved (not smoothed) and vertically sheared western boundary currents in the model enable us to assess the differences in horizontal transports among Neocalanus species. In the experiments, seasonal vertical migration and life cycle of Neocalanus species is included, and this attempt is a novel approach in examining the transports of the zooplanktons. The maximal depths of the vertical migrations and the lengths of the surface and mesopelagic dwelling duration are the essential factors in characterizing the trajectory of the horizontal transport. Both small and large forms of N. flemingeri (hereafter NF-SF and NF-LF) whose mesopelagic-inhabited depths are the shallowest among the three Neocalanus species are transported to more distant regions from initial positions compared with the others. The longest transport distance is over 5000 km for NF-SF. On the other hand, the transport distance of the deepest inhabitant N. cristatus (hereafter NC) is the shortest. The differences in the transport distance are due to the current speed of the western boundary currents at the inhabited depth at which they spend most of their lifetime (ca. 3/4 of their lifetime). More than 82% of NF-LF that originated from the Okhotsk Sea completes its life cycle in the Okhotsk Sea, and all the animals out to the Pacific are transported to the south of the subarctic front where their survivals are unexpected due to high temperatures. This is consistent with the observed limited distribution of NF-LF in the Okhotsk Sea and its surrounding waters. Geographical genetic variations of Neocalanus species are reported as very low. This implies frequent genetic exchange all over the Pacific and its adjacent seas. Being consistent with the above, the present study suggests that the trans-Pacific transport of Neocalanus species can be accomplished within a few generations.     

High organic carbon deposition in the northern margin of the Aleutian Basin (Bering Sea) before the last deglaciation

High-resolution geochemical, isotope and elemental data from core PC23A in the northern margin of the Aleutian Basin (Bering Sea) were used to reconstruct distinct paleoceanographic features of the last deglaciation (pre-Boreal[PB], Bølling-Allerød[BA], Younger Dryas[YD]). The PB and BA intervals are characterized by increased siliceous (diatom) and calcareous (coccolithophores and foraminifers) productivity represented by high biogenic opal and CaCO₃ contents, respectively. The enhanced productivity can plausibly be attributed to an elevated sea-surface nutrient supply from increased melt-water input and enhanced Alaskan Stream injection under warm, restricted sea-ice conditions. High C_org/N ratios and low δ¹³C values of sediment organic matter during the PB and BA intervals reflect the contribution of terrestrial organic matters. The PB and BA intervals were also identified by laminated sediment layers of core PC23A, characterized by high Mo/Al and Cd/Al ratios, indicating that the bottom water condition remained anoxic. High δ¹⁵N values during the same period were attributed mainly to the increased nutrient utilization and subsequent denitrification of seawater nitrate. Part of high δ¹⁵N values may also be due to incorporation of inorganic nitrogen in the clay minerals. It is worthy of note that high total organic carbon (TOC) deposition occurred approximately 3,000 years before onset of the last deglaciation. Simultaneous high C_org/N ratios and low δ¹³C values clearly suggest that the high TOC content should be related to terrestrial organic carbon input. Low δ¹⁵N values during the high TOC interval also confirm the contribution of terrigenous organic matter. Although abundant calcareous phytoplankton production under cold, nutrient-poor conditions represented by Baex data was reported for high TOC deposition preceding the last deglaciation in an earlier study of the Okhotsk Sea, the main reason for the enhanced TOC deposition in the Bering Sea is an increased terrigenous input from the submerged continental shelves (Beringia) with a sea-level rise; this is further supported by Al enrichment of bulk sediments during the high TOC deposition.     

The Sea of Okhotsk: A Window on the Ice Age Ocean

The modern Sea of Okhotsk and the high-latitude glacial ocean share similar radiolarian faunas suggesting they also share environmental similarities. This sea favors deep- (>200 m) over shallow-living species as evidenced by collections of sediment traps set at 258 and 1061 m in the central part of the Sea. Of the twelve dominant polycystine radiolarian species, four live above and eight below 258 m. The shallow-living species’ productivity maxima coincide with spring and fall phytoplankton blooms while deep-living species’ annual production, nearly twice that of the shallow-living species, is concentrated in fall. Previous workers have shown that summer plankton tows collect higher concentrations of polycystine Radiolaria below than above 200 m and that Radiolaria, fish and zooplankton have unusual concentration maxima between 200 and 500 m. The paucity of Radiolaria and other consumers above 200 m coincides with an upper (0–150 m) cold (−1.5°C to 1.5°C), low salinity layer while higher concentrations below 200 m occur within warmer saltier water. This unusual biological structure must produce a lower ratio of shallow (<200 m) to deep carbon remineralization than elsewhere in the world ocean.Deep-living radiolarian species, similar to those of the modern Sea of Okhotsk, dominate glacial high-latitude deep-sea sediments. If the hydrographic and biological structures that produced these glacial faunas were like those of the modern Sea of Okhotsk, then glacial high-latitude oceans would have differed from today's in at least two respects. Surface waters were less saline and more stable enhancing the spread of winter sea ice. This stability, combined with a deepening of nutrient regeneration, reduced surface water nutrients contributing to a reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide.     

The recent and quaternary distribution of the radiolarian species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cycladophora davisiana</Emphasis>: A biostratigraphic and paleoceanographic tool

The data on the distribution of the radiolarian species Cycladophora davisiana in the present-day ocean and its Quaternary sediments are summarized. The distribution of this species is influenced by the formation of the cold ventilated intermediate water mass enriched in suspended organic matter. The maximal abundance of the species is recorded above the continental slopes. The long-term Quaternary variations in the relative abundance of C. davisiana are inconsistent with the cyclic glacial-interglacial fluctuations and are of limited significance for the regional stratigraphy.     

Warming of intermediate water in the sea of Okhotsk since the 1950s

Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW), the source water for ventilation of North Pacific Intermediate Water, exhibits a multidecadal warming trend. Historical data show that OSIW temperatures increased by 0.28, 0.57, 0.31 and 0.10°C during 1955 to 2003 at potential densities of 26.8, 27.0, 27.2 and 27.4σ _θ , at depths of approximately 250, 500, 700 and 900 m, respectively. This rate of warming is much faster than that of the global ocean. This OSIW warming is likely linked to the reduced ventilation of cold Dense Shelf Water associated with brine rejection during sea ice formation.     

The reflection of the present distribution of the primary production in the bottom sediments of the Sea of Okhotsk

Using the authors’ data obtained during expeditions to the Sea of Okhotsk during the last decade, the primary phytoplankton production and the distribution of organic carbon and chlorophyll a degradation products (chlorin) in the bottom sediments were studied. Using the authors’ and published data, the spatial distribution of the production and paleoproduction indicators was plotted. The ratios of the chlorin and C_org content in the sediments was considered, and the correlation between these parameters was revealed. It was shown that the average annual primary production of phytoplankton and the paleoproduction indices were maximum in the coastal and upwelling zones and decreased towards the sea’s center. A quantitative correlation was found between the distribution of the present primary production in the photic layer and that of the rates of the accumulation of organic matter buried within the surface sediments. As a result, it was shown that the content of chlorin and C_org in the marine bottom sediments may be used to reconstruct the paleoproduction variability of the past.     

Ba, Si, U, Al, Sc, La, Th, C and C/C in a sediment core in the western subarctic Pacific as proxies of past biological production

A sediment core covering the last 145 kyrs was collected in the western subarctic Pacific (WSAP), and analyzed for Ba, U, Al, Sc, La, Yb, Th, biogenic opal (Opal) and organic carbon (C_org) as well as its isotopic ratio (δ¹³C). This study examined the change of past biological production in WSAP with multiple proxies, together with understanding the relation between Loess from the Asian continent and the biological production. The Loess content was estimated from the metal components, Al, Sc, La, Yb and Th. In this high latitude core (50°N), the Loess content was generally high during the glacial periods, but it was also high even in some interglacial periods. The excess amount of Ba relative to the detrital material composition, Ba_ex, showed the best correlation with the Vostok δD (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), indicating that the biological production was lower in the glacial periods than in the interglacials. This corroborates the pervasive correlation between Ba_ex in the polar region, WSAP and the Antarctic Sea, and Antarctic temperature, combined with previous research. This correlation might be explained by the stratification caused by cooling. In addition, the time variations of Ba_ex in WSAP were similar to those of Ba_ex in the Okhotsk Sea and of other proxies (C_org and Opal) in both the Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, indicating the spatial homogeneity of Ba_ex in WSAP including proximal marginal seas. The Opal content was more weakly correlated with the Vostok δD (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) than Ba_ex, reflecting that Opal in WSAP including proximal marginal seas was spatially heterogeneous compared to Ba_ex. While both the C_org content and U_ex, the excess amount of U relative to the detritus composition, were not positively correlated with the Vostok δD, they behaved similarly in the sediments. The positive correlation between δ¹³C and the Vostok δD (r = 0.42, p < 0.001), between δ¹³C and Ba_ex (r = 0.60, p < 0.001) and between δ¹³C and Opal (r = 0.36, p < 0.01) indicates that δ¹³C in WSAP may give some information on the phytoplankton growth rate. There was not a significant correlation between the spatially homogeneous Ba_ex in WSAP and Loess (r = − 0.16, p > 0.01), suggesting that the increase of biological production with the increase of Loess supply during the glacial periods did not occur.     

Influence of lunar phases,winds and seasonality on the stranding of mesopelagic fish in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea)

The shore stranding of mesopelagic fauna is a recurrent phenomenon in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea). The aim of this paper is to test the influence of lunar phases, winds and seasons upon the frequency of occurrence of strandings of mesopelagic fish. Species abundance in relation to these factors was quantified for the first time. Specimens were collected stranded on the shore along the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina between 2008 and 2016. Overall 32 species belonging to seven families (Gonostomatidae, Microstomatidae, Myctophidae, Paralepididae, Phosichthyidae, Sternoptychidae, Stomiidae) were found stranded. Myctophidae was the family including the highest number of species (16), whereas Gonostomatidae was the most abundant in terms of total number of individuals (47.2%), mainly thanks to the species Cyclothone braueri. The moon, which influences the strength of currents (highest during full and new moon phases) and irradiance (higher in some lunar phases, such as the full moon), affected the abundance of stranded mesopelagic fish in the study area. The highest number of stranding events was recorded during the new moon: 34.6% of the total relative abundance of stranded mesopelagic fish. Wind blowing from the sea towards the coastline (southeasterly and easterly winds) created the best conditions for strandings. The highest abundance of stranded specimens was recorded during the winter season.