Light absorption by phytoplankton,non-algal particles and dissolved organic matter at the Patagonia shelf-break in spring and summer

Satellite image studies and recent in situ sampling have identified conspicuous phytoplankton blooms during spring and summer along the Patagonia shelf-break front. The magnitudes and spectral characteristics of light absorption by total particulate matter (phytoplankton and detritus) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) have been determined by spectrophotometry in that region for spring 2006 and late summer 2007 seasons. In spring, phytoplankton absorption was the dominant optical component of light absorption (60–85%), and CDOM showed variable and important contributions in summer (10–90%). However, there was a lack of correlation between phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a concentration or [chl a]) and the non-algal compartment in both periods. A statistically significant difference was found between the two periods with respect to the CDOM spectral shape parameter (S_cdom), with means of 0.015 (spring) and 0.012 nm^?1 (summer). Nonetheless, the mean S_cdm values, which describe the slope of detritus plus CDOM spectra, did not differ between the periods (average of 0.013 nm^?1). Phytoplankton absorption values in this work showed deviations from mean parameterizations in previous studies, with respect to [chl a], as well as between the two study periods. In spring, despite the microplankton dominance, high specific absorption values and large dispersion were found (a*_ph(440)=0.04±0.03 m² mg [chl a]^?1), which could be attributed to an important influence of photo-protector accessory pigments. In summer, deviations from general trends, with values of a*_ph(440) even higher (0.09±0.02 m² mg [chl a]^?1), were due to the dominance of small cell sizes and also to accessory pigments. These results highlight the difficulty in deriving robust relationships between chlorophyll concentration and phytoplankton absorption coefficients regardless of the season period. The validity of a size parameter (S_f) derived from the absorption spectra has been demonstrated and was shown to describe the size structure of phytoplankton populations, independently of pigment concentration, with mean values of 0.41 in spring and 0.72 in summer. Our results emphasize the need for specific parameterization for the study region and seasonal sampling approach in order to model the inherent optical properties from water reflectance signatures.     

Characterization of dissolved organic matter fluorescence in the South Atlantic Bight with use of PARAFAC model: Relationships between fluorescence and its components,absorption coefficients and organic carbon concentrations

In this study, the CDOM absorption coefficient at 350 nm [a_CDOM(350)] and CDOM excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence were used to estimate annual fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the Cape Fear River to Long Bay in the South Atlantic Bight. Water samples were collected during a 3.5 year period, from October 2001 through March 2005, in the vicinity of the Cape Fear River (CFR) outlet and adjacent Onslow Bay (OB). Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) of CDOM EEM spectra identified six components: three terrestrial humic-like, one marine humic-like and two protein-like. Empirical relationships were derived from the PARAFAC model between DOC concentration and a_CDOM(350), total fluorescence intensity and the intensities of respective EEM components. DOC concentration and CDOM optical parameters were very well correlated and R² values ranged from 0.77 to 0.90. Regression analyses revealed that the non-absorbing DOC fraction, in DOC concentration estimated from CDOM optical parameters, varied with the qualitative composition of the CDOM. DOC concentration and intensity of the humic-like CDOM components characterized by excitation maxima at longer wavelengths have significantly higher estimated non-absorbing DOC compared to the analogous relationships between DOC and intensity of the humic-like CDOM components characterized by excitation maxima at shorter wavelengths. The relationships between DOC concentration and intensity of one of the protein-like components resulted in significantly reduced non-absorbing DOC fraction in DOC concentration estimation. Results of regression analyses between fluorescence intensities of specific EEM components and CDOM-specific absorption coefficients suggest that the relative proportion of humic-like CDOM components (characterized by excitation maximum at longer wavelengths) and the main protein-like component have the most impact on the values of a?_CDOM(350). Based on the relationships between a_CDOM(350), Cape Fear River flow, and DOC concentrations, DOC fluxes were estimated for 2002, 2003 and 2004. DOC fluxes varied from 1.5 to 6.2 × 10¹⁰ g C yr^? 1, depending on river flow.     

珠江口海域a_g(440)遥感模式研究及应用

有色可溶性有机物质(Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter,CDOM)直接影响着海水的光学性质,为水体有机污染物含量遥感反演的基础参数之一。在水色遥感研究领域,一般用440nm波长位置的吸收系数ag(440)来表示其浓度,因而建立ag(440)遥感反演模式,对于掌握相关海域CDOM浓度的空间变化规律及进一步提取其他水环境参数具有重要的作用。利用2013年11月和2014年2月两个航次在珠江口海域现场采集的表观光学量及固有光学量数据,建立了基于HJ-1/CCD卫星传感器的ag(440)遥感反演模型,并应用于珠江口海域,得到该区域2012年1月至2014年6月晴天CDOM浓度空间动态分布图。研究结果表明:(1)现场测定的珠江口海域ag(440)在0.1~0.3m-1,且不同断面ag(440)呈现出一定的规律性变化;(2)利用现场实测数据对遥感模式估算值进行验证,计算出估算值的相对误差为9%,表明所建立模式具有较高的准确率;(3)遥感反演的CDOM空间分布数据与实测数据得到的分布特征基本吻合,整个珠江口及其邻近海域ag(440)的数值范围为0.07~0.31m-1,而且珠江口西部海域ag(440)高于中部和东部海域。     

Seasonal dynamics in colored dissolved organic matter in the Mediterranean Sea: Patterns and drivers

Two autonomous profiling “Bio-Argo” floats were deployed in the northwestern and eastern sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea in 2008. They recorded at high vertical (1 m) and temporal (5 day) resolution, the vertical distribution and seasonal variation of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), as well as of chlorophyll-a concentration and hydrological variables. The CDOM standing stock presented a clear seasonal dynamics with the progressive summer formation and winter destruction of subsurface CDOM maxima (YSM, for Yellow Substance Maximum). It was argued that subsurface CDOM is a by-product of phytoplankton, based on two main characteristics, (1) the YSM was located at the same depth than the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) and (2) the CDOM increased in summer parallels the decline in chlorophyll-a. These observations suggested an indirect but tight coupling between subsurface CDOM and phytoplankton via microbial activity or planktonic foodweb interactions. Moreover, the surface CDOM variations observed both by floats and MODIS displayed different seasonal dynamics from what recorded at subsurface one. This implies that CDOM standing stock can be hardly detected by satellite. It is worthnoting that surface CDOM was found to be more related to the sea surface temperature (SST) than chlorophyll-a concentration, suggesting its physical origin, in contrast to the biological origin of YSM and subsurface standing stocks.     

Coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in Southern North Sea waters: Optical characterization and possible origin

The variability and origin of the Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) were studied in the Belgian coastal and adjacent areas including offshore waters and the Scheldt estuary, through the parameters: absorption at 375 nm, a_CDOM(375), and the slope of the absorption curve, S. a_CDOM(375) varied between 0.20 and 1.31 m⁻¹ and between 0.97 and 4.30 m⁻¹ in the marine area and Scheldt estuary, respectively. S fluctuated between 0.0101 and 0.0203 nm⁻¹ in the marine area and between 0.0167 and 0.0191 nm⁻¹ in the Scheldt estuary. The comparative analysis of a_CDOM(375) and S variations evidenced different origins of CDOM in the BCZ. The Scheldt estuarine waters showed decreasing a_CDOM(375) values with increasing salinity but constant S value of ∼0.018 nm⁻¹ suggesting a dominant terrestrial origin of CDOM. On the contrary, samples collected in the marine domain showed a narrow range of a_CDOM(375) but highly variable S suggesting the additional presence of autochthonous sources of CDOM. This source was evidenced based on the sorting of the marine offshore data according to the stage of the phytoplankton bloom when they were collected. A clear distinction was made between CDOM released during the growth stage characterized by high S (∼0.017 nm⁻¹) and low a_CDOM(375) and the decay phase characterized by low S (∼0.013 nm⁻¹) and high a_CDOM(375). This observation was supported by CDOM measurements performed on pure phytoplankton cultures which showed increased CDOM release along the wax and wane of the bloom but decreasing S. We concluded that the high variability of the CDOM signature in offshore waters is explained by the local biological production and processing of CDOM.     

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) in Narragansett Bay,Rhode Island: Implications for Phytoplankton in Coastal Waters

One indicator of health in estuarine and coastal ecosystems is the ability of local waters to transmit sunlight to planktonic, macrophytic, and other submerged vegetation for photosynthesis. The concentration of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is a primary factor affecting the absorption of incident sunlight in coastal and estuarine waters. In estuaries, CDOM concentrations vary due to changes in salinity gradients, inflows of industrial and domestic effluents, and the production of new dissolved organic matter from marine biologic activity. CDOM absorption data have been collected from a variety of waters. However, there are a limited number of measurements along the US east coast and a general lack of data from New England waters.This study characterized the temporal and spatial variability of CDOM absorption over an annual cycle in Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound (Rhode Island). Results suggested that, in Narragansett Bay, the magnitude of CDOM absorption is related to the seasonal variability of freshwater input from surrounding watersheds and new CDOM production from in situ biologic activity. The data show that the average CDOM absorption coefficient at 412 nm was 0·45 m⁻¹ and the average spectral slope was 0·020 nm⁻¹.     

Tracing dissolved organic matter cycling in the eastern boundary of the temperate North Atlantic using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy

Apparent oxygen utilization (AOU), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption spectra, and CDOM fluorescence characteristic of aromatic amino acids (excitation/emission 280 nm/320 nm; F(280/320)) and marine-humic like substances (320 nm/410 nm; F(320/410)) were measured in full depth during a cruise in the temperate Eastern North Atlantic (ENA). An optimum multi-parameter (OMP) inverse method was run to calculate water mass proportion-weighted average (archetypal) concentrations of these chemical parameters for all water masses and samples. Archetypal concentrations retain the variability due to water mass mixing and basin scale mineralization from the water mass formation sites to the study area. Conversely, the difference between measured and archetypal concentrations, retain the variability due to dissimilarities in mineralization processes within the study area. Our analysis indicates that DOC supported 26±3% of the AOU in the dark temperate ENA and that basin scale processes occurring at and from the formation area of the water masses explained 63% of the total DOC variability. Our data also suggests that DOC remineralized at the basin scale was of lower molecular weight, and with a lower proportion of fluorescent aromatic amino acids than found within the study area. The relationship between the absorption coefficient at 254 nm (a_CDOM(254)) and AOU indicates that a_CDOM(254) was consumed during organic matter remineralization in the dark ocean, with 55% of the variability being explained by basin scale processes. The relationships of F(320/410) with AOU and DOC confirmed that marine humic-like substances are produced by microbial degradation processes, at a rate of 6.1±0.9×10⁻³ mg equivalents of QS mol AOU⁻¹. Our results also indicate that basin-scale remineralization processes account for 85% of the total variability of F(320/410), emphasizing that large scale processes control the formation of humic-like substance in the dark ENA.     

The proportions and variations of the light absorption coefficients of major ocean color components in the East China Sea

The East China Sea (ECS),one of the largest continental seas,has dynamic hydrology and complex optical characteristics that make ocean color remote-sensing retrieval difficult.The distributions and proportions of the light absorption coefficients of major ocean color components based on two large-scale investigations in the ECS are presented,showing these features in typical summer and winter seasons.The absorption coefficient a CDOM,a NAP and a phy of colored dissolved organic matter,non-algal particle,and pigment of phytoplankton show a decreasing trend from the coast to the outer shelf.According to the a CDOM distribution at 440 nm,the Changjiang River plume shows an abnormal southeastward transport.An extremely high a NAP value patch at 440 nm is present in the middle coast.The chlorophyll-a-specific phytoplankton pigment absorption (a phy) is much higher in winter than in summer,which may cause serious underestimated results when applying the averaged a phy into remote-sensing algorithms for chlorophyll concentration retrieval.The importance of phytoplankton size was evident in outer shelf waters.The absorption of a CDOM (440) is a dominant component accounting for over half of the total seawater absorption in summer.The a NAP (440) accounts for 64% of the absorption of the ECS coastal area in winter.     

Spatial and temporal variability in bio-optical properties of the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea, a shallow coastal area bordering the North Sea, is optically a complex area due to its shallowness, high turbidity and fast changes in concentrations of optically active substances. This study gathers information from the area on concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), on total absorption and beam attenuation, and on reflectances from the whole area. It examines the processes responsible for variations in these. Sampling took place at 156 stations in 2006 and 2007. At 37 locations also the specific inherent optical properties (SIOPs) were determined. Results showed large concentration ranges of 2–450 (g m^-3) for SPM, 2–67 (mg m^-3) for Chl-a, and 0–2.5 m⁻¹ for CDOM(440) absorption. Tides had a large influence on the SPM concentration, while Chl-a had a mainly seasonal pattern. Resuspension lead to a correlation between SPM and Chl-a. The absorption of CDOM had a spatial variability with extremely high values in the Dollard, although the slope of CDOM absorption spectra was comparable with that of the North Sea. The Chl-a specific pigment absorption proved to be influenced by phytoplankton species and specific absorption of non-algal particles at 440 nm was correlated with the mud content of the soil at the sample locations. SPM specific absorption was not found to correlate with any measured factor. As the concentrations of optically active substances changed, we also found spatial and temporal variability in the absorption, beam attenuation and reflectances. Reflectance spectra categorized in groups with decreasing station water depths and with extreme CDOM and SPM concentrations showed distinguishable shapes.     

珠江口溶解有机物的遥感动态监测

河口有色溶解有机物（colored dissolved organic matter,CDOM）的分布是各种物理-生物地球化学过程共同作用的结果。为实现河口高动态变化CDOM的监测，遥感是一种重要的手段。由珠江口四个不同季节的航次获得的实测数据，本文构建了一个遥感算法以反演CDOM在400 nm的吸收系数（a_CDOM （400））。该算法使用以波段反射率比值R_rs （667）/R_rs （443）和R_rs （748）/R_rs （412）为自变量。将构建的算法应用于2002-2014年的MODIS/Aqua数据，本文计算了珠江口不同季节的a_CDOM （400）气候态分布。CDOM的分布主要受珠江径流量和区域水下地形特征的影响。沿着垂直于水深梯度的断面，气候态a_CDOM （400）呈指数减少（y=ae^bx,b<0），但不同季节差异很大。珠江口CDOM主要是河流淡水输运而来。其中，富里酸比例随盐度的增加而降低。基于构建的算法、CDOM保守混合方程和径流量，本文由MODIS/Aqua数据进一步估算了2002-2014年夏季和冬季珠江DOC的有效入海浓度和有效入海通量。珠江的有效入海浓度和有效入海通量都与流量存在正相关关系，且在夏季的相关性更明显，R2分别为0.698和0.9657。     

Hydrography of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the North Atlantic

The distribution and optical absorption characteristics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were systematically investigated along three meridional transects in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea conducted as part of the 2003 US CLIVAR/CO₂ Repeat Hydrography survey. Hydrographic transects covered in aggregate a latitudinal range of 5° to 62° north along longitudes 20°W (line A16N, Leg 1), 52°W (A20), and 66°W (A22). Absorption spectra of filtered seawater samples were collected and analyzed for depths ranging from the surface to ∼6000 m, sampling all the ocean water masses in the western basin of the subtropical North Atlantic and several stations on the North and South American continental slopes. The lowest surface abundances of CDOM (< 0.1 m⁻¹ absorption coefficient at 325 nm) were found in the central subtropical gyres while the highest surface abundances (∼0.7 m⁻¹) were found along the continental shelves and within the subpolar gyre, confirming recent satellite-based assessments of surface CDOM distribution. Within the ocean interior, CDOM abundances were relatively high (0.1–0.2 m⁻¹ absorption coefficient at 325 nm) except in the subtropical mode water, where a local minimum exists due to the subduction of low CDOM surface waters during mode water formation. In the subthermocline water masses of the western basin, changes in CDOM abundance are not correlated with increasing ventilation age as assessed using chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) concentrations and the atmospheric CFC history. But dissolved organic carbon (DOC) mass-specific absorption coefficients of CDOM increase with increasing ventilation age in the deep sea, indicating that CDOM is a refractory component of the DOC pool. The overall CDOM distribution in the North Atlantic reflects the rapid advection and mixing processes of the basin and demonstrates that remineralization in the ocean interior is not a significant sink for CDOM. This supports the potential of CDOM as a tracer of ocean circulation processes for subducted water masses.     

Does a general relationship exist between fluorescent dissolved organic matter and microbial respiration?—The case of the dark equatorial Atlantic Ocean

The distributions of humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter (at excitation/emission wavelengths of 340 nm/440 nm, F(340/440)) and apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) are determined from water samples taken at 27 stations along 7.5°N, in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. The relationship between F(340/440) and AOU is evaluated. The influence of water mass mixing is removed through multiple regressions of both F(340/440) and AOU with salinity and temperature for the ocean interior. A general and significant relationship between the residuals of F(340/440) and AOU is found for the entire water column deeper than 200 m (R²=0.79, n=360, p-value <0.001), endorsing the idea that changes in fluorescence intensity are directly related to in situ oxidation of organic matter by microbial activity in the dark equatorial Atlantic Ocean. In addition, we analyse and discuss the relationships between the residuals of F(340/440) and AOU for all individual water masses.     

Characterization of the solar light field within the ocean mesopelagic zone based on radiative transfer simulations

The solar light field within the ocean from the sea surface to the bottom of the mesopelagic zone was simulated with a radiative transfer model that accounts for the presence of inelastic radiative processes associated with Raman scattering by water molecules, fluorescence of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and fluorescence of chlorophyll-a contained in phytoplankton. The simulation results provide a comprehensive characterization of the ambient light field and apparent optical properties (AOPs) across the entire visible spectral range within the depth range 200–1000 m of the entire mesopelagic zone for varying chlorophyll-a concentration and seawater optical properties in the mixed surface layer of the ocean. With increasing depth in the mesopelagic zone, the solar irradiance is reduced by ~9–10 orders of magnitude and exhibits a major spectral maximum in the blue, typically centered around a light wavelength of 475 nm. In the green and red spectral regions, the light levels are significantly lower but still important owing to local generation of photons via inelastic processes, mostly Raman scattering and to a lesser extent CDOM fluorescence. The Raman scattering produces a distinct secondary maximum in irradiance spectra centered around 565 nm. Comparisons of our results with light produced by the radioactive decay of the unstable potassium isotope contained in sea salt (⁴⁰K) indicates that the solar irradiance dominates over the ⁴⁰K-produced irradiance within the majority of the mesopelagic zone for most scenarios considered in our simulations. The angular distribution of radiance indicates the dominance of downward propagation of light in the blue and approach to uniform distribution in the red throughout the mesopelagic zone. Below the approximate depth range 400–500 m, the shape of the angular distribution is nearly invariant with increasing depth in the green and red and varies weakly in the blue. The AOPs at any light wavelength also assume nearly constant values within the deeper portion of the mesopelagic zone. These results indicate that the mesopelagic light field reaches a nearly-asymptotic regime at depths exceeding ~400–500 m.     

秦皇岛外海低氧区颗粒物吸收光谱特征

近年来, 渤海夏季低氧现象频发, 引起了人们的广泛关注。然而对该海域低氧形成的机制还未得到充分认识。研究基于在秦皇岛外海的现场观测, 分析了海水中颗粒物吸收光谱特征及其与不同粒径浮游植物叶绿素a (chl a)组成、环境因子的关系, 评估了夏季底层水体脱氧过程中有机物来源与特征。结果显示,夏季秦皇岛外海微型浮游植物chl a占总量的80%。表层水体中, 总颗粒物吸收光谱[a_p(l)]特征由浮游植物色素吸收光谱[a_ph(l)]主导, 在中、底层水体中则由碎屑颗粒物吸收光谱[a_d(l)]主导。垂向上, a_p(440)和a_d(440)均表现为表层<中层<底层。结果还表明, 浮游植物粒径主导秦皇岛外海chl a的光吸收效率, 即a^*_ph(440)。基于三粒级chl a含量, 可利用多元回归预测a_ph(440)。碎屑颗粒物的吸收光谱同样受浮游植物群落、有机质相对含量等的影响。研究结果表明初级生产产生的微型颗粒有机物是底层水体脱氧的主要底物。     

An optical model for the remote sensing of coloured dissolved organic matter in coastal/ocean waters

An optical model is developed for the remote sensing of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in a wide range of waters within coastal and open ocean environments. The absorption of CDOM (denoted as a_g) is generally considered as an exponential form model, which has two important parameters – the slope S and absorption of CDOM at a reference wavelength a_g(λ₀). The empirical relationships for deriving these two parameters are established using in-situ bio-optical datasets. These relationships use the spectral remote sensing reflectance (R_rs) ratio at two wavelengths R_rs(670)/R_rs(490), which avoids the known atmospheric correction problems and is sensitive to CDOM absorption and chlorophyll in coastal/ocean waters. This ratio has tight relationships with a_g(412) and a_g(443) yielding correlation coefficients between 0.77 and 0.78. The new model, with the above parameterization applied to independent datasets (NOMAD SeaWiFS match-ups and Carder datasets), shows good retrievals of the a_g(λ) with regression slopes close to unity, little bias and low mean relative and root mean square errors. These statistical estimates improve significantly over other inversion models (e.g., Linear Matrix-LM and Garver-Siegel-Maritorena-GSM semi-analytical models) when applied to the same datasets. These results demonstrate a good performance of the proposed model in both coastal and open ocean waters, which has the potential to improve our knowledge of the biogeochemical cycles and processes in these domains.     

大洋河河口海域有色溶解性有机物的光学特性及遥感反演模型

有色溶解性有机物(CDOM)在河口混合过程中近似呈保守行为,可作为水团运动的示踪剂.基于2009年5月6日大洋河河口海域水体调查的实测数据,对该区域CDOM光学特性及遥感反演模型进行了研究,结果表明:研究区域CDOM主要来自河流输入,成分相对较稳定,属于典型的近岸二类水体区域;波长275～295 nm的光谱斜率和波长4...     

Oxygen distribution and aerobic respiration in the north and south eastern tropical Pacific oxygen minimum zones

Highly sensitive STOX O₂ sensors were used for determination of in situ O₂ distribution in the eastern tropical north and south Pacific oxygen minimum zones (ETN/SP OMZs), as well as for laboratory determination of O₂ uptake rates of water masses at various depths within these OMZs. Oxygen was generally below the detection limit (few nmol L⁻¹) in the core of both OMZs, suggesting the presence of vast volumes of functionally anoxic waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Oxygen was often not detectable in the deep secondary chlorophyll maximum found at some locations, but other secondary maxima contained up to ~0.4 µmol L⁻¹. Directly measured respiration rates were high in surface and subsurface oxic layers of the coastal waters, reaching values up to 85 nmol L⁻¹ O₂ h⁻¹. Substantially lower values were found at the depths of the upper oxycline, where values varied from 2 to 33 nmol L⁻¹ O₂ h⁻¹. Where secondary chlorophyll maxima were found the rates were higher than in the oxic water just above. Incubation times longer than 20 h, in the all-glass containers, resulted in highly increased respiration rates. Addition of amino acids to the water from the upper oxycline did not lead to a significant initial rise in respiration rate within the first 20 h, indicating that the measurement of respiration rates in oligotrophic Ocean water may not be severely affected by low levels of organic contamination during sampling. Our measurements indicate that aerobic metabolism proceeds efficiently at extremely low oxygen concentrations with apparent half-saturation concentrations (K_m values) ranging from about 10 to about 200 nmol L⁻¹.     

Bio-Optical Properties of Seawater in the Western Subarctic Gyre and Alaskan Gyre in the Subarctic North Pacific and the Southern Bering Sea during the Summer of 1997

Chlorophyll a concentrations (chla) and the absorption coefficients of total particulate matter [a _p()], phytoplankton [a _ph()], detritus [a _d()], and colored dissolved organic matter: CDOM [a _CDOM()] were measured in seawater samples collected in the subarctic North Pacific and the southern Bering Sea during the summer of 1997. We examined the specific spectral properties of absorption for each material, and compared the light fields in the Western subarctic Gyre (area WSG) with those in the Alaskan Gyre (area AG), and the southern Bering Sea (area SB). In the area WSG, the irradiance in the surface layer decreased markedly, indicating high absorption. In the area AG, the radiant energy penetrated deeply, and the chl a and absorption values were low throughout the water column. In the area SB, light absorption was high in the surface layer on the shelf edge and decreased with increasing depth; on the other hand, light absorption was low in the surface layer in the shelf area and increased with increasing depth.     

Population structure and life history of Hemimysis lamornae mediterranea (Malacostraca: Mysida) in the Ebro Delta (NW Mediterranean)

Hemimysis lamornae mediterranea Bacescu, 1936 has been recently reported in the Ebro Delta (Spain, NW Mediterranean). Little is known about the biology and ecology of this mysid and we provide the first information about its population biology. H. l. mediterranea were collected from Sant Carles de la Ràpita harbor from June 2010 to March 2012 at night. The H. l. mediterranea population was composed of two main individual size categories: larger-sized winter/spring individuals and smaller-sized spring/summer individuals. The overall sex ratio is highly skewed; mature females are 2.5 times more abundant than mature males. Reproductive activity was higher during late winter and spring but was almost continuous throughout the year. The intra-marsupial development and growth of juveniles has been studied in the laboratory. The mean duration of incubation period (intra-marsupial stages) in laboratory conditions was 11 days (20 °C) and the age at first maturity ranged from14 to 20 days. The growth rate was faster in early juveniles and declined with age, showing a maximum of 0.152 mm d^− 1. The laboratory results and demographic data suggest that H. l. mediterranea will produce several generations per year in the Ebro Delta. H. l. mediterranea was characterized by a combination of early maturation of individuals (short juvenile period), rapid growth, small adult size, a continuous reproduction all year round, iteroparous females, a relatively high fecundity and a high number of generations per year.     

Vision in lanternfish (Myctophidae): Adaptations for viewing bioluminescence in the deep-sea

The sensitivity hypothesis seeks to explain the correlation between the wavelength of visual pigment absorption maxima (λ_max) and habitat type in fish and other marine animals in terms of the maximisation of photoreceptor photon catch. In recent years its legitimacy has been called into question as studies have either not tested data against the output of a predictive model or are confounded by the wide phylogeny of species used. We have addressed these issues by focussing on the distribution of λ_max values in one family of marine teleosts, the lanternfish (Myctophidae). Visual pigment extract spectrophotometry has shown that 54 myctophid species have a single pigment in their retinae with a λ_max falling within the range 480–492 nm. A further 4 species contain two visual pigments in their retinae. The spectral distribution of these visual pigments seems relatively confined when compared to other mesopelagic fishes. Mathematical modelling based on the assumptions of the sensitivity hypothesis shows that, contrary to the belief that deep-sea fishes’ visual pigments are shortwave shifted to maximise their sensitivity to downwelling sunlight, the visual pigments of myctophids instead seem better placed for the visualisation of bioluminescence. The predicted maximum visualisation distance of a blue/green bioluminescent point source by a myctophid was up to 30 m under ideal conditions. Two species (Myctophum nitidulum and Bolinichthys longipes) have previously been shown to have longwave-shifted spectral sensitivities and we show that they could theoretically detect stomiid far-red bioluminescence from as far as ca. 7 m.