Overview of NOPACCS (Northwest Pacific Carbon Cycle Study)

The Northwest Pacific Carbon Cycle Study (NOPACCS) was a program aimed at investigating the carbon cycle of the North Pacific Ocean, which can be thought of as a large reservoir of carbon dioxide. NOPACCS was also aimed at estimating the North Pacific's capacity as a carbon sink. Project design, scientific results, and data availability, and subsequent projects resulting from this project are also described in this review. Studies of the upper ocean processes focused on the latitudinal differences in the fugacity of carbon dioxide; and on the detail of plankton community structures. Intermediate water was studied in relation to the formation of North Pacific Intermediate Water and the amount of accumulated anthropogenic carbon. The sedimentation process, past carbon cycle and coral reefs were also studied during the project. A preliminary, overall view of the carbon cycle of the North Pacific was drawn from the results of the project and compared to global values.     

Recent increase of DIC in the western North Pacific

The temporal variation of the total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) content in the western North Pacific is investigated by comparing the DIC distribution obtained from the data sets of three different periods, the GEOSECS data observed in 1973, the CO₂ dynamics Cruise data observed in 1982, and recent Japanese data sets observed during the early 1990s. The overall feature of the signal of temporal DIC change during 1973 and early 1990s agreed with that of former studies, and did not significantly change with the calculation scheme (the grid-selection method vs. the multiple regression method). The observed increase in DIC among the different time scales showed a good inner consistency, which also indicates the stability of the method used in the DIC change calculation. The apparent rate of increase of the DIC inventory in the upper 1000 m water column, however, differed significantly by the data set used for the calculation: It was 5.6±2.4 g C/m²/year, based on the data comparison between 1982 and the early 1990s, while it became 7.6±2.4 g C/m²/year when based on the data between 1973 and the early 1990s. This result provides us an information about the data-dependency on the former estimation of temporal DIC change.     

The Western North Pacific Playing a Key Role in Global Biogeochemical Fluxes

The oceanic biogeochemical fluxes in the North Pacific, especially its northwestern part, are discussed to prove their importance on a global scale. First, the air-sea exchange processes of chemical substances are considered quantitatively. The topics discussed are sea salt particles transported to land, sporadic transport of soil dust to the ocean and its role in the marine ecosystem, the larger gas transfer velocity of CO₂ indicating the effect of bubbles, and DMS and greenhouse gases other than CO₂. Next, chemical tracers are utilized to reveal the water circulation systems in the region, which are the Pacific Deep Water including its vertical eddy diffusivity, the North Pacific Intermediate Water and the Japan Sea Deep Water. Thirdly, the particulate transport process of chemical substances through the water column is clarified by analyzing the distribution of insoluble radionuclides and the results obtained from sediment trap experiments. Fourthly, the northern North Pacific is characterized by stating the site decomposing organic matter and Si playing a key role in the marine ecosystem. Both are induced by the upwelled Pacific Deep Water. Fifthly, the oceanic CO₂ system related to global warming is presented by clarifying the distribution of anthropogenic CO₂ in the western North Pacific, and roles of the upwelled Pacific Deep Water and the continental shelf zone in the absorption of atmospheric CO₂. Finally, Mn and other chemical substances in sediments are discussed as recorders of the early diagenesis and indicators of low biological productivity during glacial ages in the northwestern North Pacific. It is concluded that the western North Pacific is characterized mainly by the Pacific Deep Water bringing nutrients to the northern North Pacific, located at the exit of the global deep water circulation and, therefore, the region plays a key role in the global biogeochemical fluxes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (Canada) in the NE subarctic Pacific

This volume of DSR II is dedicated to the Canadian Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) in the NE subarctic Pacific. This oceanic province is one of three High Nitrate Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions in the world oceans. Furthermore, this region is characterised by a shallow (ca. 100–120 m) permanent pycnocline during winter, which permits relatively high numbers of phytoplankton and micro-grazers to subsist over winter, which in turn strongly influences pelagic community structure. The 5-year field study encompassed two phases – phase 1 (seven voyages between September 1992 and May 1995), and the intensive phase 2 (six voyages between September 1995 and June 1997). Each voyage transected line P – from the coastal ocean westward to the open ocean. In addition to the JGOFS study, this volume also includes analyses of long time-series (>20 yr) data sets from Ocean Station Papa (OSP; 50°N 145°W) and other stations in the coastal and open ocean.     

北太平洋赤道海域表层沉积物的热释光特征及其指示意义

热释光是矿物晶体接受环境核辐射作用后积蓄起来的能量在受到热激发时以光的形式释放出来的一种物理现象,它与晶体损伤、晶体中杂质混入等原因所导致的晶格缺陷有关.热释光强度的大小主要取决于自然界中长寿命放射性元素(238U,235U,230Th,40K及其子体)的衰变,与其他物理、化学、生物或人类活动无关.热释光特征能有效反映晶体形成的环境条件.热释光方法的制样简单、测量快捷,因此在辐射学、核工业、核医学、环境学、农业、考古学、地质学等领域都得到了广泛的应用.在陆地地质学上热释光方法在地质年代测定[1,2]、地层对比[3]、矿物世代划分[4]、矿床含矿评价[4,5]、陨石形成热的历史恢复[6]以及地质事件识别[7]等方面都取得了不少成果.     

State Estimation of the North Pacific Ocean by a Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Experiment

A four-dimensional variational data assimilation system has been applied to an experiment to describe the dynamic state of the North Pacific Ocean. A synthesis of available observational records and a sophisticated ocean general circulation model produces a dynamically consistent dataset, which, in contrast to the nudging approach, provides realistic features of the seasonally-varying ocean circulation with no artificial sources/sinks for temperature and salinity fields. This new dataset enables us to estimate heat and water mass transports in addition to the qualification of water mass formation and movement processes. A sensitivity experiment on our assimilation system reveals that the origin of the North Pacific Intermediate Water can be traced back to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea in the subarctic region and to the subtropical Kuroshio region further south. These results demonstrate that our data assimilation system is a very powerful tool for the identification and characterization of ocean variabilities and for our understanding of the dynamic state of ocean circulation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spatiotemporal Decreases of Nutrients and Chlorophyll-a in the Surface Mixed Layer of the Western North Pacific from 1971 to 2000

Using time series of hydrographic data in the wintertime and summertime obtained along 137°E from 1971 to 2000, we found that the average contents of nutrients in the surface mixed layer showed linear decreasing trends of 0.001∼0.004 μmol-PO₄ l⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and 0.01∼0.04 μmol-NO₃ l⁻¹ yr⁻¹ with the decrease of density. The water column Chl-a (CHL) and the net community production (NCP) had also declined by 0.27∼0.48 mg-Chl m⁻² yr⁻¹ and 0.08∼0.47 g-C-NCP m⁻² yr⁻¹ with a clear oscillation of 20.8±0.8 years. These changes showed a strong negative correlation with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index (PDO) with a time lag of 2 years (R = 0.89 ± 0.02). Considering the recent significant decrease of O₂ over the North Pacific subsurface water, these findings suggest that the long-term decreasing trend of surface-deep water mixing has caused the decrease of marine biological activity in the surface mixed layer with a bidecadal oscillation over the western North Pacific.     

基于Argo资料的北太平洋绝对地转流计算

针对海洋实测流速资料极其匮乏的事实, 利用2004 年1 月~2009 年12 月月平均的Argo 温盐格点资料, 结合改进的P-vector 方法重构北太平洋绝对地转流流场。与卫星高度计和实测流速的比较以及相关性分析表明, 重构的绝对地转流是可信的, 可以用来研究不同大尺度环流特征及其动力结构。可以为研究海洋动力过程和气候变化提供一套有用的流场数据。     

北太平洋大洋钻探研究进展

北太平洋作为全球大洋环流的重要组成部分,在高低纬间热量和物质的传输与再分配方面起到重要的调控作用,进而影响到地球气候系统。基于过去50多年来的大洋钻探工作,前人在北太平洋地球科学的研究上取得了一系列的成果。本文回顾了北太平洋古海洋和古气候方面的研究进展,包括：（1）东亚夏季风和西部边界流演化,以及其对高低纬热量、水汽的传输;（2） 北太平洋中层水和深层水的性质变化、分布范围和驱动机制,以及冰期旋回中水体垂直交换作用的气候响应;（3） 风尘输入对亚洲内陆古环境的反映,及其对北太平洋生产力的铁肥效应。尽管前人针对上述科学问题都开展了相应的研究工作,但目前在对北太平洋上述几方面的认识上仍然存在着分歧。基于对前人研究的总结概括,本文最后提出了未来北太平洋研究的关键科学问题,强调了多圈层、多系统角度对深入认识过去地球气候系统变化的重要性,并对未来大洋航次开展的理想靶区进行了展望。     

边界条件对北太平洋海盆尺度环流模式的影响

采用Stevens开边界条件,将一个闭边界海盆尺度环流模式改造成开边界模式,对20°S以北太平洋大尺度环流进行了系统模拟。考察了开边界和不同等密面扩散系数对北太平洋环流和温盐结构的影响。模式较好地再现了太平洋大尺度环流特征,模拟出了表层赤道流系(包括北赤道流、黑潮和北太平流)以及对应的顺时针环流,同时还较好地反映了温盐场的基本分布特征。从年平均的纬向平均温度和盐度的断面分布可以看出,温跃层深度呈“W”型分布,在亚极地海区有一个梯度比较大的盐度锋区。南边界打开后使得模拟的北太平洋中层水温度和盐度更低,低盐水舌加深和向南延伸加强,更加接近观测值。增加沿等密面扩散系数后得到的中层水强度更大,尤其是34.6等盐线更接近观测资料。质量输运流函数分布表明,赤道两边各有一个翻转区,亚极地地区也存在一个浅的翻转区,打开南边界可以消除因为闭边界存在产生的假的下沉流,这些都为将来进行示踪物模拟打下基础。     

The US Southern Ocean Joint Global Ocean Flux Study: an introduction to AESOPS

The United States Southern Ocean Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), also known as AESOPS (Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study), focused on two distinct regions. The first was the Ross-Sea continental shelf, where a series of six cruises collected a variety of data from October 1996 through February 1998. The second area was the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, spanning the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) at 170°W. Data were collected within this region during five cruises from September 1996 through March 1998, as well as during selected transits between New Zealand and the Ross Sea. The first results of these cruses are described in this issue. The Ross-Sea investigation extensively sampled the area along 76°30′S to elucidate the temporal patterns and processes that contribute to making this one of the Antarctic's most productive seas. Hydrographic distributions confirm that stratification is initiated early in October within the polynya, generating an environment that is favorable for phytoplankton growth. Significant spatial variations in mixed-layer depths, the timing of the onset of stratification, and the strength of the stratification existed throughout the growing season. Nutrient concentrations reflected phytoplankton uptake, and reached their seasonal minimal in early February. Chlorophyll concentrations were maximal in early January, whereas productivity was maximal in late November, which reflects the temporal uncoupling between growth and biomass accumulation in the region. Independent estimates of biogenic export suggest that majority of the flux occurred in late summer and was strongly uncoupled from phytoplankton growth. The ACC region exhibited seasonal changes that in some cases were greater than those observed in the Ross Sea. Sea ice covered much of the region south of the Polar Front in winter, and retreated rapidly in late spring and early summer. Mixed layers throughout the region shoaled in summer due to surface heating, while the addition of freshwater from melting sea ice enhanced stratification in the Seasonal Ice Zone, creating conditions favorable for phytoplankton growth. For example, silicic acid concentrations decreased from initial values as high as 65 to less than 2 μM within approximately 100 km (from 65.7 to 64.8°S). Fluorescence values, however, showed less than a two-fold variation over the same distance. The vertical flux of carbon in the Polar Front area is substantial, and marked variations in the composition of exported material exited over the region. The results provide a means whereby the controls of phytoplankton growth and organic matter flux and remineralization can be analyzed in great detail. Additional results of the AESOPS project are discussed.     

An East-West Comparison of the Transition Zone Coastal Pelagic Nekton of the North Pacific Ocean

During the 1980s and 1990s, scientific research cruises were conducted in both the eastern and western boundary regions of the North Pacific Ocean. The main purpose of these cruises was to examine the abundance and distribution patterns of juvenile salmon in coastal waters. These studies created one of the most extensive databases ever collected on the species composition of coastal Transition Zone epipelagic nekton in the North Pacific Ocean. Catch data from two purse seine and two surface trawl surveys (one each from off northern Japan and eastern Russia and off the West Coast of the U.S.) were examined using multivariate techniques to analyze the community structure of nektonic cephalopods, elasmobranchs, and teleosts in the coastal zone during the summer and autumn months. Juvenile salmonids are generally among the most common species caught, but in terms of overall abundance, other potential competitors with juvenile salmon, such as small squids and clupeoid fishes predominated the catches. Species diversity and dominance varied among areas and gear types. Distinct assemblages were found in each area, but the two regions had closely related species occupying similar ecological positions in each habitat. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

北太平洋西边界流研究综述

综述了近20年来国内外学者在研究北太平洋西边界流的平均结构及NEC分叉动力机制、NM K流系平均输运的分配及变化、NM K流系季节及年际变化规律及其与EN SO之间的关系、NM K流系在热带和亚热带水交换中的作用以及水团的平均分布特征等方面所取得的主要成果。通过分析,发现东亚季风、R ossby波和K e lv in波等是影响北太平洋西边界流的主要因素;而缺乏长期直接的海流观测资料是深入研究北太平洋西边界流遇到的最大障碍。     

北太平洋海洋带状流的正压特性

海洋中包含着多种时空尺度的运动过程,海洋带状流是近年来发现的一种新的流动形式。这种流动现象介于地转湍流和准定常流之间。上层海洋中大尺度运动的强度远大于海洋带状流而将其遮盖,因而带状流需要借助滤波方法提取出来。本研究基于纬向速度数据,通过切比雪夫高通滤波提取了北太平洋海洋带状流的三维结构,定义了“流向稳定度”指数,量化分析了北太平洋海域带状流的正压特性,从而进一步加深了对北太平洋海洋带状流结构特征的认识。     

北太平洋副热带海洋环流气候变化研究

北太平洋副热带环流的变化在全球气候变化和热量的经向输送中占重要地位。本文对近10年有关北太平洋副热带海洋环流气候变化的研究进行了综述。主要研究成果有：用卫星高度计首次观测到全球海洋Rossby波的传播特征；确定了气候意义下北太平洋副热带逆流为2支．揭示了其中一支与北太平洋模态水的存在有关，另一支是夏威夷群岛附近海洋．大气-陆地相互作用的结果；首次发现了台湾以东黑潮流量有显著的准100天振荡等。本文还提出了在北太平洋副热带环流研究中目前存在的新科学问题。     

Tidal Mixing in the Kuril Straits and Its Impact on Ventilation in the North Pacific Ocean

A numerical study using a 3-D nonhydrostatic model has been applied to baroclinic processes generated by the K ₁ tidal flow in and around the Kuril Straits. The result shows that large-amplitude unsteady lee waves are generated and cause intense diapycnal mixing all along the Kuril Island Chain to levels of a maximum diapycnal diffusivity exceeding 10³ cm²s⁻¹. Significant water transformation by the vigorous mixing in shallow regions produces the distinct density and potential vorticity (PV) fronts along the Island Chain. The pinched-off eddies that arise and move away from the fronts have the ability to transport a large amount of mixed water (∼14 Sv) to the offshore regions, roughly half being directed to the North Pacific. These features are consistent with recent satellite imagery and in-situ observations, suggesting that diapycnal mixing within the vicinity of the Kuril Islands has a greater impact than was previously supposed on the Okhotsk Sea and the North Pacific. To examine this influence of tidal processes at the Kurils on circulations in the neighboring two basins, another numerical experiment was conducted using an ocean general circulation model with inclusion of tidal mixing along the islands, which gives a better representation of the Okhotsk Sea Mode Water than in the case without the tidal mixing. This is mainly attributed to the added effect of a significant upward salt flux into the surface layer due to tidal mixing in the Kuril Straits, which is subsequently transported to the interior region of the Okhotsk Sea. With a saline flux into the surface layer, cooling in winter in the northern part of the Okhotsk Sea can produce heavier water and thus enhance subduction, which is capable of reproducing a realistic Okhotsk Sea Mode Water. The associated low PV flux from the Kuril Straits to the open North Pacific excites the 2nd baroclinic-mode Kelvin and Rossby waves in addition to the 1st mode. Interestingly, the meridional overturning in the North Pacific is strengthened as a result of the dynamical adjustment caused by these waves, leading to a more realistic reproduction of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) than in the case without tidal mixing. Accordingly, the joint effect of tidally-induced transport and transformation dominating in the Kuril Straits and subsequent eddy-transport is considered to play an important role in the ventilation of both the Okhotsk Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Summer phytoplankton blooms in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Historical perspective and recent observations

The export of organic matter from the oceanic euphotic zone is a critical process in the global biogeochemical cycling of bioelements (C, N, P, Si). Much of this export occurs in the form of sinking particles, which rain down into the unlit waters of the deep sea. Classical models of oceanic production and export balance this gravitational loss of particulate bioelements with an upward flux of dissolved nutrients, and they describe reasonably well those areas of the ocean where deep winter mixing occurs. The surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), however, are strongly stratified and chronically nutrient-depleted, especially in summer. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that blooms of phytoplankton and subsequent pulses of particle export occur during the height of summer stratification in these waters, especially to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. These blooms impact regional bioelemental cycling and act as a food source to the deep-sea benthos. We review here numerous published observations of these events in the NPSG, and present new data collected at Station ALOHA (22.75°N, 158°W) during the first 176 cruises of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series program (1988-2005), along with results from transect cruises conducted in the region in 1996 and 2005. We suggest that the summer phytoplankton bloom can be considered a frequent, perhaps annual feature in the northeastern NPSG, and that its perceived stochastic nature is a manifestation of chronic undersampling in time and space. The bloom is typically dominated by only a few genera of large diatoms and the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. It appears to be consistently supported by dinitrogen fixation, but the fate of the organic matter produced during the summer depends critically on the species composition of the responsible diazotrophs. We estimate that the summer bloom is responsible for up to 38% of N₂ fixation and up to 18% of N-based new production annually at Station ALOHA. We hypothesize that the spatial distribution, timing and magnitude of the bloom may be determined largely by the physical and biological processes controlling new phosphorus delivery into the euphotic zone during the summer and the preceding winter.     

北太平洋经向翻转环流年际变化的数值模拟

北太平洋经向翻转环流(NPMOC)是北太平洋所有经向翻转环流圈的总称,拥有5个环流圈结构.其中,热带环流圈(TC)、副热带环流圈(STC)和深层热带环流圈(DTC)位于北太平洋热带-副热带海域,是该海域间经向物质和能量交换的重要通道.主要运用NEMO模式对这3个经向翻转环流圈的年际变化特征和机理进行了研究.结果表明,TC、STC和DTC的经向流量都具有显著的年际变化特征:在El Nio期间,TC的南、北向流量均减弱,STC的北向流量增强、南向流量减弱,DTC的南向流量减弱;而在La Nia期间则相反.敏感性试验表明,在风应力强迫下得到的TC、STC南、北向流量和DTC南向流量的年际变化特征都很显著,并与在风应力、热通量和淡水通量共同强迫下得到的结果非常一致;而仅在热通量和淡水通量的强迫下,各分支流量的年际变化均较小.由此可见,风场驱动是引起北太平洋经向翻转环流年际变化的主要驱动因素,而热通量和淡水通量的影响却较小.     

Seasonal Response of Planktonic Foraminifera to Surface Ocean Condition: Sediment Trap Results from the Central North Pacific Ocean

The fluxes of planktonic foraminifera (calcareous shell producing zooplankton) were examined in order to clarify temporal and regional variations in production in the upper ocean in relation to hydrographic conditions. Three time-series sediment traps were deployed in the central North Pacific along 175°E for about one year, beginning in June 1993. Trap sites were located in the subarctic, the transition, and the subtropical water masses, from north to south. The southernmost site was under the influence of the transition zone in January to May. Both temporal and regional fluxes of planktonic foraminifera showed large variations during the experiment. In the subarctic water mass, high total foraminiferal fluxes (TFFs) and high organic matter fluxes (OMFs) were observed during summer to fall, suggesting that food availability is the most important factor for the production of planktonic foraminifera. Furthermore, low TFFs during winter were ascribed to low food availability and low temperatures. The OMFs and TFFs correlated well and increased rapidly after the disruption of the seasonal thermocline during winter, peaking in late February to early March in the transition zone. In the subtropical water mass, both OMFs and TFFs remained low due to lower productivity under oligotrophic conditions. In general, TFFs show a positive correlation with OMFs during the trap experiment, suggesting that food availability is one of the factors controlling the production of planktonic foraminifera in the central North Pacific. Relatively low TFFs during summer to fall in the subtropical water mass may be caused by the thermal structure of the upper ocean. Low SST possibly reduces the production of foraminifera during winter in the subarctic region.