Eddies and Tropical Instability Waves in the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

Mesoscale eddies and tropical instability waves in the eastern tropical Pacific, first revealed by satellite infrared imagery, play an important role in the dynamics and biology of the region, and in the transfer of mass, energy, heat, and biological constituents from the shelf to the deep ocean and across the equatorial currents.From boreal late autumn to early spring, four to 18 cyclonic or anticyclonic eddies are formed off the coastal region between southern Mexico and Panama. The anticyclonic gyres, which tend to be larger and last longer than the cyclonic ones, are the best studied: they typically are 180–500 km in diameter, depress the pycnocline from 60 to 145 m at the eddy center, have swirl speeds in excess of 1 m s⁻¹, migrate west at velocities ranging from 11 to 19 cm s⁻¹ (with a slight southward component), and maintain a height signature of up to 30 cm. The primary generating agents for these eddies are the strong, intermittent wind jets that blow across the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, the lake district in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the Panama canal. Other proposed eddy-generating mechanisms are the conservation of vorticity as the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) turns north on reaching America, and the instability of coastally trapped waves/currents.Tropical Instability Waves (TIWs) are perturbations in the SST fronts on either side of the equatorial cold tongue. They produce SST variations on the order of 1–2 °C, have periods of 20–40 days, wavelengths of 1000–2000 km, phase speeds of around 0.5 m s⁻¹ and propagate westward both north and south of the Equator. The Tropical Instability Vortices (TIVs) are a train of westward-propagating anticyclonic eddies associated with the TIWs. They exhibit eddy currents exceeding 1.3 m s⁻¹, a westward phase propagation speed between 30 and 40 km d⁻¹, a signature above the pycnocline, and eastward energy propagation. Like the TIWs, they result from the latitudinal barotropically unstable shear between the South Equatorial Current (SEC) and the NECC with a potential secondary source of energy from baroclinic instability of the vertical shear with the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC).This review of mesoscale processes is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.     

Oxygen minimum zones in the eastern tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Within the eastern tropical oceans of the Atlantic and Pacific basin vast oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) exist in the depth range between 100 and 900 m. Minimum oxygen values are reached at 300–500 m depth which in the eastern Pacific become suboxic (dissolved oxygen content <4.5 μmol kg⁻¹) with dissolved oxygen concentration of less than 1 μmol kg⁻¹. The OMZ of the eastern Atlantic is not suboxic and has relatively high oxygen minimum values of about 17 μmol kg⁻¹ in the South Atlantic and more than 40 μmol kg⁻¹ in the North Atlantic. About 20 (40%) of the North Pacific volume is occupied by an OMZ when using 45 μmol kg⁻¹ (or 90 μmol kg⁻¹, respectively) as an upper bound for OMZ oxygen concentration for ocean densities lighter than σ_θ < 27.2 kg m⁻³. The relative volumes reduce to less than half for the South Pacific (7% and 13%, respectively). The abundance of OMZs are considerably smaller (1% and 7%) for the South Atlantic and only 0% and 5% for the North Atlantic. Thermal domes characterized by upward displacements of isotherms located in the northeastern Pacific and Atlantic and in the southeastern Atlantic are co-located with the centres of the OMZs. They seem not to be directly involved in the generation of the OMZs.OMZs are a consequence of a combination of weak ocean ventilation, which supplies oxygen, and respiration, which consumes oxygen. Oxygen consumption can be approximated by the apparent oxygen utilization (AOU). However, AOU scaled with an appropriate consumption rate (aOUR) gives a time, the oxygen age. Here we derive oxygen ages using climatological AOU data and an empirical estimate of aOUR. Averaging oxygen ages for main thermocline isopycnals of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean exhibit an exponential increase with density without an obvious signature of the OMZs. Oxygen supply originates from a surface outcrop area and can also be approximated by the turn-over time, the ratio of ocean volume to ventilating flux. The turn-over time corresponds well to the average oxygen ages for the well ventilated waters. However, in the density ranges of the suboxic OMZs the turn-over time substantially increases. This indicates that reduced ventilation in the outcrop is directly related to the existence of suboxic OMZs, but they are not obviously related to enhanced consumption indicated by the oxygen ages. The turn-over time suggests that the lower thermocline of the North Atlantic would be suboxic but at present this is compensated by the import of water from the well ventilated South Atlantic. The turn-over time approach itself is independent of details of ocean transport pathways. Instead the geographical location of the OMZ is to first order determined by: (i) the patterns of upwelling, either through Ekman or equatorial divergence, (ii) the regions of general sluggish horizontal transport at the eastern boundaries, and (iii) to a lesser extent to regions with high productivity as indicated through ocean colour data.     

A review of eastern tropical Pacific oceanography: Summary

The collection of articles in this volume reviewing eastern tropical Pacific oceanography is briefly summarized, and updated references are given. The region is an unusual biological environment as a consequence of physical characteristics and patterns of forcing – including a strong and shallow thermocline, the ITCZ and coastal wind jets, equatorial upwelling, the Costa Rica Dome, eastern boundary and equatorial current systems, low iron input, inadequate ventilation of subthermocline waters, and dominance of ENSO-scale temporal variability. Remaining unanswered questions are presented.     

The characteristics of signal versus noise sst variability in the north pacific and the tropical pacific ocean

Total sea surface temperature (SST) in a coupled GCM is diagnosed by separating the variability into signal variance and noise variance. The signal and the noise is calculated from multi-decadal simulations from the COLA anomaly coupled GCM and the interactive ensemble model by assuming both simulations have a similar signal variance. The interactive ensemble model is a new coupling strategy that is designed to increase signal to noise ratio by using an ensemble of atmospheric realizations coupled to a single ocean model. The procedure for separating the signal and the noise variability presented here does not rely on any ad hoc temporal or spatial filter. Based on these simulations, we find that the signal versus the noise of SST variability in the North Pacific is significantly different from that in the equatorial Pacific. The noise SST variability explains the majority of the total variability in the North Pacific, whereas the signal dominates in the deep tropics. It is also found that the spatial characteristics of the signal and the noise are also distinct in the North Pacific and equatorial Pacific.     

Atmospheric forcing of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

The increase in marine, land surface, atmospheric and satellite data during recent decades has led to an improved understanding of the air–sea interaction processes in the eastern tropical Pacific. This is also thanks to extensive diagnoses from conceptual and coupled ocean–atmosphere numerical models. In this paper, mean fields of atmospheric variables, such as incoming solar radiation, sea level pressure, winds, wind stress curl, precipitation, evaporation, and surface energy fluxes, are derived from global atmospheric data sets in order to examine the dominant features of the low level atmospheric circulations of the region. The seasonal march of the atmospheric circulations is presented to depict the role of radiative forcing on atmospheric perturbations, especially those dominating the atmosphere at low levels.In the tropics, the trade winds constitute an important north–south energy and moisture exchange mechanism (as part of the low level branch of the Hadley circulation), that determines to a large extent the precipitation distribution in the region, i.e., that associated with the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Monsoonal circulations also play an important role in determining the warm season precipitation distribution over the eastern tropical Pacific through a large variety of air–sea–land interaction mechanisms. Westward traveling waves, tropical cyclones, low latitude cold air intrusions, and other synoptic and mesoscale perturbations associated with the ITCZ are also important elements that modulate the annual rainfall cycle. The low-level jets of the Gulf of California, the Intra-Americas Sea (Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) and Chocó, Colombia are prominent features of the eastern tropical Pacific low-level circulations related to sub-regional and regional scale precipitation patterns. Observations show that the Intra-Americas Low-Level Jet intensity varies with El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases, however its origin and role in the westward propagation and development of disturbances that may hit the eastern tropical Pacific, such as easterly waves and tropical cyclones, are still unclear. Changes in the intensity of the trade winds in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (associated with eastern tropical Pacific wind jets) exert an important control on precipitation by means of wind–topography interactions. Gaps in the mountains of southern Mexico and Central America allow strong wind jets to pass over the continent imprinting a unique signal in sea surface temperatures and ocean dynamics of the eastern tropical Pacific.The warm pools of the Americas constitute an important source of moisture for the North American Monsoon System. The northeastern tropical Pacific is a region of intense cyclogenetic activity, just west of the coast of Mesoamerica. Over the oceanic regions, large-scale properties of key variables such as precipitation, moisture, surface energy fluxes and wind stress curl are still uncertain, which inhibits a more comprehensive view of the region and stresses the importance of regional field experiments. Progress has been substantial in the understanding of the ocean and atmospheric dynamics of the eastern tropical Pacific, however, recent observational evidence such as that of a shallow meridional circulation cell in that region, in contrast to the classic concept of the Hadley-type deep meridional circulation, suggests that more in situ observations to validate theories are still necessary.This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.     

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.     

短小拟五角蟹的分布新记录

2022年9月作者在浙江宁波象山港海域采集到短小拟五角蟹(Paranursia abbreviata),由此短小拟五角蟹的地理分布记录从中国的海南岛、广东、香港和福建扩展到东海北部,即浙江北部的象山港。本文对其形态特征进行了详细的描述,并讨论了其与历史记载的外形差异。由于象山港冬季水温较低,推测短小拟五角蟹在象山港的出现可能是台湾暖流携带幼体定居导致的偶然现象。     

Primary production in the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

The eastern tropical Pacific includes 28 million km² of ocean between 23.5°N and S and Central/South America and 140°W, and contains the eastern and equatorial branches of the north and South Pacific subtropical gyres plus two equatorial and two coastal countercurrents. Spatial patterns of primary production are in general determined by supply of macronutrients (nitrate, phosphate) from below the thermocline. Where the thermocline is shallow and intersects the lighted euphotic zone, biological production is enhanced. In the eastern tropical Pacific thermocline depth is controlled by three interrelated processes: a basin-scale east/west thermocline tilt, a basin-scale thermocline shoaling at the gyre margins, and local wind-driven upwelling. These processes regulate supply of nutrient-rich subsurface waters to the euphotic zone, and on their basis we have divided the eastern tropical Pacific into seven main regions. Primary production and its physical and chemical controls are described for each.Enhanced rates of macronutrient supply maintains levels of primary production in the eastern tropical Pacific above those of the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north and south. On the other hand lack of the micronutrient iron limits phytoplankton growth (and nitrogen fixation) over large portions of the open-ocean eastern tropical Pacific, depressing rates of primary production and resulting in the so-called high nitrate-low chlorophyll condition. Very high rates of primary production can occur in those coastal areas where both macronutrients and iron are supplied in abundance to surface waters. In these eutrophic coastal areas large phytoplankton cells dominate; conversely, in the open-ocean small cells are dominant. In a ‘shadow zone’ between the subtropical gyres with limited subsurface ventilation, enough production sinks and decays to produce anoxic and denitrified waters which spread beneath very large parts of the eastern tropical Pacific.Seasonal cycles are weak over much of the open-ocean eastern tropical Pacific, although several eutrophic coastal areas do exhibit substantial seasonality. The ENSO fluctuation, however, is an exceedingly important source of interannual variability in this region. El Niño in general results in a depressed thermocline and thus reduced rates of macronutrient supply and primary production. The multi-decadal PDO is likely also an important source of variability, with the ‘El Viejo’ phase of the PDO resulting in warmer and lower nutrient and productivity conditions similar to El Niño.On average the eastern tropical Pacific is moderately productive and, relative to Pacific and global means, its productivity and area are roughly equivalent. For example, it occupies about 18% of the Pacific Ocean by area and accounts for 22–23% of its productivity. Similarly, it occupies about 9% of the global ocean and accounts for 10% of its productivity. While representative, these average values obscure very substantial spatial and temporal variability that characterizes the dynamics of this tropical ocean.     

Assessment of storage lipid accumulation patterns in eucalanoid copepods from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Members of the copepod family Eucalanidae are widely distributed throughout the world׳s oceans and have been noted for their accumulation of storage lipids in high- and low-latitude environments. However, little is known about the lipid composition of eucalanoid copepods in low-latitude environments. The purpose of this study was to examine fatty acid and alcohol profiles in the storage lipids (wax esters and triacylglycerols) of Eucalanus inermis, Rhincalanus rostrifrons, R. nasutus, Pareucalanus attenuatus, and Subeucalanus subtenuis, collected primarily in the eastern tropical north Pacific near the Tehuantepec Bowl and Costa Rica Dome regions, noted for its oxygen minimum zone, during fall 2007 and winter 2008/2009. Adult copepods and particulate material were collected in the upper 50 m and from 200 to 300 m in the upper oxycline. Lipid profiles of particulate matter were generated to help ascertain information on ecological strategies of these species and on differential accumulation of dietary and modified fatty acids in the wax ester and triacylglycerol storage lipid components of these copepods in relation to their vertical distributions around the oxygen minimum zone. Additional data on phospholipid fatty acid and sterol/fatty alcohol fractions were also generated to obtain a comprehensive lipid data set for each sample. Rhincalanus spp. accumulated relatively large amounts of storage lipids (31–80% of dry mass (DM)), while E. inermis had moderate amounts (2–9% DM), and P. attenuatus and S. subtenuis had low quantities of storage lipid (0–1% DM). E. inermis and S. subtenuis primarily accumulated triacylglycerols (>90% of storage lipids), while P. attenuatus and Rhincalanus spp. primarily accumulated wax esters (>84% of storage lipids). Based on previously generated molecular phylogenies of the Eucalanidae family, these results appear to support genetic predisposition as a major factor explaining why a given species accumulates primarily triacylglycerols or wax esters, and also potentially dictating major fatty acid and alcohol accumulation patterns within the more highly modified wax ester fraction. Comparisons of fatty acid profiles between triacylglycerol and wax ester components in copepods with that in available prey suggested that copepod triacylglycerols were more reflective of dietary fatty acids, while wax esters contained a higher proportion of modified or de novo synthesized forms. Sterols and phospholipid fatty acids were similar between species, confirming high levels of regulation within these components. Similarities between triacylglycerol fatty acid profiles of E. inermis collected in surface waters and at >200 m depth indicate little to no feeding during their ontogenetic migration to deeper, low-oxygen waters.     

西北太平洋深海海山的一种蛇尾新记录

Ophioleila elegans是一种非常少见的蛇尾。2014年大洋35航次中利用“蛟龙”号载人潜器在西北太平洋麦哲伦海山链的采薇平定海山水深1660m处采集到2株该种标本。该种首次发现于夏威夷海山相似的生境当中,本次采集到的样品是继首次发现之后的再次公开报道。本文中对该种的形态学特征,如腕部骨骼等,进行了更加详细的研究,同时基于COI序列进行系统发育分析。形态和系统发育分析的结果都表明,Ophioleila属与辐蛇尾科更加接近。     

热带西太平洋海表盐度的变化特征及其对淡水通量的响应

基于1980~2015年的全球简单海洋资料同化分析系统(SODA)、全球海气通量(OAFlux)和全球降水气候学计划(GPCP)等海洋、大气观测再分析资料,采用线性拟合、经验正交函数(EOF)分解、相关分析和波谱分析等数理统计方法,分析了热带西太平洋海表盐度(SSS)和淡水通量时空变化特征及其关系.结果表明,SSS与淡水通量的气候态及长期线性变化趋势有较好的空间对应关系,两者均有多种时间尺度的EOF模态,其年代际变化模态有较好的正相关关系,并与太平洋年代际振荡(PDO)有密切的滞后相关.分析表明,PDO可能通过影响Walker环流的变化来影响热带西太平洋的淡水通量分布,从而影响SSS的时空格局.     

The first record of two species of leptocephali of the genusSaurenchelys (nettastomatidae, anguilliformes) from Korea

Leptocephali of the genusSaurenchelys in the family Nettastomatidae were collected from the coastal area of Pohang, Korea and described as the first record from Korean waters.S. stylura andS. lateromaculatus are characterized by two intestinal swellings, the pattern of pigments in the notochord, and by smaller pectoral fins than those of other genus. They are very similar to each other but they are distinguished by the pattern of pigments in the notochord and the intestinal swellings.     

A preliminary study on the intermediate water masses in the tropical West Pacific

INTRODUCTIONIntermediatewaterexistsinalloceansandhasreceivedattentionasanimportantpartoftheoceancirculation.ThefirstsystematicresearchontheintermediatewaterinthePacificwasdonebyReid(1965)andthenbyNitani(1972).ItisgenerallyconsideredthatthereexisttwokindsofintermediatewaterinthePacific.OneofthemisthelowsalinitywaterformedbysubsurfacemixinganddescendinginthenorthpartoftheSubantarcticConvergenceZone,whichisgenerallyknownastheSouthPacificintermediateWater(SPIW).TheSPIWmovesnorthwardata…     

热带西太平洋的小粟虫属的四种有孔虫(原生动物)的形态学研究以及Miliolinella obesa nov. spec. 新种描述

Foraminiferal oozes were sampled from the tropical West Pacific seamount and seabed of deep sea,by a remotely operated vehicle(ROV)in December 2014 and March 2016.Using standard morphological method,four Miliolinella species,including Miliolinella obesa,M.circularis,M.suborbicularis and M.subrotunda were described.Among the four species,M.obesa is a new species.It is a large member(about 500μm in length)of the genus.This species is characterized by having a very stout and transverse broadly circular outline,and its body width is greater than the body length.In addition,its chamber demarcations are obscure from the exterior appearance.Three chambers are unclearly visible on one side and two chambers are visible on the opposite.Finally,we provided very detailed taxonomic microphotographs and the ecological distribution information for each species.     

Arietellus unisetosus-a new species of calanoid copepod from the tropical waters of the central Pacific Ocean

A new species, Arietellus unisetosus n. sp, (Copepods, Calanoida, Arietellidae, Arietellus) sampled from the tropical waters of the central Pacific Ocean is described. It is easily distinguished from the other known congeneric species by the following some characters (female):the caudal rami asymmetrical, the outer margin of left ramus swollen, knob-like; leg 5:both knob-like endopods each with a long apical seta; both lobate exopods without any terminal spine, etc.     

中国梭螺科一新记录属

本研究记述了采集自海南陵水海域的梭螺科(Ovulidae)一新记录属：舟梭螺属(Naviculavolva)及一新记录种：折唇舟梭螺(N.deflexa),对标本进行了形态描述并附标本照,且通过比对样品的COⅠ基因序列证实了形态鉴定的准确性。本研究为梭螺科分类与研究提供参考资料,丰富了我国海域梭螺科物种的多样性,并使得折唇舟梭螺的分布范围延伸至海南省海域。     

First record of Odontaster penicillatus populations (Philippi, 1870) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Atacama and Antofagasta regions,Chile (Southeast Pacific)

We report for the first time the presence of local populations of the starfish Odontaster penicillatus in the regions of Atacama and Antofagasta, Chile. This finding indicates an extension of the distribution limit of 500 km with respect to the last observation made in 2007 in Isla Grande de Atacama. A total of 121 specimens of O. penicillatus were recorded at depths of between 8 m and 24 m. They were associated with rocky substrate and with different species of barnacles, sponges and bryozoans. The presence of O. penicillatus expands the knowledge of the benthic biodiversity of the region, and the development of studies on its ecological importance will be promoted.     

First record of three giant marine Bathynomids (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from India

Three species,Bathynomus decemspinosus,B.doederleini and B.kensleyi (Crustacea,Isopoda,Cirolanidae),are reported for the first time from the Parangipettai coastal waters,Southeast coast of India.Several Trilasmis (Temnaspis) tridens (Cirripedia Thoracica,Lepadomorpha) were attached to the pleopods of some individuals.So,five bathynomid species are currently reported from India.     

Macrozoobenthic biomass in the Bay of Seine (eastern English Channel)

The benthic biomass values of various trophic groups were studied for the first time at the scale of the entire Bay of Seine (50 × 100 km) in the eastern English Channel. Sampling was carried out before and after the winter of 1999. In both cruises the suspension feeders dominated (66% of the 12 gAFDW m^− 2 in 1998 and 56% of the 10 gAFDW m^− 2 in 1999).The common European ophiuroid Ophiothrix fragilis was the most important contributor to total biomass. The repartition of its patches (sometimes > 20 gAFDW m^− 2) cannot be explained by the environmental parameters recorded (viz., granulometry, organic matter and pigment content).