Seasonal dynamics and estimation of the annual primary production of phytoplankton in the Black Sea

Seasonal variations in the surface chlorophyll a concentrations (Chl _s) and the integrated primary production (PP _inf) were investigated for ten regions of the Black Sea based on long term observations (1973–1997). Two or three maximums of both Chl _s and PP _inf were registered in most of the shelf regions (SR, <200 m), the continental slope (CS, 200–1500 m), and the deep regions (DSR >1500 m) in February–March, June–August, and October–November. Such a pattern suggests that the seasonal dynamics of PP _inf strongly depend on the Chl _s variability. The mean annual values of the PP _inf comprised 130–420, 130–150, and 140–150 g C m^?2 in the SR, CS, and DSR, respectively. These values are mainly typical of the eutrophic layer and the transition between the eutrophic and mesotrophic waters (SR) or for the upper boundary of the mesotrophic waters (CS and DSR). The maximal contribution of the wintertime (December–March) to the total PP _inf values (40–42%) was observed in the DSR. In the SR and the adjacent eastern CS areas, the proportion of the PP _inf summertime production (June–September) reaches 40–60% and is higher than the wintertime production. The lowest values of PP _inf (9–17%) were produced in the spring and autumn periods. The total annual values of PP _inf in the Black Sea are close to 50–70 Mt C.     

Eutrophication and annual primary production of phytoplankton in the deep-water part of the Black Sea

Using the data of daily primary production, as well as intraannual and long-term changes in the concentration of chlorophyll “a” and hydrochemical characteristics, the annual primary production of phytoplankton in the deep-water part of the Black Sea is estimated for the three key periods in the contemporary evolution of the sea: preeutrophication, very intense eutrophication, and the present-day period characterized by deeutrophication. It is shown that eutrophication in the second part of the 20th Century led to an increase in the production level not only in the shelf of the Black Sea, but also its deep-water areas. By the end of the 1980s and the early 1990s, the value of the annual primary production in this part of the sea increased from 63 ± 18 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ (in the 1960s) up to 135 ± 30 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹. On the contrary, after 1993, mainly because of reduced runoff of biogenic substances into the Black Sea from land based sources, there was a decrease in the annual production of phytoplankton in the deep-water areas of the sea, which is currently about 105 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹.     

Variations of the Black Sea level

The annual course of sea level at various sections of the coastline is derived from the interpretation of empirical observations. The paper evaluates the effect of continental discharge, atmospheric pressure, and density distribution upon the local sea level vacillations, and the tendency to multi-annual sea level variability is determined. During this century, against the background of broad spectral oscillations, the Black Sea mean level is rising at the rate of 1.6 mm year⁻¹. The paper examines Man's impact upon the erosion of the shore and the departure of the coastline. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Monsoonal influence on the distribution of phytoplankton pigments in the Arabian Sea

Variations in the distribution of chemotaxonomic pigments were monitored in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman at the end of the SW monsoon in September 1994 and during the inter-monsoon period in November/December 1994 to determine the seasonal changes in phytoplankton composition. The Gulf of Oman was characterized by sub-surface chlorophyll maxima at 20-40 m during both seasons, and low levels of divinyl chlorophyll a indicated that prochlorophytes did not contribute significantly to the total chlorophyll a. Prymnesiophytes (19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin), diatoms (fucoxanthin) and chlorophyll b containing organisms accounted for most of the phytoplankton biomass in September, while prymnesiophytes dominated in November/December. In the Arabian Sea in September, high total chlorophyll a concentrations up to 1742 ng l^-1 were measured in the coastal upwelling region and a progressive decline was monitored along the 1670 km offshore transect to oligotrophic waters at 8°N. Divinyl chlorophyll a was not detected along this transect except at the two most southerly stations where prochlorophytes were estimated to contribute 25–30% to the total chlorophyll a. Inshore, the dominance of fucoxanthin and/or hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin indicated that diatoms and prymnesiophytes generally dominated the patchy phytoplankton community, with zeaxanthin-containing Synechococcus also being important, especially in surface waters. At the southern oligotrophic localities, Synechococcus and prochlorophytes dominated the upper 40 m and prymnesiophytes were the most prominent at the deep chlorophyll maximum. During the inter-monsoon season, total chlorophyll a concentrations were generally half those measured in September and highest levels were found on the shelf (1170 ng l^-1). Divinyl chlorophyll a was detected at all stations along the Arabian Sea transect, and we estimated that prochlorophytes contributed between 3 and 28% to the total chlorophyll a, while at the two oligotrophic stations this proportion increased to 51–52%. While procaryotes were more important in November/December than September, eucaryotes still accounted for >50% of the total chlorophyll a. Pigment/total chlorophyll a ratios indicated that 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin-containing prymnesiophytes were the dominant group, although procaryotes accounted for 65% at the two southerly oligotrophic stations.     

Vertical transport in the Black Sea

Investigations of the vertical exchange coefficientK _z , considering turbulent and advective transport, are summarized. The values ofK _z are determined from the climaticT, S characteristics, heat and salinity fluxes, and the rate of the low-Bosporus water transformation over the entire Black Sea water column; namely, in the upper mixed layer, the active layer, the cold intermediate layer, the halocline, and in the deep and near-bottom waters. A characteristic for annual fluctuations ofK _z in the active layer is given; it is noted that the coefficient tends to grow in transit from the centre of the cyclonic gyre toward its periphery.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

基于南海北部海区浮游植物吸收光谱斜率变化的粒级结构反演

浮游植物的粒级结构是一个重要的生物参数。基于南海北部海区不同水体环境下测量的生物光学数据, 作者深入研究了粒级结构对浮游植物吸收光谱的影响。结果表明, 选择443和510nm波段计算得到的浮游植物光谱斜率S对粒级结构的变化具有较高的敏感性, 其随着小型浮游植物比例的增大呈不断增加的趋势。S与水体叶绿素a浓度、浮游植物吸收系数(aph(443))之间表现出明显的正相关特征。以40%为界对不同粒级浮游植物的优势进行定义, 发现在S与叶绿素a浓度、aph(443)的关系分布中小型(Micro)和微微型(Pico)浮游植物占据优势的水体表现出较为明显的分界, 叶绿素a浓度和aph(443)分别在0.70mg•m-3和0.05m-1附近, 相应的S在0.0004(m•nm)-1左右。基于实测数据建立的遥感反射率蓝绿波段比值与S之间的统计关系, 决定系数高达0.91, 为从水色遥感数据反演浮游植物粒级结构提供了重要手段。     

Black Sea bora modeling

The development of a severe bora during the winter period near the South Coast of Crimea has been reproduced using the regional atmospheric circulation numerical model. Characteristic features of the velocity and temperature fields responsible for the formation of an intense surface current above the lee slope of a mountain range, such as internal wave breaking and air-flow blocking, have been considered. The evolution of the thermodynamic field during the severe bora development and damping, which is accompanied by a sharp decrease in the air-flow temperature, the formation of a surface jet stream, and a considerable spatial-time variability in a wide scale range, has been considered.     

南海海域浮游植物叶绿素与海表温度季节变化特征分析

利用 Sea WiFS卫星遥感叶绿素质量浓度及TRMM微波遥感海表温度产品, 研究了南海海表叶绿素a的季节变化特征及其同海表温度的关系。研究结果表明, 南海叶绿素质量浓度具有很强的季节变化:通常低叶绿素质量浓度(<0.12 mg·m^-3)出现在弱风高海表温度(>28°C)的春、夏季节;高叶绿素质量浓度(>0.13 mg·m^-3)通常出现在有较强风速和较低海表温度(<27°C)的冬季。线性回归分析显示, 南海叶绿素质量浓度同海表温度呈显著负相关。尽管在南海南部、南海中部、南海西部及吕宋西北部4个代表子区域的显著性有所差异, 但都暗示温度变化所反映的垂向层化调控了营养盐质量浓度和浮游植物量变化。可见, 温度可能是影响海洋上层稳定程度及垂向交换强度的重要指标, 从而可能调控营养盐及浮游植物的变化。     

Modelling of the Black Sea seasonal variability

The paper discusses the results of numerical experiments on response of the Black Sea to the ‘real’ (mean monthly) atmospheric forcing. A new version of the multi-layer quasi-isopycnic model is applied which does not use the rigid-lid approximation and allows for a salt flux through the sea surface. Ways of obtaining quantitative agreement between the calculated data due only to the external forcing, without invokingin situ temperature/salinity observations are suggested. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Numerical Modeling of Meteorological Sea Level Oscillations in the Black Sea

Oceanology - To study the features of short-period meteorological sea level oscillations, adaptation of the numerical Princeton Ocean Model (POM) to the Black Sea conditions was performed. The...     

Satellite monitoring of oil slicks on the Black Sea surface

This paper summarizes the results of perennial combined satellite monitoring of the Black Sea conducted in order to detect sea-surface oil and oil-product pollution, as well as biogenic and anthropogenic surfactant films. A joint analysis of data obtained by various remote sensing techniques has been performed. The large amount of data has resulted in generalizations and reliable statistics on the spatial and temporal variability of different film manifestations in radar images of the sea surface. Regions most severely polluted by petroleum products have been identified. A hypothesis is suggested linking the surface manifestations of certain types of polluting films with natural gas and oil seeps and mud volcanism in the Black Sea. Improvements in the reliability of interpreting satellite data are discussed.     

Experimental research on the hydrophysical characteristics and dynamics of waters in the north-west Black Sea in the region of the main Black Sea current

The results of measurements of hydrophysical parameters in the upper layer of the sea at an observation site located south-west of the Crimea are reported. The current pattern, the distribution of the upwelling and downwelling zones at the observation site, and the location of the mesoscale fronts are discussed.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Spring phytoplankton bloom in the fronts of the East China Sea

Frontal areas between warm and saline waters of the Kuroshio currents and colder and diluted waters of the East China Sea (ECS) influenced by the Changjiang River were identified from the satellite thermal imagery and hydrological data obtained from the Coastal Ocean Process Experiment (COPEX) cruise during the period between March 1^st and 10^th, 1997. High chlorophyll concentrations appeared in the fronts of the East China Seas with the highest chlorophyll-a concentration in the southwestern area of Jeju Island (~2.9 mg/m³) and the eastern area of the Changjiang River Mouth (~2.8 mg/m³). Vertical structures of temperature, salinity and density were similar, showing the fronts between ECS and Kuroshio waters. The water column was well mixed in the shelf waters and was stratified around the fronts. It is inferred that the optimal condition for light utilization and nutrients induced both from the coastal and deep waters enhances the high phytoplankton productivity in the fronts of the ECS. In addition, the high chlorophyll-a in the fronts seems to have been associated with the water column stability as well.     

Modelling subsurface dynamics in the Black Sea

Dependency of major hydrophysical/chemical features of highly stratified basins on density surfaces in the vertical makes isopycnic models an attractive tool for simulating the dynamics of marginal marine environments such as the Black Sea because of the ability of these models to restrict vertical transport to some desirable degree. In the present work the seasonal variations of the subsurface dynamics of the Black Sea are investigated using an isopycnic model. Particular attention is given to the interfaces of the Cold intermediate layer and Suboxic layer and finally, the deep layer circulation in the basin is studied. It appears that although the depth range of the base of the Cold intermediate layer and the lower Soboxic layer interface do not change seasonally, their horizontal distribution is defined by the upper layer dynamics of the basin. Cyclonic surface circulation diminishes with increasing depth and the deep layer circulation is characterised by an anti-cyclonic rim current driven by density gradients created from river runoff and the influx of Mediterranean water.     

黄、东海春季和秋季微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食压力

2000年秋季(10月21日-11月7日)和2001年春季(4月30日-5月15日)用稀释培养法在黄海和东海测定了微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食,结果表明:(1)秋季表层浮游植物叶绿素α(Chl α)的内禀生长率为0.40～0.59 d<'-1>,微型浮游动物对Chl α的摄食率为0.21～0.63 d<'-1>,对Ch...     

Summer dynamics of phytoplankton pigments and its correlation with the optical parameters of shelf waters in the Black Sea (2001–2002)

We study the space and time variations of the concentration of chlorophyll in the Black-Sea coastal zone (near Katsiveli) in summer 2001–2002. Typical vertical profiles of the pigments are presented. The relations between the concentration of chlorophyll and the optical parameters of seawater (including the Secchi depth, sea reflectance, effective wavelength of the upwelling radiation, and the vertical attenuation coefficient of light) are analyzed. The equations for the biological parameters of seawater and its optical characteristics are presented. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, pp. 36–51, May–June, 2006.     

Joint Soviet-Turkish expedition in the Black Sea

The hydrological and hydrochemical structures of the upper 300 m water column of the Black Sea in autumn 1988 have been studied. Regularities in the distribution of the physico-chemical characteristics in the zone of interaction between aerobic and anaerobic waters as well as the topography of the H₂S zone boundary and its connection with a certain density gradient have been found.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Some peculiarities of the Black Sea inertial currents

By treating observations involving long-term buoy moorings, numerical characteristics of the periods, amplitudes, phases and orbits of inertial currents in some Black Sea areas have been obtained. The inertial component's contribution to the total velocity field and turbulent exchange has been determined. As a result, the maximal heights of the internal waves generated by the inertial currents have been estimated. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Natural oil and gas seeps on the Black Sea floor

Migration of hydrocarbons to the seafloor in the Black Sea occurs via direct seepages, mud volcanoes, and development of fluidized sediment flows (e.g., diapers). Gas migration occurs on the shelf, continental slope, and abyssal plain. Gas hydrates are spatially related to gas accumulations and are present in shallow subsurface sediment layers. Their distribution is controlled by the activity of mud volcanoes. In regions of methane seepages, specific biogeochemical processes related to the activity of methane-oxidizing bacteria are evident. This activity results in the formation of diagenetic minerals (carbonates, sulfides, sulfates, phosphates and other minerals).