Water column distribution of phospholipid-derived fatty acids of marine microorganisms in the Humboldt Current system off northern Chile

Suspended particulate matter samples from the oxygenated surface zone, the oxygen minimum zone, and the oxygenated deeper zone were collected from the upwelling area off Antofagasta in northern Chile during austral autumn (April 2001) to study the composition of microbial phospholipid-derived fatty acid methyl esters, using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Whereas phytoplanktonic carbon dominated living organic matter near the coast, bacterial carbon was most abundant offshore. The biomarker distribution showed some differences between the depth levels sampled, such as the highest microbial abundance in the epipelagic zone represented by phytoplankton, especially diatoms, and a homogeneous distribution of bacterial biomarkers, with no indication of vertical segregation of functional groups as previously thought.     

Spatial and temporal variability of planktonic archaeal abundance in the Humboldt Current System off Chile

The latest advances in the field of microbial ecology have shown that planktonic Archaea are one of the most abundant unicellular microorganisms of the oceans. However, no information is available on the contribution this group makes to the prokaryote assemblages that inhabit the eastern South Pacific Ocean. Here, we describe the relative abundance and vertical distribution of planktonic Archaea off northern and central-southern Chile. Data come from several cruises and a 45-month time series at a station located on the shelf off central-southern Chile. Both the taxonomic composition of the prokaryote community and its relative abundance were determined using quantitative dot blot 16S-rRNA hybridizations. Total Archaea in central-southern Chile made up 6–87% of the prokaryote rRNA in the water column and did not present evidence of any seasonal pattern. Crenarchaea were the most abundant archaeal group at this site and were significantly associated with the ammonium concentration (r²=0.16, p=0.0003, n=80). Archaeal abundance in the time series was usually greater in the deeper layer (>50 m), with contributions reaching up to ∼90% of the prokaryote rRNA on certain occasions, and decreasing towards the surface. Important increments in the relative abundance of total Archaea were observed on given dates at the surface of the time-series station off central-southern Chile. Off northern Chile, total Archaea normally contributed from ∼10% to 50% of the prokaryote rRNA found between 10 and 1000 m, and were generally important in the mesopelagic realm. Our results indicate that Archaea constitute an important fraction of the prokaryote assemblage in the water column of the Humboldt Current System, especially in the oxygen minimum zone.     

The relationship of anchovy and sardine to water masses in the Peruvian Humboldt Current System from 1983 to 2005

The Humboldt Current System (HCS) is dominated by two pelagic species; Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) and sardine (Sardinops sagax). Using data from 43 acoustic surveys conducted from 1983 through 2005 by the Peruvian Marine Institute (IMARPE), we examined the distribution of these two species relative to water masses. We tested the hypothesis that anchovy was found more frequently in upwelled cold coastal water (CCW) and mixed waters (MCW) than in other water types and that sardine was more associated with more offshore oceanic surface subtropical water (SSW). Surface temperature, salinity, latitude, season and distance to the coast data were used to define water masses. Results using generalized additive models (GAM), modelling sardine and anchovy presence–absence as a function of year, water body, bottom depth and latitude, showed that anchovy were primarily found in CCW and MCS, while sardine were more ubiquitous relative to water masses with some predilection for SSW. These results were supported by various indexes of anchovy and sardine distribution versus water mass as well as temporal and location variables.     

Common catabolic enzyme patterns in a microplankton community of the Humboldt Current System off northern and central-south Chile: Malate dehydrogenase activity as an index of water-column metabolism in an oxygen minimum zone

An extensive subsurface oxygen minimum zone off northern and central-south Chile, associated with the Peru–Chile undercurrent, has important effects on the metabolism of the organisms inhabiting therein. Planktonic species deal with the hypoxic and anoxic environments by relying on biochemical as well as physiological processes related to their anaerobic metabolisms. Here we characterize, for the first time, the potential enzymatic activities involved in the aerobic and anaerobic energy production pathways of microplanktonic organisms (<100 μm), their relationship, and this relationship's association with the oxygen concentration and microplanktonic biomass in the oxygen minimum zone and adjacent areas of the Humboldt Current System water column. Our results demonstrate significant potential enzymatic activity of catabolic pathways in the oxygen minimum zone. Malate dehydrogenase had the highest oxidizing activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced form) in the batch of catabolic enzymatic activities assayed, including potential pyruvate oxidoreductases activity, the electron transport system, and dissimilatory nitrate reductase. Malate dehydrogenase correlated significantly with almost all the enzymes analyzed within and above the oxygen minimum zone, and also with the oxygen concentration and microplankton biomass in the water column of the Humboldt Current System, especially in the oxygen minimum zone off Iquique. These results suggest a possible specific pattern for the catabolic activity of the microplanktonic realm associated with the oxygen minimum zone spread along the Humboldt Current System off Chile. We hypothesize that malate dehydrogenase activity could be an appropriate indicator of microplankton catabolism in the oxygen minimum zone and adjacent areas.     

应用镭-226解读南极普里兹湾表层水的来源与运移

中国第22次南极科学考察航次(2005年12月至2006年1月)期间,利用Mn-纤维富集大体积表层海水中的Ra同位素,并通过222Rn直接射气法测量226Ra的比活度,结果表明,普里兹湾表层水的226Ra比活度变化为0.92~2.09 Bq/m3,平均值为1.61 Bq/m3,在深海区域表现出226Ra含量高的特征。从空间分布看,表层水226Ra比活度呈现出由湾内向湾外增加的反常态势,反映出不同Ra含量水团的混合影响2。26Ra比活度与盐度的关系证实研究海域表层水的Ra含量主要受三种端元水体的混合所控制:其一为具有镭含量高、盐度高特征的南极夏季表层水;其二为低镭、低盐特征的冰融水;其三为高盐、中等镭含量的普里兹湾中深层水,该水体的226Ra纯粹由海底沉积物间隙水向上扩散所维持。结合S-226Ra示踪体系及上述三端元混合模型,计算出各组成水体的比例并描绘出它们的空间分布。南极夏季表层水的份额由湾外向湾内逐渐降低,并且在68°E断面向南影响范围较大;冰融水的比例由湾内向湾外降低,并且在湾内东部的高温水体中具有最大贡献;普里兹湾中深层水中受沉积物镭来源影响比较显著的区域出现在湾内西北部,其影响向湾外逐渐降低。冰融水与普里兹湾中深层水份额分别于普里兹湾湾顶东、西部出现高值的分布特征证实埃默里冰架前沿海流东进、西出的运移规律。     

Monthly variations of hydrographic structures and water mass distribution off the Doto area, Japan

Monthly variations of hydrographic structures and water mass distributions were investigated over a nearly 30-year period (January 1982–March 2011) off the Doto area, Japan, to examine temporal evolutions and devolutions of representative water masses in this area. In the continental shelf area, the Coastal Oyashio Water (COW) was distributed along the coast during January–May, when COW has been modified by relatively higher salinity water, which may have originated from the Oyashio Water (OW) off the Kuril Islands. On the other hand, the Surface COW (S-COW) may have formed with COW heated by solar radiation, simultaneously mixing with the Tokachi River freshwater and OW in the continental shelf area, and the area of this S-COW spread offshoreward during June and July, and stayed in the offshore area during June and October. Although coastal density current structures, probably due to the Modified Soya Warm Current Water (M-SWCW) inflows, were conspicuous in the continental shelf area during August–October, those structures were weak after November. These weakening structures may be due to developed surface mixed layer caused by surface cooling, and decay of volume transport of the Soya Warm Current in the Okhotsk Sea, and such weakening accordingly may lead to weakening of higher salinity water inflows from the upstream regions. M-SWCW was radically replaced by COW during December and January with rapid salinity decreases, which suggest extremely lower salinity water inflows, probably due to influences of the East Sakhalin Current Water.     

~(234)U/~(238) as a potential tracer for tracking water masses mixing in the northern East China Sea

The optimum multiparameter(OMP) method was often used to determine the percentages of water masses based on temperature, salinity and other parameters, like nutrient or dissolved oxygen(DO). There are a number of water masses in the East China Sea(ECS), a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. However, it is difficult to clarify the proportion of water masses using traditional parameters, such as temperature, salinity, nutrient or DO because of the occurring of intensive biogeochemical processes in the near shore and shelf areas. Here, we reported the use of ~(234)U/~(238)Uactivity ratio embedded in the OMP method. The results indicate that seawater in the northern ECS mainly consisted of the estuarine water of Changjiang River(CEW), Kuroshio water(KW), and Yellow Sea Coastal Current(YSCC). In March 2017, the CEW only influenced the offshore waters shallower than30 m; the KW affected the east edge and the YSCC contributed more than 75% in the northern ECS.     

234U/238U as a potential tracer for tracking water masses mixing in the northern East China Sea

The optimum multiparameter (OMP) method was often used to determine the percentages of water masses based on temperature, salinity and other parameters, like nutrient or dissolved oxygen (DO). There are a number of water masses in the East China Sea (ECS), a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. However, it is difficult to clarify the proportion of water masses using traditional parameters, such as temperature, salinity, nutrient or DO because of the occurring of intensive biogeochemical processes in the near shore and shelf areas. Here, we reported the use of 234U/238U activity ratio embedded in the OMP method. The results indicate that seawater in the northern ECS mainly consisted of the estuarine water of Changjiang River (CEW), Kuroshio water (KW), and Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC). In March 2017, the CEW only influenced the offshore waters shallower than 30 m; the KW affected the east edge and the YSCC contributed more than 75% in the northern ECS.     

Primary productivity in a cold water mass and the neighborhood area occurring off Enshu-nada in the late summer of 1989

Primary productivity off Enshu-nada was measured by the¹³C method in September 1989. Primary productivity was estimated in a cold water mass developed off Enshu-nada for the first time. The obtained value was 469 mgC·m^–2·d^–1 and higher than those in the pelagic area of Kuroshio, but equivalent to those in the neritic and the Oyashio areas. It was indicated that cold water mass is the place where organic matter is produced actively. Extremely high chlorophylla of more than 5g·l^–1 were found in the cold water mass. The high productivity was due to high standing crop of phyoplankton. Furthermore, calculated light efficiency and quantum yield showed consistent increase with depth and showed a maximum at 10% light level. Both were larger on the coastal side than those on the oceanic side of the Kuroshio current.     

The distribution of chlorophyll-a and dominant planktonic components in the coastal transition zone off Concepción, central Chile, during different oceanographic conditions

The oceanographic setting and the planktonic distribution in the coastal transition zone off Concepción (∼35-38°S, ∼73-77°W), an area characterized by its high biological production, were assessed during two different seasons: austral spring with equatorward upwelling favorable winds and austral winter with predominately northerly winds. Oceanographic and biological data (total chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon, microplankton, large mesozooplankton >500 μm as potential consumers of microplankton) were obtained during two cruises (October 1998, July 1999) together with satellite imagery for wind stress, geostrophic flow, surface temperature, and chlorophyll-a data. The physical environment during the spring sampling was typical of the upwelling period in this region, with a well-defined density front in the shelf-break area and high concentrations of surface chlorophyll-a (>5 mg m⁻³) on the shelf over the Itata terrace. During the winter sampling, highly variable though weakly upwelling-favorable winds were observed along with lower surface chlorophyll-a values (<2 mg m⁻³) on the shelf. In the oceanic area (>100 km from the coast), cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddies were evident in the flow field during both periods, the former coinciding with higher chlorophyll-a contents (∼1 mg m⁻³) than in the surrounding waters. Also, a cold, chlorophyll-a rich filament was well defined during the spring sampling, extending from the shelf out to 350-400 km offshore. Along a cross-shelf transect, the micro- and meso-planktonic assemblages displayed higher coastal abundances during the spring cruise but secondary peaks appeared in the oceanic area during the winter cruise, coinciding with the distribution of the eddies. These results suggest that the mesoscale features in this region, in combination with upwelling, play a role in potentially increasing the biological productivity of the coastal transition zone off Concepción.     

Diversity and distribution of the Siphonophora (Cnidaria) in Sagami Bay, Japan, and their association with tropical and subarctic water masses

Siphonophores were sampled using stratified 1.67-m²-mouth 330-μm mesh nets during both day- and nighttime in Sagami Bay (35°0.50′N, 139°20′E), off south-eastern Japan during a 9-day period in March 2006, when the Kuroshio Current was in an offshore non-large meander phase. The samples were collected at 50-m intervals spanning from 1,000 m depth to the surface. Fifty-eight species and 11 eudoxid forms of unknown parentage were collected, of which 5 represent first-time records from Japanese waters, and Clausophyes laetmata Pugh and Pagès 1993, Eudoxia cf. galathea Moser 1925 and Lensia panikkari Daniel 1970 were recorded for the first time not only from Japan but from the entire Pacific Ocean. The highest abundance and diversity was found below the thermocline during the day, and above it at night. A second peak in abundance, around 400 m depth, associated with a decrease in diversity, could be linked to the increase in abundance of a single species—Dimophyes arctica (Chun 1897). The siphonophore communities could be related to the different water masses in the Bay, with an important influence of lateral transport of both tropical and subarctic species into the Bay by the different water masses.     

潮间带水沙多层位同步测量系统应用的初步研究

利用水压、光电转换原理研制成的多层位水沙同步测量系统(WCT系统)不仅可测量潮间带水位随时间的变化系列、同一层位的浊度及流速，还可以同步观测这些参数在潮间带水流剖面不同层位上的变化。野外对比试验表明，WCT系统获得的流速值与直读式流速仪的测量结果基本一致，平均相对误差为14．52％；悬沙传感器经野外现场率定获得悬沙浓度，平均相对误差为21．96％，精度比室内率定提高—倍以上。悬沙粒径是影响悬沙浓度测量精度的主要因素。此外，自然环境(如海水温盐度)的变化及仪器本身的特性也可能影响到测量结果。因此，WCT系统在潮间带的水位、流速和悬沙浓度的观测和边界层研究方面有相当潜力。     

Experimental studies on the feeding and reproduction of Calanoides patagoniensis (Copepoda,Calanoid) in a southern upwelling ecosystem of the Humboldt Current

Seasonal cohorts of the large-sized copepod Calanoides patagoniensis allowed testing the relative ability of this species to exploit food resources that prevail during winter time in southern upwelling ecosystems of the Humboldt Current. This was achieved by considering a local winter flagellate assemblage (WFA), Thalassiosira rotula isolated from the local spring phytoplankton and a laboratory culture of Prorocentrum minimum, as food offers in consecutive 96 h experiments. Ingestion rates (IR) varied between 7 and 14 μg C f⁻¹ d⁻¹, egg production reached a peak of 70 eggs while egg production rates (EPR) varied between 27 ± 6 and 31 ± 4 eggs f⁻¹ d⁻¹. Feeding and reproductive traits were dependent on food offer, and after 72 h both IR and EPR decreased by 28% and 40% respectively, when copepods were steadily fed with the diatom. The relatively high reproductive performance supported by WFA was notable; showing the feeding behavior of this species can couple with food availability in the field with successful reproductive outcomes. Migration strategies allowing remain in upper food-rich coastal waters along with this flexible trophic behavior may better explain why this species is among the most recurrent ones in these variable yet productive upwelling areas.     

Preliminary analysis of distribution and variation of perennial monthly mean water masses in the Bohai Sea,the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea

On the basis of perennial monthly mean temperature and salinity data, the classification of monthly water masses at the surface and the bottom in the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea, has been made by using the method of fuzzy cluster from the modified characteristic of water masses in the shallow water area. In this paper, the basic features, growth and decline patterns of water masses in relation to fishing grounds in the whole shelves of the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea are discussed with emphasis.     

Mesoscale coupling between planktonic cnidarian distribution and water masses during a temporal transition between active upwelling and abatement in the northern Benguela system

The composition and spatio-temporal distribution of planktonic cnidarians in the northern Benguela system are described from plankton samples collected on four cruises between December 1981 and March 1982. The sampling period was characterized by initially active coastal upwelling, followed by abatement of upwelling. In all, 20 species of medusae and 24 species of siphonophores were identified. The most abundant medusae were Chrysaora hysoscella, Aequorea aequorea and Liriope tetraphylla, and the most abundant siphonophores were Muggiaea atlantica, Abylopsis tetragona and Bassia bassensis. Three assemblages of planktonic cnidarians were differentiated. The first was associated with coastal upwelling and consisted of the medusae Proboscidactyla menoni, Aglauropsis edwardsii and juvenile C. hysoscella, along with the siphonophore M. atlantica. The second assemblage was associated with oceanic water and the component species were indicative of the offshore influence of the Benguela system; L. tetraphylla and most of the siphonophores belonged to this assemblage. The third assemblage consisted of species typical of shelf fauna, namely A. aequorea, Mitrocomella grandis and adult C. hysoscella, all also typical of the northernmost waters of the Benguela system. Overall, there was coupling between mesoscale hydrographic features and the pattern of distribution of cnidarian populations, with a distinct cross-shelf gradient that was more pronounced during active upwelling.     

NotesBenthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out. The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth. Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough. From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough, benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages: (1) Continental shelf break assemblage, dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus, corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (2) upper continental slope assemblage, dominated by Cassidulina carinata , Globocassidulina subglobosa, corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (3) intermediate continental slope assemblage, dominated by Uvigerina hispi-da, corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline; (4) lower continental slope- trough b     

冲绳海槽南部表层沉积中底栖有孔虫分布:水团和食物供应的共同制约

底栖有孔虫是海洋古环境记录的一项重要指标。研究现代海底沉积物中底栖有孔虫分布与现代海洋环境之间的关系,对于我们研究和认识过去的古海洋环境变迁有着重要的意义。