Line P ocean temperature and salinity, 1956-2005

Vertical profiles of temperature and salinity have been measured for 50 years along Line P between the North American west coast and mid Gulf of Alaska. These measurements extend 1425 km into the gulf at 13 or more sampling stations. The 10-50-m deep layer of Line P increased in temperature by 0.9 °C from 1958 to 2005, but is significant only at the 90% level due to large interannual variability. Most of this increase in temperature accompanies the 1977 shift in wind patterns. Temperature changes at 100-150 m and salinity changes in both layers are not statistically significant. Much of the variance in temperature is in the upper 50 m of Line P, and temperature changes tend to be uniform along Line P except for waters on the continental margin. Salinity changes are dominated by variability in the halocline between 100 and 150 m depth and are less uniform along Line P. Largest oscillations in temperature and salinity are between 1993 and 2003. These events can be understood by considering changes in eastward wind speed and wind patterns that are revealed in the first two modes of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Changes in these patterns are indicators for both Ekman surface forcing (Surface ocean currents flow to the right of the wind direction) and Ekman pumping (Surface waters diverge away from regions of positive wind stress curl, leading to upwelling of colder saltier water). Changes in temperature along the nearshore part of Line P suggest Ekman surface forcing is the stronger of the two processes in the upper layer. The change in salinity anomalies in the halocline along the seaward end of Line P, following the wind shift in 1977, is in agreement with enhanced upwelling caused by stronger Ekman pumping in this region.     

Argo: A new tool for environmental monitoring and assessment of the world’s oceans, an example from the N.E. Pacific

Argo is an international project that is deploying profiling drifters in all of the oceans of the world, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean. Though still in its implementation phase the Argo array is now supplying an impressive amount of data which offers new opportunities to assess and monitor the environmental status of many regions of the world oceans. Recently, changes in the Gulf of Alaska have been documented by other means that suggest large changes in the T/S relationships and related changes in nutrient supply and productivity. This paper examines these unusual changes to demonstrate the use of the Argo database to determine the physical status of an ecosystem. While the methods of analysis are general, they are here specifically applied to the N.E. Pacific Ocean. We show how it is possible to monitor the baroclinic geostrophic circulation fields in near real-time and correlate these changes with alterations in the stratification of the upper water column.     

Variability of the North Pacific Current and its bifurcation

The North Pacific Current (NPC) bifurcates approaching the west coast of North America into a subpolar branch that forms the Alaska Current, and a subtropical branch that includes the California Current. The variability of this current system is discussed using numerical results from a wind-driven, reduced-gravity model. Indices of the strength of the subpolar and subtropical components of the NPC are examined based on output from multi-decadal simulations with the numerical model. This shows periods of both correlated and anti-correlated variability of the subpolar and subtropical gyres. A decomposition of the gyre transport time series indicates that the dominant mode of variability is a “breathing” mode in which the subpolar and subtropical gyres co-vary in response to fluctuations in the strength of the NPC. This finding is consistent with an analysis of dynamic height data of limited duration from the array of Argo drifting floats.The variability of the NPC is also examined using sea surface height (SSH) data from satellite altimetry over the period 1993-2005. The leading mode of SSH over the northeast Pacific dominates the variability of the NPC and is shown to be associated with in-phase variations in the transport of the subtropical and subpolar gyres. A strong correlation is found between time-dependent fluctuations in SSH across the NPC and variations in the strength of the transport of the NPC in the model. This agreement provides evidence for variability of the NPC occuring in direct response to large-scale atmospheric forcing.     

Mixing and biological production at eddy margins in the eastern Gulf of Alaska

We performed a multi-day shipboard experiment in June 2001 to test whether combining water from within an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy in the eastern Gulf of Alaska with water from outside could result in enhanced phytoplankton growth and to determine how mixing might influence planktonic assemblages. Initially, the eddy had lower standing stocks of algal pigments (chlorophyll a [chl a] and accessory pigments), nutrients, phytoplankton, and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen compared to waters outside of the eddy. The eddy possessed a greater diversity and abundance of coastal diatoms while the outside waters had a greater proportion of oceanic species, including the endemic pennate diatom, Nitzschia cylindroformis. After one week of incubation, rates of primary production were significantly higher in the mixed water compared to both the eddy and outside treatments. Pigment concentrations (except chl c₃, alloxanthin, and zeaxanthin) and the proportion of large diatoms (mainly Pseudo-nitzschia spp.) and heterotrophic dinoflagellates were greater in the mixed water than would be expected from the simple combination of inside and outside waters. Nutrient limitation (most likely by trace metals) appeared to be less severe in the mixed water. Chl a was enhanced in the mixed water, particularly when compared to the eddy water. The mixing of eddy and outside water masses stimulated primary production by ∼20%, but more importantly, the mixing resulted in a distinct planktonic assemblage. The biomass enrichment was short-lived, indicating that the maintenance of elevated chl a would require further mixing events in a physical setting that also permits an accumulation of biomass. We note that submesoscale processes, including the intensification of ageostrophic circulation that elicits strong vertical mixing in the presence of strain, might explain observed patterns of high phytoplankton standing stocks at the inner edges of Haida eddies in the field.     

基于海豹观测的阿拉斯加湾东部陆坡海域逆温现象及其衰退机制

利用2014年3–4月北象海豹携带的自动温盐深仪（CTD-SRDL）在阿拉斯加湾东部陆坡海域上采集到的温盐剖面数据,分析了该海域逆温现象的空间分布和演变过程。结果显示,研究海域存在明显的逆温现象,逆温幅度和逆温厚度范围分别介于0.2~1.6˚C和20~280 m之间,前者沿陆坡向北幅度逐渐增大,后者在50˚~58˚N间往北逐渐变厚,在58˚N以北海域平均厚度较薄。3月25日至4月22日,逆温层处于衰退阶段。逆温层下界温度不断下降,逆温幅度呈变弱趋势,逆温厚度呈变薄趋势。一维扩散模型模拟结果表明,湍扩散作用下,观测期间海表受热导致混合层上部位温升高,但底部仍保持低温,因此逆温层上界温度变化并不明显。次表层由于具有强的位温梯度,湍扩散导致逆温层下界温度显著降低,是观测期间逆温衰退的主要原因。湍扩散作用导致次表层水体温盐属性趋于均匀,这一过程对于阿拉斯加湾逆温现象的形成及演变研究具有重要意义。     

Particulate Flux and Cd/P Ratio of Particulate Material in the Pacific Ocean

Time-series Mark 7 sediment traps were deployed at three stations at 0°N, 13°N and 48°N along 175°E to investigate seasonal and spatial variations of particulate material flux. Chemical analysis of particulate material was performed for four major chemical components, viz. opal, CaCO₃, organic material and clay minerals, Cd and P in the particulate material were also determined. We discuss the characteristics of particulate material at each site and the transportation of Cd and P to deep water by the particulate material. The total mass fluxes and variation of fluxes at each site reflect oceanographic conditions, such as biological productivity and kind of major planktonic organisms. At the northern site, large mass fluxes with a spring bloom and high ratios of opal are characteristic. Relatively small mass fluxes with high ratios of CaCO₃ are distinct, and dissolution of CaCO₃ due to sinking is recognized in the middle latitude and 0°N sites. The larger flux at the lower trap than the upper trap at the equatorial site suggests influence by lateral transport in the deep water. Distinctive decreasing Cd/P ratio and CaCO₃ concentrations in the particulate material with increasing depth suggests that the change of Cd/P ratio in the intermediate and deep water occurs through the dissolution of CaCO₃. The dissolved Cd/P ratios in the deep water are proportional to the age of the deep water in the Atlantic but not in the Pacific. This is explained by the difference of kinds of particulate material transporting Cd and P in the deep water between the oceans. That is, the major planktonic organisms are planktons of CaCO₃ tests in the Atlantic Ocean and diatoms of opal tests in the North Pacific Ocean.     

Impact of the 1997–1998 El Niño and 1999 La Niña on nutrient supply in the Gulf of Alaska

Nutrient surveys of the Gulf of Alaska, from 1997 through 1999, show that coastal waters of British Columbia and southern Alaska experienced nitrate depletion each spring and summer. Through the 1997–1998 El Niño, waters with less than 1 μM NO₃ covered 250,000 km² area greater than 1999. Silicate levels as low as 0.2 μM were observed in coastal waters, suggesting that diatom growth may have been nutrient limited both in 1998 and 1999. Detailed sampling off the southern coast of British Columbia revealed that 1998 nitrate levels were only half the average of that during the 1970s winter, were depleted 1 month earlier in spring and remained low throughout the summer. Satellite images show that, compared to 1997 and 1999, chlorophyll levels were much lower in the spring of 1998 throughout the coastal waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Conditions changed dramatically during the 1999 La Niña, with ocean-mixed layer depths increasing by 20 m in winter and 40 m in spring when compared to that during 1997–1998 El Niño. Winter nutrient levels increased and summer upwelling returned. Over the past several decades, a trend towards greater stratification of coastal waters appears to be affecting the supply of nutrients to the mixed layer. The effects of stratification were especially obvious during the 1998 El Niño.     

Ichthyoplankton abundance, distribution, and assemblage structure in the Gulf of Alaska during September 2000 and 2001

Autumn ichthyoplankton assemblage structure in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) region has not previously been characterized. Ichthyoplankton data from September 2000 and 2001 survey collections were analyzed to describe assemblages in the western GOA, to examine interannual variation in assemblages, and to relate observations to oceanographic conditions. Taxa with the highest frequency of occurrence (2000/2001) included Osmeridae (94/87%), Hexagrammos lagocephalus (57/45%), Sebastes spp. (35/47%) and Bathymaster spp. (27/57%). Through the use of clustering techniques and ordination, three identifiable larval assemblages common to both years were identified. Slope assemblages appeared well defined in both years, while nearshore and mid-shelf assemblages tended to be more loosely associated and variable between years. Analyses of environmental variables (temperature, salinity, water depth, distance from shore, and water transport) suggest ichthyoplankton assemblage structure is affected primarily by bathymetry and circulation. We demonstrate that early autumn ichthyoplankton assemblage structure in the GOA is fundamentally linked to variations in macro- (slope vs. shelf) and meso-scale topography (on-shelf proximity to land masses), and suggest that these intrinsic associations may be modified by spatial and temporal variations in local hydrographic conditions.     

西北太平洋气候和海洋环境变化对柔鱼空间分布的影响

Ommastrephes bartramii is an ecologically dependent species and has great commercial values among the AsiaPacific countries. This squid widely inhabits the North Pacific, one of the most dynamic marine environments in the world, subjecting to multi-scale climatic events such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). Commercial fishery data from the Chinese squid-jigging fleets during 1995–2011 are used to evaluate the influences of climatic and oceanic environmental variations on the spatial distribution of O. bartramii. Significant interannual and seasonal variability are observed in the longitudinal and latitudinal gravity centers(LONG and LATG) of fishing ground of O. bartramii. The LATG mainly occurred in the waters with the suitable ranges of environmental variables estimated by the generalized additive model. The apparent north-south spatial shift in the annual LATG appeares to be associated with the PDO phenomenon and is closely related to the sea surface temperature(SST)and sea surface height(SSH) on the fishing ground, whereas the mixed layer depth(MLD) might contribute limited impacts to the distribution pattern of O. bartramii. The warm PDO regimes tend to yield cold SST and low SSH, resulting in a southward shift of LATG, while the cold PDO phases provid warm SST and elevated SSH,resulting in a northward shift of LATG. A regression model is developed to help understand and predict the fishing ground distributions of O. bartramii and improve the fishery management.     

东太平洋赤道海域茎柔鱼小型群体资源分布及其渔场环境特征

茎柔鱼(Dosidicus gigas)是我国远洋渔业的重要捕捞对象。当前针对茎柔鱼渔场分布及其与环境关系的研究多集中于秘鲁海域,针对赤道海域茎柔鱼特定种群小型群体资源分布及其渔场环境特征研究较少。根据2019年12月至2020年2月茎柔鱼生物学数据,2019年12月至2020年4月生产和环境数据,运用胴长-体重关系拟合、地统计插值、广义可加模型(GAM)探究其资源分布及渔场环境状况。结果表明：东太平洋赤道海域茎柔鱼胴长范围为136~407 mm,体重范围为117~1557 g；2019年12月至2020年4月各月渔获量呈先增加后减小趋势,2月渔获量最高；CPUE曲线除2月增加外,总体呈下降趋势；渔场集中分布于0°~3°S、105°W~114°W海域,不同月份渔场重心经向变化明显；渔场最适SST范围是24.5~25.5 °C,最适Chl-a范围是0.16~0.20 mg/m3,月份是影响茎柔鱼CPUE的主要因子。研究表明：该海域茎柔鱼渔获主要为小型群体；小型群体生长发育期(2–3月)对渔场分布有重要影响,生长发育期前茎柔鱼集群度高,生长发育期后逐渐分散活动；单一影响因子与茎柔鱼CPUE相关性不显著,综合考虑其他环境因素及其交互影响是今后的研究方向。     

The effect of oceanographic variability and interspecific competition on juvenile pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and capelin (Mallotus villosus) distributions on the Gulf of Alaska shelf

Results from this study suggest that small-scale variability in the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC) and competition between juvenile pollock and capelin are potential mechanisms affecting the distribution and abundance of fishes in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Fish distributions in Barnabus Trough, off the east coast of Kodiak Island, were assessed using acoustic data collected with a calibrated echosounder during August–September 2002 and 2004. Trawl hauls were conducted to determine the species composition of the fish making up the acoustic backscatter. Oceanographic data were collected from moorings, conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) probes, trawl-mounted microbathythermographs (MBT) and expendable bathythermographs (XBT). National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data were used to assess area winds, and information on regional transport was derived from current meters deployed on moorings north and south of Kodiak Island. The distribution of water-mass properties and fish during 2002 showed variability at the temporal scale of weeks. Juvenile pollock (age-1 and age-2) were initially most abundant in warm, low-salinity water on the inner shelf, whereas capelin were distributed primarily on the outer shelf in cool, high-salinity waters. During a 2-week period juvenile pollock distribution expanded with the offshore expansion of warm, low-salinity water, and capelin abundance in outer-shelf waters decreased. We hypothesize that wind-driven pulsing of the ACC resulted in increased transport of warm, low-salinity water through the study area. In 2004, warm, low-salinity water characterized the inner shelf and cool, high-salinity water was found on the outer shelf. However, the distribution of water-mass properties did not show the weekly scale variability observed in 2002. Area winds were consistently toward the southwest during 2004, such that we would not expect to see the wind-driven pulsing of ACC water that occurred in 2002. Age-1 and age-2 pollock were not observed in Barnabus Trough in 2004. Instead, the midwater acoustic backscatter was composed of capelin mixed with age-0 pollock, and these capelin were not restricted to the outer-shelf waters, but were found primarily in warm, low-salinity inner-shelf waters that had been previously occupied exclusively by age-1 and age-2 pollock. We suggest that this is consistent with inner-shelf waters being preferred foraging habitat for juvenile pollock and capelin. Further study of the mechanisms linking climate change with variability in the ACC is needed, as are studies of the potential for competition between juvenile pollock and capelin.     

Description of the oceanographic condition off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, and its relation to spring bloom detected by the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) images

We describe the oceanographic condition as observed by hydrographic data and phytoplankton spring bloom detected by OCTS images off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, during the spring bloom period in 1997. The relationship between the two is discussed. OCTS images detected the bloom in early April in the coastal area around the Izu ridge north of the Kuroshio and the eastern coastal area of Hokkaido to the Oyashio front. The bloom areas were seen along the offshore Kuroshio Extension from the end of April, in the upstream region of the Oyashio south of the Kurile Islands, except for a part of coastal area from the end of May, and in the Kuroshio warm-core ring 93A (KWCR 93A) from early June. The temperature difference between the surface and subsurface layer is used as a stratification index. This was large in the upstream region of the Oyashio south of the Kurile Islands and KWCR 93A from early June. Previous research has pointed out that the spring bloom usually corresponds to the development of stratification in the water column due to seasonal warming. In addition to that, we suggest that the transportation of water containing a high chlorophylla concentration by advection due to strong currents, like the Kuroshio and the Oyashio, is important for the formation of an area of high chlorophylla concentration. These results indicate that the OCTS images are useful for a knowledge of the distribution and the change of chlorophylla concentration in the northwestern Pacific region.     

Nutrient and Plankton Dynamics in the NE and NW Gyres of the Subarctic Pacific Ocean

The western subarctic gyre (WSG) and the eastern Alaska Grye (AG) on each side of the subarctic North Pacific, have many similarities. In both gyres, macronutrients are generally high and chl is low, and hence both gyres are High Nitrate, Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions. Despite the general similarities between these two gyres, there are many important differences. The time series station established at Stn KNOT on the southwest edge of the WSG and two in situ mesoscale iron enrichment experiments at each of the gyres has provided more information on iron concentrations, the dual role of iron and silicate limitation and seasonal cycles in the gyres. There is more seasonality in many parameters at Stn KNOT than at Stn P. There is an increase in Chl and primary productivity at Stn KNOT in May followed by increased iron limitation in summer. Low DIC:NO₃ ratios and high Si:NO₃ ratios in the WSG, indicate lower calcification and higher diatom production than at Stn P. The sources of iron for these areas are still not clear, but horizontal transport of iron rich coastal water and vertical transport could be important sources at certain times of the year in addition to dust input. Satellite images show that chl-rich coastal waters occasionally extend to the vicinity of Stn KNOT and therefore Stn KNOT may not always represent conditions in the main part of the WSG. This review focuses mainly on a comparison of Stn KNOT and Stn P, two time series stations on the edge of two very large gyres. At present, we have a limited understanding of the temporal and spatial variability within each of these large gyres. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

北太平洋鱿鱼渔场浮游植物种类组成和数量分布

分析了北太平洋鱿鱼渔场浮游植物种类组成、分布特点及其与环境、中心渔场的关系.初步鉴定出36属129种,种类组成以暖水性种类居多(占58.9%),虽然冷水性占种类比例较少(占10.9%),但在细胞数量上占明显优势(占总量的68.05%),出现热带、亚热带与亚寒带区系共存的局面;其平面分布不均,平均总量为54.60×103个/m3;冷暖水系对浮游植物种类组成及数量分布均有显著的影响;中心渔场的形成与浮游植物高值区有着密切的关系.     

Larval fish abundance and physical forcing in the Gulf of Alaska, 1981–2003

The present study investigates ecological patterns and relationships to environmental variables among a time-series of larval fish species abundance from late spring surveys (1981–2003) in the northwest Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Links between interannual variation in species abundance and the physical environment were explored using generalized additive modeling (GAM). Trends in larval abundance and connections with physical variables displayed patterns that indicate unique and complex responses among species to environmental forcing during the larval period. In particular, the observed patterns suggest that ontogenetic-specific responses, representing sub-intervals of early life, are important. In addition, a notable degree of synchrony in larval abundance trends, and similarity in links with physical variables, were observed among species with common early life history patterns. The deepwater spawners, northern lampfish, arrowtooth flounder, and Pacific halibut, were most abundant in the study area during the 1990s, in association with enhanced wind-driven onshore and alongshore transport. Years of high abundance for Pacific cod, walleye pollock, and northern rock sole were associated with cooler winters and enhanced alongshore winds during spring. High larval abundance for spring–summer spawning rockfish species and southern rock sole seemed to be favored by warmer spring temperatures later in the time-series. This apparent exposure–response coupling seems to be connected to both local-scale and basin-scale environmental signals, to varying degrees depending on specific early life history characteristics. Understanding such ecological connections contributes to the evaluation of vulnerability and resilience among GOA species’ early life history patterns to fluctuating climate and oceanographic conditions. This investigation also provides crucial information for the identification of “environmental indicators” that may have a broad-spectrum effect on multiple species early life history stages, as well as those that may be more species-specific in exerting control on early life history survival. Of particular interest was the emergence of the EP–NP (East Pacific–North Pacific) teleconnection index as the top-ranked variable in the GAM models exploring the connections between late spring larval abundance and the physical environment. The EP–NP index represents an important and often primary mode of spring–summer atmospheric variability in the northeast Pacific, with a strong expression in the GOA, and its connection with species in this study implies that it may be a climate mode of significant ecological importance.     

东太平洋铁锰结核区微生物的丰度及其成矿作用研究

１９９４ 年 ４～１１ 月在东太平洋铁锰结核区, 使用 “向阳红 ０９”船, 采集 ３９ 个表层沉积物、１２ 个上覆水和 ７ 个结核样。在现场用平板法测定了异养细菌和铁、锰细菌丰度, 用稀释法（ Ｍ Ｐ Ｎ 法） 测定硫酸还原菌丰度。为了探讨微生物在大洋成矿过程的作用, 在实验室对异养细菌和锰细菌作纯化分离, 并进行了多项生理生化实验, 参照伯杰氏手册第八版鉴定至属。使用分光光度法, 测定锰细菌对锰、铁离子的转化作用, 使用 ｐ Ｈ 计测定了ｐ Ｈ 值的变化, 同时测定了不同培养温度对转化作用的影响。结果表明, 沉积物中异养细菌的数量在 ３×１００～９５×１０３个／ｇ; 锰、铁细菌的数量在１×１００ ～１×１０３ 个／ｇ; 硫酸盐还原细菌的数量分布范围在 ０～４×１０３个／ｇ;在上覆水和结核样中各类细菌的数量均较低,比沉积物样中各类细菌数低 １ 个数量级。在细菌的种群组成方面与近海区相比存在差异, 特别是在革兰氏阳性菌的组成上微球菌占了绝对优势。在成矿作用方面, 锰细菌对锰、铁氧化还原的实验结果表明, 在好氧的条件下, 锰细菌使可溶性的 Ｍ ｎ２＋ 氧化为 Ｍ ｎ４＋ , 其氧化速度与环境温度存在密切关系, 锰细菌对铁的氧化速度比对锰的氧化速度来得快。在