Biological transport and mammal to mammal transfer of organochlorines in Arctic fauna

Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) is assumed to be the most important and common prey of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). However, during a scientific survey in the ice area of the northern Barents Sea east of Svalbard in June 1995, an unexpectedly high number of polar bears were observed feeding on harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) carcasses. Samples of both harp and ringed seals were obtained and organochlorine (OC) occurrence and pattern in these two potential polar bear prey species were determined. Significantly higher OC concentrations were found in harp seals, as compared to the ringed seals. All animals in the northern harp seal group were lean specimens in late moult. The industrial chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and the OC pesticides bis-2,2,(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and chlordanes (CHLORs) were analysed in blubber. The concentrations of sigma PCB (sum of concentrations of 16 PCB congeners) and sigma DDT (sum of concentrations of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE) in the northern harp seal group ranged from 2093 to 20,382 and 1460 to 10,381 ng g-1 lipid weight, with mean concentrations of 11,133 and 6847 ng g-1 lipid weight, respectively. The mean concentrations of the CHLORs, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, were 1311 and 3743 ng g-1 lipid weight, respectively, while the mean concentrations of HCB and HCH isomers (alpha-, beta- and gamma-HCH) were all < 500 ng g-1 lipid weight. No significant difference was found in the mean total blubber mass between the two seal species when collected in June. This indicates that polar bears preying on harp seals instead of ringed seals at this time of the year could accumulate significantly higher PCB concentrations. We suggest that polar bears feeding along the ice-edge east of Svalbard in May and June preferentially prey on harp seals instead of ringed seals, and that this may partly explain the variation in PCB concentrations among polar bears from the Norwegian Arctic. An hypothesis is that the harp seal may function as a transport vector of OCs into the high Arctic environment.     

The Arctic Ocean halocline and its interannual variability from 1997 to 2008

As a key structure to understand the role of the ocean on the sea ice mass balance, the Arctic Ocean halocline and its spatiotemporal variability require serious attention. In this paper, we are proposing a new definition of the halocline, which is based on the salinity gradient structure, taking into account both the salinity amplitude and the thickness of the halocline. The Brunt Vaisala frequency is used as the halocline stratification index. CTD data collected from 1997 to 2008 and coming from various sources (icebreaker cruises, drifting buoys, etc.) are used to determine the halocline, and its time and space variability during three time periods, with a special focus on three main regions of the Arctic Ocean: the Canada basin, the Makarov basin and the Amundsen basin. Observations reveal that the halocline in the Amundsen basin was always present and rather stable over the three time periods. In contrast, the Canada and Makarov basins' halocline became more stratified during the IPY than before, mainly because of surface water freshening. In addition, observations also confirmed the importance of the halocline thickness for controlling the stratification variability. Observations suggest that both large scale and small scale processes affect the halocline. Changes in surface salinity observed in the Makarov basin are more likely due to atmospheric variability (AO, Dipole Anomaly), as previously observed. More locally, some observations point out that salt/heat diffusion from the Atlantic water underneath and brine rejection during sea ice formation from above could be responsible for salt content variability within the halocline and, as a consequence, being influential for the variability of the halocline. In spite of the existence of interannual variability, the Arctic Ocean main stratification, characterized by a stable and robust halocline until now, suggested that the deep ocean had a limited impact on the mixed layer and on sea ice in actual conditions. The drastic changes observed in Arctic sea ice during this period (1997-2008) cannot be attributed to a weakening of the halocline that could trigger an enhanced vertical heat flux from the deep ocean.     

地球系统模式FIO-ESM对北极海冰的模拟和预估

评估了地球系统模式FIO-ESM(First Institute of Oceanography-Earth System Model)基于CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5)的历史实验对北极海冰的模拟能力,分析了该模式基于CMIP5未来情景实验在不同典型浓度路径(RCPs,Representative Concentration Pathways)下对北极海冰的预估情况。通过与卫星观测的海冰覆盖范围资料相比,该模式能够很好地模拟出多年平均海冰覆盖范围的季节变化特征,模拟的气候态月平均海冰覆盖范围均在卫星观测值±15%范围以内。FIO-ESM能够较好地模拟1979-2005年期间北极海冰的衰减趋势,模拟衰减速度为每年减少2.24×104 km2,但仍小于观测衰减速度(每年减少4.72×104 km2)。特别值得注意的是:不同于其他模式所预估的海冰一直衰减,FIO-ESM对21世纪北极海冰预估在不同情景下呈现不同的变化趋势,在RCP2.6和RCP4.5情景下,北极海冰总体呈增加趋势,在RCP6情景下,北极海冰基本维持不变,而在RCP8.5情景下,北极海冰呈现继续衰减趋势。     

Hydrodynamics of the Bottom-Water Flow from the Arctic to the Atlantic through the Strait of Denmark

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The overflow of bottom waters through the Strait of Denmark to the Atlantic has been investigated. A unique physical and hydrodynamic effect of...     

Improving the observation and prediction capabilities for Arctic marine environment: from the perspective of Arctic Shipping

正In recent decades, Arctic climate is warming at a rate of almost twice the global average(Osborne et al., 2018). The surface atmosphere and oceanic temperatures over Arctic Ocean increase leads to the rapid retreat of sea ice. The extension and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic, as well as the multi-year ice coverage, have decreased significantly. For example, the September sea ice extent in the Arctic, which is the end of the summer melt season, decreases at a rate of larger than 11% per decade(Polyakov et al., 2012).     

2003-2016年北极净初级生产力时空变化

The area of Arctic sea ice has dramatically decreased, and the length of the open water season has increased;these patterns have been observed by satellite remote sensing since the 1970 s. In this paper, we calculate the net primary productivity(NPP, calculated by carbon) from 2003 to 2016 based on sea ice concentration products,chlorophyll a(Chl a) concentration, photosynthetically active radiation(PAR), sea surface temperature(SST), and sunshine duration data. We then analyse the spatiotemporal changes in the Chl a concentration and NPP and further investigate the relations among NPP, the open water area, and the length of the open water season. The results indicate that(1) the Chl a concentration increased by 0.025 mg/m~3 per year;(2) the NPP increased by 4.29 mg/(m~2·d) per year, reaching a maximum of 525.74 mg/(m~2·d) in 2016; and(3) the Arctic open water area increased by 57.23×10~3 km~2/a, with a growth rate of 1.53 d/a for the length of the open water season. The annual NPP was significantly positively related to the open water area, the length of the open water season and the SST.The daily NPP was also found to have a lag correlation with the open water area, with a lag time of two months.With global warming, NPP has maintained an increasing trend, with the most significant increase occurring in the Kara Sea. In summary, this study provides a macroscopic understanding of the distribution of phytoplankton in the Arctic, which is valuable information for the evaluation and management of marine ecological environments.     

The return of Pacific waters to the upper layers of the central Arctic Ocean

Temperature, salinity, and chemical measurements, including the nutrients silicic acid (Si), nitrate (NO₃), nitrite (NO₂), ammonium (NH₄), and phosphate (PO₄ or P), the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ¹⁸O), and barium (Ba) concentrations were obtained from the central Arctic Ocean along transects radiating from the North Pole in early spring, 2000–2006. Stations that were reoccupied over this time period were grouped into five regions: from Ellesmere Island, (1) north along 70°W and (2) northwest along 90°W; near the North Pole, (3) on the Amundsen Basin flank and (4) directly over the Lomonosov Ridge; (5) through the Makarov Basin along 170–180°W. These regions had been shown by others to have undergone marked changes in water-mass assemblies in the early 1990s, but our time series tracer hydrographic data indicate a partial return of Pacific origin water within the mixed layer and the upper halocline layers beginning in 2003–2004. Back-trajectories derived from satellite-tracked ice buoys for these stations indicate that the upper levels of Pacific water in the central Arctic in 2004–2006 transited westward from the Bering Strait along the Siberian continental slope into the East Siberian Sea before entering the Transpolar Drift Stream (TPD). By 2004, the TPD shifted back from an alignment over the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge toward the Lomonosov Ridge, as was characteristic prior to the early 1990s. At most stations occupied in 2006, a decrease in the Pacific influence was observed, both in the mixed layer and in the upper halocline, which suggests the Canadian branch of the TPD was shifting back toward North America. Clearly the system is more variable than has been previously appreciated.     

Arctic summer sea ice phenology including ponding from 1982 to 2017

Information on the Arctic sea ice climate indicators is crucial to business strategic planning and climate monitoring. Data on the evolvement of the Arctic sea ice and decadal trends of phenology factors during melt season are necessary for climate prediction under global warming. Previous studies on Arctic sea ice phenology did not involve melt ponds that dramatically lower the ice surface albedo and tremendously affect the process of sea ice surface melt. Temporal means and trends of the Arctic sea ice phenology from 1982 to 2017 were examined based on satellite-derived sea ice concentration and albedo measurements. Moreover, the timing of ice ponding and two periods corresponding to it were newly proposed as key stages in the melt season. Therefore, four timings, i.e., date of snow and ice surface melt onset (MO), date of pond onset (PO), date of sea ice opening (DOO), and date of sea ice retreat (DOR); and three durations, i.e., melt pond formation period (MPFP, i.e., MO–PO), melt pond extension period (MPEP, i.e., PO–DOR), and seasonal loss of ice period (SLIP, i.e., DOO–DOR), were used. PO ranged from late April in the peripheral seas to late June in the central Arctic Ocean in Bootstrap results, whereas the pan-Arctic was observed nearly 4 days later in NASA Team results. Significant negative trends were presented in the MPEP in the Hudson Bay, the Baffin Bay, the Greenland Sea, the Kara and Barents seas in both results, indicating that the Arctic sea ice undergoes a quick transition from ice to open water, thereby extending the melt season year to year. The high correlation coefficient between MO and PO, MPFP illustrated that MO predominates the process of pond formation.     

北极地区大地构造特征及其构造演化——北极地区大地构造编图研究进展

北极地区具有丰富的油气资源,但是受极度寒冷气候和广泛分布冰盖的影响,北极是全球地质研究程度最低的地区之一。为此,基于最新地球物理数据,结合文献资料中的地貌、地质、矿产资源资料,编制了北极地区大地构造图(1:500万)。通过系统的编图研究,认为北极地区位于泛大陆腹地,中生代以来的构造演化受到冰岛地幔柱的垂向作用和欧亚-劳伦板块缓慢的顺时针旋转的水平作用共同制约。其构造演化可归纳为3个阶段:(1)早中生代:北亚-北美西北部(远东-科迪勒拉)造山带俯冲-造山增生阶段,古太平洋向北俯冲,古亚洲洋最终关闭,泛大陆最终形成;(2)侏罗纪-白垩纪:伴随着加拿大盆地张开,南阿纽伊洋盆俯冲消亡并形成南阿纽伊缝合带,两者之间在运动学上具有耦合联系,并伴随其间转换断层的调节作用;(3)新生代以来北大西洋中脊持续扩展传播,造成欧亚盆地张开和加科尔洋中脊发育。北极地区处于全球不同构造域之间的桥梁和枢纽。随着北冰洋洋盆伸展作用发展及加科尔洋中脊向南传播,它将西南贯通北太平洋构造域(远东造山带),彻底改变全球中生代以来的构造格局。     

Spatio-temporal analysis of the melt onset dates over Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2017

The melt onset dates(MOD) over Arctic sea ice plays an important role in the seasonal cycle of sea ice surface properties, which impacts Arctic surface solar radiation absorbed by the ice-ocean system. Monitoring interannual variations in MOD is valuable for understanding climate change. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal variability of MOD over Arctic sea ice and 14 Arctic sub-regions in the period of 1979 to 2017 from passive microwave satellite data. A set of mathematical and ...     

Numerical modeling of the Arctic Ocean ice system response to variations in the atmospheric circulation from 1948 to 2007

The results of model calculations aimed at reproducing climate changes in the Arctic Ocean due to variations in the atmospheric circulation are presented. The combined ocean-ice numerical model is based on NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data and its modified version of CIAF on the state of the lower atmosphere, radiative fluxes, and precipitation from 1948 to the present. The numerical experiments reveal the effect of the ice cover, water circulation, and thermohaline structure of the Arctic Ocean on variations in the state of the atmosphere. We found the heating and cooling periods in the Atlantic water layer, as well as the freshwater accumulation regimes in the Canadian Basin and freshwater flow through the Fram Strait and Canadian Archipelago straits. The numerical model reproduces a reconfiguration of the water circulation of the surface and intermediate layers of the ocean, a shift in the boundary between Atlantic and Pacific waters, and a significant reduction of the ice area.     

1979-2012年北极海冰运动学特征初步分析

利用美国冰雪数据中心(NSIDC)发布的海冰速度和范围数据,本文分析了1979—2012年间北极海冰的运动学特征,以及北极海冰运动与分布范围演变之间的关系。结合欧洲中期天气预报中心(ECMWF)发布的2007和2012年高分辨率的气压场、风场数据,探讨了北极风场和气压场与海冰运动、辐散辐合和海冰面积的关系。结果表明,在1979-2012年间北极海冰平均运动速度呈显著增强的趋势,冬季海冰平均运动速度增加趋势明显强于夏季;北极、波弗特-楚科奇海域和弗拉姆海峡的冬、夏季海冰平均运动速度的增加率分别为2.1%/a和1.7%/a、2.0%/a和1.6%/a以及4.9%/a和2.2%/a。1979-2012年北极海冰平均运动速度和范围的相关性为-0.77,二者存在显著的负相关关系。北极冬季和夏季风场的长期变化趋势与海冰平均运动速度的变化趋势一致,冬季和夏季的相关系数分别为0.50和0.48。风场和气压场对海冰的运动、辐散及重新分布发挥着重要作用。2007年夏季,第234~273天波弗特海域一直被高压系统控制,波弗特涡旋加强,使得波弗特海域海冰聚集在北极中央区;顺时针的风场促使海冰向格陵兰岛和加拿大北极群岛以北聚合。2012年,白令海峡和楚科奇海域处于低压和高压系统的交界处,盛行偏北风,海冰从北极东部往西部输运,加拿大海盆的多年海冰因离岸运动而辐散,向楚科奇海域的海冰输运增加,受太平洋入流暖水影响,移入此区域的海冰加速融化,从而加剧海冰的减少。     

Arctic salinity anomalies and their link to the North Atlantic during a positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation

Many of the changes observed during the last two decades in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas have been linked to the concomitant abrupt decrease of the sea level pressure in the central Arctic at the end of the 1980s. The decrease was associated with a shift of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) to a positive phase, which persisted throughout the mid 1990s. The Arctic salinity distribution is expected to respond to these dramatic changes via modifications in the ocean circulation and in the fresh water storage and transport by sea ice. The present study investigates these different contributions in the context of idealized ice-ocean experiments forced by atmospheric surface wind-stress or temperature anomalies representative of a positive AO index.Wind stress anomalies representative of a positive AO index generate a decrease of the fresh water content of the upper Arctic Ocean, which is mainly concentrated in the eastern Arctic with almost no compensation from the western Arctic. Sea ice contributes to about two-third of this salinification, another third being provided by an increased supply of salt by the Atlantic inflow and increased fresh water export through the Canadian Archipelago and Fram Strait. The signature of a saltier Atlantic Current in the Norwegian Sea is not found further north in both the Barents Sea and the Fram Strait branches of the Atlantic inflow where instead a widespread freshening is observed. The latter is the result of import of fresh anomalies from the subpolar North Atlantic through the Iceland-Scotland Passage and enhanced advection of low salinity waters via the East Icelandic Current. The volume of ice exported through Fram Strait increases by 20% primarily due to thicker ice advected into the strait from the northern Greenland sector, the increase of ice drift velocities having comparatively less influence. The export anomaly is comparable to those observed during events of Great Salinity Anomalies and induces substantial freshening in the Greenland Sea, which in turn contributes to increasing the fresh water export to the North Atlantic via Denmark Strait. With a fresh water export anomaly of 7 mSv, the latter is the main fresh water supplier to the subpolar North Atlantic, the Canadian Archipelago contributing to 4.4 mSv.The removal of fresh water by sea ice under a positive winter AO index mainly occurs through enhanced thin ice growth in the eastern Arctic. Winter SAT anomalies have little impact on the thermodynamic sea ice response, which is rather dictated by wind driven ice deformation changes. The global sea ice mass balance of the western Arctic indicates almost no net sea ice melt due to competing seasonal thermodynamic processes. The surface freshening and likely enhanced sea ice melt observed in the western Arctic during the 1990s should therefore be attributed to extra-winter atmospheric effects, such as the noticeable recent spring-summer warming in the Canada-Alaska sector, or to other modes of atmospheric circulations than the AO, especially in relation to the North Pacific variability.     

The response of microbial communities to diverse organic matter sources in the Arctic Ocean

The response of Arctic microbial communities to a variety of natural organic matter substrates, including peat, ice algae and ice-rafted debris was examined using bacterial regrowth experiments and compared to unamended controls. Bacterial growth and production were followed together with the phylogenetic composition using length-heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (LH-PCR), and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing. Intact phospholipids (IPLs) and fatty acids evaluated the relationship between lipids and bacterial community structure and the impact of varied organic substrates on microbial lipid synthesis. Differential responses to organic matter sources were observed, with ice algae supporting both higher bacterial growth and production than terrestrial-derived peat. In spite of disparate growth kinetics, the community composition remained similar in all amended incubations as was confirmed by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). Gammaproteobacteria dominated the initial incubations, whereas in extended incubations with terrestrial peat Alphaproteobacteria dominated; in particular Sulfitobacter phylotypes closely related (>99%) to an Arctic sea-ice-associated member of the Roseobacter clade (ARK10278). Arctic bacterioplankton preferentially synthesized two phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglygerol (PG), with 18:0n, 18:1Δ11, 16:0n and 16:1Δ9 as the primary fatty acids. Overall, results show that organic matter source plays an important role in structuring bacterioplankton community composition, with similar IPL and fatty acid lipid distributions observed among phylogenetically distinct bacteria.     

基于观测数据的2003?2014年北冰洋海平面时空特征

本文对比了3个不同机构提供的北冰洋月均高度计数据,发现英国极地观测与建模中心和丹麦科技大学空间中心两套数据比较一致且空间覆盖率高,适用于北冰洋海平面变化研究,而前者在数据分辨率、平滑性和与验潮站的符合程度方面均更优。对高度计和验潮站数据的分析表明,北冰洋海平面的气候态特征表现为加拿大海盆的高值和欧亚海盆的低值之间形成鲜明对比;海平面的变化以季节变化和北极涛动引起的低频变化为主,加拿大海盆的季节和年际振幅均较大,俄罗斯沿岸海平面季节变化显著。2003?2014年,北冰洋平均海平面呈上升趋势,其中加拿大海盆海平面上升最快,而俄罗斯沿岸海平面有微弱下降趋势。加拿大海盆和俄罗斯沿岸由于海冰变化显著,不同高度计产品以及高度计与验潮站数据之间差别较大,使用时需慎重。     

极地漂流浮标技术的最新进展

阐述了 J- CAD型漂流浮标的结构、特点 ,各类传感器的性能、电子设备的功能及使用情况。它结构紧凑、价格便宜、功能强大 ,是 2 1世纪初开发的世界上第一个用于观测冰下海洋水文要素的漂流浮标。     

The role of two sediment-dwelling invertebrates on the mercury transfer from sediments to the estuarine trophic web

The annual total and organic mercury bioaccumulation pattern of Scrobicularia plana and Hediste diversicolor was assessed to evaluate the potential mercury transfer from contaminated sediments to estuarine food webs. S. plana was found to accumulate more total and organic mercury than H. diversicolor, up to 0.79 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.15 mg kg⁻¹ (wet weight) respectively, with a maximum annual uptake of 0.21 mg kg⁻¹ y⁻¹, while for methylmercury the annual accumulation was similar between species and never exceeded 0.045 mg kg⁻¹ y⁻¹. The higher organic mercury fraction in H. diversicolor is related to the omnivorous diet of this species. Both species increase methylmercury exposure by burrowing activities and uptake in anoxic, methylmercury rich sediment layers. Integration with the annual biological production of each species revealed mercury incorporation rates that reached 28 μg m⁻² y⁻¹, and to extract as much as 11.5 g Hg y⁻¹ (of which 95% associated with S. plana) in the 0.4 km² of the most contaminated area, that can be transferred to higher trophic levels. S. plana is therefore an essential vector in the mercury biomagnification processes, through uptake from contaminated sediments and, by predation, to transfer it to economically important and exploited estuarine species.