Abundance and size composition of the summer phytoplankton communities in the western North Pacific Ocean,the Bering Sea,and the Gulf of Alaska

Chlorophylla concentrations (Chla) of size-fractionated phytoplankton samples were measured in the western North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska during the summer of 1986. Among samples collected in the upper 100 m (total of 210 samples), 207 samples were dominated by micro- (>10 m) or picoplankton (<2 m) and only three samples were represented by nanoplankton (2–10 m). These 207 samples were classified based on the total Chla content into three types: Type H (>1.0 g l^–1), Type M (0.5–1.0 g l^–1), and Type L (<0.5 g l^–1). These types further divided into two subtypes (-p and-m), depending upon dominancy of pico (-p) and microplankton (-m). The phytoplankton community was represented by Type L-p in the Gulf of Alaska, where 80% of the samples fell into this type. It was represented by Type M-p in the western North Pacific and the Oceanic Domain in the Bering Sea, where 53 and 41% of samples were identified as this type, respectively. In the Middle Domain of the Bering Sea, 68% of samples collected below the nitracline was Type H-m, which indicates blooms of microplanton. This type was also observed in the neritic waters near the Aleutian Islands. These types described above are consistent with a general trend that an increase in phytoplankton abundance is attributed to the growth of microplankton. An unusual type occurred above the nitracline of the Middle Domain, where microplankton prevailed, although the total Chla was less (Type L-m). This type represents a feature of late phase of an ice edge bloom. Another unusual type was found mainly in the Outer Domain of the Bering Sea, where the total Chla was high and picoplankton prevailed (Type H-p). The predominance of picoplankton seems to result from the heavy grazing intensity of large calanoid copepods upon microplankton but not upon picoplankton     

Primary productivity in the offshore Oyashio in the spring and summer 1990

Primary productivity was measured byin situ method using¹³C in the offshore Oyashio region in the spring (May) and summer (September) of 1990. Most of the values were within the range of 0.1 to 4 gC 1^–1 h^–1 although a very large value, 7.96 gC l^–1 h^–1, was observed in summer. Most daily primary production fell within the range of 372 to 633 mgC m^–2 d^–1 although a very large value, 2,109 mgC m^–2 d^–1, was observed around the frontal area in summer. Chlorophylla (Chl.a) exceeded 1 g l^–1 in many cases, and the maximum was 4.61 g l^–1 in spring and 7.53 g l^–1 in summer. Most primary productivity per unit Chl.a (photosynthetic assimilation ratio) was within the range of 0.1 to 3 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1 although higher values, 3–6 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1, were observed where small-size phytoplanktons (<2 m) were dominant. These results were compared with results obtained until now in the Oyashio region. The values beyond the range obtained so far in the offshore region were also observed in this study. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the size composition of phytoplankton community has significant influence on the results of Chl.a and photosynthetic assimilation ratio in the Oyashio region.     

Variation of water system distribution in the Sanriku Coastal Area

We analyzed hydrographic data obtained monthly by the Iwate Prefectural Fisheries Laboratory during 1977–1981. Our attention was focussed on the classification of waters based on the Temperature-Salinity (T-S) scatter diagram analyses, and on the extraction of the mean state of their distribution for each season. The water system was defined as all waters occupying some specific region on the T-S plane, and the mean state for each season was expressed by the distribution of the mode water systems (i.e., the most commonly occuring water system).Because of the coexistence of the Tsugaru Warm Current, the Oyashio and the Kuroshio, and their large seasonal variability, the sea waters had a wide variety of T-S combinations. The detailed T-S scatter diagram analyses allowed us to classify the waters into six water systems. A time-longitude diagram of water systems and the distribution of mode water systems are presented. The latter showed clear seasonal variations of the Tsugaru Warm Current and the Oyashio.Though the water system analysis was successfully able to present the distribution of the various waters in the Sanriku Coastal Area and to clearly extract the mean state of sea conditions, it was found that the classification of water systems on the T-S plane was not complete in all cases for this area.     

Iodine in the surface water of the ocean

Iodine in sea water of the Pacific was determined with special interest in the relation between iodide and iodate in the surface water of the ocean. The result was discussed with reference to the mechanism of iodide formation proposed byTsunogai andSase. The concentration of iodide varies widely from the lower value than the detection limit to 0.21g at./l, while the concentration of total iodine is nearly constant and the mean value is 0.41g at./l. The vertical profile of iodide often shows the maximum in the surface layer. In the surface layer, the concentration of iodide is higher in warm water (0,10g at./l on the average) than that in cold water of lower temperature than 20° C (0.03g at/l). The highest concentration of iodide among the warm waters is found in the surface water of the equatorial area (0.13g at./l) where the biological productivity is also high. Iodide is generally more enriched in the water having higher biological activity even in the cold water. These results are considered to be compatible with the mechanism of iodide formation proposed.     

Radiation balance and heat budget at the ocean/atmosphere interface in the western North Pacific

The downward short- and long-wave radiation fluxes at the sea surface (S, L) were measured aboard the R/VHakuho Maru, University of Tokyo, for the period of 117 days on six cruises from 1981 to 1985 in the western North Pacific near Japan. The upward fluxes of short- and long-wave radiation (S, L) were calculated by Payne's (1972) table and the Stefan-Boltzmann's law, respectively. The sensible and laten heat fluxes (Q _h ,Q _e ) were also estimated from an aerodynamic bulk method.From April to August, the daily mean value ofS varied with the amplitude of 100200 Wm^–2. The value ofS was estimated approximately 6% ofS in all seasons. The difference betweenL andL was so small that the net radiation flux (Q _n ) was dominated byS. In addition, the net heat flux at the sea surface was also dominated byS due to small values ofQ _h andQ _e , and then the ocean was warmed at the rate of 111 Wm^–2 in April and 63 Wm^–2 in August in the Oyashio Area, and 132 Wm^–2 in May and 164 Wm^–2 in June in the Kuroshio Area, respectively.From September to March, a remarkable negative correlation between the day to day variation ofS and that ofL was observed except when an intense cold air outbreak occurred. It was found that the correlation was caused by the cloud climatological feature of the western North Pacific in this period.S was not a dominant factor in the net heat flux. The value ofQ _h +Q _e in the Kuroshio Area ranged from 260 Wm^–2 to 630 Wm^–2, much larger thanQ _n which ranged from –8 Wm^–2 to 92 Wm^–2 in the leg mean values (each leg period was about 10 days). Then the ocean was cooled at the rate of –160–620 Wm^–2 during this period. The net heat flux in the Kuroshio Area averaged over five legs from late November to February was –473 Wm^–2. This value is 50100% larger than the climatological values reported so far.The temporal and spatial variability of radiation fluxes and heat fluxes during each leg was also discussed.     

Chlorophyll a Biomass of Netplankton in Surface Waters of the Northern North Pacific Ocean and the Adjacent Seas from Summer to Autumn

Chlorophyll a concentrations of net (retained on 30 m mesh net) and total plankton in surface waters were determined along cruise tracks in an area of the northern North Pacific Ocean and the adjacent Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska from summer to autumn. Total chlorophyll a concentrations were high with a great areal and temporal variations in the western northern North Pacific compared to the eastern part. Chlorophyll a concentrations of netplankton varied from 0.001 to 0.230 g chl a l^–1 (average, 0.029 ± 0.040 g chl a l^–1), and showed a positive relation but a weak regression coefficient (r ² = 0.551) against the "average total chlorophyll a" (average of total chlorophyll a at the beginning and at the end during sampling of netplankton). However there were several data points showing high "average total chlorophyll a" but low netplankton and vice versa. Average percentage share of netplankton in the total chlorophyll a was estimated to be as large as 4.26%.     

Dimethylsulfide in coastal zone of the East China Sea

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) in seawater were observed four times from February 1993 to August 1994 along a fixed section (PN line) in the East China Sea. The DMS concentrations showed remarkable temporal and spatial variations. The DMS concentrations were generally higher in the upper euphotic layer of the continental shelf zone in summer. The spatial variation, however, was more pronounced even in well mixed winter water, where the concentration of DMS varied widely from 3 to 106 ng-S/l in the continental shelf zone while the salinity was vertically almost uniform. This means that DMS in seawater is rapidly produced and decomposed with a time scale less than one month in the water column. The largest value of 376 ng-S/l was obtained at 5 m depth near the mouth of Changjiang River in August 1994. The mean concentrations in the surface 30 m layer in the continental shelf zone were 21, 54, 126 and 57 ng-S/l in February, October, June and August, respectively, which were about twice as large as those in the Kuroshio region. The mean fluxes of DMS from the East China Sea to the atmosphere are estimated to be 49 g-S/m²/day in winter and 194 g-S/m²/day in summer in the continental shelf zone, and to be 32 and 107 g-S/m²/day in the Kuroshio region.     

Sedimentation rate and heavy metal pollution in sediments in Harima Nada (Harima Sound), Seto Inland Sea

Sedimentation rates were determined with the²¹⁰Pb technique in six sediment cores from Harima Nada (Harima Sound), Seto Inland Sea. The rate of deposition varies from 0.11 g cm^–2y^–1 in the northern part to 0.33 g cm^–2 y^–1 in the southern part of the basin. A marked increase in copper and zinc content was observed above a depth in the core corresponding to about 1900 A.D. as a result of increasing human activities. Anthropogenic input of copper and zinc decreased slightly after 1970. Natural background levels of copper and zinc in the sediment in this sound are 11–16 ppm and 100–120 ppm, respectively. The total amounts of anthropogenic copper and zinc in the sediments were estimated to be 110–180g cm^–2 and 610–1,280g cm^–2, respectively. These values constitute 40–50% of the total sedimentary input of copper and zinc in the sediments since about 1900 A.D.     

Enrichments in Hg,Cd, As,and Sb in recent sediments of Azores-Iceland Ridge

Mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony were analyzed in cores sampled on the Azores-Iceland Ridge. High values of 780 g · kg^–1 for Hg, 1.7 g · g^–1 for Cd, 87 g · g^–1 for As, and 8.1 g · g^–1 for Sb occur in the rift valley and transform faults. These enrichments, strictly linked to the ridge, could not have an allochtonous origin. A local hydrogenous flux may explain this phenomenon. These metallic enrichments may be connected to a hydrothermal activity extended between 43° N and 47° N.     

Dissolved Folin Phenol Active Substances (Tannin and Lignin) in the Seawater along the West Coast of India

Information on the distribution of dissolved Folin phenol active substances (FPAS) such as tannin and lignin in the seawater along the west coast of India is provided. Notable amounts of FPAS (surface concentrations: 80 g/l to 147 g/l and bottom concentrations: 80 g/l to 116 g/l) were detected in the seawater along the coast. The distribution pattern brings about a general depth-wise decrease. A seaward decrease was observed in the southern stations whereas reverse was the case in northern stations. A significant negative correlation was observed between FPAS concentration and dissolved oxygen in sub-surface samples. The appreciable amounts of FPAS detected in the coastal waters indicate the presence of organic matter principally originating from terrestrial (upland and coastal marsh) ecosystems in the marine environment. In this context, they may be used as tracers to determine the fate of coastalborn dissolved organic matter in the ocean and to determine directly the relationship between allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter.     

On the wave dependence of sea-surface wind stress

Analysis is made of wind and wave data, which were obtained during the passage of Typhoon 8013 at an Ocean Data Buoy Station south of Honshu operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency, in order to investigate the wave dependence of sea-surface roughness parameter in the situation where wind waves are dominant with less significant swells. The data fit better the wave-dependent expression of the wind stress,z _{0 p}/u*=, than to Charnock's formula,gz ₀/u*²=, wherez ₀ is the roughness length, _p the angular frequency of the spectral peak of wind waves,u* the friction velocity of air,g the acceleration of gravity, and are non-dimensional constants. The results are very similar to those of our previous study using data from an oil producing platform in the Bass Strait, Australia, although the type of observation system and the synoptic situation of the winds and wind waves were totally different.     

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 content of selenium and its chemical form in sea water

By using the new fluorometric method of determination of the total selenium ( Se), Se (IV) and Se (VI), the content of selenium in sea weter was determined in the western North Pacific. Results showed that the content of Se in surface water ranged from 0.06 to 0.12g l^–1, while in deeper layers, the content increased to 0.20g l^–1. It was found that Se (IV) showed rather uniform distribution with depth, while Se (VI) increased with depth to about three times that in the surface. The ratio of Se (IV) to the Se ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 in the surface and 0.4 to 0.6 in the deep. The coexistence of the hexa- and tetravalent ions of selenium was confirmed both in surface and deep layers. Some results of observations on the content of selenium in the coastal areas of Japan were also reported.     

Particulate materials and microbial assemblages around the Izena black smoking vent in the Okinawa trough

The plume of particulate DNA (0.7–1g/l) was extended from a black smoker vent (c.a. 1340 m depth) to the west-southwest directions in the Izena bottom-water region. High concentrations of particulate materials (70–110 g C/l; 300–570 g S/l) were also detected in the bottom-waters. Microscopic observation showed that the bottom-waters were rich in alcian blue-stainable large amorphous particles which contained coccoid and rod-shaped microbial cells mostly smaller than 1m. These microbial matrix compounds appeared to contribute to low P-DNA/P-C ratio (0.011±0.008;n=27) in the vent environment. Sulfur was detected in various kinds of particles in the waters, while the content varied with calcium. Microbial population in the P-DNA plume water was in the order of 10⁵ cells/ml and the most (>99.9%) were non-culturable. The composition of culturable heterotrophs differed between the bottom-waters and surface sediments surrounding the vent; contributions of low temperature (4°C)-culturable bacteria and manganese-oxidizing bacteria to the total heterotrophs were higher in the sediments than in the waters. In contrast, percentages of orange-pigmented heterotrophs and microorganisms capable of growing in thiosulfate- and ammonia-based media to the total heterotrophs were higher in the waters than in the sediments. These results suggest that the culturable bacterial community in the bottom-waters was nutritionally versatile. Izena hydrothermal activities seemed to have a great influence in concentrations and compositions of particulate mateirals and in biomass and compositions of microbial community in the vicinity of this aphotic deep-sea environment.     

Behavior of heavy metals and particulate matters in seawater expected from that of radioactive nuclides

Vertical profiles of²¹⁰Pb and²³⁰Th in the deep water were analyzed by using a simple one-dimensional model. Both nuclides are considered to settle down with the velocity of 1×10^–4 cm/sec. The diameter of particle corresponding to the velocity is calculated to be 5, while only about 10 % of the nuclides can be collected on filter paper with a pore size of 0.5. It is supposed that the nuclides exist in particulate materials which is changeable in size. This suggestion is supported from the following evidences. (1) The directly observed behavior of marine snow and the size distribution of particles observed with a coulter counter. (2) The existence of many chemical elements of which residence time is about 150 years. (3) Their possible existence as eutectic solid phases in the seawater. (4) The consistency of the observed accumulation rate of pelagic sediments with that estimated from the settling velocity. (5) The consistency of the decomposition rate of organic matter in the deep water estimated from the oxygen comsumption with that from the settling velocity.     

Study on the chemical forms of radionuclides in seawater-III complexes of60Co with amino acids

Stability constants were determined for⁶⁰Co (II)-amino acid complexes in sodium perchlorate media at an ionic strength=0.67, using cation exchange resins. Stability constants were, for Co(II)-phenylalanine, log ₁=4.4, log ₂=8.2, log ₃=11.7, for Co(II)-histidine, log ₁=7.4. for Co(II)-valine, log ₁=4.3, log ₂=8.5, for Co(II)-proline, log ₁=4.1, and for Co(II)-tyrosine, log ₁=7.2, respectively. The abundance of Co(II)-amino acid complexes in seawater was calculated from these stability constants on the basis of chemical equilibrium, assuming the concentration of individual amino acid to be 10^–7 to 10^–8 mol l^–1. It was inferred that the Co(II)-amino acid complexes are probably not formed abundantly in seawater while inorganic species of⁶⁰Co(II) may still be dominant for a short period of time after discharge into seawater as liquid waste.     

Some characteristics of the development process of the wind-wave spectrum

The development process of wind-waves of which spectral peak distributes from 0.6 cps to 9.3 cps will be discussed on the basis of the wind tunnel experiments and of the field observations performed at Lake Biwa. The characteristics of power and slope spectra are here presented. The development process of these wind-waves is characterized by three stages;i.e. initial-wavelets, transition stage and sea-waves. In the wind tunnel experiments, the transition from the stage of the initial-wavelets to the transition stage occurs when the wave spectral peak arrives at the line 6.40×10^–4 k ^–2cm²·sec (wherek is wave number) or when the slope spectral density at the frequencyf _max becomes larger than 6.40×10^–4 sec. In the stage of sea-waves, the component wave of a wave-spectral peak is steepest in the component waves. And the wave spectral peak develops along the line 1.02×10² f ^–6 cm²·sec (wheref is the frequency corresponding to the wave numberk) untill it reaches the line 33.3f ^–4cm²·sec, and thereafter develops along the latter line, which indicates the constant density of slope spectrum. It is suggested that the nonlinearity of wind-waves must become stronger as wind-waves develop. The effective momentum flux _ws from the air flow to wind-waves in this stage is evaluated to be about 49% of the total stress ₀.     

Relations between fecal pellet volume and body size for major zooplankters of the Inland Sea of Japan

Measurements of fecal pellet volume together with body length/body carbon weight were made for major zooplankters of the Inland Sea of Japan. The pellet volume was highly correlated with animal body size for copepods (10 species combined), a mysid (Neomysis japonica), a larvacean (Oikopleura dioica) and a pelagic shrimp (Acetes japonicus), and a specific equation was given for each group. A single equation could describe the composite relationship between pellet volume (PV, m³) and body carbon weight (C, g) for copepods andN. japonica: logPV=0.85logC+4.56. Balanid nauplii,O. dioica and a doliolidDolioletta gegenbauri produced pellets larger, butA. japonicus produced pellets smaller, than those by copepods andN. japonica of equivalent body carbon weight. In general, larger zooplankters produce larger fecal pellets. Hence, the size composition of the zooplankton community is an important parameter for the variation in the vertical flux of material via fecal pellets.     

Spatial Patterns in Nutrient and In Vivo Fluorescence Distributions in the Marginal Ice Zone and the Seasonally Open Oceanic Zone in the Indian Sector of the Antarctic Ocean, in Austral Summer

Surface temperature, salinity, concentrations of silicate (Si) and nitrate + nitrite (N), and in vivo fluorescence (Fluor) were investigated in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and the seasonally open oceanic zone (SOOZ) (32–40°E, 64–69°S) from February 23 to 28 1992. In the MIZ the mean Si and N were 67.8 ± 2.2 M and 32.5 ± 1.7 M, respectively. There was a trend that low N values coincided with high Fluor values. Observation conducted at one point (64°S, 38°E) revealed a diel variation pattern in Fluor. Applying this pattern of deviation from noon value, all Fluor data were normalized to value at local noon. In the MIZ a significant negative correlation was observed between the normalized Fluor and N but not Si. On the other hand, Si decreased continuously from south to north in the SOOZ and was negatively correlated with the normalized Fluor. Difference in Si concentration was about 30 M between the sea around 64°S and the MIZ, while the difference in N concentration was estimated as less than 10 M. If diatoms take up silicate and nitrogen at an approximate ratio of 1:1, additional nitrogenous nutrients other than nitrate and nitrite (e.g. ammonia, urea etc.) would be required. In this case, an f-ratio of lower than 33% is obtained. It is suggested that in the MIZ abundance of phytoplankton community dominated by non-diatom increases utilizing nitrate while in the SOOZ abundance of phytoplankton community dominated by diatoms increases consuming Si and regenerated nitrogen.     

Suspended particles near the bottom in Osaka Bay

The vertical distributions of suspended particles in Osaka Bay were measured by using anin situ beam attenuation meter. The concentration of suspended particles near the bottom increases rapidly toward the bottom where size of sediment is in a range of silt. The settling velocity of suspended particles near the bottom was measured with the use of a settling tower in the laboratory. The settling velocity of the suspended particles with diameter from 10 to 100m is 2×10^–3cm s^–1 to 5×10^–2cm s^–1. The density of the particles ranges from 2.0 to 1.1 and decreases with increasing particle diameter.