The mechanism of bottom water DO variation in summer at the northern mouth of Isahaya Bay,Japan

Recently, bivalves have been massively killed by anoxia or hypoxia in summer at the northern part of Isahaya Bay, Japan, which constituted a major problem for fisheries. However, the mechanism behind the occurrence of hypoxic water masses is unclear. It is known that the bottom water dissolved oxygen (DO) in this area is affected by the inflow of seawater into the northern mouth of Isahaya Bay. To understand the mechanism of hypoxia, it is necessary to determine the physical processes that cause changes in the bottom DO concentrations in this area. This study shows that there is a neap-spring tidal variation in bottom DO due to a change in vertical tidal mixing, and it also suggests that the decrease in bottom DO was generated by a baroclinic flow, which is due to the internal tide, and a shear flow, which is induced by the external tide in the bottom boundary layer. In addition, our study suggests that the source of cold and hypoxic water that appears in the bottom layer at low tide is the inner area of the Ariake Sea.     

Numerical and hydraulic simulations of the effect of Density Current Generator in a semi-enclosed tidal bay

A large dyke built in 1997 in Isahaya Bay (the spatial scale of about 10 km) in Ariake Bay (about 80 km) raises huge scientific and social discussions in Japan. It is said that, since the construction of the dyke, physical and ecosystem environments have changed and fishery has been damaged enormously. On the other hand, it is known that the Density Current Generator is successfully enhancing water quality in Hazama Inlet (the spatial scale of 3 km) of Gokasho Bay. In this study, we conducted numerical and physical model simulations on the hydrodynamics to investigate whether the apparatus is also applicable to Isahaya Bay in Ariake Bay. A laboratory-scale rotating hydraulic model and a three-dimensional numerical code called the MEC Ocean Model were adopted for the physical and numerical simulations, respectively. The MEC Ocean Model has a special feature, which is a hybrid of hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic models. Tests in a simple bay elucidated the importance of the nonhydrostatic model nested in the hydrostatic model, i.e. the former can simulate the appropriate intrusion depth of the mid-density water discharged in stratification. The numerical results for Ariake Bay suggested that the water discharged from the apparatus spreads in the head of the bay within a couple of weeks with nontrivial concentration of nutrients. This was also confirmed by the physical model test by using the luminance measurement of dye spread.     

High-frequency ocean radar derived characteristics of sea surface currents in the Ariake Sea,Japan

Composite analysis was conducted using high-frequency radar data obtained during 2006–2015 in order to gain a better understanding of the current field in the Ariake Sea. The seasonally averaged surface current in the Ariake Sea was directed southward in all seasons, except around river mouths during summer. Heavy rainfall enhanced the outflow along the eastern coast of the Shimabara Peninsula from Isahaya Bay to the southern area 2–5 days after heavy rainfall. Spring–neap differences were clearly seen in the southward current along the Shimabara Peninsula. Interannual variation in the M₂ tidal current amplitude was synchronized with the lunar nodal cycle.     

Does suspended matter drained from the Isahaya freshwater reservoir cause organic enrichment in the northern Ariake Bay?

The inner part of Isahaya Bay was converted to a freshwater reservoir following the closure of the land claim dike in 1997. Turbid water drains into Isahaya Bay when water levels increase. We investigated whether particulate organic matter (POM) from the reservoir in Isahaya Bay has caused bottom organic enrichment in the northern part of Ariake Bay. Using potential end-members from before to after the rainy seasons, during which a frequent discharge from the reservoir was expected, stable isotope analyses were performed on sediments collected from Isahaya Bay and northern Ariake Bay. Each end-member was isotopically differentiated by δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N (riverine POM: ?28.5 to ?27.2‰ and 3.3–4.6‰; reservoir POM: ?25.7 to ?25.3‰ and 7.4–8.4‰; marine POM: ?21.8 to ?19.7‰ and 6.7–7.6‰; microphytobenthos estimated from consumers: ?16.1 to ?15.9‰ and 5.2–6.1‰, respectively). Sediment isotopic signatures fell within the mixing space defined by the signatures of the end-members. Marine POM contributed greatly to bottom sediments in both seasons in Isahaya Bay and Ariake Bay, ranging from ca. 60–70 and 40–60%, respectively. Reservoir POM contributed around 10% to bottom sediments. This percentage slightly increased in the sediment of Isahaya Bay after the rainy season, but decreased in the sediment of Ariake Bay. Thus, most of the POM discharged from the reservoir would not reach the northern part of Ariake Bay and would not be a major contributor to organic enrichment. This study is the first to quantitatively describe the contribution of drained reservoir POM outside Isahaya Bay.     

Citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate extractable phosphorus (CDB-P) pool in the suspended and surface sediments of the tidal flat area in inner Ariake Bay,Japan

CDB-P (phosphorus extractable by the citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate extraction procedure) was used as the indicator of bio-available inorganic P in the suspended and surface sediments in the inner part of Ariake Bay. The CDB-P pool of suspended and surface sediments in the tidal flat area was estimated to be 10 ton and 90 ton, respectively (total of 100 ton), which corresponds to 1.5 times the average dissolved inorganic phosphorus standing stock. During the summer periods of hypoxia, the CDB-P concentration in the surface sediments decreased with the decline of Eh, losing 43–47% of the CDB-P observed in April. These results suggest that the phosphorus dynamics have been affected by the decrease of resuspended sediment concentrations brought about by the reduction of the tidal currents and phosphate release from the surface sediments during frequently occurring summer hypoxia events.     

Differences in the damage caused by hypoxia to the macrobenthic communities in source regions of hypoxic water and in regions with advected hypoxic water

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of transported hypoxic water on macrobenthic species composition in Isahaya Bay, Kyushu, Japan. To this end, we conducted a field survey of water quality, sediment quality, and the macrobenthic community across seasons. Hypoxic intensity, defined as the percentage of the time that a region exhibits hypoxic conditions [dissolved oxygen (DO) <?3.0 mg L^?1], was calculated for the summer period from July 1 to September 30, 2014 based on continuous monitoring data derived from six monitoring towers in the bay. Here, we discuss how the hypoxia-induced damage, defined as the change in the species compositions of the macrobenthic communities in the bay due to hypoxia, differs between the inner and middle regions of the bay (with muddy sediment) and the outer regions of the bay (with sandy sediment). A decrease in the density of macrobenthic species that was correlated to the period of lowest DO concentration (<?1.0 mg L^?1) was observed in the inner region of the bay. A large number of species disappeared from the macrobenthic community in the outer region after the DO concentration had dropped to its lowest level, even though this region presented the lowest hypoxic intensity (6.6%). The species that disappeared, including crustaceans and some polychaetes, were presumed to be sensitive to, and to have escaped from, hypoxia. Fewer species disappeared from the inner and intermediate regions of the bay, which had high hypoxic intensities of 14.0 and 26.7%, respectively, than from the outer region. The reason for this appeared to be a predominance of hypoxia-tolerant species in the inner and intermediate regions but not in the outer region. Our study suggests that estimating the effect of hypoxia in a spatially heterogeneous environment must be done with caution.     

Tidal modification and its effect on sluice-gate outflow after completion of the Saemangeum dike,South Korea

This study examined tidal modification and change in tidal currents caused by the construction of the Saemangeum dike, based on field observations and a numerical model. The Saemangeum dike was completed in April 2006, enclosing an estuarine area along the mid-western coast of South Korea. After closure of the dike, the tidal range outside the dike decreased slightly but significantly, while the inside tidal range decreased drastically. The numerical model results show that the dike construction has influenced tidal energy propagation and the tidal system in the Yellow Sea. The tidal current speed near the dike decreased abruptly following closure of the dike, except in front of the sluice gates. Since completion of the dike, outflow water discharged from the sluice gates has longer residence times due to the weakened tidal current; the change in the tidal current field has also caused greater northward expansion of outflow water. The sluice gates release fresher water, which spreads over the sea surface mainly by inertial momentum near the gate; this water is then gradually mixed with sea water farther from the gate. The less saline, possibly more contaminated outflow impacts the marine environment near the Saemangeum dike. Controlling the discharge and gate-opening timing can partially mitigate these impacts on the marine environment.     

Mechanisms Controlling the Undrained Strength Behavior of Remolded Ariake Marine Clays

The soft clay of Ariake Bay, in western Kyushu, Japan covers several hundred square kilometers. Ariake clay consists of the principal clay minerals namely smectite, illite, kaolinite and vermiculite, and other minerals in lesser quantity. The percentage of the principal clay mineral can vary significantly. The percent clay size fraction and the salt concentration can also vary significantly. In view of the importance of undrained shear strength in geotechnical engineering practice, its behavior has been studied with respect to variation in salt concentration. Basically two mechanisms control the undrained strength in clays, namely (a) cohesion or undrained strength is due to the net interparticle attractive forces, or (b) cohesion is due to the viscous nature of the double layer water. Concept (a) operates primarily for kaolinitic soil, and concept (b) dominates primarily for montmorillonitic soils. In Ariake clay, different clay minerals with different exchangeable cations and varying ion concentration in the pore water and varying nonclay size fraction are present. In view of this while both concepts (a) and (b) can coexist and operate simultaneously, one of the mechanisms dominates. For Isahaya clay, concept (a), factors responsible for an increase in level of flocculation and attractive forces result in higher undrained strength. Increase in salt concentration increases the remolded undrained strength at any moisture content. For Kubota and Kawazoe clays, concept (b) factors responsible for an expansion of diffuse double layer thickness, resulting in higher viscous resistance, increase the undrained shear strength, that is, as concentration decreases, the undrained strength increases at any moisture content. The liquid limit of Isahaya clay increases with increase in ion concentration and a marginal decrease is seen for both Kubota and Kawazoe clays, and their behavior has been explained satisfactorily.     

夏季珠江口溶解氧垂向输运数值模拟研究

通过建立一个珠江口三维水质模型,对夏季珠江口溶解氧垂向输运进行研究。结果表明:潮汐、风及上升流间歇性破坏层化,令溶解氧垂向对流及扩散通量的方向和大小随潮汐发生周期性变化。在西四口门海域,由于水体层化稳定,垂向上对流及扩散作用产生的溶解氧输运通量都较小,且相互平衡;在伶仃洋内的深槽,径流与潮汐的相互作用强烈,层化被间歇性地打破,溶解氧的垂向对流通量大于扩散通量,导致底层溶解氧浓度产生波动;在伶仃洋内的西部浅滩上,层化相对稳定,溶解氧的垂向扩散通量大于对流通量。这表明在珠江口不同区域,垂向的对流扩散作用对溶解氧垂向输运起不同作用,从而影响表底层溶解氧的浓度。     

Seasonal Variation in Lower Trophic Level Ecosystem of Hakata Bay, Japan

The seasonal variation in lower trophic level ecosystem of Hakata Bay, Japan is investigated using observed data from April 1993 to March 1994 and a numerical ecosystem model. Primary production was largest in September 1993 due to high DIP concentration but secondary production was largest in August 1993 due to high water temperature. Yearly averaged primary production in Hakata Bay is larger than that in the Seto Inland Sea but yearly averaged secondary production in Hakata Bay is smaller than that in the Seto Inland Sea. New production was nearly the same as regenerated production in summer but the former was larger than the latter in winter. Yearly averaged ratio of new production to regenerated production in Hakata Bay is larger than that in the open ocean.     

夏季南黄海跨锋断面的生态环境特征及锋区生态系的提出

基于2006年夏季综合调查资料,分析和研究了南黄海陆架锋的分布以及跨锋断面的生态环境特征,并结合锋区的生物学和生态学现象,提出了锋区生态系的观点.结果表明:在南黄海西部冷水团边界附近海域存在因潮混合而形成的浅水陆架锋(潮汐锋),其中以长江口东北部至江苏北部外海、山东石岛外海和海州湾外侧的陆架锋最明显,而且与表层冷水区相...     

Lake Sihwa tidal power plant project

A Tidal Power Plant (TPP) is being constructed in the middle section of the existing Lake Sihwa dike located near the southern Incheon Port in Korea. The project, which will be completed in 2010, is to harness the largest tidal energy in the Kyeonggi Bay in the eastern Yellow Sea. While noting the current progress in terms of plant construction, this paper outlines the overall project in the tidal regime and uses predictive local flow modeling. The results of two-dimensional finite element method simulations that predict the real-time tidal characteristics during the construction and after the completion of the tidal power plant are presented, including a method to estimate the electricity output from the plant in the future.     

Decadal-scale variation in COD and DIN dynamics during the summer in the inner area of the Ariake Sea,Japan

More than 30 years of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) data for the inner area of the Ariake Sea were analyzed with a box model to show the changes in the average seasonal budget and the decadal-scale variation during the summer. The COD peaked in August and March on average. This summertime peak can be explained by an enhanced riverine load and increased primary production. The peak in March suggested additional organic matter production. There were also two peaks in DIN concentration on average: a summertime peak that could be explained by an enhanced riverine load, and a peak in December that was more complicated to explain. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the bottom water in this area became increasingly hypoxic due to increased COD during the summer, even though there were minimal increases in terrestrial COD and nutrient loads and there were tidal flats covering a widespread area during this period. The increase in COD was caused by increased net ecosystem production, which was due to enhanced primary production induced by an increased freshwater residence time and decreased bivalve grazing. There was a negative feedback control in which hypoxia progressively increased, leading to declines in bivalve biomass, which in turn decreased the grazing pressure limiting primary production, meaning that primary production increased and the area became even more hypoxic. The net DIN production decreased during the 1980s and the 1990s. This was consistent with the change in net ecosystem production according to the COD.     

Numerical study for specifying the major origin of low salinity water associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chattonella</Emphasis> (Raphidophyceae) blooms in Tachibana Bay,Japan

In both 2009 and 2010, massive Chattonella blooms occurred in Tachibana Bay. Observation results show that high cell densities of Chattonella were distributed in the central area of Tachibana Bay with low salinity water. Model results indicate that the low salinity water originated from the Ariake Sea and intruded into Tachibana Bay during the northerly or weak winds. It is suggested that low salinity water was mainly discharged from the northern area of the Ariake Sea. Northerly wind enhanced the horizontal advection of the low salinity water intruding into Tachibana Bay originating from the northern area of the Ariake Sea.     

Numerical Study on Tidal Mixing in the Bohai Sea

The spatial and temporal variability of tidal mixing in Bohai Sea is studied using a numerical approach. In calculating tidal mixing, accurate barotropic tidal current is obtained via a harmonic analysis package utilizing the simulated current output from a high-resolution regional ocean model. And a “small-scale” roughness map is adopted to describe the detailed topographic features of Bohai Sea. It is shown that the tidal mixing estimated in Bohai Sea is much higher than the level of global background, and fluctuates considerably at some regions within a single day. In Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay and Bohai Strait, the mixing varies greatly, with the peak value of O (10^?2) m² s^?1. The order of magnitude of mixing in Laizhou Bay is about O (10^?5～10^?3) m² s^?1. Mixing with background level of O (10^?5) m² s^?1 only appears in central area. Result also shows that rough topography plays relatively a more important role than tidal current in enhancing diapycnal mixing in Bohai Sea. The distributions of tidal mixing in selected sections reveal that the vertical stratification in Bohai Sea is not obvious, generally renders a barotropic structure.     

Numerical study of the summer temperature decrease induced by the enhancement of estuarine circulation in Fukuoka Bay

The Princeton Ocean Model with realistic bottom topography has been used to investigate the summer temperature decrease in the past 25 years in Fukuoka Bay. The vertical mixing of the model is expressed by a scheme that effectively includes the influences of interannual variations of tidal currents and wind. The results show that the historical temperature decrease in summer has been caused by tidal currents and wind weakening in the past 25 years in Fukuoka Bay. The weakening of tidal currents and wind gives rise to weakening of the vertical mixing, and to enhancement of the estuarine circulation in the bay. The enhancement of the estuarine circulation activates the inflow of open-ocean water toward Fukuoka Bay. Coastal water in summer has therefore tended to be colder and more saline in the past 25 years. This interannual variation in coastal waters is called “open-oceanization” in this study. On the basis of the numerical model, it is anticipated that the temperature will decrease by 0.2°C in the next 25 years in Fukuoka Bay if the tide and wind weaken persistently as in the present bay.     

夏季烟台—威海北部近海溶解氧浓度垂向分布的最小值

基于2020年夏季的大面航次观测数据,分析了烟台—威海北部海洋牧场及邻近海域海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布最小值（氧最小值层）的空间分布特征,并探讨了影响因素。从6月至8月,海水溶解氧浓度不断减小,垂向结构亦存在显著变化。海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布的最小值主要集中于7月的近岸海域,最小值大致从外海向近岸方向减小,其距离海底高度及与底层溶解氧浓度之差的绝对值均于双岛湾邻近海域为最大。海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布的最小值位于最强密度层结以下。但是海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布最小值的强度向北减小,而密度层结向北增大,两者的空间分布基本相反,说明密度层结抑制垂向湍流扩散可极大减少深层海水溶解氧的来源,是海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布最小值形成的必要条件,但不是主导因素。在海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布的最小值层,表观耗氧量存在垂向分布的最大值,大部分站点的pH存在垂向分布的最小值,说明局地增强、持续的生物地球化学耗氧是控制海水溶解氧浓度垂向分布最小值形成和空间分布的一个重要过程。研究结果表明氧最小值层是夏季烟台—威海北部近岸海水溶解氧垂向结构的典型特征之一。     

The annual cycle of vertical mixing and restratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba (Red Sea) based on high temporal and vertical resolution observations

The stratification in the Northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba follows a well-known annual cycle of well-mixed conditions in winter, surface warming in spring and summer, maximum vertical temperature gradient in late summer, and erosion of stratification in fall. The strength and structure of the stratification influences the diverse coral reef ecosystem and also affects the strength of the semi-diurnal tidal currents. Long-term (13 months) moored thermistor data, combined with high temporal and vertical resolution density profiles in deep water, show that transitions from summer to fall and winter to spring/summer occur in unpredictable, pulses and are not slow and gradual, as previously deduced from monthly hydrographic measurements and numerical simulations forced by monthly climatologies. The cooling and deepening of the surface layer in fall is marked by a transition to large amplitude, semi-diurnal isotherm displacements in the stratified intermediate layer. Stratification is rebuilt in spring and summer by intermittent pulses of warm, buoyant water that can increase the upper 100–150 m by 2 °C that force surface waters down 100–150 m over a matter of days. The stratification also varies in response to short-lived eddies and diurnal motions during winter. Thus, the variability in the stratification exhibits strong depth and seasonal dependence and occurs over range of timescales: from tidal to seasonal. We show that monthly or weekly single-cast hydrographic data under-samples the variability of the stratification in the Gulf and we estimate the error associated with single-cast assessments of the stratification.     

The Influence of Physical Factors on the Variation of Phytoplankton and Nutrients in the Bohai Sea

The cycle of the phytoplankton in a coastal water is controlled by the biological processes, solar radiation, water temperature and physical transport processes. A three-dimensional ecosystem dynamic model is adopted in this study to investigate the influence of different physical factors on the variation of phytoplankton and nutrients in the Bohai Sea. The simulation is carried out for the year 1982. The simulated annual cycle of the primary production and nutrients are in reasonable agreement with the observations in the pattern. Vertical mixing can both affect the vertical transportation of nutrients and horizontal distribution of primary production. In winter the vertical distribution of nutrients is homogeneous because of the intensive mixing, while in summer there is a high value of nutrients in the depth about 15 m due to the stratification. The high primary production plague and the weak mixing center is positional correspondence. The production of phytoplankton is sensitive to the photosynthetically active radiation, which is strongly influenced by the transparency. The increase of the transparency can promote the production in spring and autumn significantly, but has little effect on the production in summer. The change of the transparency can both affect the occurrence time and the amplitude of the phytoplankton bloom dramatically. Horizontal advection does not affect the variation trend of the annual cycle of chlorophyll-a, but does affect the relative magnitude of the phytoplankton bloom, especially in summer. Horizontal advection can dramatically alter the horizontal distribution of chlorophyll-a. The maximum concentration of chlorophyll-a without horizontal advection in summer is twice as high than that with advection and the high chlorophyll-a areas locate along the coast. The river discharge only has regional influence on the ecosystem. The Huanghe River with high nitrate concentration influ-ences the annual cycle of nitrogen of the Laizhou Bay significantly.     

Dissolved oxygen dynamics in a eutrophic estuary,Upper Newport Bay,California

Eutrophication often causes hypoxia in estuarine and coastal systems, but the mechanisms that control hypoxic events vary among estuaries and are often difficult to discern. We monitored surface and bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Upper Newport Bay (UNB), a tidally mixed estuary in southern California subject to anthropogenic nutrient loading, eutrophication and hypoxia. Our goal was to identify the environmental factors regulating DO dynamics. Six hypoxic events occurred between June and November and were associated with a combination of low solar radiation, increased freshwater discharge following precipitation, and enhanced haline stratification during reduced tidal range periods. At the head of the estuary, high macroalgal biomass and pronounced haline stratification resulted in high DO in the surface layer and low DO in the bottom layer. Oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor waters were transported down-estuary by ebb tides, resulting in DO heterogeneity throughout the UNB. Cross-wavelet analysis illustrated the down-estuary propagation of high/low DO signal correlated with the phases of diurnal photosynthetic and semi-diurnal tidal cycles.