Characteristics of the ratio of dissolved cadmium to phosphate in subtropical coastal waters of Ishigaki Island,Okinawa, Japan

The ratio of dissolved cadmium (Cd) to phosphate (PO₄) in the subtropical coastal area of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, was investigated. Twenty vertical seawater samplings were carried out once a month from May 2008 to January 2010. In order to examine how the Cd/PO₄ ratio in seawater varies with the oceanographic conditions (i.e., the water temperature–salinity characteristics), the water masses at the study sites were classified into two types: group 1 with a water temperature of >25°C and a salinity range of 34.0–34.4, and group 2 with a water temperature of <25°C and a salinity of >34.4. A different phytoplankton assemblage was observed in each water mass defined. Different Cd/PO₄ ratios were obtained for the two water mass types, due to the differences between the types in terms of the environmental conditions such as the water temperature–salinity (T–S) characteristics and phytoplankton assemblages, as well as possible variations in the concentrations of dissolved iron, zinc, manganese, and CO₂ in seawater in each water mass.     

Measurement of the influence of salinity on floc density and strength

The effective density and the strength of flocs formed in the laboratory from mud from the Tamar Estuary reached a maximum value at a salinity of 10–15‰ within the concentration range studied (0.1–1.0 g liter⁻¹). For a constant salinity and concentration, the density decreases with increasing floc size. The strength of the flocs increases with the floc diameter. However, the strength of the individual particle bonds within the floc decreases with size. Large flocs were relatively more brittle than smaller ones. The results suggest that larger flocs may be disrupted by the formation of unequal fragments.     

Global surface layer salinity change detected by Argo and its implication for hydrological cycle intensification

We investigated changes in the global distribution of surface-layer salinity by comparing 2003–2007 Argo-float data with annual mean climatological surface-layer salinity data for 1960–1989 from the World Ocean Database 2005. The two datasets showed similar patterns, with low values in subpolar and tropical regions and higher values in the subtropics. The recent Argo data indicate that the contrast between low and high salinity has intensified in all areas except the subpolar North Atlantic. The intensified contrast of the surface layer salinity was maintaining for 2003–2007. Using a simple method, we attempted to estimate evaporation and precipitation changes on the basis of surface-layer salinity changes. The results show a high probability that the global hydrological cycle has increased in the past 30 years.     

Intrusion events of the intermediate Oyashio Water into Sagami Bay, Japan

Intermediate intrusion of low salinity water (LSW) into Sagami Bay was investigated on the basis of CTD data taken in Sagami Bay and off the Boso Peninsula in 1993–1994. In October 1993, water of low temperature (<7.0°C), low salinity (<34.20 psu) and high dissolved oxygen concentration (>3.5 ml I⁻¹) intruded along the isopycnal surface of {ie29-1} at depths of 320–500 m from the Oshima East Channel to the center of the bay. On the other hand, the LSW was absent in Sagami Bay in the period of September–November 1994, though it was always found to the south off the Boso Peninsula. Salinity and dissolved oxygen distributions on relevant isopycnal surfaces and water characteristics of LSW cores revealed that the LSW intruded from the south off the Boso Peninsula to Sagami Bay through the Oshima East Channel. The LSW cores were distributed on the continental slope along 500–1000 m isobaths and its onshore-offshore scales were two to three times the internal deformation radius. Initial phosphate concentrations in the LSW revealed its origin in the northern seas. These facts suggest that the observed LSW is the submerged Oyashio Water and it flows southwestward along the continental slope as a density current in the rotating fluid. The variation of the LSW near the center of Sagami Bay is closely related to the Kuroshio flow path. The duration of LSW in Sagami Bay is 0.5 to 1.5 months.     

Level and fate of heavy metals in the Changjiang estuary and its adjacent waters

Dissolved concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were measured in the Changjiang estuary and its adjacent waters. The results indicate that the ranges of dissolved heavy metals in the studied waters are as follows: Cu = 1.0−6.9 μg/L, Pb = 0.10−0.39 μg/L, Zn = 3.2−9.1 μg/L, and Cd = 0.011−0.049 μg/L. The behavior of the dissolved Cu was essentially conservative, but a high scatter was observed for the high salinity samples, and it is the same with Zn and Pb. The overall concentrations of dissolved Cd increase with the salinity. There were no differences between the surface, middle, and bottom layer for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd. Seasonal changes of their averages were not obvious on the whole. River discharges, sedimentary dynamics, and biological processes might determine the profiles of heavy metals. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Behavior of Cu, Ni and Cd during nutrient depletion in a spring bloom in Funka Bay

The concentrations of Cu, Ni and Cd were determined in Funka Bay during a spring phytoplankton bloom, consisting of diatoms. Just after the bloom, both dissolved Cd and nutrients were removed in the euphotic zone. However, the removal ratio of Cd to phosphate was very different from that in seawater. The removal of Cd took place at a Cd/phosphate ratio of 0.07×10⁻³, which was lower than in seawater before the bloom (0.25×10⁻³), leading to an increase in this ratio in seawater exceeding 0.7×10⁻³ at the end of the bloom. Elevated concentrations of Cd and phosphate were observed in the deeper layer after the bloom due to the decomposition of detrital materials produced in the bloom. The ratio of Cd/phosphate in the regeneration step was 0.24×10⁻³ which was different from the removal ratio of 0.07×10⁻³. These observations suggest that the high Cd/phosphate ratio in the regeneration would reflect a relatively high regeneration rate of Cd than that of phosphate. No significant decrease in Cu and Ni concentrations was observed during the development of the bloom, suggesting that biological removal of these metals was not so significant during the spring bloom. The concentrations of Cd, Cu and silicate in surface waters increased after the bloom with decreasing salinity due to the influence of a spring thaw.     

Long-term trends in the variability of deep-water thermohaline characteristics of the Black Sea

By using the archival hydrological data for 1955–1998, we analyze the trends of deep-water thermohaline characteristics of the Black Sea and their interannual and decadal variability. It was discovered that the level of salinity increased at depths greater than 1000 m in the west part of the sea from the mid-1950-s till the early 1980s and the opposite trend was observed for the next 15–20 yr. The average rate of increase in the deep-water salinity between 1960 and 1980 and its decrease after 1980 was equal to 0.05‰ per 20 yr. These facts demonstrate that the water exchange through Bosporus was intensified for the first 25 yr of the analyzed period and weakened for the next 20 yr. The interannual variability with a typical period of 6.5 yr and a quasi-20-yr periodicity are detected against the background of the parabolic trend. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 18–30, July–August, 2006.     

The effect of seasonal and inter-annual variability of river run-off on the salinity of coastal waters in the north-western Black Sea

The paper considers the correlation between the variability of river discharges in the northwestern Black Sea and water salinity (from 1962 to 1994). As the most complete series, we have chosen salinity data collected at the port of Odessa. The dominant oscillations in the intra-annual variability of river discharges (Danube, Dniester, Dnieper, Yuzhny Bug) and salinity attain about 2–3 months and one year, respectively. In the inter-annual variability of river discharges and water salinity, cyclicities equal to about 4–6 months and 9–12 years, respectively, have been identified. Through analysing the inter-annual variations, an inversely proportional dependence has been found between the overall river discharges and salinity (between discharges in April and salinities in May, the correlation coefficient has amounted to −0.61). For each river, we have obtained the following dependences: for Odessa-Dniester, −0.72; and for Odessa-Danube, −0.65. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

New type of pycnostad in the western subtropical-subarctic transition region of the North Pacific: Transition Region Mode Water

A new type of pycnostad has been identified in the western subtropical-subarctic transition region of the North Pacific, based on the intensive hydrographic survey carried out in July, 2002. The potential density, temperature and salinity of the pycnostad were found to be 26.5–26.7 σ _θ , 5°–7°C and 33.5–33.9 psu respectively. The pycnostad is denser, colder and fresher than those of the North Pacific Central Mode Water and different from those of other known mode waters in the North Pacific. The thickness of the pycnostad is comparable to that of other mode waters, spreading over an area of at least 650 × 500 km around 43°N and 160°E in the western transition region. Hence, we refer to the pycnostad as Transition Region Mode Water (TRMW). Oxygen data, geostrophic current speed and climatology of mixed layer depth in the winter suggest that the TRMW is formed regularly in the deep winter mixed layer near the region where it was observed. Analysis of surface heat flux also supports the idea and suggests that there is significant interannual variability in the property of the TRMW. The TRMW is consistently distributed between the Subarctic Boundary and the Subarctic Front. It is also characterized by a wide T-S range with similar density, which is the characteristic of such a transition region between subtropical and subarctic water masses, which forms a density-compensating temperature and salinity front. The frontal nature also tends to cause isopycnal intrusions within the pycnostad of the TRMW.     

Low-frequency variations of the characteristics of pycnocline in the North Atlantic and their correlation with the North-Atlantic oscillation

On the basis of processing of the oceanographic data accumulated for the water area of the North Atlantic in 1950–1999 (∼500,000 stations), we study seasonal and interannual variations of the principal characteristics of pycnocline within the range of σ_t = 25.5–27.5 conventional density units. It is shown that the interannual oscillations of these characteristics in the entire analyzed layer can be regarded as a superposition of fluctuations with periods from 2–3 to 10–12 yr. The typical ranges of these fluctuations for the depths of occurrence of isopycnic surfaces and the corresponding temperature and salinity are equal to 20–25 m, 1–1.5°C, and 0.25‰, respectively. The intensification of atmospheric circulation at middle latitudes is accompanied by the simultaneous deepening of the pycnocline and its heating in the central part of the North Subtropical Anticyclonic Gyre. At the same time, the process of weakening of the atmospheric circulation leads to the rise of the pycnocline and its cooling. The complete cycle of interaction of the North-Atlantic Oscillation with the anomalies of isopycnic characteristics (with regard for the period of their advection) is equal to ∼6–8 yr. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 29–48, March–April, 2007.     

Habitat suitability index of Chub mackerel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Scomber japonicus</Emphasis>) from July to September in the East China Sea

The habitat quality of Chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the East China Sea has been a subject of concern in the last 10 years due to large fluctuations in annual catches of this stock. For example, the Chinese light-purse seine fishery recorded 84000 tons in 1999 compared to 17000 tons in 2006. The fluctuations have been attributed to variability in habitat quality. The habitat suitability Index (HSI) has been widely used to describe fish habitat quality and in fishing ground forecasting. In this paper we use catch data and satellite derived environmental variables to determine habitat suitability indices for Chub mackerel during July to September in the East China Sea. More than 90% of the total catch was found to come from the areas with sea surface temperature of 28.0°–29.4°C, sea surface salinity of 33.6–34.2 psu, chlorophyll-a concentration of 0.15–0.50 mg/m³ and sea surface height anomaly of −0.1–1.1 m. Of the four conventional models of HSI, the Arithmetic Mean Model (AMM) was found to be most suitable according to Akaike Information Criterion analysis. Based on the estimation of AMM in 2004, the monthly HSIs in the waters of 123°–125°E and 27°30′–28°00′ N were more than 0.6 during July to September, which coincides with the catch distribution in the same time period. This implies that AMM can yield a reliable prediction of the Chub mackerel’s habitat in the East China Sea.     

Long-Term Variations of the Thermohaline and Dynamic Characteristics of the Black Sea According to the Climatic Data on Temperature and Salinity and Their Assimilation in the Model

We compare the thermohaline and dynamic characteristics of the Black Sea reconstructed by using two versions of climatic temperature and salinity fields:old (1903–1982)and new (1903–2003). The fields are reconstructed with the help of continuous assimilation of the climatic temperature and salinity in the model. It is shown that the climatic thermohaline fields constructed with regard for the data of observations for the last 20 yr are characterized by an insignificant elevation of the halocline (pycnocline)in the winter-spring period and the elevation of the upper boundary of the cold intermediate layer in the spring-summer period. The intensity of surface geostrophic currents is greater than the same quantity computed on the basis of the old climatic data for the whole year. The horizontal currents in the sea computed according to the new climatic data are more intense. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, pp. 11–30, May–June, 2005.     

Mechanism of Nutrient Supply to Warm-Core Ring off Sanriku, Japan

The mechanism by which nutrient is supplied to a warm-core ring (WCR) was investigated in order to understand the greater productivity of WCR than that of the Kuroshio, where the WCR originattes. A single WCR was observed in January and May, 1997. The thermostad (a layer of isothermal and isohaline water) of the WCR had different properties from January to May, the differences: Δwater temperature: −0.698°C, Δsalinity: −0.048, Δsigma θ: +0.072, Δnitrite+nitrate-N: +1.83 μM, Δphosphate: +0.011 μM and Δsilicate: +3.2 μM. We examined three possible mechanisms for nutrient supply to WCR in winter, namely: 1) inflow of the Oyashio surface water into WCR; 2) isopycnal mixing with Oyashio water; 3) entrainment of the water below the WCR into the WCR. The results were as follows: 1) When the decrease of salinity was due to the inflow of the Oyashio surface water, the increase of nutrients (nitrite+nitrate-N, phosphate-P and silicate-Si) was estimated to be only 17–27% of the observed increase. 2) When the decrease of salinity was due to isopycnal mixing, the increase of nutrients was estimated to be 30–42% of the observed increase. 3) When the decrease of salinity in the WCR in May was due to entrainment of the water below the WCR in winter by convection, the mixing depth was calculated be 620 m according to the salt budget. The increase of nutrients in this case was calculated to be 82–95% of the observed increase. The main mechanism of nutrient supply to WCR was concluded to be due to the entrainment of the water below the WCR by winter mixing. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biogeochemical evidence of large diapycnal diffusivity associated with the subtropical mode water of the North Pacific

A profiling float equipped with a fluorimeter, a dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor, and temperature and salinity sensors was deployed in the subtropical mode water (STMW) formation region of the North Pacific. It acquired quasi-Lagrangian, 5-day-interval time-series records from March to July 2006. The time-series distribution of chlorophyll showed a sustained and sizable subsurface maximum at 50–100 m, just above the upper boundary of the STMW, throughout early summer (May–July). The DO concentration in this lower euphotic zone (50–100 m) was almost constant and supersaturated in the same period, becoming more supersaturated with time. On the other hand, the DO concentration at 100–150 m near the upper boundary of the STMW decreased much more slowly compared with the main layer of STMW below 150 m, even though oxygen consumption by organisms was expected to be larger in the former depth range. The small temporal variations of DO in the lower euphotic zone and near the upper boundary of the STMW were reasonably explained by downward oxygen transport because of large diapycnal diffusion near the top of the STMW. Assuming that the oxygen consumption rate at 100–150 m was the same as that in the main layer of STMW and compensated by the downward oxygen flux, the diapycnal diffusivity was estimated to be 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ m² s⁻¹. Nitrate transport into the euphotic zone by the same large diffusion was estimated to be 0.8 mmol N m⁻² day⁻¹. All of the transported nitrate could have been used for photosynthesis by the phytoplankton; net community production was estimated to be 5.3 mmol C m⁻² day⁻¹.     

Climatic and hydrophysical conditions of the development of hypoxia in waters of the northwest shelf of the Black Sea

The data of meteorological and oceanographic observations on the northwest shelf of the Black Sea for 1973–2000 are used to compute the characteristics of the entire area in the presence of hypoxia of waters under the pycnocline in the summer–autumn period and the area of surface waters with a level of salinity lower than 17.5‰ in May. The time of onset of the spring warming of air (stable transition through a temperature of 5°) is determined. A statistically significant positive trend of the air temperature (0.8° per 100 yr) is revealed in Odessa. The process of warming was observed mainly for the winter (1.5° per 100 yr) and spring (0.8° per 100 yr) periods and became especially intense since the beginning of the 1990s. On the basis of the data of correlation analyses, we establish a statistically significant relationship between the large-scale atmospheric processes [the index of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the wind conditions], the area of surface waters whose salinity is lower than 17.5‰, and the total area with hypoxia in the summer–autumn periods. For positive mean values of the NAO index (in January–March), we most often observe early spring with elevated repetition of the south and west winds with subsequent development of hypoxia in large areas of the northwest shelf. We propose an empirical regression model for the prediction of the total area of summer–autumn hypoxia of waters with predictors: the onset of the spring warming of air and the area of propagation of waters whose salinity is lower than 17.5‰ in May. The maximum error of prediction of the area with hypoxia does not exceed 5.5 ⋅ 10³ km², i.e., less than 2% of the total area of the northwest shelf in the Black Sea (to the north of 45°N).     

Thermodynamic characteristics of water in natural water bodies with a high mineralization

To adequately describe the hydrophysical processes in water bodies with a high mineralization, it is necessary to take into account the dependence that the thermodynamic characteristics of water have on the amount of salts contained in it. This work investigates some widely known formulas for calculating a number of thermodynamic parameters of mineralized water. The density, freezing temperature, specific heat of evaporation, and relative pressure of saturated vapor over the surface are considered. The possibilities of using these formulas when modeling hydrophysical processes in water bodies with salinity in the range of 0–250 pro mille are analyzed. It is shown that the formulas under consideration should be used when the salinity does not exceed 100 pro mille. If the mineralization is higher, it is necessary to elaborate more suitable formulas on the basis of an approximation of in situ data or data from handbooks.     

Preliminary results of in-situ XCTD/CTD comparison test

The current status of XCTD manufactured by the Tsurumi Seiki Co. is described based on XCTD/CTD comparison tests conducted in the Pacific and Indian Ocean in November 1996 and January 1997 respectively. The falling rates of used probes are generally consistent and differences between individual probes stay within a small range of +/−5 m through the full depth range (0–1000 m), although the rate is slightly different from the depth-time equation provided by the manufacturer. Temperature and salinity accuracy is estimated to be better than 0.05°C and 0.05 psu respectively. Comparison of vertical temperature/salinity sections of XCTD/CTD constructed separately along a line on which XCTD stations locate midway of CTD stations. The hydrographic structures obtained are generally consistent, and the difference of surface dynamic height (referred to 1000 db) is 0.03 dyn m in RMS.     

Possible Density Change of the Origin of North Pacific Intermediate Water Due to Double Diffusion in the Mixed Water Region

In this study we test Talley's hypothesis that Oyashio winter mixed-layer water (26.5–26.6σ _θ) increases its density to produce the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) salinity minimum (26.7– 26.8σ_θ) in the Mixed Water Region, assuming a combination of cabbeling and double diffusion. The possible density change of Oyashio winter mixed-layer water is discussed using an instantaneous ratio of the change of temperature and salinity along any particular intrusion (R _l ). We estimate the range of R _l ^DD required to convert Oyashio winter mixed-layer water to the NPIW salinity minimum due to double diffusion, and then assume double-diffusive intrusions as this conversion mechanism. A double-diffusive intrusion model is used to estimate R _l ^DD in a situation where salt fingering dominates vertical mixing, as well as to determine whether Oyashio winter mixed-layer water can become the NPIW salinity minimum. Possible density changes are estimated from the model R _l ^DD by assuming the amount of density change due to cabbeling. From these results, we conclude that Oyashio winter mixed-layer water contributes to a freshening of the lighter layer of the NPIW salinity minimum (around 26.70σ_θ) in the MWR.     

Reproductive ecology of the dominant dinoflagellate, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratium fusus</Emphasis>, in coastal area of Sagami Bay,Japan

The seasonal abundance of the dominant dinoflagellate, Ceratium fusus, was investigated from January 2000 to December 2003 in a coastal region of Sagami Bay, Japan. The growth of this species was also examined under laboratory conditions. In Sagami Bay, C. fusus increased significantly from April to September, and decreased from November to February, though it was found at all times through out the observation period. C. fusus increased markedly in September 2001 and August 2003 after heavy rainfalls that produced pycnoclines. Rapid growth was observed over a salinity range of 24 to 30, with the highest specific rate of 0.59 d⁻¹ measured under the following conditions: salinity 27, temperature 24°C, photon irradiance 600 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹. The growth rate of C. fusus increased with increasing irradiance from 58 to 216 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹, plateauing between 216 and 796 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ under all temperature and salinity treatments (except at a temperature of 12°C). Both field and laboratory experiments indicated that C. fusus has the ability to grow under wide ranges of water temperatures (14–28°C), salinities (20–34), and photon irradiance (50–800 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹); it is also able to grow at low nutrient concentrations. This physiological flexibility ensures that populations persist when bloom conditions come to an end.     

Estimation of the long-term variability of hydrophysical characteristics of the Black Sea based on the assimilation of the climatic hydrological fields L and altimetry data

To study the long-term variability of the thermohaline and dynamic characteristics of the Black Sea, we use three versions of climatic fields, namely, the fields reconstructed in the model according to the old (1903–1982) and new (1903–2003) hydrological climatic data arrays of temperature and salinity and according to the data of satellite altimetry. The analysis of the altimetry-based climatic fields confirms the distinctions (established earlier according to the old and new data arrays) in the seasonal variability of the integral characteristics of temperature and salinity and in the structures of hydrophysical fields in the sea. It is shown that, in the winter-spring season, the thermohaline fields reconstructed according to the new and altimetry data arrays are characterized by a small elevation of the halocline (pycnocline) and the upper boundary of the cold intermediate layer. In all seasons, the altimetry-based surface geostrophic currents contain numerous mesoscale eddies with different signs of rotation. Moreover, in all seasons, the Rim Current reconstructed according to the altimetry data is characterized by a narrower jet almost along the entire its length. This jet is especially intense near the coasts of West Anatolia. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 3–17, July–August, 2006.