Intense localized productivity in the Irish Sea

The variability of primary productivity in surface waters was continuously recorded during spatial and sectional surveys of the Irish Sea in the summer of 1977. Localized patches of intense productivity were found, not in the frontal region of the western Irish Sea, but farther east. Subsurface distributions of physical, chemical and biological characteristics through a latitudinal section of the Irish Sea are reported. These data showed that the productivity peaks occurred at the boundaries of a water type exhibiting properties uncharacteristic of Irish Sea waters.     

The Irish Sea: Is it eutrophic?

The question of whether the Irish Sea is eutrophic is addressed by reviewing the evidence for anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, elevated phytoplankton production and biomass and undesirable disturbance in the context of the EU and OSPAR definitions of eutrophication. Winter concentrations of dissolved available inorganic phosphate (DAIP), nitrogen (DAIN as nitrate and nitrite) and silicate (Si) in coastal waters and concentrations of DAIP and Si in offshore waters of the Irish Sea are elevated relative to winter Celtic Sea shelf break concentrations (0.5 μM DAIP, 7.7 μM DAIN and 2.7 μM Si). Significant, negative nutrient salinity relationships and analysis of the Isle of Man nutrient time-series indicate that the elevated Irish Sea levels of DAIP and DAIN are the result of anthropogenic enrichment with highest concentrations (≈2.0 μM DAIP, 30 μM DAIN and 17 μM Si) measured in near shore eastern Irish Sea waters.     

Iodine in inshore and off-shore marine waters

The temporal variation of iodate and total iodine in the Menai Straits and Irish Sea is discussed together with station data for the Atlantic Ocean. Surprisingly little temporal variation was found in either iodate or total iodine even though seasonal nutrient cycling occurred within these water bodies. The iodate concentrations of the temperate Atlantic Ocean, Irish Sea and Menai Straits surface waters were significantly different. These results, together with the known hydrology of the Menai Straits, make it likely that iodate-reducing substances present in terrestrial run-off will be responsible for relatively low iodate concentrations in shallow-seawaters, such as the Irish Sea. However, it is suggested that the low iodate concentrations of tropical surface waters are more likely to have a biological origin. The possibility that the marine iodine system is open to a thermo-dynamical interpretation, as some workers have suggested, is refuted in the case of temperate surface waters as well as deep ocean waters (>200 m). It is shown that existing analyses indicate that below 200 m at oceanic stations, iodate does not vary significantly with depth.     

Assessing Trends in Nutrient Concentrations in Coastal Shelf Seas: a Case Study in the Irish Sea

Single point time-series data collected in the Irish Sea since 1954 by Allen et al. (1998) have been re-evaluated using more recent data and areal winter surveys of the Celtic and Irish Seas. Survey data illustrate the heterogeneity of nutrient distributions with N (≈28 μM) and P (2·0 μM) enrichment of the eastern Irish Sea relative to the western Irish Sea (7–8 μM N and 0·7 μM P). Salinity nutrient relationships demonstrate distinct regional differences throughout the two seas. Trends in the Isle of Man time-series are unlikely to have resulted from changes in analytical procedures and personnel. Concerns over data quality cannot be resolved and there are no independent data to validate the time-series. Including more recent data shows P has declined since the late 1980s and N concentrations have remained stable since the mid 1970s. The absence of a Si trend is consistent with limited anthropogenic influence on riverine Si concentrations. Trends in N and P are consistent with changes in riverine concentrations of these two nutrients and the biogeochemical processes controlling their cycling in shelf waters. Denitrification is the most likely reason for offshore Irish Sea concentrations of N being lower than expected.     

Iron, manganese and aluminum in upper waters of the western South Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas

Total dissolvable iron, manganese and aluminum distributions in upper waters were determined in the western South Pacific, Solomon Sea, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea. In these oceanic regions, the surface aluminum distributions well reflect the atmospheric deposition pattern of mineral dust in the western South Pacific reported previously. Surface manganese distributions derive mainly from lateral transportation from the coastal sediments of western tropical islands. Compared to Mn and Al, the Fe distributions reflect the nutrient cycle in upper waters. Iron limitation over the vast South Pacific, as revealed by physiological features of phytoplankton, seems to be caused by low atmospheric dust deposition and low Fe:N ratios in deep waters. In the western South Pacific, with its unique geographic and oceanographic settings, the local sources of trace metals might considerably affect their biogeochemical cycles.     

Trace metal concentrations in the Ross Sea and their relationship with nutrients and phytoplankton growth

Dissolved and particulate trace metal concentrations (dissolved Fe, Zn, Cd, Co, Cu and Ni; particulate Fe, Mn and Al) were measured along two transects in the Ross Sea during austral summer of 1990. Total Fe concentrations in southern Ross Sea and inshore waters were elevated >3.5 times that of northern waters. Dissolved Zn, Cd and Co concentrations were lower by factors of 4.5, 3.5 and 1.6 in southern surface waters relative to northern waters. Dissolved Cu and Ni concentrations were similar in both areas. Elevated Fe concentrations coincided with areas of increased productivity, phytoplankton biomass and nutrient drawdown, indicating that Fe is an important factor controlling the location of phytoplankton blooms in the Ross Sea. Particulate concentrations of Fe, Mn and Al indicate two possible sources of iron to the Ross Sea, resuspension of continental shelf sediments and iron incorporated in annual sea ice and released with meltwaters.     

Physical and anthropogenic effects on observed long-term nutrient changes in the Irish Sea

The trend in Irish Sea nutrient concentrations over the last four decades has been considered to reflect changes in anthropogenic loading. Comparison of a long-term database for the Menai Strait, North Wales, with an established historic data set for the Cypris station, Isle of Man, indicates that climate also has a significant influence on observations of nutrient concentrations. Data are presented detailing long-term shifts in nitrate, phosphate and silicate measurements since the 1960s at these two fixed sampling sites in the Irish Sea. Broad systematic changes observed in all three nutrients over the decades show a rise from the 1960s through to the 1980s, followed generally by an overall decline in the 1990s. Decadal-scale salinity changes occur in the opposite sense to nutrient changes. Anthropogenic inputs from freshwater cannot fully account for observed nutrient trends, neither is there evidence for shifts in nutrient concentrations in oceanic waters over the past four decades. Climatically forced movement in the geographical position of the freshwater/seawater mixing zone over a decadal time scale could, however, give rise to the observed shifts in nutrient concentration and salinity. This cannot alter nutrient concentration and salinity per se, but causes the measurements taken at fixed sampling sites to fluctuate inversely over this time scale. It is concluded that there is complex interplay between anthropogenic loading and climate affecting the distribution of nutrients in the Irish Sea.     

Seasonal variations in nutrients and chlorophyll-a concentrations in the Northern east China sea

Nutrients, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon (POC), and environmental conditions were extensively investigated in the northern East China Sea (ECS) near Cheju Island during three seasonal cruises from 2003 to 2005. In spring and autumn, relatively high concentrations of nitrate (2.6~12.4 μmol kg^-1) and phosphate (0.17~0.61 μmol kg^-1) were observed in the surface waters in the western part of the study area because of the large supply of nutrients from deep waters by vertical mixing. The surface concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in summer were much lower than those in spring and autumn, which is ascribed to a reduced nutrient supply from the deep waters in summer because of surface layer stratification. While previous studies indicate that upwellings of the Kuroshio Current and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) are main sources of nutrients in the ECS, these two inputs seem not to have contributed significantly to the build-up of nutrients in the northern ECS during the time of this study. The lower nitrate:phosphate (N:P) ratio in the surface waters and the positive correlation between the surface N:P ratio and nitrate concentration indicate that nitrate acts as a main nutrient limiting phytoplankton growth in the northern ECS, contrary to previous reports of phosphate-limited phytoplankton growth in the ECS. This difference arises because most surface water nutrients are supplied by vertical mixing from deep waters with low N:P ratios and are not directly influenced by the Changjiang, which has a high N:P ratio. Surface chlorophyll-a levels showed large seasonal variation, with high concentrations (0.38~4.14 mg m^-3) in spring and autumn and low concentrations (0.22~1.05 mg m^-3) in summer. The surface distribution of chlorophyll-a coincided fairly well with that of nitrate in the northern ECS, implying that nitrate is an important nutrient controlling phytoplankton biomass. The POC:chlorophyll-a ratio was 4~6 times higher in summer than in spring and autumn, presumably because of the high summer phytoplankton death rate caused by nutrient depletion in the surface waters.     

北冰洋西部沉积物有机碳、氮同位素特征及其环境指示意义

通过对楚科奇海及邻近的北冰洋深水区表层沉积物中有机碳同位素含量(δ13C)、氮同位素含量(δ15N)及生物成因SiO₂(BSiO₂)含量分析,结果表明海源和陆源有机质的分布受海区环流结构和营养盐结构所制约.楚科奇海中西部和楚科奇海台受太平洋富营养盐海水的影响,海洋生产力高,沉积物中海源有机质和BSiO₂含量高;靠阿拉斯加一侧海域海水的营养盐含量和生产力都偏低,沉积物中陆源有机质比重增加;在研究区北部和东北部的楚科奇高地和加拿大海盆,冰封时间较长,营养盐供应少,海洋生产力低,但来自马更些河和阿拉斯加北部的陆源有机质增多,沉积物中BSiO₂含量小于5%,海源有机质百分含量小于40%.由于亚北极太平洋水通过楚科奇海向北冰洋海盆输送,研究区营养盐池表现为开放系统,营养盐的利用率与它的供应成反比,与海洋生产力成反比.     

2013年夏季黄、渤海颗粒有机碳分布及来源分析

本文根据2013年夏季黄、渤海海域航次获得的颗粒有机碳(particulate organic carbon, POC)、叶绿素a(chlorophyll a, Chl a)和总悬浮颗粒物(total suspended particles, TSP)数据,结合同步获得的水文环境参数,综合探讨该区夏季POC时空分布特征,以及在不同温盐深水团中POC的主要影响因素。结果表明:在整个研究区POC的浓度范围为102.3～1850.0 μg/L,平均值为(383.7±269.6) μg/L,分布呈现出近岸高、远海低、表层低、底层高的特征。苏北外浅滩海域和北黄海东北区域的10 m层和底层为POC高值区,苏北外海域受到陆源输入、沿岸流混合作用和浮游植物光合作用的影响,POC上下混合均匀且浓度高;南黄海中部因受黄海环流的影响,水体中浮游植物生产力水平低,POC浓度较低。在垂直分布上,近岸海域受陆源输入和再悬浮影响POC浓度高,上下混合均匀;在南黄海和北黄海中部受到黄海环流和黄海冷水团的控制,浮游植物生产力水平低,POC浓度低。对不同温盐水团中POC的影响因素分析发现,在高温低盐水团中,POC受浮游植物初级生产和陆源输入的共同影响;在温盐适中区真光层海水中,浮游植物的初级生产是POC的主要来源;底层的冷水团区,POC主要来源为上层海水中颗粒物的沉降和底层再悬浮作用。     

Hydrographic observations in the Irish Sea during the unusually hot summer of 1975

Data on the surface and depth distributions of salinity, temperature and dissolved inorganic nutrients were obtained during a survey of the Irish Sea in late August and early September, 1975. The observations followed one of the warmest summers of the century. Nutrient concentrations in the surface waters were low and their distributions patchy. Significant concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen were present only in deep waters overlaid by strong density gradients.Surface temperature distributions showed large and widespread positive anomalies compared with the seasonal norm. The greatest anomalies occurred in regions of intense stratification. Despite shallow depths and strong tidal streams, the above-average seasonal heat input induced significant stratification in waters off the west coast of the British Isles.     

2008年夏季白令海营养盐的分布及其结构状况

中国第3次北极考察对白令海营养盐的分布及结构状况进行了观测分析,结果表明,白令海营养盐分布和结构状况区域性特征明显。海盆区表层DIN、磷酸盐和硅酸盐平均浓度分别为9.73,0.94,11.06 μmol/dm3;陆架区表层DIN,磷酸盐和硅酸盐平均浓度分别为0.60, 0.43, 3.74 μmol/dm3。营养盐高值主要出现在白令海西南部的海盆区和海峡口西南侧水域,低值出现于陆架边缘的陆坡区和陆架东部水域。白令海盆区真光层DIN,磷酸盐、硅酸盐浓度普遍较高,叶绿素浓度则较低,具有典型的高营养盐、低叶绿素(HNLC)特征。海盆区生物作用不是营养盐空间分布的主要调控因子,而陆架区营养盐的分布变化不仅受控于物理海洋输运过程的变化,同时也受夏季浮游生物生长、营养盐吸收消耗所影响。陆架和陆坡区表层海水N/P,Si/P比值平均分别为1.8, 9.9和3.2, 2.2,呈明显的低N/P,Si/P比值结构特征,陆坡区缺硅明显,陆架区缺氮显著。在白令海水域磷酸盐浓度普遍较高,它不可能成为浮游植物光合作用限制因子。受硅限制水域主要限于陆坡区硅藻大量繁殖时期,属偶然性限制,在白令海陆架区绝大部分水域主要表现为氮限制。     

Water transport from the North-east Irish Sea to western Scottish coastal waters: Further observations from time-trend matching of Sellafield radiocaesium

Radiocaesium isotopes, discharged into the North-east Irish Sea from the Sellafield (formerly Windscale) nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Cumbria, have been employed as flow monitors to update and extend the record of coastal water movement from the Irish Sea to the Clyde Sea area and, further north, to Loch Etive. The temporal trends in radiocaesium levels have been used to determine the extent of water mixing en route and to define mean advection rates. Flow conditions from the Irish Sea have changed considerably since the mid-1970s, the residence time of northern Irish Sea waters being ～12 months during 1978–1980 inclusive. Average transport times of four and six months are estimated for the Sellafield to Clyde and Sellafield to Etive transects respectively. Sellafield ¹³⁷Cs levels in seawater were diluted by factors of 27 and 50 respectively during current movement to the Clyde and Etive areas. The decrease in salinity-corrected ¹³⁷Cs concentrations between the Clyde and Etive suggests that dilution by Atlantic water occurs, the latter mainly entering the Firth of Lorne from the west. The majority (～94%) of the radiocaesium supply to Loch Etive enters the Firth of Lorne via the portion of the coastal current circulating west of Islay, only ～6% arriving via the Sound of Jura.     

南海北部及邻区岩石圈地幔特征与深部作用过程初探

对新生代火山活动携带到地表的超镁铁岩捕虏体岩石的主元素、微量元素和同位素特征的研究表明，南海北部及邻区岩石圈地幔组成和空间变化与大地构造分区有密切联系；区域上的岩石圈地幔经历过多重地幔交代作用，而与南海北部陆缘活化和陆缘扩张更为密切相关的地幔交代作用可能主要为高温型富Ｆｅ－Ｔｉ交代作用；软流圈热物质上升是引起大陆地壳活化的重要的深部作用因素。     

印尼贯穿流源区马鲁古海和哈马黑拉海水团来源的气候态分析

本文利用World Ocean Atlas 2013（WOA2013）气候态的温盐资料和the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation （SODA v3.3.1）流场数据,分析印尼贯穿流东部源区马鲁古海和哈马黑拉海的水团垂向分布特征及其来源,特别是次表层、中层及深层水的来源和路径。结果表明,气候态下,马鲁古海次表层的高温高盐水来自于北太平洋,与北太平洋热带水性质接近,哈马黑拉海次表层主要是来自南太平洋热带水;中层水以低温低盐为特征,马鲁古海的中层水来自南太平洋,受南极中层水控制,哈马黑拉海的中层水可能是从马鲁古海而来的南太平洋水;对于次表层和中层之间的过渡层,马鲁古海与哈马黑拉海的水源为南、北太平洋的混合水,且两个海域之间也存在着水团交换;在深层,马鲁古海的水源更倾向于班达海北部及塞兰海,而与太平洋水无关,哈马黑拉海由于地形阻挡也难以与太平洋直接发生水团交换。     

北白令海透明胞外聚合颗粒物的含量与来源

透明胞外聚合颗粒物(TEP)是海水中大量存在的黏性颗粒物质,它对于海洋颗粒物的聚集、有机碳的埋藏、食物网物质的传递、痕量金属的清除与迁出等均起着重要作用。本研究开展了夏季北白令海陆架、陆坡和海盆区透明胞外聚合颗粒物含量和分布的研究。结果表明,北白令海TEP含量介于34~628 mg/m3(Xeq)之间,其中陆架、陆坡和海盆区TEP的平均含量分别为240, 145和83 mg/m3(Xeq),整体呈现由陆架向外海降低的趋势。在陆坡和海盆区,TEP含量随着深度的增加而降低,但在陆架近底层水中,观察到TEP高含量的特征,与近底层水高的TSM, POC相对应。TEP与荧光强度、TSM、POC等的关系分析显示,研究海域TEP存在两个来源,其一为海洋上层水体的浮游生物,其主要贡献于陆架上层、陆坡和海盆水体;其二为陆架沉积物的底栖生物,其通过沉积物再悬浮贡献于陆架近底层水。     

The oxygen isotope composition of water masses within the North Sea

Based on measurements of the ¹⁸O isotope composition of 247 samples collected over a 3-year period we have assessed the oxygen isotope composition of water masses in the North Sea. This is the first δ¹⁸O data set that covers the entire North Sea basin. The waters lie on a mixing line: δ¹⁸O (‰_VSMOW) = −9.300 + 0.274(S) with North Atlantic sub-polar mode water (SPMW) and surface waters, and Baltic Sea water representing the saline and freshwater end members respectively. Patterns exhibited in surface and bottom water δ¹⁸O distributions are representative of the general circulation of the North Sea. Oxygen-18 enriched waters from the North Atlantic enter the North Sea between Scotland and Norway and to a lesser extent through the English Channel. In contrast, oxygen-18 depleted waters mainly inflow from the Baltic Sea, the rivers Rhine and Elbe, and to a lesser degree, the Norwegian Fjords and other river sources. Locally the δ¹⁸O–salinity relationship will be controlled by the isotopic composition of the freshwater inputs. However, the range of local freshwater compositions around the North Sea basin is too narrow to characterise the relative contributions of individual sources to the overall seawater composition. This dataset provides important information for a number of related disciplines including biogeochemical research and oceanographic studies.     

Monsoon-driven succession of the larval fish assemblage in the East China Sea shelf waters off northern Taiwan

The seasonal variation in the larval fish community related to the hydrography in the East China Sea (ECS) off northern Taiwan was studied from February to November 2004. Hydrographic conditions in the southern ECS are strongly influenced by the different water masses due to the seasonal monsoon system. A total of 173 taxa of larval fish belonging to 68 families and 105 genera were identified during the study period. The highest abundance of larval fish was recorded in winter, a moderate abundance was seen in late spring and summer, and the lowest abundance in autumn. Significantly higher abundances were usually found in the mixing zone than in ECS and the Kuroshio Current, and the number of species of larval fish was greater during the warm period than during the cold period. The larval fish fauna in the southern ECS is a mixture of endemic and exotic species; the latter come from the coastal waters of mainland China when the northeasterly monsoon prevails, from the South China Sea during the southwesterly monsoon, and from the Kuroshio waters year-round. The succession of water masses induced by the monsoon systems and the high nutrient levels caused by frontal turbulence and topographic upwelling may determine the distributions of larval fish in terms of abundance and composition.     

中国东部陆架表层沉积物粒度特征及其沉积环境浅析

对取自中国东部陆架海的209个表层沉积物样品进行了粒度分析及沉积物类型划分,探讨细颗粒沉积区分布格局与物源和环流体系的关系。结果表明,研究区底质类型主要有砂、粉砂质砂、泥质砂、砂质粉砂、砂质泥、粉砂和泥,个别站位含砾石。表层沉积物以粗颗粒砂质沉积为主,其主要分布在东海中北部、苏北浅滩、北黄海北部,其粒度特征主要为:平均粒径2～4Φ,分选差(分选系数>2),偏态极正偏(2～2.80),峰态很宽至宽(1.60～3.50);细颗粒泥质沉积主要分布在浙江沿岸至长江口外、苏北老黄河口外、南黄海中部、北黄海西南部及黄河口外的渤海海域,其粒度特征主要为:平均粒径6～7Φ,分选差至较差(分选系数1～2.5),偏态负偏(-1.50～-0.33)至近于对称(-0.33～+0.33),峰态很宽(>2.75)。从环流的流向与路径及邻近的河流物源角度,初步探讨了河流输入物质及环流体系对细颗粒沉积物沉积分布格局的影响,并初步推断了细颗粒沉积物的物源及基本输移路径。     

Climatological annual cycles of nutrients and chlorophyll in the North Sea

A large amount of nutrient and chlorophyll data from the North Sea were compiled and organised in a research data base to produce annual cycles on a relatively fine spatial resolution of 1° in each horizontal direction. The data originate from many different sources and were partly provided by the ECOMOD data base of the Institut fur Meereskunde in Hamburg and partly by ICES in Copenhagen to cover the time range from 1950 to 1994. While the annual cycles of nutrients and chlorophyll derived for the continental coastal zone are representative for the decade 1984–1993 only, those for the remaining parts of the North Sea may be considered climatological annual cycles based on data from more than four decades. The composite data set of climatological annual cycles of medians and their climatological ranges is well suited to serve for validational and forcing purposes for ecosystem models of the North Sea, which have a resolution larger than or equal to 1° in both longitude and latitude. The annual cycles of the macronutrients and chlorophyll presented here for 1° × 1° squares in the North Sea show especially that sufficient observational data exist to provide initial, forcing and validational data for the simulations with the 130-box setup (ND130) of the ecosystem model ERSEM. The annual cycles presented give a clear picture for the whole of the North Sea. The highest concentrations occur at the continental coasts as a result of continued river input, which is added to the ongoing atmospheric input over the North Sea. Also, from the Atlantic Ocean water with relatively high nutrient concentrations enters the North Sea via the northern boundary. In the productive areas on and around the Dogger Bank nutrient concentrations are lower than in the other parts of the North Sea, even in winter. The areas with seasonal stratification have very different annual cycles in the upper (0–30 m) and lower layers (30 m-bottom). The shallow boxes are fully mixed and exhibit a relatively fast increase of nutrient concentrations caused by summer regeneration of nutrients.