A 2—D section of 228Ra and 226Ra in the Northeast Pacific

Seawater samples collected in the northeast Pacific from 112° 50′W to 126° 36′W along a latitudinal band (21–25° N) have been analysed for ²²⁸RA and ²²⁶Ra. Both nuclides exhibit their characteristic distributions. In the surface water, the exponential-like decrease of ²²⁸ Ra away from Baja California can be interpreted by horizontal water mixing with eddy diffusion coefficients (K_x) of 1 × 10⁶ cm² s⁻¹ and 5 × 10⁷ cm² S⁻¹ for scale lengths of 200 km and 1000 km, respectively. In the bottom waters, the decrease of ²²⁸Ra away from bottom sediments can be modeled by vertical eddy diffusivities (K_z) of 15–30 cm² s⁻¹ except at one station (24° 16.9′ N, 115° 8.9′ W) where a value of 120 cm² s⁻¹ is obtained. The ²²⁸Ra-derived diffusivities were used to compute the mass balance of ²²⁶Ra using a two-box model. The model results show a mean mixing coefficient of 3.8 cm² s⁻¹ for the thermocline and a mean upwelling velocity of 7.7 m y⁻¹ in the study area, both are about two or three times higher than those generally quoted for the Pacific.     

Quantitative evaluation of turbulent mixing in the Central Equatorial Pacific

Turbulent mixing in the central equatorial Pacific has been quantitatively evaluated by analyzing data from microstructure measurements and conductivity temperature depth profiler (CTD) observations in a meridionally and vertically large region. The result that strong turbulent mixing with dissipation rate ε (>O(10^?7) W kg^?1), continuing from sea-surface mixed layer to low Richardson number region below, in the area within 1° of the equator, shows that turbulent mixing has a close relationship to shear instability. ε > O(10^?7) W kg^?1 and turbulent diffusivity K _ρ  > O(10^?3) m² s^?1 were obtained from near-surface to 85 db at stations even southwardly beyond 3°S, where it is already far from the southern boundary (~2°S) of the Equatorial Undercurrent. Turbulence-induced heat flux and salinity flux were calculated, and both had their maxima in the equatorial upwelling region, though the former was downward and the latter was upward. Accordingly, vertical velocity in the upwelling region was estimated to be similar to the results derived by other methods. These fluxes and the vertical velocity suggest the critical importance of turbulent mixing in maintaining the well-mixed upper layer. Secondly, in the intermediate region (>500 db), turbulent eddies were investigated by applying Thorpe’s method to the CTD data. A large number of overturns were detected, with spatial-averaged K _ρ (700–1,000 db) being 3.3 × 10^?6 m² s^?1, and the corresponding K _ρ-max reaching to O(10^?4) m² s^?1 in the north (3°–13°N). The results suggest that, in the intermediate region, considerable turbulent mixing occurs and moderates the properties of the water masses.     

Relative transport in the Alaskan Stream in winter

Between late January and March of 1966, the western Subarctic region was widely investigated by MVArgo and MVG. B. Kelez. That is the first oceanographic measurement in this region during winter season. Oceanographic conditions and relative transports are discussed using these data. The Alaskan Stream which is closely related with the formation of the salmon fishing ground, is continuous as far west as long. 170°E and the westward transport of 8×10⁶m³/sec occurs across long. 165°W. That are similar to the conditions in summer. The isolated warm water mass separated from the Alaskan Stream is more clearly defined as a clockwise gyre at the west of Komandorski Ridge. Transport of approximately 9×10⁶m³/sec in the East Kamchatka Current reaches east of the Kurile Islands, where its water, mixing with the Okhotsk Sea water, forms the Oyashio Current having the volume transport of 7×10⁶m³/sec. Generally, the circulation pattern in winter is similar to that in summer. Schematic diagram of relative transport and circulation in the Subarctic region in the North Pacific Ocean in winter is proposed.     

Interhemispheric exchanges of mass and heat in the Atlantic Ocean in January–March 1993

Hydrographic, geochemical, and direct velocity measurements along two zonal (7.5°N and 4.5°S) and two meridional (35°W and 4°W) lines occupied in January–March, 1993 in the Atlantic are combined in an inverse model to estimate the circulation. At 4.5°S, the Warm Water (potential temperature θ>4.5°C) originating from the South Atlantic enters the equatorial Atlantic, principally at the western boundary, in the thermocline-intensified North Brazil Undercurrent (33±2.7×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ northward) and in the surface-intensified South Equatorial Current (8×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ northward) located to the east of the North Brazil Undercurrent. The Ekman transport at 4.5°S is southward (10.7±1.5×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). At 7.5°N, the Western Boundary Current (WBC) (17.9±2×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) is weaker than at 4.5°S, and the northward flow of Warm Water in the WBC is complemented by the basin-wide Ekman flow (12.3±1.0×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹), the net contribution of the geostrophic interior flow of Warm Water being southward. The equatorial Ekman divergence drives a conversion of Thermocline Water (24.58⩽σ₀<26.75) into Surface Water (σ₀<24.58) of 7.5±0.5×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹, mostly occurring west of 35°W. The Deep Water of northern origin flows southward at 7.5°N in an energetic (48±3×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC), whose transport is in part compensated by a northward recirculation (21±4.5×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) in the Guiana Basin. At 4.5°S, the DWBC is much less energetic (27±7×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ southward) than at 7.5°N. It is in part balanced by a deep northward recirculation east of which alternate circulation patterns suggest the existence of an anticyclonic gyre in the central Brazil Basin and a cyclonic gyre further east. The deep equatorial Atlantic is characterized by a convergence of Lower Deep Water (45.90⩽σ₄<45.83), which creates an upward diapycnal transport of 11.0×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ across σ₄=45.83. The amplitude of this diapycnal transport is quite sensitive to the a priori hypotheses made in the inverse model. The amplitude of the meridional overturning cell is estimated to be 22×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ at 7.5°N and 24×10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ at 4.5°S. Northward heat transports are in the range 1.26–1.50 PW at 7.5°N and 0.97–1.29 PW at 4.5°S with best estimates of 1.35 and 1.09 PW.     

Circulation of Intermediate and Deep Waters in the Philippine Sea

The circulation of intermediate and deep waters in the Philippine Sea west of the Izu-Ogasawara-Mariana-Yap Ridge is estimated with use of an inverse model applied to the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Hydrographic Program data set. Above 1500 m depth, the subtropical gyre is dominant, but the circulation is split in small cells below the thermocline, causing multiple zonal inflows of intermediate waters toward the western boundary. The inflows along 20°N and 26°N carry the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) of 11 × 10⁹ kg s⁻¹ in total, at the density range of 26.5σ_θ–36.7σ₂ (approximately 500–1500 m depths), 8 × 10⁹ kg s⁻¹ of the NPIW circulate within the subtropical gyre, whereas the rest is conveyed to the tropics and the South China Sea. The inflow south of 15°N carries the Tropical Salinity Minimum water of 35 × 10⁹ kg s⁻¹, nearly half of which return to the east through a narrow undercurrent at 15–17°N, and the rest is transported into the lower part of the North Equatorial Countercurrent. Below 1500 m depth, the deep circulation regime is anti-cyclonic. At the density range of 36.7σ₂, – 45.845σ₄ (approximately 1500–3500 m depths), deep waters of 17 × 10⁹ kg s⁻¹ flow northward, and three quarters of them return to the east at 16–24°N. The remainder flows further north of 24°N, then turns eastward out of the Philippine Sea, together with a small amount of subarctic-origin North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) which enters the Philippine Sea through the gap between the Izu Ridge and Ogasawara Ridge. The full-depth structure and transportation of the Kuroshio in total and net are also examined. It is suggested that low potential vorticity of the Subtropical Mode Water is useful for distinguishing the net Kuroshio flow from recirculation flows. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stability constants of phosphoric acid in seawater of 5–40‰ salinity and temperatures of 5–25°C

The stability constants K₁ and K₁₂ of phosphoric acid were determined for artificial seawater of six different salinities (5, 10, 20, 30, 35, 40‰) and in 0.2, 0.4 and 0.7 M NaCl at three temperatures (5, 15, 25°C). The results are compared with those of Kester and Pytkowicz (1967), Atlas et al. (1976) and Dickson and Riley (1979). The ionic product of water, K_w, was determined in sodium chloride media at 5, 15 and 25°C. Complex formation among Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, HPO₄^2? and PO₄^3? is discussed.     

Determination of the zinc complexing capacity in seawater by cathodic stripping voltammetry of zinc—APDC complex ions

A novel technique to determine complexing capacities for zinc is presented. The free zinc concentration is determined by cathodic stripping voltammetry preceded by adsorptive collection of complexes of zinc with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC). The reduction peak of zinc is depressed as a result of ligand competition by natural organic material in the sample. Sufficient time is allowed to reach equilibrium between this material and added APDC, and equilibrium is maintained during the measurement. Both electrochemically reversible and irreversible complexes can therefore be investigated. Values for K_ZnAPDC^′ are calibrated against NTA and EDTA in seawater of several salinities; log K_ZnAPDC^′ was found to be 4.40 at 36‰, 4.36 at 24‰, 4.43 at 12‰, and 4.87 at 2.3‰. The ligand concentration and conditional stability constant, K_ZnL^′, for complexing ligands in a sample from the Irish Sea were determined in the presence of 4 × 10^?5 M APDC and with added zinc concentrations between 5 × 10^?9 and 3 × 10^?7 M. The data best fitted a complexation model containing two ligands with concentrations of 2.6 and 6.2 and 10^?8 M, and with values for log K_ZnL^′ of 8.4 and 7.5, respectively. These results are comparable to those obtained with other equilibrium techniques, but the values of the constants are greater than those from ASV measurements.     

春季黄海浮游植物生态分区:物种组成

Phytoplanktonic ecological provinces of the Yellow Sea(31.20°–39.23°N, 121.00°–125.16°E) is derived in terms of species composition and hydrological factors(temperature and salinity). 173 samples were collected from 40 stations from April 28 to May 18, 2014, and a total of 185 phytoplanktonic algal species belonging to 81 genera of 7phyla were identified by Uterm?hl method. Phytoplankton abundance in surface waters is concentrated in the west coast of Korean Peninsula and Korea Bay, and communities in those areas are mainly composed of diatoms and cyanobacteria with dominant species of Cylindrotheca closterium, Synechocystis pevalekii, Chroomonas acuta,Paralia sulcata, Thalassiosira pacifica and Karenia mikimotoi, etc. The first ten dominant species of the investigation area are analyzed by multidimensional scaling(MDS) and cluster analysis, then the Yellow Sea is divided into five provinces from Province I(P-I) to Province V(P-V). P-I includes the coastal areas near southern Liaodong Peninsula, with phytoplankton abundance of 35 420×10~3–36 163×10~3 cells/L and an average of 35 791×10~3 cells/L, and 99.84% of biomass is contributed by cyanobacteria. P-II is from Shandong Peninsula to Subei coastal area. Phytoplankton abundance is in a range of 2×10~3–48×10~3 cells/L with an average of 24×10~3cells/L, and 63.69% of biomass is contributed by diatoms. P-III represents the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Diluted Water. Phytoplankton abundance is 10×10~3–37×10~3 cells/L with an average of 24×10~3 cells/L, and 73.14% of biomass is contributed by diatoms. P-IV represents the area affected by the Yellow Sea Warm Current.Phytoplankton abundance ranges from 6×10~3 to 82×10~3 cells/L with an average of 28×10~3 cells/L, and 64.17% of biomass is contributed by diatoms. P-V represents the cold water mass of northern Yellow Sea. Phytoplankton abundance is in a range of 41×10~3–8 912×10~3 cells/L with an average of 1 763×10~3 cells/L, and 89.96% of biomass is contributed by diatoms. Overall, structures of phytoplankton community in spring are quite heterogeneous in different provinces. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) result illustrates the relationship between dominant species and environmental factors, and demonstrates that the main environmental factors that affect phytoplankton distribution are nitrate, temperature and salinity.     

Picophytoplankton in the equatorial Pacific: vertical distributions in the warm pool and in the high nutrient low chlorophyll conditions

Abundance distribution and cellular characteristics of picophytoplankton were studied in two distinct regions of the equatorial Pacific: the western warm pool (0°, 167°E), where oligotrophic conditions prevail, and the equatorial upwelling at 150°W characterized by high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) conditions. The study was done in September–October 1994 during abnormally warm conditions. Populations of Prochlorococcus, orange fluorescing Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes were enumerated by flow cytometry. Pigment concentrations were studied by spectrofluorometry. In the warm pool, Prochlorococcus were clearly the dominant organisms in terms of cell abundance, estimated carbon biomass and measured pigment concentration. Integrated concentrations of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes were 1.5×10¹³, 1.3×10¹¹ and 1.5×10¹¹ cells m⁻², respectively. Integrated estimated carbon biomass of picophytoplankton was 1 g m⁻², and the respective contributions of each group to the biomass were 69, 3 and 28%. In the HNLC waters, Prochlorococcus cells were slightly less numerous than in the warm pool, whereas the other groups were several times more abundant (from 3 to 5 times). Abundance of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes were 1.2×10¹³, 6.2×10¹¹ and 5.1×10¹¹ cells m⁻², respectively. The integrated biomass was 1.9 g C m⁻². Prochlorococcus was again the dominant group in terms of abundance and biomass (chlorophyll, carbon); the respective contributions of each group to the carbon biomass were 58, 7 and 35%. In the warm pool the total chlorophyll biomass was 28 mg m⁻², 57% of which was divinyl chlorophyll a. In the HNLC waters, the total chlorophyll biomass was 38 mg m⁻², 44% of which was divinyl chlorophyll a. Estimates of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes cell size were made in both hydrological conditions.     

An electrochemical study of the speciation of copper,zinc and iron in two estuaries in England

The organic speciation of copper, iron and zinc in estuarine waters is studied using electrochemical techniques. Complexing capacities for copper and zinc were determined by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) of their complexes with respectively catechol and amino pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC). Iron speciation was studied by CSV measurements of dissolved iron before (‘free iron’) and after acidification and UV-irradiation (‘total iron’) of the filtered samples. Complexing capacities of copper were found to vary between 1·4 and 5 × 10⁻⁷m with conditional stability constants, logK′_CuL, between 9·2 and 10·3 in the Tamar estuary. Complexing capacities of zinc were less at between 0·4 and 1·6 × 10⁻⁷m with values for logK′_ZnL between 8·1 and 9·4. Copper complexing capacities generally decreased with increasing salinity, and variations in the results were related to high concentrations of suspended material. Similar variations in the dissolved vanadium concentrations suggested that part of this element was associated with colloidal material. The total dissolved iron concentration in samples from the River Ribble decreased from 10⁻⁶m at low salinity to 10⁻⁷m at high salinity, but the free iron concentration was found to decrease from 8 to 3 × 10⁻⁸m over the same salinity range, which may be compared with the calculated solubility of iron in seawater of 2 × 10⁻⁸m. Comparative experiments showed that on average about 24% of the non-labile iron fraction was stabilized by organic material, the rest being composed of inorganic colloidal material.     

The solubility of calcite — probably containing magnesium — in seawater

The apparent solubility product of calcite was measured by saturometry as a function of temperature and salinity. Simplified equations for the carbonic-acid dissociation constants of Mehrbach et al., 1973 (Limnol. Oceanogr., 18: 897–907) have been derived from their experimental data and used to calculate apparent solubility product, K′_sp, K′_sp at 25°C and 35‰ salinity, was found to be K′_sp = 4.70 × 10^?7(mol²kgseawater^?2) An equation was fitted to the experimental data, resulting in pK′_sp = 6.5795 ? 3.7159 × 10⁵(TS) + 0.91056(T/S) ? 22.110(1.0/S)The mean activity coefficients, $\text{γ±}\text{CaCO}{}_3$, were calculated at various temperatures and salinities, using the thermodynamic solubility product of Jacobson and Langmuir, 1974 (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 38: 301–318) and the apparent solubility products quoted in their paper. The change in K′_sp at each salinity, as a function of temperature, was used to calculate the apparent enthalpy of dissociation for calcite, ΔH′, and the extrapolated value of ΔH⁰ was in good agreement with that of Jacobson and Langmuir. Finally, this work was used to calculate saturation profiles for oceanic stations and as a basis for comment of the accuracy of in-situ saturometry, as well as the applicability of in-situ K′_sp pressure corrections.     

Three dimensional diagnostic study of the circulation in the South China Sea during winter 1998

On the basis of hydrographic data obtained from 28 November to 27 December, 1998, the three-dimensional structure of circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is computed using a three-dimensional diagnostic model. The combination of sea surface height anomaly from altimeter data and numerical results provides a consistent circulation pattern for the SCS, and main circulation features can be summarized as follows: in the northern SCS there are a cold and cyclonic circulation C1 with two cores C1-1 and C1-2 northwest of Luzon and an anticyclonic eddy (W1) near Dongsha Islands. In the central SCS there is a stronger cyclonic circulation C2 with two cores C2-1 and C2-2 east of Vietnam and a weaker anticyclonic eddy W2 northwest of Palawan Island. A stronger coastal southward jet presents west of the eddy C2 and turns to the southeast in the region southwest of eddy C2-2, and it then turns to flow eastward in the region south of eddy C2-2. In the southern SCS there are a weak cyclonic eddy C3 northwest of Borneo and an anti-cyclonic circulation W3 in the subsurface layer. The net westward volume transport through section CD at 119.125°E from 18.975° to 21.725°N is about 10.3 × 10⁶ m³s⁻¹ in the layer above 400 m level. The most important dynamic mechanism generating the circulation in the SCS is a joint effect of the baroclinicity and relief (JEBAR), and the second dynamical mechanism is an interaction between the wind stress and relief (IBWSR). The strong upwelling occurs off northwest Luzon.     

Complexation of zinc by exudates of Thalassiosira fluviatilis grown in culture

Measurements have been made, by amperometric titration using anodic stripping voltammetry, of the zinc-binding properties of organic material released by Thalassiosira fluviatilis in culture over a period from the beginning of growth to senescence. After the onset of the stationary phase, titration curves showed two inflection points, interpreted as indicating the presence of two analytically distinguishable ligand assemblages (L₁ and L₂). The complexing capacities (C_L) of these assemblages changed with time, C_L1 increasing linearly from <0.5 × 10^?8 M to 2.0 × 10^?6 M into the stationary phase and then more rapidly during senescence, and C_L2 increasing after its initial appearance to a final value of 4.4 × 10^?6 M. These changes were accompanied by systematic decreases in the corresponding conditional stability constants (K′) calculated for 1 : 1 associations of the ligands with zinc. Values of log K′₁ decreased from 6.6 to 5.8, and those of log K′₂ from 7.2 to 6.2. The presence of the second ligand assemblage may be related to the release of intracellular material during senescence.     

Experimental determination of the silica solubility and of the H4SiO 4 0 activity ratio in standard and desalinated seawater

The solubility of amorphous silica was studied in mixtures of riverine and marine waters simulating the water composition at the river-sea geochemical barrier. The value of the thermodynamical equilibrium constant was determined for the reaction of silicon solubility as K _r ⁰ = (1.71 ± 0.01) × 10^?3 at 22°C. A near-linear dependence was found for the activity ratio of the H₄SiO ₄ ⁰ and the salinity with the increase of this ratio from 1.00 in the riverine to 1.15 in the standard seawater.     

Hydrography and circulation of the bay of Bengal during withdrawal phase of the southwest Monsoon

Hydrographic data were collected from 3 to 10 September 1996 along two transects; one at 18° N and the other at 90° E. The data were used to examine the thermohaline, circulation and chemical properties of the Bay of Bengal during the withdrawal phase of the southwest monsoon. The surface salinity exhibited wide spatial variability with values as low as 25.78 at 18° N / 87° E and as high as 34.79 at 8° N / 90° E. Two high salinity cells (S > 35.2) were noticed around 100 m depth along the 90° E transect. The wide scatter in T-S values between 100 and 200 m depth was attributed to the presence of the Arabian Sea High Salinity (ASHS) water mass. Though the warm and low salinity conditions at the sea surface were conducive to a rise in the sea surface topography at 18° N / 87° E, the dynamic height showed a reduction of 0.2 dyn.m. This fall was attributed to thermocline upwelling at this location. The geostrophic currents showed alternating flows across both the transects. Relatively stronger and mutually opposite currents were noticed around 25 m depth across the 18° N transect with velocity slightly in excess of 30 cm s⁻¹. Similar high velocity (> 40 cm s⁻¹) pockets were also noticed to extend up to 30 m depths in the southern region of the 90° E transect. However, the currents below 250 m were weak and in general < 5 cm s⁻¹. The net geostrophic volume transports were found to be of the order of 1.5 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ towards the north and of 6 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ towards west across the 18° N and 90° E transects respectively. The surface circulation patterns were also investigated using the trajectories of drifting buoys deployed in the eastern Indian Ocean around the same observation period. Poleward movement of the drifting buoy with the arrival of the Indian Monsoon Current (IMC) at about 12° N along the eastern rim of the Bay of Bengal has been noticed to occur around the beginning of October. The presence of an eddy off the southeast coast of India and the IMC along the southern periphery of the Bay of Bengal were also evident in the drifting buoy data.     

Oceanic circulation in the head of the Hikurangi trench,east coast,New Zealand

The geostrophic flow and direct current measurements in the inflow of the Southland Current into the Hikurangi Trench east of New Zealand confirm the geostrophic circulation pattern previously found. The northwards inflow of the Southland Current at the latitude of the Chatham Rise (44°S) is estimated at 1.7 × 10⁶ m³.s^‐1, which compares favourably with that of 1.2 × 10⁶ m³.s^‐1 calculated previously off Kaikoura.     

The solubility of aragonite in seawater at 25.0°C and 32.62‰ salinity

The apparent solubility product of aragonite in 32‰ seawater at 25.0°C is reported as K′_sp = (0.869±0.049) × 10^?6(mol²kgseawater^?2) thus confirming the value of R.A. Berner, 1976 (Am. J. Sci., 276: 713–730). The apparent solubility product ratio for aragonite and calcite is reported as $\text{K′}{}_{\mathrm{aragonite}}\text{K′}{}_{\mathrm{calcite}}\text{= 2.05}$ The deviation of this value from the thermodynamic ratio is atttributed to the formation of a stable low Mg-calcite coating on pure calcite in seawater measurements of solubility.     

The structure of phytoplankton communities in the eastern part of the Laptev Sea

Studies have been performed on a transect along 130°30′ E from the Lena River delta (71°60′ N) to the continental slope and adjacent deepwater area (78°22′ N) of the Laptev Sea in September 2015. The structure of phytoplankton communities has distinct latitudinal zoning. The southern part of the shelf (southward of 73°10′ N), the most desalinated by riverine discharge, houses a phytoplankton community with a biomass of 175–840 mg/m², domination of freshwater Aulacoseira diatoms, and significant contribution of green algae (both in abundance and biomass). The northern border for the distribution range of the southern complex of phytoplankton species lies between the 8 and 18 psu isohalines (~73°10′ N). The continental slope and deepwater areas of the Laptev Sea (north of 77°30′ N), with a salinity of >27 psu in the upper mixed layer, are populated by the community prevalently composed of Chaetoceros and Rhizosolenia diatoms, very abundant in the Arctic, and dinoflagellates. The phytoplankton number in this area fall in the range of 430–1100 × 10⁶ cell/m², and the biomass, in the range of 3600 mg/m². A moderate desalinating impact of the Lena River discharge is observed in the outer shelf area between 73°20′ and 77°30′ N; the salinity in the upper mixed layer is 18–24 psu. The phytocenosis in this area has a mosaic spatial structure with between-station variation in the shares of different alga groups in the community, cell number of 117–1200 × 10⁶ cells/m², and a biomass of 1600–3600 mg/m². As is shown, local inflow of “fresh” nutrients to the euphotic layer in the fall season leads to mass growth of diatoms.     

The Kuroshio East of Taiwan and in the East China Sea and the currents East of Ryukyu Islands during early summer of 1996

Using hydrographic data and moored current meter records and the ADCP observed current data during May–June 1996, a modified inverse method is applied to calculate the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and in the East China Sea and the currents east of Ryukyu Islands. There are three branches of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. The Kuroshio in the East China Sea comes from the main (first) and second branches of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. The easternmost (third) branch of the Kuroshio flows northeastward to the region east of Ryukyu Islands. The net northward volume transports of the Kuroshio through Section K₂ southeast of Taiwan and Section PN in the East China Sea are 44.4×10⁶ and 27.2×10⁶ m³s⁻¹, respectively. The western boundary current east of Ryukyu Islands comes from the easternmost branch of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and an anticyclonic recirculating gyre more east, making volume transports of 10 to 15×10⁶ m³s⁻¹. At about 21°N, 127°E southeast of Taiwan, there is a cold eddy which causes branching of the Kuroshio there.     

Dianeutral mixing,transformation and transport of Antarctic Intermediate Water in the South Atlantic Ocean

Recently obtained World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) sections combined with a specially prepared pre-WOCE South Atlantic data set are used to study the dianeutral (across neutral surface) mixing and transport achieving Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) being transformed to be part of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) return cell. Five neutral surfaces are mapped, encompassing the AAIW from 700 to 1100 db at the subtropical latitudes.Coherent and significant dianeutral upwelling is found in the western boundary near the Brazil coast north of the separation point (about 25°S) between the anticyclonic subtropical and cyclonic south equatorial gyres. The magnitude of dianeutral upwelling transport is 10^-3 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^-1) for 1°×1° square area. It is found that the AAIW sources from the southwestern South Atlantic and southwestern Indian Ocean do not rise significantly into the Benguela Current. Instead, they contribute to the NADW return formation by dianeutral upwelling into the South Equatorial Current. In other words, the AAIW sources cannot obtain enough heat/buoyancy to rise until they return to the western boundary region but north of the separation point. The basin-wide integration of dianeutral transport shows net upward transports, ranging from 0.25 to 0.6 Sv, across the lower and upper boundary of AAIW north of 40°S. This suggests that the equatorward AAIW is a slow rising water on a basin average. Given one order of uncertainty in evaluating the along-neutral-surface and dianeutral diffusivities from the assumed values, K=10³ m² s^-1 and D=10^-5 m² s^-1, the integrated dianeutral transport has an error band of about 10–20%. The relatively weak integrated dianeutral upwelling transport compared with AAIW in other oceans implies much stronger lateral advection of AAIW in the South Atlantic.Mapped Turner Angle in diagnosing the double-diffusion processes shows that the salty Central Water can flux salt down to the upper half of AAIW layer through salt-fingering. Therefore, the northward transition of AAIW can gain salt either through along-neutral-surface advection and diffusion or through salt fingering from the Central Water and heat through either along-neutral-surface advection and diffusion or dianeutral upwelling. Cabbeling and thermobaricity are found significant in the Antarctic frontal zone and contribute to dianeutral downwelling with velocity as high as −1.5×10^-7 m s^-1. A schematic AAIW circulation in the South Atlantic suggests that dianeutral mixing plays an essential role in transforming AAIW into NADW return formation.