Impact of oxygen-depleted water on the vertical distribution of chaetognaths in the northeastern Arabian Sea

The influence of a thick layer of oxygen-depleted water (<0.2 ml l⁻¹) on the abundance and distribution of chaetognaths was investigated in the northeastern Arabian Sea (NEAS), a natural oxygen-deficient system in the global ocean. The species and maturity stage-wise distribution of this group were studied at five discrete depths down to 1000 m. A total of 22 species belonging to four genera were observed, and the genus Sagitta dominated, representing 60% (500-1000 m) to 89% (Mixed layer depth) of the total chaetognath population. Based on their vertical distribution limits, four groups were recognised, as follows: I: species abundant in surface water with a maximum distribution limit up to 300 m; II: species confined mainly to deeper waters (>500 m); III: species present throughout the water column (0-1000 m); and IV: species present in most layers, but with a preference for a specific depth stratum. A positive correlation (P<0.01) was observed in the abundance of chaetognaths and their main prey copepods, emphasising the strong trophic relationship between these groups. It was found that the intensely oxygen-deficient waters of the NEAS play a crucial role in the vertical distribution and abundance of chaetognath species of all four genera. This report presents information on the maturity stages and ontogenetic migration of this important planktonic group in relation to the oxygen-depleted water in the study region for the first time. The results obtained are also important for understanding the biological processes associated with a major oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the global ocean.     

Upwelling of oxygen-depleted water (Sumishio) in Omura Bay,Japan

Wind-induced circulation and the distribution of hypoxia corresponding to the upwelling of oxygen-depleted water (called “Aoshio” in Japan and “Sumishio” locally in Omura Bay) in Omura Bay, Japan, was examined field observations and by three-dimensional modeling. During the calm weather in summer, well-mixed strait water, in rich oxygen at the mouth of the bay intruded into the middle layer of the bay, southward and northward along the west and east coast, respectively, forming basin-scale cyclonic circulation. A stagnant water mass was formed below the center of this cyclonic circulation, and it became hypoxic water. As a result of the prevailing strong southeast (northeast) wind, the bottom hypoxia moved in a southeasterly (northeasterly) direction. This induces the upwelling of hypoxic water, accompanied by mass mortality of marine organisms.     

日本南部黑潮路径发生弯曲的最优前期征兆及其发展机制

基于正压出入流模式, 利用条件非线性最优扰动(CNOP)方法研究初始异常的位置与模态对日本南部黑潮路径变异的影响。以模式模拟出的黑潮平直路径的平衡态作为参考态, 计算CNOP, 考察该扰动随时间的发展, 并与随机扰动的发展进行对比。结果表明, CNOP 能够导致黑潮弯曲路径发生, 随机扰动则不能。因此, CNOP 可以作为导致日本南部黑潮路径发生弯曲的一种最优前期征兆。通过分析CNOP 和随机扰动的发展过程, 可以得出: (1) CNOP 使黑潮发展成弯曲路径的过程是一个气旋涡向下游传播并增长的过程。(2) 气旋涡的向东传播都是非线性项的作用, 也就是涡度平流造成的。(3) CNOP和随机扰动发展过程中所产生的气旋涡均会传播到下游区域, 但是CNOP 产生的气旋涡能够增强, 最终导致弯曲路径发生, 而随机扰动产生的气旋涡则会减弱, 并不能导致弯曲路径发生。分析发现, 在CNOP 实验中, 非线性作用使气旋涡增大; 但在随机扰动实验中, 非线性作用使气旋涡减弱, 所以非线性作用对日本南部黑潮路径发生弯曲有重要影响。(4) 底摩擦效应对日本南部黑潮路径变异影响较小。本文揭示的黑潮路径发生弯曲的最优前期征兆及其非线性发展机制, 对提高黑潮路径变异的预报技巧具有重要意义。     

孟加拉湾南部表层沉积物稀土元素组成及其物源指示意义

基于孟加拉湾南部98个表层沉积物的稀土元素组成及其空间分布特征,判别了研究区表层沉积物主要来源,并结合水动力环境等探讨了孟加拉湾南部区域沉积物输运方式。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物稀土元素总含量范围为67.62～180.67μg/g,其平均值为100.85μg/g,且具有轻稀土富集、重稀土均一、明显的Eu负异常的特征。基于稀土元素主要参数,可将研究区分为两个区域,Ι区位于研究区西部,Ⅱ区位于研究区东部。根据球粒陨石标准化后的La/Yb-Sm/Nd物源判别图解可知,研究区表层沉积物的最主要来源为恒河-布拉马普特拉河搬运的喜马拉雅山侵蚀物质,其对整个研究区均有重要影响;次要来源为戈达瓦里河-克里希纳河输送的印度半岛物质,其主要影响范围为研究区西侧的Ι区。不同源区沉积物在研究区的输运过程主要受控于季节性表层环流,其驱动力为印度季风系统。     

东海高密水环流的演变及其对长江口外混合水扩散的影响

本文依据多年的东海水文观测资料，进一步分析了东海高密水核心及其上层环流的形成、演变特点和它对长江口外混合水扩散的影响。获得如下结果：１．东海高密水的形成是具有高温、高盐特性的台湾暖流水北上降温的必然结果。增密方程可以反映这一特点。２．东海高密水核心及其上层环流的形成与由台湾暖流发展引起的水团挤压有关。３．在春、夏季，东海高密水核心区上层环流的发展可对长江口外混合水（盐度为２３～３３）的扩散产生很大影响。这个环流可导致近岸盐度锋松弛，长江口外混合水沿具有低密特性的台湾暖流水和东海高密水之间的密度锋向外扩展。密度锋是长江口外混合水扩散的通道     

The reliability of analytical data for tributyltin (TBT) in sea water and its implications on water quality criteria

To investigate the reliability of analytical data for tributyltin (TBT) in sea water, split water samples were distributed to ten laboratories in six countries. The sub-surface samples comprised: (i) an offshore (0·5 km) water sample, (ii) the same sample but spiked with an undisclosed quantity of TBT standard compound (175 ng TBT⁺ liter⁻¹), and (iii) a sample taken from a yacht marina. The seven acceptable data sets were in good agreement for the spiked sample (178 ± 26 ng TBT⁺ liter⁻¹) but showed a greater variation in concentrations reported for the yacht marina sample (366 ± 93 ng TBT⁺ liter⁻¹). Atomic absorption and gas chromatographic-flame photometric detection techniques produced results of similar accuracy and precision. Samples acidified with 1 ml of 10% (v/v) acetic acid appeared stable for more than 2 weeks when stored refrigerated and in darkness. Analyses of the offshore seawater sample revealed TBT contamination (9 ± 7 ng TBT⁺ liter⁻¹) indicating dispersion of the compound to the shelf waters off Monaco. The spread in values reported by the laboratories demonstrates inherent difficulties in obtaining good precision below approximately 20 ng TBT⁺ liter⁻¹. This observation is discussed with respect to the setting and enforcing of water quality standards.     

Dissolved organic matter cycling in the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans south of Africa

The boundary between the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean is a key spot of the thermohaline circulation, where the following water masses mix up: Indian Central water (ICW), South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW) and Antarctic Winter Water (WW). An optimum multiparameter analysis based on the distributions of potential temperature, salinity, NO (=O₂+9.3×NO₃) and silicate during the GoodHope 2004 (GH04) cruise allowed us to (i) define the realms of these water masses; (ii) obtain the water mass proportion weighted-average (archetypal) apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of each water mass; and (iii) estimate the contribution of DOC to the oxygen demand of the study area. WW represented only 5.2% of the water volume sampled during GH04, followed by WSDW with 10.8%, NADW with 12.7%, SACW with 15.3%, AAIW with 23.1% and CDW with 32.8%. The distributions of DOC and AOU were mainly explained by the mixing of archetypal concentrations of these variables, 75±5% and 65±3% respectively, which retained the variability due to the basin-scale mineralization from the formation area to the barycentre of each water mass along the GH04 line. DOC accounted for 26±2% and 12±5% of the oxygen demand of the meso- and bathypelagic ocean, respectively. Conversely, local mineralization processes, retained by the residuals of the archetypal concentrations of DOC and AOU, did not contribute to improve significantly the mixing model of DOC.     

Parameterization of ocean wave-induced mixing processes for finite water depth

Three dimensional wave-induced mixing plays an important role in shallow water area. A quite direct approach through the Reynolds average upon characteristic length scale is proposed to parameterize the horizontal and vertical shallow water mixing. Comparison of finite depth case with infinite depth results indicates that the difference of the wave-induced mixing strength is evident. In the shallow water condition, the infinite water depth approximation overestimates the mixing strength in the lower layers. The nonzero horizontal wave-induced mixing presents anisotropic property near the shore. The Prandtl’s mixing length theory underestimated the wave-induced mixing in the previous studies.     

Widespread rocky reef occurrence in the central English Channel and the implications for predictive habitat mapping

Reefs are one of the marine habitats listed in Annex I of the European Union's Habitats Directive, which aims to establish a coherent European ecological network of Special Areas of Conservation. EU Member States are required to prepare and propose a national list of sites for evaluation under the scheme, but currently the occurrence of reefs in the United Kingdom's nearshore and offshore areas is not well documented. Here we report on our search for rocky reefs in the central English Channel, which unexpectedly revealed an extensive reef system covering an area of 1100 km². Prior to our work, it was generally perceived that the seabed in this area comprised mostly gravel, with a few isolated rock outcrops.Our approach to determining the location, extent and character of these reefs incorporated broad, medium and fine-scale analyses over a 3200 km² area of seabed, using single- and multi-beam acoustic data, ground-truthed by underwater video and stills imagery. A benthic terrain model was developed in ArcGIS to map topographic features at the broad and medium scales. Biotope assignments were made at the fine scale through detailed analysis of video footage obtained from 30 sampling stations. The study area has a complex geological history and lies at the centre of a major bedload-parting zone. Together, these strongly influence the seabed character and the distribution of biotopes. An integrated assessment of the physical and biological features was used to map the study area to level 4 of the EUNIS habitat classification system.Similar physical conditions exist in other areas of the UK continental shelf, raising the prospect of predicting where other rocky reef systems might occur. In the absence of a co-ordinated national seabed survey programme, such predictions, coupled with interpretation of existing single-beam bathymetry data, can help prioritise areas where limited survey resources could be most effectively deployed.     

Circulation and mixing of Mediterranean water west of the Iberian Peninsula

The spreading of water of Mediterranean origin west of the Iberian Peninsula was studied with hydrographic data from several recent cruises and current measurements from the BORD-EST programme. The vertical breakdown of the “Mediterranean salt” content reveals the dominant contribution of the so-called lower core of the outflow (60%), and the significant fraction (22%) brought downward to levels below 1500 m by diffusion. Intense salinity maxima in the upper core (18%) are only encountered south of 38°N in the vein flowing northward along the continental slope, and at a few stations in the deep ocean. Apart from the coastally trapped vein, other preferred paths of the water mass are revealed by the horizontal distributions of salinity maximum and Mediterranean Water percentage. One is southward, west of the Gorringe Bank, and two northwestward ones lie around 40°N and west of the Galicia Bank. Year-long velocity measurements in the Tagus Basin show westward mean values of 7 × 10⁻² m s⁻¹ at 1000 m associated with a very intense mesoscale variability. This variability is related to the pronounced dynamical signature of the outflow which favours instability in any branch having detached from the slope current. From a mixing point of view, the strong interleaving activity occurring near Cape St-Vincent is illustrated, but its contribution to the downstream salinity decrease in the coastally trapped vein is weak. Current and meddy detachment play the dominant role, with a scaling estimate of their associated lateral diffusivity of order 500 m² s⁻¹. The statistical distribution of the density ratio parameter, which governs double-diffusion at the base of the Mediterranean Water, was found to be very tight around R_π = 1.3 in the temperature range of 5°C< φ < 8°C. North of 40°N, the presence of a fraction of Labrador Sea Water in the underlying water is shown to decrease that parameter and should favour the formation of salt fingers.     

长江口南港底沙输移及其对南、北槽分汊口的影响

以1958年以来浏河口至横沙水文站之间南港系列水下地形图数字化分析资料为基础，以成形活动沙洲和隐形活动沙包作为底沙推移的判别标志，研究底沙输移规律，底沙输移对南港河槽分化和南、北槽分汊演变趋势的影响。研究结果表明长江口底沙活动范围向口门地区推移，底沙绝大部分进入南槽。     

甲板上浪过程中水流运动规律数值研究

甲板上浪发生时产生的巨大冲击载荷可以对海洋结构物造成严重破坏,其发生时的海况比较恶劣,带有较强的非线性特点。采用CFD软件Fluent中的动网格功能造波结合软件中的VOF模块捕捉自由液面再现了单个极大波浪的生成过程,继而对固定甲板情形下的上浪问题进行了考察,波浪遭遇甲板后产生了流动的分离,甲板上下的水体表现出了完全不同的流动特点。通过可视化计算结果和深入细致的速度剖面分析,更好地加深了对这一复杂流动过程的理解。最后还将模拟结果与实验结果在定性和定量上进行了对比,表现出了良好的一致性。     

东海陆坡—冲绳海槽水体剖面地球化学特征与指示意义

通过对东海陆坡—冲绳海槽中北部两个水体剖面的碳、氯、硼同位素和离子浓度的分析,探讨了水体剖面的离子和同位素组成的控制因素、水体来源以及现代水体交换过程。结果表明,水体剖面中表层水、次表层水、中层水体的性质明显不同,ST2水体剖面K+、Ca2+、SO42−等离子浓度整体随深度增加而升高,δ13C、δ11B、δ37Cl垂向变化波动较大,ST19剖面离子浓度、同位素垂向变化趋势与ST2剖面相反。ST2、ST19水体剖面表层水（0～100 m）和次表层水（100～300 m）主要来源于黑潮表层水（Kuroshio Surface Water,KSW）和黑潮热带水（Kuroshio Tropical Water,KTW）,同时受长江冲淡水（Changjiang Diluted Water,CDW）/陆架水影响;中层水体（300～1 000 m）组成与北太平洋中层水（North Pacific Intermediate Water,NPIW）和南海中层水（South China Sea Intermediate Water,SCSIW）相似。两水体剖面水体组成存在较为明显的南北差异,可能与所处海区地理位置、CDW/陆架水传输路径、区域性地形导致局部上升流、水体剖面中NPIW与SCSIW占比不同有关。     

南海南部浅表层柱状沉积物孔隙水地球化学特征对甲烷渗漏活动的指示

海底沉积物孔隙水地球化学特征能快速响应甲烷渗漏活动及其生物地球化学过程,从而记录甲烷渗漏活动特征。对采自南海南部北康盆地的3个重力沉积柱状沉积物孔隙水样品（BH-H75、BH-H13Y和BH-H61）进行了甲烷浓度、溶解无机碳（DIC）和碳同位素（δ13CDIC）、阴离子（SO42−、Cl−）以及主微量元素（Ca2+、Mg2+、Sr2+、Ba2+）等地球化学分析。（△DIC+△Ca2++△Mg2+）/△SO42−比率图解与δ13CDIC深度剖面特征揭示了有机质硫酸盐还原反应（OSR）和硫酸盐驱动-甲烷厌氧氧化反应（SD-AOM）在不同沉积柱中所占比例的不同,其中BH-H13Y沉积柱中OSR和SD-AOM共同存在;BH-H75沉积柱中OSR占主导;在BH-H61沉积柱中SD-AOM占主导,且其底部可能存在微生物产甲烷作用。硫酸盐浓度线性拟合关系指示BH-H13Y的硫酸盐-甲烷过渡带（SMTZ）的深度约为700 cmbsf。结合SO42−浓度、DIC浓度最大值和δ13CDIC最小值推测BH-H61的SMTZ深度约为480 cmbsf。BH-H61和BH-H13Y沉积柱中,较浅的SMTZ深度、上升的DIC浓度以及强烈负偏的δ13CDIC值指示研究区存在甲烷渗漏活动。此外,在BH-H61和BH-H13Y站位,硫酸盐浓度随深度降低的变化梯度在沉积柱下部较上部陡,指示向上迁移的甲烷通量在时间上逐渐增强。孔隙水中Ca2+、Mg2+、Sr2+浓度以及Mg/Ca、Sr/Ca比值变化特征指示研究区沉积物中可能有自生高镁方解石矿物生成;而BH-H61站位SMTZ界面以下,孔隙水中Ba2+浓度升高,指示了硫酸钡的溶解作用。     

Evaluation of perfluoromethyldecalin as a deliberate tracer for the study of water mixing processes

A deliberate tracer experiment has been carried out in an enclosed lagoon in a coastal area. The tracer used was a perfluorocarbon, perfluoro- -methyldecalin (PMD), analysed using liquid-liquid extraction and electron capture gas chromatography. The results show good recovery of the tracer, indicating that adsorption and volatilization did not occur to an appreciable extent over the short time period of the experiment. A mathematical model, PHOENICS, developed for simulation of flow systems, was used to simulate the experiment.     

Mass mortality and recolonization of Pyura stolonifera (Heller) on the south coast of South Africa

The fauna and flora of two sublittoral communities situated in close proximity on the west coast of South Africa are described and shown to be radically different, despite the fact that both experience similar physical conditions. One of these communities, at Marcus Island, has prolific beds of the black mussel Choromytilus meridionalis (35 954 g wet weight·m^?2) accompanied by a large number of other species, notably sea urchins, holothurians, brittle stars, whelks and barnacles. In contrast, the other site, Malgas Island, is dominated by a large population of rock lobsters Jasus lalandii together with a dense seaweed flora (3 866 and 4 402 g wet weight·m^?2 respectively). The numbers of species are similar at both sites (102 at Malgas Island and 107 at Marcus Island) but only 34 per cent are common to both localities. Although preliminary research indicates that the two sites have fairly similar physical conditions and bottom topography, they maintained their contrasting communities for the whole research period (1983–1986) and have probably done so for at least nine years, suggesting that they represent two stable alternative states of the same ecosystem. In the absence of rock lobsters at Marcus Island, wave action and inter/intraspecific competition are the main forces structuring the benthic community. Stability is maintained here by the resilience and rapid recovery of the mussel population after disturbance by storms. Where rock lobsters are abundant, as at Malgas Island, intense predation pressure is the main force controlling the structure of the benthos, and it is continually maintained because the rock lobsters are resistant to the effect of storms. Therefore, the presence or absence of high densities of rock lobsters is fundamental to the maintenance of these two contrasting communities.     

On the grid dependence of lateral mixing parameterizations for global ocean simulations

Using an ice–ocean coupled model on an eddy-admitting, global, 0.4° mesh, we find that simulations of tracer properties and kinetic energy differ much more at high latitudes than at mid-to-low latitudes under different choices for the lateral tracer mixing parameterization, particularly between Gent and McWilliams (GM) mixing, which is Laplacian in form, and biharmonic tracer diffusion. Besides the more physical, rotated diffusivity used in GM, the differences in these two formulations can be traced to two effects, (1) scale selectivity, in which Laplacian forms damp wave energy more quickly than biharmonic mixing formulations, and (2) grid dependence of the diffusion coefficient, which is particularly important at high latitudes where the grid scale decreases dramatically on the sphere. This study explores some effects of these parameterization choices at high latitudes, including the anisotropic GM formulation. Regardless of the mixing parameterization chosen, future global simulations should take into account variations in grid cell area, in order to prevent diffusion from dominating advection in the evolution of high latitude tracers and circulation.     

Dianeutral mixing,transformation and transport of the deep water of the Indian Ocean

The realization of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) replacement in the deep northern Indian Ocean is crucial to the “conveyor belt” scheme. This was investigated with the updated 1994 Levitus climatological atlas. The study was performed on four selected neutral surfaces, encompassing the Indian deep water from 2000 to 3500 m. The Indian deep water comprises three major water masses: NADW, Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and North Indian Deep Water (NIDW). Since NADW flowing into the southwest Indian Ocean is largely blocked by the ridges (the Madagascar Ridge in the east and Davie Ridge in the north in the Mozambique Channel) and NIDW is the only source in the northern Indian Ocean that cannot provide a large amount of volume transport, CDW has to be a major source for the Indian deep circulation and ventilation in the north. Thus the question of NADW replacement becomes that of how the advective flows of CDW from the south are changed to be upwelled flows in the north—a water-mass transformation scenario. This study considered various processes causing motion across neutral surfaces. It is found that dianeutral mixing is vital to achieve CDW transformation. Basin-wide uniform dianeutral upwelling is detected in the entire Indian deep water north of 32°S, somewhat concentrated in the eastern Indian Ocean on the lowest surface. However, the integrated dianeutral transport is quite low, about a net of 0.2 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^-1) across the lowermost neutral surface upward and 0.4 Sv across the uppermost surface upward north of 32°S with an error band of about 10–20% when an uncertainty of half-order change in diffusivities is assumed. Given about 10–15% of rough ridge area where dianeutral diffusivity could be about one order of magnitude higher (10^-4 m² s^-1) due to internal-wave breaking, the additional amount of increased net dianeutral transport across the lowest neutral surface is still within that error band. The averaged net upward transport in the north is matched with a net downward transport of 0.3 Sv integrated in the Southern Ocean south of 45°S across the lowermost surface. With the previous works of You (1996. Deep Sea Research 43, 291–320) in the thermocline and You (Journal of Geophysical Research) in the intermediate water combined, a schematic dianeutral circulation of the Indian Ocean emerges. The integrated net dianeutral upwelling transport shows a steady increase from the deep water to the upper thermocline (from 0.2 to 4.6) north of 32°S. The dianeutral upwelling transport is accumulated upward as the northward advective transport provided from the Southern Ocean increases. As a result, the dianeutral upwelling transport north of 32°S can provide at least 4.6 Sv to south of 32°S from the upper main thermocline, most likely to the Agulhas Current system. This amount of dianeutral upwelling transport does not include the top 150–200 m, which may contribute much more volume transport to the south.     

The occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi in abalone feed in South Africa

Abalone feed in South Africa is mainly produced from locally sourced grains and has soy or fishmeal as a protein source. Contamination with fungal species associated with grain-based animal feed is, therefore, a predictable risk. Various Fusarium, Penicillium and Aspergillus species are known to produce mycotoxins when colonising grains. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic fungal species in the ingredients of compound abalone feeds as well as in final abalone-feed products. In this study, 248 fungal isolates were obtained from feed ingredients and compound abalone feeds collected from three different South African abalone farms and one feed supplier. Morphological and multigene phylogenetic analyses were used to identify the fungi isolated. Fusarium, Penicillium and Aspergillus species were consistently isolated. The presence of these species does not always result in mycotoxin contamination.