Carbon pools and fluxes in the China Seas and adjacent oceans

The China Seas include the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea. Located off the Northwestern Pacific margin, covering 4700000 km~2 from tropical to northern temperate zones, and including a variety of continental margins/basins and depths, the China Seas provide typical cases for carbon budget studies. The South China Sea being a deep basin and part of the Western Pacific Warm Pool is characterized by oceanic features; the East China Sea with a wide continental shelf, enormous terrestrial discharges and open margins to the West Pacific, is featured by strong cross-shelf materials transport; the Yellow Sea is featured by the confluence of cold and warm waters; and the Bohai Sea is a shallow semiclosed gulf with strong impacts of human activities. Three large rivers, the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Pearl River, flow into the East China Sea, the Bohai Sea, and the South China Sea, respectively. The Kuroshio Current at the outer margin of the Chinese continental shelf is one of the two major western boundary currents of the world oceans and its strength and position directly affect the regional climate of China. These characteristics make the China Seas a typical case of marginal seas to study carbon storage and fluxes. This paper systematically analyzes the literature data on the carbon pools and fluxes of the Bohai Sea,Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea, including different interfaces(land-sea, sea-air, sediment-water, and marginal sea-open ocean) and different ecosystems(mangroves, wetland, seagrass beds, macroalgae mariculture, coral reefs, euphotic zones, and water column). Among the four seas, the Bohai Sea and South China Sea are acting as CO_2 sources, releasing about0.22 and 13.86–33.60 Tg C yr~(-1) into the atmosphere, respectively, whereas the Yellow Sea and East China Sea are acting as carbon sinks, absorbing about 1.15 and 6.92–23.30 Tg C yr~(-1) of atmospheric CO_2, respectively. Overall, if only the CO_2 exchange at the sea-air interface is considered, the Chinese marginal seas appear to be a source of atmospheric CO_2, with a net release of 6.01–9.33 Tg C yr~(-1), mainly from the inputs of rivers and adjacent oceans. The riverine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) input into the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea are 5.04, 14.60, and 40.14 Tg C yr~(-1),respectively. The DIC input from adjacent oceans is as high as 144.81 Tg C yr~(-1), significantly exceeding the carbon released from the seas to the atmosphere. In terms of output, the depositional fluxes of organic carbon in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea are 2.00, 3.60, 7.40, and 5.92 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. The fluxes of organic carbon from the East China Sea and South China Sea to the adjacent oceans are 15.25–36.70 and 43.93 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. The annual carbon storage of mangroves, wetlands, and seagrass in Chinese coastal waters is 0.36–1.75 Tg C yr~(-1), with a dissolved organic carbon(DOC) output from seagrass beds of up to 0.59 Tg C yr~(-1). Removable organic carbon flux by Chinese macroalgae mariculture account for 0.68 Tg C yr~(-1) and the associated POC depositional and DOC releasing fluxes are 0.14 and 0.82 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. Thus, in total, the annual output of organic carbon, which is mainly DOC, in the China Seas is 81.72–104.56 Tg C yr~(-1). The DOC efflux from the East China Sea to the adjacent oceans is 15.00–35.00 Tg C yr~(-1). The DOC efflux from the South China Sea is 31.39 Tg C yr~(-1). Although the marginal China Seas seem to be a source of atmospheric CO_2 based on the CO_2 flux at the sea-air interface, the combined effects of the riverine input in the area, oceanic input, depositional export,and microbial carbon pump(DOC conversion and output) indicate that the China Seas represent an important carbon storage area.     

Interacting Loop Current variability and Mississippi River discharge over the past 400 kyr

The Loop Current mediating the oceanic heat and salt flux from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and its interference with the Mississippi River discharge are critical for both the regional climate in the Gulf of Mexico area and the water vapor transport towards high northern latitudes. We present a 400-kyr record of sea surface temperature and local surface salinity from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (IMAGES core MD02-2575) approximated from combined planktonic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O and Mg/Ca, which reflects the temporal dynamics of the Loop Current and its relationship to both varying Mississippi discharge and evolution of the Western Hemisphere Warm pool. The reconstructed sea surface temperature and salinity reveal glacial/interglacial amplitudes that are significantly larger than in the Western Hemisphere Warm pool. Sea surface freshening is observed during the extreme cool periods of Marine Isotope Stages 2, 8, and 10, caused by the strengthened Mississippi discharge which spread widely across the Gulf favored by the less established Loop Current. Interglacial and interstadial sea-surface conditions, instead, point to a strengthened, northward flowing Loop Current in line with the northward position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, allowing northeastern Gulf of Mexico surface hydrographic conditions to approach those of the Caribbean. At these times, the Mississippi discharge was low and deflected westward, promoted by the extended Loop Current. Previously described deglacial megadischarge events further to the west did not affect the northeastern Gulf of Mexico hydrography, implying that meltwater routing from the Laurentide Ice Sheet via the Mississippi River is unlikely to have affected Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.     

由TOPEX/Poseidon和Jason-1/2探测的1993—2012中国海海平面时空变化

海平面变化是社会经济发展和科学研究的重要内容.利用1993年1月至2012年12月共20年的TOPEX/Poseidon、Jason-1和Jason-2卫星测高数据,研究中国海海平面的时空变化.首先通过三颗卫星伴飞阶段数据得到三颗卫星之间的逐点海面高系统偏差,进行逐点海面高改正,建立了20年的中国海海面高异常时间序列.分析了中国海海面高异常空间分布,给出了1月到12月月均平均海平面异常的空间变化规律.分析了中国海海面高异常的时变规律,分别给出了年、季度和月的海面上升速率.利用小波分析研究了中国海海面高异常周期变化规律,分别给出了渤海、黄海、东海和南海的海面高变化周期.讨论了ENSO对海面高异常的影响.     

Dynamical Control of Pacific Oceanic Low-frequency Variability on Western Boundary and Marginal Seas

The adjustment of sea surface height (SSH) around the coasts of the Japan/East Sea (JES) and the South China Sea (SCS) basins subjected to extratropical Pacific Oceanic low frequency variability is studied using a Kelvin-planetary wave model and a high resolution numerical model. It is found that the modulation of SSH around the coast of Japan is mainly determined by slow adjustment of planetary waves, which radiate from the west coast of Honshu and Hokkaido due to the coastal Kelvin wave. In contrast, the SSH modulation around the cost of the South China Sea basin is mainly determined by the coastal Kelvin wave, which transfers the anomalous SSH into the SCS via the Luzon Strait and out via the Mindoro Strait. The planetary waves radiating from the west coast of Palawan establish a nearly uniform SSH anomaly in the southern part of the SCS, bounded by an eastward jet at the latitude of the Mindoro Strait. Along the western boundary, SSH anomaly decreases almost linearly toward the south, in accordance with the changing local deformation radius. In these two marginal seas, the mean subtropical Pacific gyre circulation enhances SSH modulation induced by extratropical Pacific low frequency variability. Overall, the SSH adjustment in the JES and the SCS predicted by the analytical model agrees well with the numerical model simulation. Application of this model to interaction between these marginal seas and the open ocean is discussed.     

Change of Indonesian Throughflow outflow in response to East Asian monsoon and ENSO activities since the Last Glacial

The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) links upper ocean waters of the west Pacific and Indian Ocean, modulates heat and fresh water budgets between these oceans, and in turn plays an important role in global climate change. The climatic phenomena such as the East Asian monsoon and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exert a strong influence on flux, water properties and vertical stratification of the ITF. This work studied sediments of Core SO18462 that was retrieved from the outflow side of the ITF in the Timor Sea in order to investigate response of the ITF to monsoon and ENSO activities since the last glacial. Based on Mg/Ca ratios and oxygen isotopes in shells of planktonic foraminiferal surface and thermocline species, seawater temperatures and salinity of both surface and thermocline waters and vertical thermal gradient of the ITF outflow were reconstructed. Records of Core SO18462 were then compared with those from Core 3cBX that was recovered from the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). The results displayed that similar surface waters occurred in the Timor Sea and the WPWP during the last glacial. Since ～16 ka, an apparent difference in surface waters between these two regions exists in salinity, indicated by much fresher waters in the Timor Sea than in the WPWP. In contrast, there is little change in difference of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). With regard to thermocline temperature (TT), it increased until ～11.5 ka since the last glacial, and then remained an overall unchanged trend in the WPWP but continuously decreased in the Timor Sea towards the late Holocene. Since ～6 ka, thermocline waters have tended to be close to each other in between the Timor Sea and the WPWP. It is indicated that intensified precipitation due to East Asian monsoon and possible ENSO cold phase significantly freshened surface waters over the Indonesian Seas, impeding the ITF surface flow and in turn having enhanced thermocline flow during the Holocene. Consequently, thermocline water of the ITF outflow was cooling and thermocline was shoaling towards the late Holocene. It is speculated that, in addition to strengthening of East Asian winter monsoon, increasing ENSO events during the late Holocene likely played an important role in influencing thermocline depth of the ITF outflow.     

An abrupt cooling event early in the last interglacial in the northern South China Sea

The high-resolution quantitative analysis of the planktonic foraminifera and the δ¹⁸O records of the section between 96.49– 137.6 mcd at ODP Site 1144 on the continental slope of northern South China Sea reveals an abrupt cooling event of sea surface temperature (SST) during the last interglacial (MIS 5.5, i.e. 5e). The dropping range of the winter SST may come to 7.5°C corresponding to 1.2‰ of the δ¹⁸O value of sea surface water. This event is comparable with those discovered in the west Europe and the northern Atlantic Ocean, but expressed in a more intensive way. It is inferred that this event may have been induced by middle- to low-latitude processes rather than by polar ice sheet change. Since the Kuroshio-index speciesPulleniatina obliquiloculata displayed the most distinct change at the event, it may also be related to the paleoceanographic change of the low-latitude area in the western Pacific Ocean. This event can be considered as one of “Younger Dryas-style coolings” and is indicative of climate variability of the last interglacial stage.     

鄂霍茨克海的地球物理场与地质构造

鄂霍茨克海位于西太平泮边缘海最北部，受欧亚大陆板块和太平洋板块的作用，有十分复杂的地质地球物理特征，鄂霍茨克海不仅有海隆，还有三个著名的盆地，其中的千岛盆地，是研究鄂霍茨克海的一个窗口，本文通过对大量相关资料的二次开发，详细地讨论了鄂霍茨克海的地球物理场特征，沉积特点、热流分及深部结构特点，并对该边缘海的形成演化进行了初步的探讨，我们认为，对鄂霍茨克海研究的结果，将对中国边缘海地质特征的研究起到帮助和借鉴作用。     

西太平洋海-气相互作用研究进展

主要对近十几年来我国在西太平洋海域海-气相互作用方面的研究成果作一简要回顾通过参与国际合作，我国在西太平洋海域已经获得大量观测资料，并在海气能量交换和物质交换方面取得了不少科研成果这些成果主要包括：（1）近中国海和热带西太平洋海域的海面动量、热量交换特征；（2）西太平洋及暖油海域的边界层特征；（3）海上气溶胶特性及分布规律；（4）热带西太平洋海-气二氧化碳交换。     

Distribution of ~(226)Ra in the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea and its hydrologic implications

The Arctic Ocean, the northernmost parts of the earth, covers the total surface area of 14.79 million square kilometers and amounts to only about 4% of global ocean surface area. Although its surface area is the smallest in the four major oceans, the Arct…     

Iodine-129 concentrations in marginal seas of the north Pacific and Pacific-influenced waters of the Arctic Ocean

Water sampling during the 1993 IV Russian–US Joint Expedition to the Bering and Chukchi Seas (BERPAC) indicates that Pacific Ocean burdens of the long-lived radionuclide ¹²⁹I are relatively low in the Pacific-influenced Arctic, particularly compared to high latitude waters influenced by the North Atlantic. These low concentrations occur despite the presence of potential submerged anthropogenic sources in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), and in the northwest Pacific Ocean, east of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The concentration of ¹²⁹I entering the Arctic Ocean through Bering Strait, 0.7×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹, is only slightly higher than observed in deep Pacific waters. Similar concentrations (0.44–0.76×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹) measured in Long Strait indicate no significant transfer of ¹²⁹I eastward into the Chukchi Sea in the Siberian Coastal Current from the Siberian marginal seas to the west. However, the concentrations reported here are more than an order of magnitude higher than the Bering Strait input concentration estimated (1.0×10⁶ atoms kg⁻¹) from bomb fallout mass balances, which supports other existing evidence for a significant atmospheric deposition term for this radionuclide in surface ocean waters. Near-bottom water samples collected in productive waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas also suggest that sediment regeneration may locally elevate ¹²⁹I concentrations, and impact its utility as a water mass tracer. As part of this study, two deep ¹²⁹I profiles were also measured in the East Sea in 1993–1994. The near-surface concentration of ¹²⁹I ranged from 0.12 to 0.31×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹. The ¹²⁹I concentration showed a steady decrease with depth, although because of active deep water ventilation, the entire 3000 m water column exceeded natural concentrations of the radionuclide. Atom ratios of ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs in the East Sea also suggest an excess of ¹²⁹I above bomb fallout estimates, also possibly resulting from atmospheric deposition ultimately originating from nuclear facilities.     

Variability in Solomon Sea circulation derived from altimeter sea level data

The Solomon Sea is a key region in the Pacific Ocean where equatorial and subtropical circulations are connected. The region exhibits the highest levels in sea level variability in the entire south tropical Pacific Ocean. Altimeter data was utilized to explore sea level and western boundary currents in this poorly understood portion of the ocean. Since the geography of the region is extremely intricate, with numerous islands and complex bathymetry, specifically reprocessed along-track data in addition to standard gridded data were utilized in this study. Sea level anomalies (SLA) in the Solomon Sea principally evolve at seasonal and interannual time scales. The annual cycle is phased by Rossby waves arriving in the Solomon Strait, whereas the interannual signature corresponds to the basin-scale ENSO mode. The highest SLA variability are concentrated in the eastern Solomon Sea, particularly at the mouth of the Solomon Strait, where they are associated with a high eddy kinetic energy signal that was particularly active during the phase transition during the 1997–1998 ENSO event. Track data appear especially helpful for documenting the fine structure of surface coastal currents. The annual variability of the boundary currents that emerged from altimetry compared quite well with the variability seen at the thermocline level, as based on numerical simulations. At interannual time scales, western boundary current transport anomalies counterbalance changes in western equatorial Pacific warm water volume, confirming the phasing of South Pacific western boundary currents to ENSO. Altimetry appears to be a valuable source of information for variability in low latitude western boundary currents and their associated transport in the South Pacific.     

Regional characteristics of the effects of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on the sea level in the China Sea

Based on coastal tide level, satellite altimetry, and sea surface temperature (SST) data of offshore areas of China’s coast and the equatorial Pacific Ocean, the regional characteristics of the effects of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the sea level in the China Sea were investigated. Singular value decomposition results show a significant teleconnection between the sea level in the China Sea and the SST of the tropical Pacific Ocean; the correlation coefficient decreases from south to north. Data from tide gauges along China’s coast show that the seasonal sea-level variations are significantly correlated with the ENSO. In addition, China’s coast was divided into three regions based on distinctive regional characteristics. Results obtained show that the annual amplitude of sea level was low during El Niño developing years, and especially so during the El Niño year. The ENSO intensity determined the response intensity of the annual amplitude of the sea level. The response region (amplitude) was relatively large for strong ENSO intensities. Significant oscillation periods at a timescale of 4–7 years existed in the sea level of the three regions. The largest amplitude of oscillation was 1.5 cm, which was the fluctuation with the 7-year period in the South China Sea. The largest amplitude of oscillation in the East China Sea was about 1.3 cm. The amplitude of oscillation with the 6-year period in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea was the smallest (less than 1 cm).     

东亚及西太平洋边缘海高分辨率面波层析成像

根据欧亚大陆及西太平洋地区58个数字地震台站约12000个长周期波形记录,挑选出4100条面波大圆传播路径,采用面波频散及波形拟合反演方法,对东亚及西太平洋边缘海地区(60°E-160°E,20°S-60°N)的地壳上地幔进行了高分辨率三维S波速度成像. 结果表明,从上地壳到70km深,在东亚东部及西太平洋边缘海地区为高速分布,西部以青藏高原为中心呈极低速分布. 自地中海经土耳其、伊朗、喜马拉雅山到缅甸、印尼群岛的特提斯汇聚碰撞带,显示为低速异常链. 从85km至250km深,在东亚东部及西太平洋边缘海,自北向南显示出一条巨型低速异常带,西部地区为高速异常分布.以东经110°E为界,东西两部分岩石圈、软流圈的结构与深部动力过程有着巨大的差异. 此界线以西主要是印度板块与欧亚板块碰撞引起的岩石圈汇聚增厚区,东部则主要是由于软流圈上涌(地幔热物质上升)引起的岩石圈拉张减薄区.     

High-resolution upper Pliocene to Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy in Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1146A in the South China Sea

We established a high-resolution calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy for the late Pliocene–Pleistocene by analyzing a 242 m-thick, continuous sedimentary succession from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1146, Hole A, in the South China Sea (SCS). A total of 14 calcareous nannofossil datums were detected in the SCS succession. They are, in descending order: first occurrence (FO) of Emiliania huxleyi, last occurrence (LO) of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa, LO of Reticulofenestra asanoi, FO of Gephyrocapsa parallela, FO of R. asanoi, LO of large Gephyrocapsa spp., FO of large G. spp., FO of Gephyrocapsa oceanica, FO of Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica, LO of Calcidiscus macintyrei, LO of Discoaster brouweri, LO of Discoaster pentaradiatus, LO of Discoaster surculus, and LO of Discoaster tamalis. The FO of E. huxleyi was not precisely detected due to poor preservation and dissolution of nannofossils in the underlying strata. We refined the previous calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy in the SCS by identifying Gephyrocapsa species and four evolutionary extinction events of the genus Discoaster. The proposed calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy correlates with those reported in other terrestrial and marine areas/sites and global benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O records. The age–depth curves based on nannofossil biostratigraphy indicate a significant increase in the sedimentation rates at the LO of R. asanoi (0.91–0.85 Ma). The timing of this increase corresponds to reef expansion in the Ryukyu Islands linked to a stepwise increase in Kuroshio Current intensity. This timing is broadly coeval with a sea surface temperature increase of ∼2 °C in the northwestern Pacific due to expansion of the Western Pacific Warm Pool towards the north and south subtropical regions. This can be explained by increased weathering and erosion of terrestrial areas in glacial periods and increased rainfall causing higher sediment transport in interglacial periods, which were both linked to Middle Pleistocene Transition-related climatic changes.     

南海夏季风爆发与南大洋海温变化之间的联系

利用1979-2009年NCEP第二套大气再分析资料和ERSST海温资料,分析南海夏季风爆发时间的年际和年代际变化特征,考察南海夏季风爆发早晚与南大洋海温之间的联系.主要结果为:(1)南海夏季风爆发时间年际和年代际变化明显,1979-1993年与1994-2009年前后两个阶段爆发时间存在阶段性突变;(2)南海夏季风爆发时间与前期冬季(12-1月)印度洋-南大洋(0-80°E,75°S-50°S)海温、春季(2-3月)太平洋-南大洋(170°E -80°W,75°S-50°S)海温都存在正相关关系,当前期冬、春季南大洋海温偏低(高)时,南海夏季风爆发偏早(晚).南大洋海温信号,无论是年际还是年代际变化,都对南海夏季风爆发具有一定的预测指示作用;(3)南大洋海温异常通过海气相互作用和大气遥相关影响南海夏季风爆发的迟早.当南大洋海温异常偏低(偏高)时,冬季南极涛动偏强(偏弱),同时通过遥相关作用使热带印度洋-西太平洋地区位势高度偏低(偏高)、纬向风加强(减弱),热带大气这种环流异常一直维持到春季4、5月份,位势高度和纬向风异常范围逐步向北扩展并伴随索马里越赤道气流的加强(减弱),从而为南海夏季风爆发偏早(偏晚)提供有利的环流条件.初步分析认为,热带大气环流对南大洋海气相互作用的遥响应与半球际大气质量重新分布引起的南北涛动有关.     

南海瑞雷面波群速度层析成像及其地球动力学意义

南海处于欧亚板块、 菲律宾海板块、 太平洋板块和印度-澳大利亚板块的交汇处, 其地质和构造作用十分复杂．通过面波群速度成像, 给出了南海及邻区的三维横波速度分布并分析了其地球动力学意义．南海西部和南部新布设的地震台站使得利用单台法时路径覆盖比过去更好. 特别是在华南地区, 新的台站分布能够弥补该地区地震少且台站少造成的射线密度不够的缺点． 首先运用多重滤波法得到南海周边48个台站周期为14——130 s范围内的基阶瑞雷波频散曲线图; 接着通过子空间反演得到整个区域在不同周期时的群速度分布; 最后通过阻尼最小二乘反演得到不同深度切片上的横波速度分布及不同纵剖面上的横波速度分布． 结果显示: ① 海盆速度较高, 且速度分布很好地勾勒出海盆的轮廓. 浅层较高的横波速度说明海盆都具有洋壳性质, 而深部较高的横波速度则可能对应扩张中心生成洋壳后残留的高速物质． 不同海盆速度上的差异与它们的热流值和年龄大小一致．海盆下的高速异常在60 km以下消失, 且在一定深度范围内由低速区替代． 在低速区下200 km深度, 在南海海盆观测到一条NE-SW走向的高速异常, 可能与古俯冲带有关. ② 环南海出现明显的高速区, 对应俯冲带特征, 且这些高速区速度差异明显且有间断, 说明俯冲带的非均质性和俯冲角度的差异. ③ 在环南海高速区内侧（向南海侧）观测到不连续的低速区． 在浅层, 这些低速区反映了沉积层和地壳的厚度特征. 在地幔, 这些低速区可能对应于古太平洋俯冲带的地幔楔或者也可能反映了南海海盆停止扩张后残留的地幔熔融物质. ④ 南海海盆岩石圈的厚度为60——85 km．      

Distribution of <Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra in the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea and its hydrologic implications

Radium-226 (²²⁶Ra) activities were measured in the surface water samples collected from the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea during the First Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition. The results showed that ²²⁶Ra concentrations in the surface water ranged from 0.28 to 1.56 Bq/m³ with an average of 0.76 Bq/m³ in the Arctic Ocean, and from 0.25 to 1.26 Bq/m³ with an average of 0.71 Bq/m³ in the Bering Sea. The values were obviously lower than those from open oceans in middle and low latitudes, indicating that the study area may be partly influenced by sea ice meltwater. In the Bering Sea, ²²⁶Ra in the surface water decreased northward, probably as a result of the exchange between the ²²⁶Ra-deficient sea ice meltwater and the ²²⁶Ra-rich Pacific water. In the Arctic Ocean, ²²⁶Ra in the surface water increased northward and eastward. This spatial distribution of ²²⁶Ra reflected the variation of the ²²⁶Ra-enriched river component in the water mass of the Arctic Ocean. The vertical profiles of ²²⁶Ra in the Canadian Basin showed a concentration maximum at 200 m, which could be attributed to the inputs of the Pacific water or/and the bottom shelf water with high ²²⁶Ra concentration. This conclusion was consistent with the results from ²H, ¹⁸O tracers.     

Advances in research of the mid-deep South China Sea circulation

The South China Sea(SCS) is a large marginal sea connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans.Under the factors of monsoons,strait transport,and varied bathymetry,the SCS presents a three-layer structure and strong diapycnal mixing which is far greater than that in the open ocean.Theoretical analysis and observations reveal that internal tides,internal solitary waves,and strong winds are the sources of the strong mixing in the northern SCS.A major consequence of the strong mixing is an active mid-deep circulation system.This system promotes exchange of water between the SCS and adjacent oceans,and also regulates the upper layer of wind-driven circulation,making the 3 dimensional SCS circulation clearly different from that in other tropical and subtropical marginal seas.The mass transport capacity of the mid-deep circulation has a substantial impact on marine sedimentation,the biogeochemical cycle,and other processes in the SCS.This paper summarizes the recent advances in middeep sea circulation dynamics of the SCS,and discusses the opportunities and challenges in this area.     

Seasonal variability of aerosol optical properties in Darwin,Australia

This paper investigates the annual cycle in aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and Angstrom exponent in Darwin, Australia, a coastal site in the Tropical Warm Pool where the major aerosol sources are biomass burning and sea salt. We have used radiometer measurements from the Tropical Western Pacific Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facility for the period March 2002–June 2003. Strong seasonal cycles in AOT and Angstrom exponent were observed, peaking during the burning season (May–November). Investigation of the spectral dependence of optical thickness showed that the Angstrom formula can be satisfactorily fitted to the AOT data during the burning season but not on summer and autumn afternoons due to the presence of sea salt aerosols.     

The evolution of the Kuroshio Current over the last 5 million years since the Pliocene: Evidence from planktonic foraminiferal faunas

Meridional heat transport of the western Pacific boundary current (the Kuroshio Current) is one of the key factors in global climate change. This current is important because it controls the temperature gradient between low latitudes and the North Pacific and so significantly influences mid-latitude atmosphere-ocean interactions. Here we reconstruct changes in hydrological conditions within the mid-latitude mainstream of the Kuroshio Current based on faunal analysis of planktonic foraminifera in core DSDP 296 from the Northwest Pacific Ocean. This approach enabled us to deduce evolutionary processes within the Kuroshio Current since the Pliocene. A total of 57 species in the coarser section (>150 µim) were identified; results indicate that planktonic foraminiferal faunal evolution has mainly been characterized by three major stages, the first of which comprised mixed-layer warm-water species of Globigerinoides ruber which first appeared between 3.5 and 2.7 Ma and then gradually increased in content. Percentages of another warm-water species of G. conglobatus also gradually increased in number over this interval. Variations in warm-water species indicate a gradual rise in sea surface temperature (SST) and imply initiation of Kuroshio Current impact on the Northwest Pacific Ocean since at least 3.5 Ma. Secondly, over the period between 2.7 and 2.0 Ma, thermocline species of Globigerina calida, Neogloboquadrina humersa, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata started to appear in the section. This fauna was dominated by G. ruber as well as increasing G. conglobatus contents. These features imply a further rise in SST and its gradually enhanced influence on thermocline water, suggesting strengthening of the Kuroshio Current since 2.7 Ma. Thirdly, between 2.0 Ma and present, increasing contents of thermocline species (i.e., G. calida, N. dutertrei and P. obliquiloculata) indicate a gradual rise in seawater temperature at this depth and also imply more intensive Kuroshio Current during this period. On the basis of comparative records from cores ODP 806 and DSDP 292 from the low latitude Western Pacific, we propose that initiation of the impact of the Kuroshio Current in the Northwest Pacific and it subsequent stepwise intensifications since 3.5 Ma can be closely related to the closure and restriction of the Indonesian and Central American seaways as well as variations in the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) and equatorial Pacific region.