The vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over the central Arctic Ocean

The tropopause height and the atmospheric boundarylayer （PBL） height as well as the variation of inversion layer above the floating ice surface are presented using GPS （global position system ） radiosonde sounding data and relevant data obtained by Chinas fourth arctic scientific expedition team over the central Arctic Ocean （86°-88°N, 144°-170°W） during the summer of 2010. The tropopause height is from 9.8 to 10.5 km, with a temperature range between -52.2 and -54.10C in the central Arctic Ocean. Two zones of maximum wind （over 12 m/s） are found in the wind profile, namely, low- and upper-level jets, located in the middle troposphere and the tropopause, respectively. The wind direction has a marked variation point in the two jets from the southeast to the southwest. The average PBL height determined by two methods is 341 and 453 m respectively. These two methods can both be used when the inversion layer is very low, but the results vary significantly when the inversion layer is very high. A significant logarithmic relationship exists between the PBL height and the inversion intensity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.66, indicating that the more intense the temperature inversion is, the lower the boundary layer will be. The observation results obviously differ from those of the third arctic expedition zone （800-85° N）. The PBL height and the inversion layer thickness are much lower than those at 870-88° N, but the inversion temperature is more intense, meaning a strong ice- atmosphere interaction in the sea near the North Pole. The PBL structure is related to the weather system and the sea ice concentration, which affects the observation station.     

Full-depth profiles of prokaryotes,heterotrophic nanoflagellates,and ciliates along a transect from the equatorial to the subarctic central Pacific Ocean

Studies in epipelagic waters report higher heterotrophic microbial biomass in the productive high latitudes than in the oligotrophic low latitudes; however, biogeographical data are scarce in the deep ocean. To examine the hypothesis that the observed latitudinal differences in heterotrophic microbial biomass in the epipelagic zone also occur at depth, abundance and biomass of heterotrophic prokaryotes, nanoflagellates (HNF), and ciliates were determined at depths of 5–5000 m in the central Pacific between August and September of 2005. Heterotrophic microbial biomass increased from the tropical to the subarctic region over the full water column, with latitudinal differences in prokaryotic biomass increasing from 2.3-fold in the epipelagic zone to 4.4-fold in the bathypelagic zone. However, the latitudinal difference in HNF and ciliate biomass decreased with depth. In the mesopelagic zone, the vertical attenuation rate of prokaryotic abundance, which was calculated as the linear regression slope of log-log plot of abundance versus depth, ranged from –0.55 to –1.26 and was more pronounced (steeper slope) in the lower latitudes. In contrast, the vertical attenuation rate of HNF in the mesopelagic zone (–1.06 to –1.27) did not differ with latitude. In the subarctic, the attenuation rate of HNF was 1.7 times steeper than for prokaryotes. These results suggest the accumulation of prokaryotes in the deep subarctic Pacific, possibly due to low grazing pressure. Although the vertical attenuation rate of ciliates was steepest in the bathypelagic zone, HNF abundance did not further decrease at depths below 1000 m, except for at 2000 m where HNF was lowest across the study area. Ciliate abundance ranged 0.3–0.8 cells l^–1 at 4000 m, and were below the detection limit (<0.1 cells l ^–1) at 5000 m. To our knowledge, this study presents the first data for ciliates below 2000 m.     

Microbial plankton abundance and heterotrophic activity across the Central Atlantic Ocean

The role of microorganisms in the transfer of carbon of marine systems is very important in open oligotrophic oceans. Here, we analyze the picoplankton structure, the heterotrophic bacterioplankton activity, and the predator-prey relationships between heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates during two large scale cruises in the Central Atlantic Ocean (∼29°N to ∼40°S). Latitud cruises were performed in 1995 between March-April and October-November. During both cruises we crossed the regions of different trophic statuses; where we measured different biological variables both at the surface and at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). The concentration of chlorophyll a varied between 0.1 and 0.8 mg m⁻³, the abundance of heterotrophic bacteria varied between <1.0 × 10⁵ and >1.0 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹, and that of heterotrophic nanoflagellates between <100 and >1.0 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹. The production of heterotrophic bacteria varied more than three orders of magnitude between <0.01 and 24 μgC L⁻¹ d⁻¹; and the growth rates were in the range <0.01-2.1 d⁻¹. In the Latitud-II cruise, Prochlorococcus ranged between <10³ and >3 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹, Synechococcus between <100 and >1.0 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹, and picoeukaryotes between <100 and >10⁴ cells ml⁻¹.Two empirical models were used to learn more about the relationship between heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates. Most bacterial production was ingested when this production was low, the heterotrophic nanoflagellates could be controlled by preys during Latitud-I cruise at the DCM, and by predators in the surface and in the Latitud-II cruise. Our results were placed in context with others about the structure and function of auto- and heterotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic nanoplankton in the Central Atlantic Ocean.     

Evaluation and modelling of Tertiary source rocks in the central Arctic Ocean

With the recently recovered organic-rich sediments of early Tertiary age from the Lomonosov Ridge by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 302, the first data collection directly from source rocks of the central basins of the Arctic Ocean is now available. Using the results of seismic interpretations and published sedimentological and organic geochemical data from Expedition 302, the framework for the first quantitative assessment of source-rock quality and distribution of the Palaeogene sediments was modelled in the central Arctic Ocean. The modelling results suggest that an approximately 100-m-thick Early to Middle Eocene sedimentary sequence of good to very good source rocks exists along a 75 km long transect across the Lomonosov Ridge. In-situ generation of hydrocarbons is unlikely because the overburden (200–250 m) and consequently the thermal maturity are too low. Burial history and thermal modelling reveal that an additional overburden of at least 1000 m is necessary to start hydrocarbon generation along the ridge. However, source-rock modelling results show that good source-rock potential may exist in correlative units in the adjacent Amundsen Basin. Simulated organic carbon contents of 1.5–5%, coupled with an overburden of 1000–1200 m, and heat flow anomalies (117 and 100 mW m⁻²) due to the vicinity to the Gakkel Ridge spreading centre indicate that necessary conditions for hydrocarbon expulsion are already reached, and point to viability of a potential petroleum system. Our results support the hypothesis that deposition of a potentially good hydrocarbon source rock occurred across the entire Arctic Basin and adjacent margins during the early Tertiary.     

Standing stocks,production, and respiration of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in the western Arctic Ocean

Standing stocks and production rates for phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria were examined during four expeditions in the western Arctic Ocean (Chukchi Sea and Canada Basin) in the spring and summer of 2002 and 2004. Rates of primary production (PP) and bacterial production (BP) were higher in the summer than in spring and in shelf waters than in the basin. Most surprisingly, PP was 3-fold higher in 2004 than in 2002; ice-corrected rates were 1581 and 458 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, for the entire region. The difference between years was mainly due to low ice coverage in the summer of 2004. The spatial and temporal variation in PP led to comparable variation in BP. Although temperature explained as much variability in BP as did PP or phytoplankton biomass, there was no relationship between temperature and bacterial growth rates above about 0 °C. The average ratio of BP to PP was 0.06 and 0.79 when ice-corrected PP rates were greater than and less than 100 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively; the overall average was 0.34. Bacteria accounted for a highly variable fraction of total respiration, from 3% to over 60% with a mean of 25%. Likewise, the fraction of PP consumed by bacterial respiration, when calculated from growth efficiency (average of 6.9%) and BP estimates, varied greatly over time and space (7% to >500%). The apparent uncoupling between respiration and PP has several implications for carbon export and storage in the western Arctic Ocean.     

北冰洋浮冰站近地层参数的观测估算

利用2008年8月20～27日我国第3次北极考察队在85°N附近设立的冰站上进行的湍流通量、辐射观测所获取的相关资料,采用涡动相关法对夏季北冰洋浮冰下垫面的近地层参数进行了估算.结果显示,观测期间浮冰区冰雪面的平均感热、潜热和净辐射通量分别是0.2 W/m2,1.2 W/m2和9.9 W/m2,表明下垫面获得的大部分热...     

北冰洋中心区海冰漂流与大气过程

利用北冰洋中心区漂流自动气象站(DAWS)2012年9月—2013年2月的观测数据,分析了北极点周围海冰漂流轨迹和速度及相关大气过程。结果显示,北冰洋中心区海冰具有不稳定漂流过程。2012年9月1日—2013年1月6日,DAWS所在海冰从西向西北方向漂流,2013年1月6日以后稳定地向东南方向漂流,平均移速为0.06m/s,最大达到0.4m/s。海冰漂流方向的突变和加速与穿极气旋和急流的影响有关。净辐射常出现短期突变过程,导致海冰从大气吸收能量,减缓了海冰的辐射冷却。爆发性增温过程的最大幅度达到30℃,是由强穿极气旋和伴随的暖湿气流向北极中心区输送引起,这种现象在中低纬度十分罕见。增温过程的作用是高空大气向冰面输送热量,导致海冰破裂,海冰硬度的脆变,减缓海冰厚度的增长,这种过程可能是北极海冰面积和厚度减少重要过程。     

Microbial colonisation of artificial and deep‐sea sediments in the Arctic Ocean

Although environmental factors such as grain size and organic carbon content may influence the distribution of microbes in marine sediments, there has been little experimental study of the topic to date. To investigate how those sediment variables affect microbial colonisation under in situ conditions, deep‐sea sediments and artificial sediments (glass beads, sands) were incubated in the Arctic deep sea at 2500 m water depth with or without chitin, one of the most important carbon polymers in marine environments. Microbial abundance, biomass, chitobiase activity and changes in community structure were monitored after 7 days and 1 year. In control sediments without chitin addition, no significant changes in microbial abundance, biomass and activity were observed after 1 year. In the presence of chitin, however, considerable increases in these parameters were recorded in all three sediment types tested. Regardless of chitin addition, natural deep‐sea sediments were always associated with higher values of microbial abundance, biomass and activity compared with artificial sediments. Sediment type was always found to be the most significant factor explaining variation in enzymatic activity and bacterial community structure as compared to the effects of chitin amount, incubation time, and changes in cell number or biomass. Overall, this is the first in situ study that has addressed the effects of multiple factors and their interactions on abundance, biomass, activity and community structure of microbial communities in the deep Arctic Ocean.     

1980～1999年热带太平洋次表层盐度年际变化同化数据分析

通过统计方法利用一套海洋同化数据分析了热带太平洋次表层的盐度变化特征.结果表明次表层盐度的年际变化与ENSO相关,且次表层盐度信号区域呈东西方向“跷跷板”的分布.对影响这些次表层的盐度信号区域平均的纬向平流、经向平流、垂直运动和淡水通量异常等因素进行了分析,并且与影响表层盐度年际变化模态的影响因素差异进行了比较,结果表明,纬向平流的异常对表层盐度的异常变化影响较大,而对次表层盐度异常有较大影响的是海水的垂直运动异常.     

The return of Pacific waters to the upper layers of the central Arctic Ocean

Temperature, salinity, and chemical measurements, including the nutrients silicic acid (Si), nitrate (NO₃), nitrite (NO₂), ammonium (NH₄), and phosphate (PO₄ or P), the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ¹⁸O), and barium (Ba) concentrations were obtained from the central Arctic Ocean along transects radiating from the North Pole in early spring, 2000–2006. Stations that were reoccupied over this time period were grouped into five regions: from Ellesmere Island, (1) north along 70°W and (2) northwest along 90°W; near the North Pole, (3) on the Amundsen Basin flank and (4) directly over the Lomonosov Ridge; (5) through the Makarov Basin along 170–180°W. These regions had been shown by others to have undergone marked changes in water-mass assemblies in the early 1990s, but our time series tracer hydrographic data indicate a partial return of Pacific origin water within the mixed layer and the upper halocline layers beginning in 2003–2004. Back-trajectories derived from satellite-tracked ice buoys for these stations indicate that the upper levels of Pacific water in the central Arctic in 2004–2006 transited westward from the Bering Strait along the Siberian continental slope into the East Siberian Sea before entering the Transpolar Drift Stream (TPD). By 2004, the TPD shifted back from an alignment over the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge toward the Lomonosov Ridge, as was characteristic prior to the early 1990s. At most stations occupied in 2006, a decrease in the Pacific influence was observed, both in the mixed layer and in the upper halocline, which suggests the Canadian branch of the TPD was shifting back toward North America. Clearly the system is more variable than has been previously appreciated.     

Community respiration/production and bacterial activity in the upper water column of the central Arctic Ocean

Community metabolism (respiration and production) and bacterial activity were assessed in the upper water column of the central Arctic Ocean during the SHEBA/JOIS ice camp experiment, October 1997–September 1998. In the upper 50 m, decrease in integrated dissolved oxygen (DO) stocks over a period of 124 d in mid-winter suggested a respiration rate of ∼3.3 nM O₂ h⁻¹ and a carbon demand of ∼4.5 gC m⁻². Increase in 0–50 m integrated stocks of DO during summer implied a net community production of ∼20 gC m⁻². Community respiration rates were directly measured via rate of decrease in DO in whole seawater during 72-h dark incubation experiments. Incubation-based respiration rates were on average 3-fold lower during winter (11.0±10.6 nM O₂ h⁻¹) compared to summer (35.3±24.8 nM O₂ h⁻¹). Bacterial heterotrophic activity responded strongly, without noticeable lag, to phytoplankton growth. Rate of leucine incorporation by bacteria (a proxy for protein synthesis and cell growth) increased ∼10-fold, and the cell-specific rate of leucine incorporation ∼5-fold, from winter to summer. Rates of production of bacterial biomass in the upper 50 m were, however, low compared to other oceanic regions, averaging 0.52±0.47 ngC l⁻¹ h⁻¹ during winter and 5.1±3.1 ngC l⁻¹ h⁻¹ during summer. Total carbon demand based on respiration experiments averaged 2.4±2.3 mgC m⁻³ d⁻¹ in winter and 7.8±5.5 mgC m⁻³ d⁻¹ in summer. Estimated bacterial carbon demand based on bacterial productivity and an assumed 10% gross growth efficiency was much lower, averaging about 0.12±0.12 mgC m⁻³ d⁻¹ in winter and 1.3±0.7 mgC m⁻³ d⁻¹ in summer. Our estimates of bacterial activity during summer were an order of magnitude less than rates reported from a summer 1994 study in the central Arctic Ocean, implying significant inter-annual variability of microbial processes in this region.     

海水物质平衡浮标对北冰洋中心区海冰温度与物质平衡的观测

利用中国第3次北极科学考察所布放海冰物质平衡浮标(Ice Mass-Balance buoy,IMB)的观测数据,分析了北冰洋中心区多年冰2008年8月-2009年7月温度与物质平衡的变化特征.结果表明,冰温廓线呈现明显的季节变化,秋季降温过程从海冰表面开始向冰体内部传播.海冰底部的生长/消融率受海水温度控制,随水温的...     

融池热力学模式以及它在2010年夏季北极中央区的应用研究

A one-dimensional thermodynamic model of melt pond is established in this paper.The observation data measured in the summer of 2010 by the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE-2010) are used to partially parameterize equations and to validate results of the model.About 85% of the incident solar radiation passed through the melt pond surface,and some of it was released in the form of sensible and latent heat.However,the released energy was very little(about 15%),compared to the incident solar radiation.More than 58.6% of the incident energy was absorbed by melt pond water,which caused pond-covered ice melting and variation of pond water temperature.The simulated temperature of melt pond had a diurnal variation and its value ranged between 0.0°C and 0.3°C.The melting rate of upper pond-covered ice is estimated to be around two times faster than snow-covered ice.At same time,the change of melting rate was relatively quick for pond depth less than 0.4 m,while the melting rate kept relatively constant(about 1.0 cm/d) for pond depth greater than 0.4 m.     

北冰洋中心区表层淡化层的藻类色素组成

季节性海冰融化在北冰洋中心区表层形成淡水层,影响了浮游植物的类群。研究发现岩藻黄素（Fuco,指示硅藻）是冰芯底部检测到的主要光合色素,叶黄素（Lut）和叶绿素b （Chl b）（指示绿藻）是冰水界面浓度最高的类胡萝卜素。海冰底部硅藻占据了绝对的优势,但在冰水界面藻类类群转变了以绿藻为主的结构。冰下水中,浮游植物群落随着深度的增加,由绿藻为主快速转变为以硅藻为主,盐度可能是导致这种变化的原因。     

Mesozooplankton in the Arctic Ocean in summer

The biomass, species and chemical composition of the mesozooplankton and their impact on lower food levels were estimated along a transect across the Arctic Ocean. Mesozooplankton biomass in the upper 200 m of the water column was significantly higher (19–42 mg DW m^-3) than has previously been reported for the Arctic Ocean, and it reached a maximum at ca. 87°N in the Amundsen Basin. The lowest values were recorded in the Chukchi Sea and Nansen Basin, where ice cover was lower (50–80%) than in the central Arctic Ocean. In the deeper strata (200–500 m) of the Canadian and Eurasian Basins, the biomass was always much lower (4.35–16.44 mg DW m^-3). The C/N (g/g) ratio for the mesozooplankton population was high (6.5–8.5) but within the documented range. These high values (when compared to 4.5 at lower latitudes) may be explained by the high lipid content. Mesozooplankton accounted for approximately 40% of the total particulate organic carbon in the upper 100 m of the water column. Mesozooplankton species composition was homogeneous along the transect, consisting mainly of copepods (70–90% of the total number). It was dominated by four large copepod species (Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis, C. finmarchicus and Metridia longa), which together accounted for more than 80% of the total biomass. According to measurements of gut pigment and gut turnover rates, the mesozooplankton on average ingested between 6 and 30% of their body carbon per day as phytoplankton. Microzooplankton may have provided an additional source of energy for the mesozooplankton community. These data emphasize the importance of mesozooplankton in the arctic food web and reinforce the idea that the Arctic Ocean should no longer be considered to be a “biological desert”.     

Zooplankton distribution across the Lomonosov Ridge,Arctic Ocean: species inventory,biomass and vertical structure

On a transect across the Lomonosov Ridge stratified zooplankton tows were made to the bottom at seven stations. A species inventory was established and compared with earlier observations in the Arctic Ocean. Differences between the Amundsen and Makarov basins are relatively small and correspond well with the general circulation patterns for Atlantic, Pacific, and neritic waters, suggesting slow mixing rates for the different basins. There were no remarkable differences in the species composition or their vertical distribution between the two sides of the Lomonosov Ridge. This indicates effective faunistic exchange across the ridge, although several bathy-pelagic species were almost or completely absent on top of the Ridge. Biomass showed a strong gradient along the transect, with a pronounced peak (9.5 g dry weight m⁻²) in the core of Atlantic water over the ridge, and minima over the deep basins. These differences were related to the effect of bottom topography for deep-living species, and the dynamics of the Atlantic layer for the meso- and epipelagic species. The maximum was formed mainly by the copepods Calanus hyperboreus and Metridia longa together with chaetognaths and ostracods. The presence of young developmental stages in some of the abundant species (C. hyperboreus, M. longa) suggests successful reproduction at all stations but C. finmarchicus was almost exclusively represented as old stages and adults. Comparison with earlier data on abundance and biomass from the Canada Basin (Russian Drift station “North Pole-22”) shows a pronounced difference with respect to both absolute quantities and relative composition. The copepod C. finmarchicus is completely absent in the central Canada Basin, and the portion of non-copepod zooplankton is dramatically decreased. This points to a reduced advection of Atlantic water or more severe food conditions in this basin.     

The fate of production in the central Arctic Ocean - top-down regulation by zooplankton expatriates?

We estimated primary and bacterial production, mineral nutrients, suspended chlorophyll a (Chl), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), abundance of planktonic organisms, mesozooplankton fecal pellet production, and the vertical flux of organic particles of the central Arctic Ocean (Amundsen basin, 89-88° N) during a 3 week quasi-Lagrangian ice drift experiment at the peak of the productive season (August 2001). A visual estimate of ≈15% ice-free surface, plus numerous melt ponds on ice sheets, supported a planktonic particulate primary production of 50-150 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ (mean 93 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, n = 7), mostly confined to the upper 10 m of the nutrient replete water column. The surface mixed layer was separated from the rest of the water column by a strong halocline at 20 m depth. Phototrophic biomass was low, generally 0.03-0.3 mg Chl m⁻³ in the upper 20 m and <0.02 mg Chl m⁻³ below, dominated by various flagellates, dinoflagellates and diatoms. Bacterial abundance (typically 3.7-5.3 × 10⁵, mean 4.1 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹ in the upper 20 m and 1.3-3.7 × 10⁵, mean 1.9 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹ below) and Chl concentrations were closely correlated (r = 0.75). Mineral nutrients (3 μmol NO₃ l⁻¹, 0.45 μmol PO₄ l⁻¹, 4-5 μmol SiO₄ l⁻¹) were probably not limiting the primary production in the upper layer. Suspended POC concentration was ∼30-105 (mean 53) mg C m⁻³ and PON ∼5.4-14.9 (mean 8.2) mg N m⁻³ with no clear vertical trend. The vertical flux of POC in the upper 30-100 m water column was ∼37-92 (mean 55) mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ without clear decrease with depth, and was quite similar at the six investigated stations. The mesozooplankton biomass (≈2 g DW m⁻², mostly in the upper 50 m water column) was dominated by adult females of the large calanoid copepods Calanus hyperboreus and Calanus glacialis (≈1.6 g DW m⁻²). The grazing of these copepods (estimated via fecal pellet production rates) was ≈15 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, being on the order of 3% and 20% of the expected food-saturated ingestion rates of C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis, respectively. The stage structure of these copepods, dominated by adult females, and their unsatisfied grazing capacity during peak productive period suggest allochthonous origin of these species from productive shelf areas, supported by their long life span and the prevailing surface currents in the Arctic Ocean. We propose that the grazing capacity of the expatriated mesozooplankton population would match the potential seasonal increase of primary production in the future decreased ice perspective, diminishing the likelihood of algal blooms.     

北冰洋加克利海岭(AMORE-2001)的考察

20 0 1年 1 0月 7日俄罗斯极地与海洋研究所使用的德国科学研究船队的主要船只“Po larstern”号破冰船回到了德国不来梅港 ,结束了为期 1 0个星期的北冰洋中部的加克利海岭AMORE -2 0 0 1考察。“Polarstern”号上有由俄罗斯极地与海洋研究所所长ЙОРНТиде领导的来自德国、俄罗斯和美国的 60位科学家。另一艘美国“Healy”号海岸保护破冰船上有以塔尔萨大学PMichael教授为首的 2 0位美国科学家。2 0 0 1年 7月 3 1日晚两条破冰船从挪威的特罗姆瑟港出发 ,驶向欧亚深水盆地中部 ,去研究实际上不为人知的全世界洋中脊体系最北的地…     

北极河流径流对北冰洋环流的影响

北极河流径流是北冰洋淡水的最大来源,其变化会对北冰洋中的诸多过程有重要影响。本文基于全球高分辨率海洋-海冰耦合模式的模拟结果,研究北冰洋温盐、海冰以及环流对北极河流径流的敏感性。通过对比有气候态北极河流径流输入的控制实验结果和径流完全关闭的敏感性实验结果,研究发现北极径流对北冰洋温度、盐度、海冰以及海洋环流等有显著的影响。关闭北极河流径流后,在河口附近的陆架上温度降低、盐度升高,且导致500 m深度处温度下降以及盐度升高;河口附近的陆架处,海冰密集度与海冰厚度增加。关闭北极河流径流也对北冰洋内的环流有影响:由于缺少来自欧亚大陆的北极径流的输入,穿极漂流与东格陵兰流流速减小且盐度增加;关闭北极径流导致近岸海表面高度降低,沿欧亚陆架的北冰洋边界流减弱,白令海入流增强。通过对比关闭北极径流实验与控制实验的温度和盐度剖面,发现关闭北极径流后大西洋层温度降低,各陆架海盐跃层的梯度减小,盐跃层厚度减小。     

Abundance and biomass of heterotrophic microbes in the Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

1Introduction Heterotrophicmicrobesarenowconsideredtobe significantcomponentsofthestructureandfunctionof marinepelagicecosystems.Heterotrophicbacteriacon- stituteamajorpoolofbiomassinopenecosystem (WilhelmandSuttle,1999).Theyconsumealargepor- tionofprimaryproduction(Li,1998;Sherryetal., 2002;Lietal.,2004),andtheymineralizemostofthe dissolvedorganiccarbonthattheyconsume(Azamet al.,1983;Richetal.,1997;Azam,1998).Therolesof planktonicprotists,suchasheterotrophicflagellates andciliates,inmicro…