A preliminary study of the variation of phytoplankton absorption coefficients in the northern South China Sea

The temporal and spatial variabilities of phytoplankton absorption coefficients (a ph (λ)) and their relationships with physical processes in the northern South China Sea were examined, based on in situ data collected from two cruise surveys during May 14 to 25, 2001 and November 2 to 21, 2002. Significant changes in the surface water in a ph values and B/R ratios (a ph (440)/a ph (675)) were observed in May, which were caused by a phytoplankton bloom on the inner shelf stimulated by a large river plume due...     

Study on the uncertainty of the available time under ship fire based on Monte Carlo sampling method

Available safety egress time under ship fire(SFAT) is critical to ship fire safety assessment,design and emergency rescue.Although it is available to determine SFAT by using fire models such as the two-zone fire model CFAST and the field model FDS,none of these models can address the uncertainties involved in the input parameters.To solve this problem,current study presents a framework of uncertainty analysis for SFAT.Firstly,a deterministic model estimating SFAT is built.The uncertainties of the input parameters are regarded as random variables with the given probability distribution functions.Subsequently,the deterministic SFAT model is employed to couple with a Monte Carlo sampling method to investigate the uncertainties of the SFAT.The Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient(SRCC) is used to examine the sensitivity of each input uncertainty parameter on SFAT.To illustrate the proposed approach in detail,a case study is performed.Based on the proposed approach,probability density function and cumulative density function of SFAT are obtained.Furthermore,sensitivity analysis with regard to SFAT is also conducted.The results give a high-negative correlation of SFAT and the fire growth coefficient whereas the effect of other parameters is so weak that they can be neglected.     

Are trends in SeaWiFS chlorophyll time-series unusual relative to historic variability

For selected locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, we compared surface ocean chlorophyll time series extracted from SeaWiFS imagery from 1997–2004 with the results of an ocean coupled circulation and biogeochemical model covering the period 1958–2004. During the 1997–2004 time period, linear trends in model and satellite time series were significantly correlated at most of the 44 sites we studied. Eleven sites were selected for further study, and we used the longer time series of the model to assess whether trends observed during the SeaWiFS period at these 11 sites were unusual in relation to those observed over the longer historical period covered by the model. The results show that the trends observed during the SeaWiFS period were not unusual and fell well within the range in magnitude of linear trends observed in other 8-year periods of model output. This result implies that the SeaWiFS satellite ocean color time series is not yet sufficiently long, on its own, to directly observe any long term changes in phytoplankton chlorophyll that may be occurring in the surface waters of the open ocean as a result of increased ocean stratification linked to global climate changed.     

基于海面多普勒谱模型的海浪反演精度分析

Microwave remote sensing is one of the most useful methods for observing the ocean parameters. The Doppler frequency or interferometric phase of the radar echoes can be used for an ocean surface current speed retrieval,which is widely used in spaceborne and airborne radars. While the effect of the ocean currents and waves is interactional. It is impossible to retrieve the ocean surface current speed from Doppler frequency shift directly. In order to study the relationship between the ocean surface current speed and the Doppler frequency shift, a numerical ocean surface Doppler spectrum model is established and validated with a reference. The input parameters of ocean Doppler spectrum include an ocean wave elevation model, a directional distribution function, and wind speed and direction. The suitable ocean wave elevation spectrum and the directional distribution function are selected by comparing the ocean Doppler spectrum in C band with an empirical geophysical model function(CDOP). What is more, the error sensitivities of ocean surface current speed to the wind speed and direction are analyzed. All these simulations are in Ku band. The simulation results show that the ocean surface current speed error is sensitive to the wind speed and direction errors. With VV polarization, the ocean surface current speed error is about 0.15 m/s when the wind speed error is 2 m/s, and the ocean surface current speed error is smaller than 0.3 m/s when the wind direction error is within 20° in the cross wind direction.     

2003-2016年北极净初级生产力时空变化

The area of Arctic sea ice has dramatically decreased, and the length of the open water season has increased;these patterns have been observed by satellite remote sensing since the 1970 s. In this paper, we calculate the net primary productivity(NPP, calculated by carbon) from 2003 to 2016 based on sea ice concentration products,chlorophyll a(Chl a) concentration, photosynthetically active radiation(PAR), sea surface temperature(SST), and sunshine duration data. We then analyse the spatiotemporal changes in the Chl a concentration and NPP and further investigate the relations among NPP, the open water area, and the length of the open water season. The results indicate that(1) the Chl a concentration increased by 0.025 mg/m~3 per year;(2) the NPP increased by 4.29 mg/(m~2·d) per year, reaching a maximum of 525.74 mg/(m~2·d) in 2016; and(3) the Arctic open water area increased by 57.23×10~3 km~2/a, with a growth rate of 1.53 d/a for the length of the open water season. The annual NPP was significantly positively related to the open water area, the length of the open water season and the SST.The daily NPP was also found to have a lag correlation with the open water area, with a lag time of two months.With global warming, NPP has maintained an increasing trend, with the most significant increase occurring in the Kara Sea. In summary, this study provides a macroscopic understanding of the distribution of phytoplankton in the Arctic, which is valuable information for the evaluation and management of marine ecological environments.     

中国近海生态动力学模型参数敏感性研究

In order to develop a coupled basin scale model of ocean circulation and biogeochemical cycling,we present a biogeochemical model including 12 components to study the ecosystem in the China coastal seas(CCS).The formulation of phytoplankton mortality and zooplankton growth are modified according to biological characteristics of CCS.The four sensitivity biological parameters,zooplankton assimilation efficiency rate(ZooAE_N),zooplankton basal metabolism rate(ZooBM),maximum specific growth rate of zooplankton(μ_(20)) and maximum chlorophyll to carbon ratio(Chl2C_m) are obtained in sensitivity experiments for the phytoplankton,and experiments about the parameter μ_(20'),half-saturation for phytoplankton NO_3 uptake(K_(NO_3)) and remineralization rate of small detritusN(SDeRRN) are conducted.The results demonstrate that the biogeochemical model is quite sensitive to the zooplankton grazing parameter when it ranges from 0.1 to 1.2 d~(-1).The K_(NO_3) and SDeRRN also play an important role in determining the nitrogen cycle within certain ranges.The sensitive interval of KNO_3 is from 0.1 to 1.5(mmol/m~3)~(-1),and interval of SEdRRN is from 0.01 and 0.1 d~(-1).The observational data from September 1998 to July 2000 obtained at SEATS station are used to validate the performance of biological model after parameters optimization.The results show that the modified model has a good capacity to reveal the biological process features,and the sensitivity analysis can save computational resources greatly during the model simulation.     

利用热带太平洋TAO浮标阵列评估全球高分辨率浪-潮-流耦合模式同化结果

In order to evaluate the assimilation results from a global high resolution ocean model, the buoy observations from tropical atmosphere ocean(TAO) during August 2014 to July 2015 are employed. The horizontal resolution of wave-tide-circulation coupled ocean model developed by The First Institute of Oceanography(FIOCOM model) is 0.1°×0.1°, and ensemble adjustment Kalman filter is used to assimilate the sea surface temperature(SST), sea level anomaly(SLA) and Argo temperature/salinity profiles. The simulation results with and without data assimilation are examined. First, the overall statistic errors of model results are analyzed. The scatter diagrams of model simulations versus observations and corresponding error probability density distribution show that the errors of all the observed variables, including the temperature, isotherm depth of 20°C(D20), salinity and two horizontal component of velocity are reduced to some extent with a maximum improvement of 54% after assimilation. Second, time-averaged variables are used to investigate the horizontal and vertical structures of the model results. Owing to the data assimilation, the biases of the time-averaged distribution are reduced more than70% for the temperature and D20 especially in the eastern Pacific. The obvious improvement of D20 which represents the upper mixed layer depth indicates that the structure of the temperature after the data assimilation becomes more close to the reality and the vertical structure of the upper ocean becomes more reasonable. At last,the physical processes of time series are compared with observations. The time evolution processes of all variables after the data assimilation are more consistent with the observations. The temperature bias and RMSE of D20 are reduced by 76% and 56% respectively with the data assimilation. More events during this period are also reproduced after the data assimilation. Under the condition of strong 2014/2016 El Ni?o, the Equatorial Undercurrent(EUC) from the TAO is gradually increased during August to November in 2014, and followed by a decreasing process. Since the improvement of the structure in the upper ocean, these events of the EUC can be clearly found in the assimilation results. In conclusion, the data assimilation in this global high resolution model has successfully reduced the model biases and improved the structures of the upper ocean, and the physical processes in reality can be well produced.     

A spectral response approach for detecting dominant phytoplankton size class from satellite remote sensing

An important goal in ocean colour remote sensing is to accurately detect different phytoplank- ton groups with the potential uses including the validation of multi-phytoplankton carbon cycle models; synoptically monitoring the health of our oceans, and improving our understanding of the bio-geochemical interactions between phytoplankton and their environment. In this paper a new algorithm is developed for detecting three dominant phytoplankton size classes based on distinct differences in their optical signatures. The technique is validated against an independent cou- pled satellite reflectance and in situ pigment dataset and run on the 10-year NASA Sea viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data series. Results indicate that on average 3.6% of the global oceanic surface layer is dominated by microplankton, 18.0% by nanoplankton and 78.4% by picoplankton. Results, however, are seen to vary depending on season and ocean basin.     

Numerical simulation and preliminary analysis of typhoon waves during three typhoons in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

In this study,typhoon waves generated during three typhoons(Damrey(1210),Fung-wong(1416),and Chan-hom(1509))in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea were simulated in a simulating waves nearshore(SWAN)model,and the wind forcing was constructed by combining reanalyzed wind data with a Holland typhoon wind model.Various parameters,such as the Holland fitting parameter(B)and the maximum wind radius?,were investigated in sensitivity experiments in the Holland model that affect the wind field construction.Six different formulations were considered and the parameters determined by comparing the simulated wind results with in-situ wind measurements.The key factors affecting wave growth and dissipation processes from deep to shallow waters were studied,including wind input,whitecapping,and bottom friction.Comparison with in-situ wave measurements suggested that the KOMEN scheme(wind input exponential growth and whitecapping energy dissipation)and the JONSWAP scheme(dissipation of bottom friction)resulted in good reproduction of the significant wave height of typhoon waves.A preliminary analysis of the wave characteristics in terms of wind-sea and swell wave revealed that swell waves dominated with the distance of R to the eye of the typhoon,while wind-sea prevailed in the outer region up to six to eight times the R values despite a clear misalignment between wind and waves.The results support the hypothesis that nonlinear wave-wave interactions may play a key role in the formation of wave characteristics.     

Gaussian decomposition and component pigment spectral analysis of phytoplankton absorption spectra

The absorption spectrum of phytoplankton is an important bio-optical parameter for ocean color hyperspectral remote sensing;its magnitude and shape can be aff ected considerably by pigment composition and concentration. We conducted Gaussian decomposition to the absorption spectra of phytoplankton pigment and studied the spectral components of the phytoplankton, in which the package effect was investigated using pigment concentration data and phytoplankton absorption spectra. The decomposition results were compared with the corresponding concentrations of the five main pigment groups (chlorophylls a , b , and c , photo-synthetic carotenoids (PSC), and photo-protective carotenoids (PPC)). The results indicate that the majority of residual errors in the Gaussian decomposition are <0.001 m^-1 , and R 2 of the power regression between characteristic bands and HPLC pigment concentrations (except for chlorophyll b) was 0.65 or greater for surface water samples at autumn cruise. In addition, we determined a strong predictive capability for chlorophylls a , c , PPC, and PSC. We also tested the estimation of pigment concentrations from the empirical specific absorption coeffi cient of pigment composition. The empirical decomposition showed that the Ficek model was the closest to the original spectra with the smallest residual errors.The pigment decomposition results and HPLC measurements of pigment concentration are in a high consistency as the scatter plots are distributed largely near the 1:1 line in spite of prominent seasonal variations. The Wozniak model showed a better fit than the Ficek model for Ch1 a , and the median relative error was small. The pigment component information estimated from the phytoplankton absorption spectra can help better remote sensing of hyperspectral ocean color that related to the changes in phytoplankton communities and varieties.     

Determining the influence of wind-wave breaking on the dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy in the upper ocean and on the dependence of the turbulent kinetic energy on the stage of wind-wave development

New experimental data that make it possible to explain and predict the observed variability of turbulent-energy dissipation in the upper ocean are discussed. For this purpose, the dependence of the energy dissipation rate of breaking wind waves on their propagation velocity (see [1]) is used. The turbulent-energy dissipation values obtained earlier in [2, 3] by a direct method are compared to the results of radar measurements of individual breaking events presented in [1]. On the basis of this comparison, a strong dependence of the turbulent-energy dissipation value on the stage of wind-wave development, which is characterized by the ratio U _a /c _p (U _a is the wind speed and c _p is the phase speed of the peak of the wind-wave spectrum) is confirmed. This dependence was found earlier purely empirically. Moreover, it is shown that the theoretically obtained dependence (c _p /U _a )⁴, does not contradict the available empirical data. The results of this study opens possibilities for scientifically substantiated calculations of greenhouse-gas exchange (specifically, CO₂ exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere).     

引入拖曳系数参数化的海冰自由漂流模拟研究

Many interesting characteristics of sea ice drift depend on the atmospheric drag coefficient(C_a) and oceanic drag coefficient(C_w).Parameterizations of drag coefficients rather than constant values provide us a way to look insight into the dependence of these characteristics on sea ice conditions.In the present study,the parameterized ice drag coefficients are included into a free-drift sea ice dynamic model,and the wind factor α and the deflection angle θ between sea ice drift and wind velocity as well as the ratio of C_a to C_w are studied to investigate their dependence on the impact factors such as local drag coefficients,floe and ridge geometry.The results reveal that in an idealized steady ocean,C_a/C_w increases obviously with the increasing ice concentration for small ice floes in the marginal ice zone,while it remains at a steady level(0.2-0.25) for large floes in the central ice zone.The wind factor α increases rapidly at first and approaches a steady level of 0.018 when A is greater than 20%.And the deflection angle θ drops rapidly from an initial value of approximate 80° and decreases slowly as A is greater than20%without a steady level like α.The values of these parameters agree well with the previously reported observations in Arctic.The ridging intensity is an important parameter to determine the dominant contribution of the ratio of skin friction drag coefficient(C_s' /C_s) and the ratio of ridge form drag coefficient(C_r'/C_r) to the value of C_a/C_w,α,and θ,because of the dominance of ridge form drag for large ridging intensity and skin friction for small ridging intensity among the total drag forces.Parameterization of sea ice drag coefficients has the potential to be embedded into ice dynamic models to better account for the variability of sea ice in the transient Arctic Ocean.     

海水石油类物质吸收系数遥感化提取算法研究

Establishing the remote sensing algorithm of retrieving the absorption coefficient of seawater petroleum substances is an efficient way to improve the accuracy of retrieving a seawater petroleum concentration using a remote sensing technology. A remote sensing reflectance is a basic physical parameter in water color remote sensing. Apply it to directly retrieve the absorption coefficient of seawater petroleum substances is of potential advantage. The absorption coefficient of waters containing petroleum [ACWCP, a_o(λ)], consists of the absorption coefficient of pure water [ACPW, a_w(λ)], plankton [ACP, a_(ph)(λ)], colored scraps [ACCS, a_(d,g)(λ)], and petroleum substance [ACPS, a_(oil)(λ)]. Among those, ACCS consists of the absorption coefficient of nonalgal particle [ACNP, a_d(λ)] and colored dissolved organic matter [ACCDOM, a_g(λ)]. For waters containing petroleum, the retrieved ACCS using the existing method is a combination absorption coefficient of ACNP,ACCDOM and ACPA [CAC, a_(d,g,oil)(λ)]. Therefore, the principle question is how to extract ACPS from CAC.Through the analysis of the three proportion tests conducted between the year of 2013 and 2015 and the corresponding remote sensing data, an algorithm of retrieving the absorption coefficient of petroleum substances is proposed based on remote sensing reflectance. First of all, ACPS and CAC are retrieved from the reflectance using the quasi-analytical algorithm(QAA), with some parameter modified. Secondly, given the fact that the backscatter coefficient [BC, b_(bp)(555)] of total particles at 555 nm can be obtained completely from the reflectance, the relation between BC and ACNP in petroleum contaminated water can be established. As a result, ACNP can be calculated. Then, combining the remote sensing retrieving algorithm of a_g(440), the method of achieving the spectral slope of the absorption coefficient can be established, from which ACCDOM,can be calculated. Finally, ACPS can be computed as the residual. The accuracy of ACPS based on this algorithm is 86% compared with the in situ measurements.     

Retrieval of total ozone in the mesosphere with a new model of electronic-vibrational kinetics of O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and O<Subscript>2</Subscript> photolysis products

The paper presents a new model of electronic-vibrational kinetics of the products of ozone and molecular oxygen photodissociation in the terrestrial middle atmosphere. The model includes 45 excited states of the oxygen molecules O₂(b ¹, Σ _g ⁺ ,v= 0−2), O₂ (a ¹Δ _g , v= 0−5), and O₂(X ³Σ _g ⁻ , v= 1−35) and of the metastable atom O (¹ D) and over 100 aeronomic reactions. The model takes into account the dependence of quantum yields of the production of O₂(a ¹Δ _g , v= 0−5) in a singlet channel of ozone photolysis in the Hartley band on the wavelength of photolytic emission. Taking account of the electronic-vibrational kinetics is important in retrieval of the vertical profiles of ozone concentration from measured intensities of the Atm and IR Atm emissions of the oxygen bands above 65 km and leads to an increase in the ozone concentration retrieved from the 1.27-μm emission, in contrast to the previous model of pure electronic kinetics. Sensitivity analysis of the new model is made for variations in the concentrations of atmospheric constituents ([O₂], [N₂], [O(³P)], [O₃], [CO₂]), the gas temperature, rate constants of the reactions, and quantum yields of the reaction products. A group of reactions that most strongly affect the uncertainty of ozone retrieval from measured intensities of atmospheric emissions of molecular oxygen O₂(b ¹Σ _g ⁺ , v) and O₂(a ¹Δ _g , v) has been determined. Original Russian Text ? V.A. Yankovsky, V.A. Kuleshov, R.O. Manuilova, A.O. Semenov, 2007, published in Izvestiya AN. Fizika Atmosfery i Okeana, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 557–569.     

一套具有更高时空分辨率的全球海洋叶绿素浓度遥感融合产品数据集

认识海洋在全球碳循环中的作用及其对环境变化的响应,需要高时空分辨率的观测数据。由于轨道宽度、云雨天气、太阳耀斑等的影响,单一的水色传感器的观测能力十分有限,将多源海洋水色卫星进行融合是提高水色数据时空覆盖的一种有效途径。SeaWiFS和MERIS分别于2010年12月11日和2012年5月9日停止运行,在很大程度上降低了水色融合产品时空覆盖的提升。我们在融合过程中加入了FY-3 MERSI数据,生成了全球海洋叶绿素浓度遥感融合产品数据集。数据源包括SeaWiFS、MERIS、MODIS-Aqua、VIIRS和MERSI。结果表明：加入MERSI后,融合产品的日平均有效空间覆盖提高了9%;采样频率（同一区域一年中获取有效数据的次数）由57天/年提高到109天/年。利用实测数据和国外同类融合产品（ESA GlobColour和NASA MEaSUREs）对新的数据集进行了质量评价。与实测数据相比,加入MERSI的融合产品精度与未加入MERSI的融合产品基本一致;与国外同类融合产品的偏差小于10%。新数据集的时间序列特性与未加入MERSI的融合产品以及单传感器的一致。     

Variation of the photosynthetic electron transfer rate and electron requirement for daily net carbon fixation in Ariake Bay,Japan

Fast repetition rate fluorometry (FRRf) provides a potential means to examine marine primary productivity; however, FRRf-based productivity estimations require knowledge of the electron requirement (K) for carbon (C) uptake (K _C) to scale an electron transfer rate (ETR) to the CO₂ uptake rate. Most previous studies have derived K _C from parallel measurements of ETR and CO₂ uptake over relatively short incubations, with few from longer-term daily-integrated periods. Here we determined K _C by comparing depth-specific, daily ETRs and CO₂-uptake rates obtained from 24-h on-deck incubation experiments undertaken on seven cruises in Ariake Bay, Japan, from 2008 to 2010. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of variability of K _C and to what extent this variability could be reconciled with the prevailing environmental conditions and ultimately to develop a method for determining net primary productivity (NPP) based on FRRf measurements. Both daily ETR and K _C of the upper layer varied considerably, from 0.5 to 115.7 mmol e^? mg Chl-a ^?1 day^?1 and 4.1–26.6 mol e^? (mol C)^?1, respectively, throughout the entire data set. Multivariate analysis revealed a strong correlation between daily photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and K _C (r ² = 0.94). A simple PAR-dependent relationship derived from the data set was used for generating K _C, and this relationship was validated by comparing the FRRf-predicted NPP with the ¹³C uptake measured in 2007. These new observations demonstrate the potential application of FRRf for estimating regional NPP from ETR.     

On the spatial–temporal variations in the chlorophyll-<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis> concentration on the Peter the Great Bay shelf during the winter–spring phytoplankton bloom according to satellite and subsatellite data

Chlorophyll-a concentration (C _chl) variations in the cross section within and outside the Peter the Great Bay shelf during different stages of the winter–spring phytoplankton bloom in 2003–2005 has been considered based on a ship (obtained during the R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrent’ev voyage of February 26 to March 9, 2003) and MODIS-Aqua spectroradiometer and the SeaWiFS color-scanner satellite data. A comparison of the C _chl variability obtained from the ship and satellite data indicates that these data are inconsistent. According to satellite data obtained at the MUMM atmospheric correction, the C _chl variability is distorted less than the NIR-correction data. Studying the variations in the coefficients of light absorption by the detritus and yellow substance (a _dg) and light backscattering by suspended particles (b _bp), C _chl, chlorophyll-a fluorescence (F _chl) according to the satellite data allow us to state that the variations in the discrepancy between the satellite and ship C _chl values are mainly caused by the variations in the content of the detritus and yellow substance in water. Based on the satellite data, it has been revealed that the a _dg values increase with increasing wind mixing after the phytoplankton bloom (about 2–5 km areas where the a _dg, C _chl, F _chl, and bbp values abruptly increased in 2005, apparently due to eddy formation). It has been indicated that the F _chl characteristic, which is close to C _chl, increases when the favorable conditions for the phytoplankton bloom deteriorate. Therefore, this characteristic cannot be used to identify C _chl under the indicated conditions.     

Features of the atmospheric boundary layer block for three versions of the WAM wind wave model

The estimated characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, obtained by the simulation of wind wave fields using three versions of the WAM numerical model are compared with the well-known empirical dependences of drag coefficient C _d on wind speed U ₁₀ and wave age A, as well as with the dependence of dimensionless roughness height z _n on inverse wave age u*/с р. Calculations carried out for several years in the areas of the Pacific and Indian oceans, based on the ERA-interim and CFSR wind reanalyses have shown good agreement between the model and empirical dependences C _d (U ₁₀) and C _d (A). The range of estimated variability for z _n (u*/с _р ) has been found to be significantly less than empirical. It has been also found that estimated values of wind speed U _10W (t) are overestimated from 5 to 10% in all versions of WAM models compared with the input wind reanalysis U _10R (t) at the moments of appearance maximum values of wind U _10R (t). The reasons for the established features of the WAM model and their dependence on the model version are discussed.     

Variability of Particulate Organic Phosphorus in the Northwestern Part of the Black Sea

Based on long-term (1985–1995) monitoring data, the paper considers the peculiarities of seasonal variability in the spatial and vertical distribution of particulate organic phosphorus (Р_POM) in the surface layer and in the photosynthetic zone in the northwestern Black Sea. Regression equations, experimental data, and satellite observations for the chlorophyll a concentration allowed us to evaluate the seasonal longterm (1979–1995) variability in Р_POM in the surface layer and photosynthesis zone. The ratios of the concentrations of particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll a are calculated and statistical estimates of seasonal changes in the Р_POM in the areas with different degrees of influence of river runoff and water of open seas are obtained. The consistency of intra-annual changes in the concentrations of Р_POM, chlorophyll a, and phytoplankton biomass is shown, which indicates the role of phytoplankton in the formation of Р_POM and in its intra- and interannual variability in the northwestern part of the sea. It is shown that long-term seasonal variations in Р_POM and related changes in the concentration of chlorophyll a depend on the variability of bulk river runoff, the extent of its abundance in the northwestern shelf, and regional hydrometeorological conditions.