Recent increase in surface fCO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the western subtropical North Pacific

We observed unusually high levels (> 440 μatm) of carbon dioxide fugacity (fCO₂) in surface seawater in the western subtropical North Pacific, the area where Subtropical Mode Water is formed, during summer 2015. The NOAA Kuroshio Extension Observatory moored buoy located in this region also measured high CO₂ values, up to 500 μatm during this period. These high sea surface fCO₂ (fCO_2SW) values are explained by much higher normalized total dissolved inorganic carbon and slightly higher normalized total alkalinity concentrations in this region compared to the equatorial Pacific. Moreover, these values are much higher than the climatological CO₂ values, even considering increasing atmospheric CO₂, indicating a recent large increase in sea surface CO₂ concentrations. A large seasonal change in sea surface temperature contributed to higher surface fCO_2SW in the summer of 2015.     

Ventilation time and anthropogenic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean based on carbon tetrachloride measurements

The Arctic Ocean is connected to the Pacific by the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait. During the 4th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition, measurements of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) were used to estimate ventilation time-scales and anthropogenic CO₂ (C_ant) concentrations in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea based on the transit time distribution method. The profile distribution showed that there was a high-CCl₄ tongue entering through the Canada Basin in the intermediate layer (27.6?<?σ_θ?<?28), at latitudes between 78 and 85°N, which may be related to the inflow of Atlantic water. Between stations B09 and B10, upwelling appeared to occur near the continental slope in the Bering Sea. The ventilation time scales (mean ages) for deep and bottom water in the Arctic Ocean (~?230–380 years) were shorter than in the Bering Sea (~?430–970 years). Higher mean ages show that ventilation processes are weaker in the intermediate water of the Bering Sea than in the Arctic Ocean. The mean C_ant column inventory in the upper 4000 m was higher (60–82 mol m^?2) in the Arctic Ocean compared to the Bering Sea (35–48 mol m^?2).     

Mesopelagic fishes of the Bering Sea and adjacent northern North Pacific Ocean

Fourteen midwater trawl collections to depths of 450 m to 1,400 m were taken at eleven stations in the Bering Sea and adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific by the R/V Hakuho Maru during the summer of 1975. A total of 29 kinds of fishes were identified. Mesopelagic fishes of the families Myctophidae, Gonostomatidae and Bathylagidae predominated in the catches, contributing 14 species (94%) of the fishes caught.Seventeen species of fishes were caught in the Bering Sea, and all of these are known from nearby areas. The mesopelagic fish fauna of the Bering Sea is similar to that in adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific Ocean: endemic species are rare or absent. Stenobrachius nannochir was usually the most common mesopelagic fish in our catches.Stenobrachius leucopsarus is a diel vertical migrant that is usually the dominant mesopelagic fish in modified Subarctic waters of the northeastern Pacific. The change in dominance fromS. nannochir in the western Bering Sea toS. leucopsarus in the eastern Bering Sea is related to differences in oceanographic conditions.     

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Surface xCO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Providing Net Biological Productivities in the Western North Pacific in June

More than 14,000 measurements of surface water xCO₂ were obtained during two cruises, 3 weeks apart in June 2000, along 155°E between 34 and 44°N in the western North Pacific Ocean. Based on the distributions of salinity and sea surface temperature (SST), the region has been divided into 6 subregions; Oyashio, Oyashio front, Transition, Kuroshio front, and Kuroshio extension I and II zones, from north to south. The surface waters were always undersaturated with respect to atmospheric CO₂. The Oyashio water was the least undersaturated: its xCO₂ decreased slightly by 7 ppm, while SST increased by 2°C. The xCO₂ normalized to a constant temperature decreased considerably. In the two frontal zones, a large drawdown of 30–40 ppm was observed after 18–19 days. In the Kuroshio extension zones, the xCO₂ increased, but the normalized xCO₂ decreased considerably. The Transition zone water may be somewhat affected by mixing with the subsurface water, as indicated by the smallest SST rise, an undecreased PO₄ concentration, and a colder and less stable surface layer than the Oyashio front water. As the uncertainty derived from the air-sea CO₂ flux was not large, the xCO₂ data allowed us to calculate the net biological productivity. The productivities around 60 mmol C m⁻²d⁻¹ outside the Transition zone indicate that the northwestern North Pacific, especially the two frontal zones, can be regarded as one of the most productive oceans in the world.     

N2 fixation variability in the oligotrophic Sulu Sea, western equatorial Pacific region over the past 83 kyr

N₂ fixation is an important biological process that adds new nitrogen to oceans and plays a key role in modulating the oceanic nitrate inventory. However, it is not known how, when, and where N₂ fixation rates have varied in response to past climate changes. This study presents a new record of nitrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N) over the last 83 kyr from a sediment core (KH02-4 SUP8) taken in the Sulu Sea in the western equatorial Pacific region; data allow the N₂ fixation variability in the sea to be reconstructed. Sediments, sinking, and suspended particulate organic matter (POM) all have lighter isotopic values compared to the δ¹⁵N values of substrate nitrate (av. 5.8‰) in North Pacific Intermediate Water. These lighter δ¹⁵N values are regarded as reflecting N₂ fixation in the Sulu Sea surface water. A δ¹⁵N mass balance model shows that N₂ fixation rates were significantly enhanced during 54–34 kyr in MIS-3 and MIS-2. It has been speculated that higher interglacial denitrification rates in the Arabian Sea and the eastern tropical Pacific would have markedly decreased the global oceanic N inventory and contributed to the increase in N₂ fixation in oligotrophic regions, but such a model was not revealed by our study. It is possible that changes in N₂ fixation rates in the Sulu Sea were regional response, and accumulation of phosphate in the surface waters due to enhanced monsoon-driven mixing is thought to have stimulated enhancements of N₂ fixation during MIS-3 and MIS-2.     

Distribution of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in the Bering Sea and northern North Pacific Ocean

Particulate matter was collected in the Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific Ocean during the cruise of R. V. Hakuho-maru, Ocean Research Institute of Tokyo University in summer of 1975. The particulate matter was analyzed for organic carbon and nitrogen, chlorophylla and amino acids.The concentrations of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen were measured with the range of 16–422gC l^–1 and 1–85gN l^–1, 19–186gC l^–1 and 1–26gN l^–1, 46–1,038gC l^–1 and 6–79gN l^–1 and 19–246gC l^–1 and 2–25gN l^–1 in the Oyashio, the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf of Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific, respectively. Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen decreased with depth throughout the areas. The average concentrations of organic carbon and nitrogen in the entire water column tended to decrease in the following order; the continental shelf > Oyashio > northern North Pacific > Deep Bering Sea.C/N of particulate matter varied in the range of 3–15 (7 on average) in surface waters throughout the areas and these values tended to increase with depth to 5–20 (11 on average) in deep waters without significant regional variability.Linear regressions between chlorophylla and particulate organic carbon in the euphotic layers indicate that detrital organic carbon accounted for 34.2, 44.9, 49.1 and 25.2 % of particulate organic carbon in the Oyashio, the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf and the northern North Pacific, respectively.Particulate amino acid was determined in the range of 10.3–78.0g l^–1, 104–156g l^–1 and 10.4–96.4g l^–1 in the Deep Bering Sea, the continental shelf and the northern North Pacific, respectively. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine and alanine were found as dominant species of amino acid of particulate matter.     

Recent variability in the Pacific western subarctic boundary currents and Sea of Okhotsk

The objective of this research is to describe physical processes which are the cause of the recent variability of the Pacific western subarctic waters. Rapid thermohaline changes have occurred within the Oyashio and Kamchatka Current during the last decade. This variability has included a warming of the Kamchatka Current warm intermediate layer, but a cooling and freshening of the upper layer in the Oyashio and Sea of Okhotsk. The example presented here uses data obtained during the Canada/Russia INPOC and WOCE projects, as well as the new Russian studies with high resolution station grid.The possible physical mechanism that generated the upper layer freshening during the thermohaline transition is examined. Major components of the fresh water budget of the Okhotsk Sea are considered in order to describe the dramatic changes in salinity which have recently occurred in the Pacific subarctic. Significant changes in precipitation and other fresh water inputs are demonstrated. It is suggested that upper layer of the Oyashio and Kamchatka Current became cooler and fresher because of the export of cold, fresher waters from the Bering and Okhotsk seas. These waters from the marginal seas have cooled the bottom of the halocline, reducing evaporation and acting as a feedback that has kept the upper layer of the western subarctic boundary currents fresh. It is also shown that the outflow of the cold Sea of Okhotsk water has changed its path during this recent thermohaline transition.     

Abundance and size composition of the summer phytoplankton communities in the western North Pacific Ocean,the Bering Sea,and the Gulf of Alaska

Chlorophylla concentrations (Chla) of size-fractionated phytoplankton samples were measured in the western North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska during the summer of 1986. Among samples collected in the upper 100 m (total of 210 samples), 207 samples were dominated by micro- (>10 m) or picoplankton (<2 m) and only three samples were represented by nanoplankton (2–10 m). These 207 samples were classified based on the total Chla content into three types: Type H (>1.0 g l^–1), Type M (0.5–1.0 g l^–1), and Type L (<0.5 g l^–1). These types further divided into two subtypes (-p and-m), depending upon dominancy of pico (-p) and microplankton (-m). The phytoplankton community was represented by Type L-p in the Gulf of Alaska, where 80% of the samples fell into this type. It was represented by Type M-p in the western North Pacific and the Oceanic Domain in the Bering Sea, where 53 and 41% of samples were identified as this type, respectively. In the Middle Domain of the Bering Sea, 68% of samples collected below the nitracline was Type H-m, which indicates blooms of microplanton. This type was also observed in the neritic waters near the Aleutian Islands. These types described above are consistent with a general trend that an increase in phytoplankton abundance is attributed to the growth of microplankton. An unusual type occurred above the nitracline of the Middle Domain, where microplankton prevailed, although the total Chla was less (Type L-m). This type represents a feature of late phase of an ice edge bloom. Another unusual type was found mainly in the Outer Domain of the Bering Sea, where the total Chla was high and picoplankton prevailed (Type H-p). The predominance of picoplankton seems to result from the heavy grazing intensity of large calanoid copepods upon microplankton but not upon picoplankton     

Vertical structure of the M<Subscript>2</Subscript> tidal current in the Yellow Sea

The vertical structure of the M₂ tidal current in the Yellow Sea is analyzed from data acquired using an acoustic Doppler current profiler. The observed vertical profiles of the M₂ tidal current are decomposed into two rotating components of counter-clockwise and clockwise, and restructured using a simple one-point model with a constant vertical eddy viscosity. The analyzed results show that the internal fictional effect dominates the vertical structure of the tidal current in the bottom boundary layer. In the Yellow Sea, the effect of the bottom friction reduces the current speed by about 20–40% and induces the bottom phase advance by about 15–50 minutes. In the shallower coastal regions, the effects of bottom topography are more prominent on the vertical structure of tidal currents. The vertical profile of the tidal current in summer, when the water column is strongly stratified, is disturbed near the pycnocline layer. The stratification significantly influences the vertical shear and distinct seasonal variation of the tidal current.     

Seasonal variability of surface and internal M<Subscript>2</Subscript> tides in the Arctic Ocean

The modeling results of surface and internal M₂ tides for summer and winter periods in the Arctic Ocean (AO) are presented. We employed a modified version of the three-dimensional finite-element hydrothermodynamic model QUODDY-4 differing from the original model by using a rotated (instead of spherical) coordinate system and by considering the equilibrium-tide effects. It has been shown that the modeling results for the surface tide differs little from the results obtained earlier by other authors. According to these results, the amplitudes of internal tidal waves (ITWs) in the AO are significantly lower than in other oceans and the ITWs proper have the character of trapped waves. Their source of generation is located at the continental slope northwest of the New Siberian Islands. Our results are consistent with the fields of average (over a tidal cycle) and integral (by depth) densities of baroclinic tidal energy, the maximum baroclinic tidal velocity, and the coefficient of diapycnic mixing. The local rate of baroclinic tidal energy dissipation at the AO ridges increases as it approaches the bottom, as was observed on Mid-Atlantic and Hawaii ridges (but merely within the bottom boundary layer) and is two to three orders of magnitude lower than in other oceans. The ITW degeneration scale in the AO is several hundreds of kilometers in summer and winter, remaining within the range of its values between 100 and 1000 km in mid- and low-latitude oceans. In both seasons, the integral (over the AO area) rate of baroclinic tidal energy dissipation is two orders of magnitude lower than the global estimate (2.5 × 10¹² W).     

Standing Crops of Planktonic Ciliates and Copepod Nauplii in the Subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea in Summer

Abundances and biomasses of planktonic ciliates and copepod nauplii, major components of the microzooplankton community, were investigated in the subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea in summer of 1997. Their regional variation was illustrated by demarcating the entire area into five regions. Ciliates always predominated both in abundance (>94%) and biomass (>78%) over nauplii. Regional means of ciliates in the water column were higher in the Alaskan Gyre (120 × 10⁶ cells/m²) and the Western Subarctic Gyre (110 × 10⁶ cells/m²) in terms of abundance, and rich in the Bering Sea Gyre (360 mgC/m²) and the Western Subarctic Gyre (340 mgC/m²) in terms of biomass. By contrast, standing crops of ciliates were poor in the Oyashio Region (67 × 10⁶ cells/m²; 170 mgC/m²) and the Transition Region (64 × 10⁶ cells/m²; 160 mgC/m²). The values of biomass reported here are generally in agreement with the values reported previously from the Bering Sea Gyre and the Alaskan Gyre but are considerably higher than the previous value found in the Western Subarctic Gyre. No significant correlations could be found between chlorophyll a crop and standing crops of ciliates and copepod nauplii over the entire subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea during this summer.     

Satellite-derived SST validation based on in-situ data during summer in the East China Sea and western North Pacific

Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) is validated based on in-situ data from the East China Sea (ECS) and western North Pacific where most typhoons, which make landfall on the Korean peninsula, are formed and pass. While forecasting typhoons in terms of intensity and track, coupled ocean-typhoon models are significantly influenced by initial ocean condition. Potentially, satellite-derived SST is a very useful dataset to obtain initial ocean field because of its wide spatial coverage and high temporal resolution. In this study, satellite-derived SST from various sources such as Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and New Generation Sea Surface Temperature for Open Ocean (NGSST-O) datasets from merged SSTs were compared with in-situ observation data using an indirect method which is using near surface temperature for validation of satellite derived SST. In-situ observation data included shipboard measurements such as Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT), and Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD), and Argo buoy data. This study shows that in-situ data can be used for microwave derived SST validation because homogeneous features of seawater prevail at water depths of 2 m to 10 m under favorable wind conditions during the summer season in the East China Sea. As a result of validation, root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) are shown to be 0.55 °C between microwave SST and XBT/CTD data mostly under weak wind conditions, and 0.7 °C between XBT/CTD measurement and NGSST-O data. Microwave SST RMSE of 0.55 °C is a potentially valuable data source for general application. Change of SST before and after typhoon passing may imply strength of ocean mixing due to upwelling and turbulent mixing driven by the typhoon. Based on SST change, ocean mixing, driven by Typhoon Nari, was examined. Satellite-derived SST reveals a significant SST drop around the track immediately following the passing of Typhoon Nari in October, 2007.     

2021年西北太平洋和南海台风活动概述

利用中央气象台台风实时业务资料、自动气象站观测资料以及卫星云图等对2021年西北太平洋及南海台风活动的主要特征和影响我国台风的路径、强度及风雨影响进行分析和回顾。结果表明：2021年西北太平洋及南海台风生成个数偏少,生成源地整体偏西;台风强度偏弱,但有多个台风出现了快速增强,其中台风“烟花”“灿都”的24 h强度增幅达40 m·s^-1,为近30 a少见;2021年先后有5个台风登陆我国,另有2个台风影响我国。在登陆台风中,4个登陆华南的台风强度均弱于历史平均值。所有登陆台风在登陆后的维持时间都明显高于历史均值,特别是台风“烟花”为历史上登陆华东后维持时间最长的台风,给我国带来了严重的灾害影响。     

2022年西北太平洋和南海台风活动概述

利用中国气象局热带气旋最佳路径等资料,对2022年西北太平洋及南海台风活动的主要特征和影响我国台风的路径、强度及风雨影响进行分析和回顾。结果表明：2022年西北太平洋及南海台风生成个数与常年持平,台风总体强度偏弱,生成源地显著偏北;登陆台风个数偏少,登陆强度偏弱;有3个台风集中在广东西部登陆,另外强台风“梅花”是1949年以来首个4次登陆不同省份的台风。全年多台风事件频发,共存的台风共计有11组,历史罕见。2022年台风灾害影响较轻,夏台风偏少,秋台风活跃。     

Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the subarctic Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea during summer 1999

Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates were measured by the dilution technique in the subarctic North Pacific Ocean along a west–east transect during summer 1999. Average phytoplankton growth rates without added nutrients (μ₀) were 0.33, 0.41, 0.20 and 0.49 d⁻¹ for the four regions sampled: the Western Gyre, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska gyre and stations along the Aleutian Trench. Average grazing mortality rates (m) were 0.34, 0.27, 0.20 and 0.49 d⁻¹. Limitation of phytoplankton growth by macronutrients, such as NO₃ and SiO₂, was identified only at a few stations, with overall μ₀/μ_n (μ_n is nutrient-enhanced growth rate) averaging 0.9. Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing were approximately balanced, as indicated by high m/μ₀ ratio, except in the Bering Sea, where the m/μ₀ ratio was 0.65, indicating the relative importance of the diatom-macrozooplankton grazing food chain and possible higher export flux to the deep layer. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the growth rates of picoplankton (Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes) were usually much lower than the total phytoplankton community growth rates estimated from chlorophyll a, except for stations in the Gulf of Alaska Gyre, where the growth rates for different populations were about the same. Lower than community-average growth rate for picoplankton indicates larger phytoplankters, presumably diatoms, were growing at a much faster rate. Suppressed phytoplankton growth in the Gulf of Alaska was probably a result of iron limitation.     

2020年西北太平洋和南海台风活动概述

利用中央气象台台风实时业务定位资料和地面气象观测资料对2020年西北太平洋和南海的台风活动主要特征以及主要影响我国的台风路径、强度及风雨情况进行了统计分析.2020年西北太平洋和南海共有23个台风生成,较多年平均值(27.0个)偏少4.0个;有5个台风登陆我国,较多年平均值(7.0个)偏少2.0个.2020年台风活动的...     

2019年西北太平洋和南海台风活动概述

应用中央气象台业务实时资料和中国气象局台风最佳路径资料对2019年发生在西北太平洋和南海的台风活动主要特征以及主要影响我国的台风路径、强度及风雨情况进行了统计分析和论述。2019年西北太平洋和南海共有29个台风生成,较多年平均值偏多2个;秋季台风异常活跃,生成数较常年明显偏多;台风整体强度偏弱,超强台风数与常年持平;有5个台风登陆我国,较多年平均值略偏少;登陆台风平均强度较多年平均值明显偏弱,但台风“利奇马”登陆强度强、风雨影响重。     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Flux Measurements over the Sea Surface by Eddy Correlation and Aerodynamic Techniques

The measurements of the vertical transport of CO₂ were carried out over the Sea of Japan using the specially designed pier of Kyoto University on September 20 to 22, 2000. CO₂ fluxes were measured by the eddy correlation and aerodynamic techniques. Both techniques showed comparable CO₂ fluxes during sea breeze conditions: −0.001 to −0.08 mg m⁻²s⁻¹ with the mean of −0.05 mg m⁻²s⁻¹. This means that the measuring site satisfies the fetch requirement for meteorological observations under sea breeze conditions. Moreover, the eddy diffusivity coefficient used in the aerodynamic technique is found to be consistent with the coefficient used in the eddy correlation technique. The present result leads us to conclude that the aerodynamic technique may be applicable to underway CO₂ flux measurements over the ocean and may be used in place of the bulk technique. The important point is the need to maintain a measuring accuracy of CO₂ concentration difference of the order of 0.1 ppmv on the research vessels or the buoys.