Winter Oceanographic Conditions in the Southwestern Part of the Okhotsk Sea and Their Relation to Sea Ice

In the southwestern part of the Okhotsk Sea, oceanographic and sea-ice observations on board the icebreaker Soya were carried out in February 1997. A mixed layer of uniform temperature nearly at the freezing point extending down to a depth of about 300 m was observed. This is much deeper than has previously been reported. It is suggested that this deep mixed layer originated from the north (off East Sakhalin), being advected along the shelf slope via the East Sakhalin Current, accompanied with the thick first-year ice (average thickness 0.6 m). This vertically uniform winter water, through mixing with the surrounding water, makes the surface water more saline (losing a characteristic of East Sakhalin Current Water) and the water in the 100–300 m depth zone less saline, colder, and richer in oxygen (a characteristic of the intermediate Okhotsk Sea water). The oceanographic structure and a heat budget analysis suggest that new ice zone, which often appears at ice edges, can be formed through preconditioning of thick ice advection and subsequent cooling by the latent heat release due to its melting. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microbiological analysis of the contamination of marginal seas in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean

A comparative study of the abundance of microorganisms of different environmental and trophic groups in the seawater of several aquatic areas of Far Eastern seas under the conditions of integrated organic contamination was carried out. It was shown that, although marine microorganisms are characterized by polyresistance to a great variety of contaminants, their responses are individual for each of the kinds of pollutants. By the results of microbial indication, the environmental quality in the areas of the greatest ecological stresses at the Pacific Ocean coasts was estimated. These areas were the coasts of Sakhalin Island in the oil production region, the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Avacha Bay region, the southern Primor’e within the impact zone of the Tumannaya River runoff, and Zolotoi Rog Bight located in the central part of the city of Vladivostok. On the basis of the data concerning the microbial indication of the contamination of the aquatic areas studied with oil hydrocarbons, phenols, and nutrients, the applicability of this method to the express estimation of the quality of coastal seawaters and to the short-term forecast of the changes that proceed under the complicated organic contamination was demonstrated.     

南海北部自由生活海洋线虫的群落结构和生物多样性

A quantitative study on the community structure and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes and their relationship with environmental factors in the northern South China Sea were carried out based...     

Distribution of alkalinity and dissolved calcium in the Sea of Okhotsk

During the summer seasons of 2002 and 2004, the total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved calcium (Ca) were studied at 41 stations in different areas of the Sea of Okhotsk: the Kuril depression, Deryugin Basin, the slopes of the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island, and in Sakhalin Bay. It was shown that the distributions of the TA and Ca in the water mass of deep sea areas are determined by the processes of CaCO₃ formation and dissolution according to the relation Δ Ca = 0.5 Δ TA (1). The variations of the TA and Ca values observed in the upper 10-m layer and in the near-bottom layers of local depressions in the Deryugin Basin do not satisfy relationship (1). Probable reasons for this discrepancy are considered: organic matter mineralization, mixing of water masses with different preform TA and Ca values, sea ice melting, runoff from land, and sea bottom effects. It is shown that the enrichment in the alkalinity and calcium is caused by the Amur River runoff in the desalinated sea surface layer and by the high geochemical activity in the Deryugin Basin in the near-bottom 200-m layer of local depressions.     

山东省渤海海洋保护区典型海域表层海水微生物群落多样性分析

海洋微生物在生态系统循环中发挥重要作用。为系统了解山东省渤海海洋保护区表层海水微生物群落多样性,作者利用Illumina高通量测序及生物信息学分析技术研究了12个水体样本的菌群构成和多样性特征。实验结果表明,山东渤海海洋保护区典型海域表层海水微生物群落丰富,12个水体样品OTU分属于25门、56纲、103目、163科、227属;门、纲、目、科、属分类等级上的优势类群分别为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)(57.95%)、α-变形菌纲(Alphaproteobacteria)(21.88%)、黄杆菌目(Flavobacteriales)(4.31%)、红细菌科(Rhodobacteraceae)(10.68%)、Candidatus portiera(7.94%);保护区内表层海水微生物具有其独特的菌群特征和多样性。本研究结果为进一步认识海洋微生物多样性与海洋生态环境保护的关系奠定了基础。     

Mud volcanoes and gas vents in the Okhotsk Sea area

Gas emissions from mud volcanoes on Sakhalin Island and water-column gas flares arising from cold seeps in the Okhotsk Sea appear to be related. They are likely activated by tectonic movements along the transform plate boundary separating the Okhotsk Sea Plate from the Eurasian and Amur plates. Gas vents (flares) and methane anomalies occur in the waters offshore Sakhalin Island, along with NE-SW-trending mounds and fluid escape structures on the seafloor. The intersection of the NE-striking transverse faults on land with the Central Sakhalin and Hokkaido-Sakhalin shear zones apparently determines the sites of mud volcanoes, a pattern that continues offshore where the intersection with the East Sakhalin and West Derugin shear zones determines the sites of the submarine gas vents.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of floating objects in the German Bight (North Sea)

Floating objects facilitate the dispersal of marine and terrestrial species but also represent a major environmental hazard in the case of anthropogenic plastic litter. They can be found throughout the world's oceans but information on their abundance and the spatio-temporal dynamics is scarce for many regions of the world. This information, however, is essential to evaluate the ecological role of floating objects. Herein, we report the results from a ship-based visual survey on the abundance and composition of flotsam in the German Bight (North Sea) during the years 2006 to 2008. The aim of this study was to identify potential sources of floating objects and to relate spatio-temporal density variations to environmental conditions. Three major flotsam categories were identified: buoyant seaweed (mainly fucoid brown algae), natural wood and anthropogenic debris. Densities of these floating objects in the German Bight were similar to those reported from other coastal regions of the world. Temporal variations in flotsam densities are probably the result of seasonal growth cycles of seaweeds and fluctuating river runoff (wood). Higher abundances were often found in areas where coastal fronts and eddies develop during calm weather conditions. Accordingly, flotsam densities were often higher in the inner German Bight than in areas farther offshore. Import of floating objects and retention times in the German Bight are influenced by wind force and direction. Our results indicate that a substantial amount of floating objects is of coastal origin or introduced into the German Bight from western source areas such as the British Channel. Rapid transport of floating objects through the German Bight is driven by strong westerly winds and likely facilitates dispersal of associated organisms and gene flow among distant populations.     

Methane in the southern North Sea: Sources, spatial distribution and budgets

Measurements of methane (CH₄) so far have always shown supersaturation in the entire North Sea relative to the atmospheric partial pressure and the distribution of surface CH₄ reveals a distinct increase towards the shore. Since North Sea sediments presumably are an insignificant source for CH₄ the coastal contribution via rivers and tidal flats gains in importance.In this work, CH₄ data from the River Weser, the back barrier tidal flats of Spiekeroog Island (NW Germany), and the German Bight are presented. Results from the River Weser are compared to other rivers draining into the German Bight. Measurements in the tidal flat area of Spiekeroog Island highlight this ecosystem as an additional contributor to the overall CH₄ budget of the southern North Sea. A tidally driven CH₄ pattern is observed for the water column with maximum values during low tide. Tidal flat sediments turn out to be the dominating source because pore waters discharged during low tide are highly enriched in CH₄. In contrast, the freshwater contribution to the tidal flats by small coastal tributaries has almost no impact on water column CH₄ concentrations. The CH₄ level seems to be disturbed irregularly by wind forcing due to elevated degassing and prevention of advective flow when tidal flats remain covered by water.Based on our data, two model calculations were used to estimate the impact of tidal flats on the CH₄ budget in the German Bight. Our results demonstrate that the back barrier tidal flats of the east Frisian Wadden Sea contribute CH₄ in an order of magnitude between the Wash estuary and River Elbe and thus have to be considered in budget calculations.     

北黄海獐子岛海域浮游动物群落年际变化

本文比较了海洋普查期间（1959年1-12月）和2009-2010年獐子岛海域附近站位的浮游动物的种类组成、优势种、丰度、生物多样性,结果显示,北黄海区域浮游动物群落物种组成未发生较大的变化,在獐子岛海域以及整个北黄海,中华哲水蚤和强壮箭虫的优势种地位没有发生变化,细足法虫戎也一直出现且为冬春季的优势种;太平洋磷虾在2009-2010年獐子岛海域虽然全年均有出现,但是全年均不是优势种,而在1959年的獐子岛海域,作为优势种出现在4月和11月;1959年与2009年相较,腹针胸刺水蚤在春夏季优势种的地位被沃氏纺锤水蚤所取代。2009年浮游动物丰度（131.26 ind/m3）比1959年（78.90 ind/m3）高;浮游动物多样性指数（H'）均在夏秋季高于冬春季节,且年平均多样性指数也有所提高。     

Sources and fate of manganese in a tidal basin of the German Wadden Sea

Dissolved and particulate Mn concentrations were investigated on a seasonal scale in surface waters of the NW German Wadden Sea (Spiekeroog Island) in 2002 and 2003. As the Wadden Sea forms the transition zone between the terrestrial and marine realms, Mn was analysed in coastal freshwater tributaries and in the adjoining German Bight as well. Additionally, sediments and porewaters of the tidal flat sediments were analysed for Mn partitioning and microbial activity.Dissolved Mn concentrations show strong tidal and seasonal variation with elevated concentrations during summer at low tide. Summer values in the Wadden Sea (av. 0.7 μM) are distinctly higher than in the central areas of the German Bight (av. 0.02 μM), suggesting a possible impact of the Wadden Sea environment on the Mn budget of the North Sea. Seasonality is also observed for particulate Mn in the Wadden Sea (winter av. 800 mg kg^− 1; summer av. 1360 mg kg^− 1). Although particles are relatively Mn-poor during winter, the high SPM load during this season causes elevated excess concentrations of particulate Mn, which in part exceed those of the dissolved phase. Therefore, winter values cannot be ignored in balance calculations for the Wadden Sea system.Porewater Mn concentrations differ depending on sediment type and season. Maximum concentrations are found in surface sediments at a mixed flat site (190 μM) during summer, while winter values are distinctly lower. This indicates that enhanced microbial activity owing to higher temperature during summer leads to increased reduction of Mn-oxides in surface sediments and enhances the corresponding diffusive and advective Mn flux across the sediment-water interface. Draining of Mn-rich porewaters from sediments is also documented by analyses of tidal creek waters, which are highly enriched in Mn during summer.Furthermore, an important Mn source is freshwater discharged into the Wadden Sea via a flood-gate. The concentration of dissolved Mn in freshwater was highly variable during the sampling campaigns in 2002 and 2003, averaging 4 μM. In contrast, particulate Mn displayed a seasonal behaviour with increasing contents during summer. On the basis of salinity variations in the Wadden Sea, the total amount of Mn contributed to the Wadden Sea via freshwater was estimated. This balance shows the importance of the freshwater environment for the Mn inventory of the Wadden Sea. During winter the total Mn inventory of the Wadden Sea water column may be explained almost completely by freshwater discharge, whereas in summer the porewater system forms the dominating source.     

海洋工程对觉华岛国家级海洋公园海域生态环境影响研究

文章根据2016—2019年觉华岛周边海域生态环境监测结果,并结合期间大规模海洋开发活动,分析了觉华岛国家级海洋公园海域环境变化趋势。结果表明:2016—2019年,觉华岛周边海域水质要素监测结果均符合《海水水质标准》中的二类标准,沉积物要素监测结果均符合《海洋沉积物质量》中的一类标准。水质与沉积物大部分监测要素的平均含量年际变化呈先降低再上升的变化趋势,生物环境状况整体水平变化情况与水质和沉积物的变化趋势有良好的对应关系,说明海洋工程建设对觉华岛国家级海洋公园海域生态环境造成了一定的负面影响,但影响程度不大。     

渤海、黄海及东海近海五个银鲳地理群体的形态变异

针对银鲳(Pampus argenteus)资源衰减、种群结构不清等问题,采集了渤海、黄海和东海近海5个地理群体224个样本,借助多变量形态度量学方法对地理群体间的形态变异进行了研究,旨在为银鲳种群结构研究提供基础资料.研究结果显示,通过聚类分析发现银鲳5个地理群体可以分为4组,江苏连云港群体与河北黄骅群体和浙江舟山群...     

Phytopigments and fatty acids as molecular markers for the quality of near-bottom particulate organic matter in the North Sea

In February, May and August 1994, four stations in the North Sea (viz. at the Broad Fourteens, Frisian Front, German Bight and Skagerrak) were visited to sample near-bottom particulate organic matter. Samples, taken by means of a pump, a sediment trap and a sediment recorder, were analysed on organic carbon, total nitrogen, phytopigments and fatty acids. These molecular markers were used to describe the nature and quality of the organic particles in the near-bottom water. Principal component analysis showed chlorophyll a, phaeopigments and fatty acids to be useful markers for the quality of organic matter and yield complementary information.The quality of the near-bottom particles appeared to be related to the local hydrography and depositional circumstances. The Broad Fourteens station, a non-depositional sandy site along the Dutch coast, showed organic particles to be relatively fresh, little influenced by resuspended sedimentary material. Near-bottom organic particles on this site contained relatively high shares of chlorophyll a and polyunsaturated fatty acids, characteristic of algal matter. On the other hand the particulate organic material on the two depositional locations, the Frisian Front and the German Bight stations, was influenced by resuspension of sedimentary organic particles poor in pigments and fatty acids. Amounts of carbon trapped in the near-bottom environment at the Skagerrak station were lower than expected from the literature.     

Variations of the oxygen minimum zone of the Okhotsk Sea during the last 50 ka as indicated by benthic foraminiferal and biogeochemical data

Benthic foraminiferal and sediment biogeochemical data (total organic carbon, calcium carbonate and biogenic opal contents) in two cores (1265 and 1312 m water depths) from the southeastern Sakhalin slope and one core (839 m water depth) from the southwestern Kamchatka slope were investigated to reconstruct variations of the oxygen minimum zone during the last 50 ka in the Okhotsk Sea. The oxygen minimum zone was less pronounced during cooling in the MIS 2 that is suggested to be caused by a maximal expansion of sea ice cover, decrease of marine productivity and increase of production of the oxygenated Okhotsk Sea Intermediate Water (OSIW). A two-step-like strengthening of oxygen minimum zone during the warmings in the Termination 1a and 1b was linked to (1) enhanced oxygen consumption due to degradation of large amount of organic matter in the water column and bottom sediments, originated from increased marine productivity and supply of terrigenous material from the submerged northern shelves; (2) sea ice cover retreat and reduction of OSIW production; (3) freely inflow of the oxygen-depleted intermediate water mass from the North Pacific.     

EST-SSR标记的开发及其在南黄海浒苔研究中的应用

Ulva species can grow rapidly in nutrient-rich habitats causing green tides and marine fouling. A more complete understanding of the reasons behind these outbreaks is urgently required. Accordingly, this study attempts to use microsatellite markers based expressed sequence tag（EST） to analyze the genetic variation of several Ulva prolifera populations in the South Yellow Sea of China. Two hundred and thirty-eight SSRs were identified from 8 179 unique ESTs（6 203 newly sequenced and 1 976 downloaded from NCBI database） and 37 primer pairs were successfully designed according to the ESTs; 11 pairs were selected to detect the genetic diversity and relationship of 69 attached U. prolifera samples and 13 free-floating samples collected from coastal and off-coast areas of the South Yellow Sea. The results of cross-species transferability showed that six of the 11 EST-SSR primers could give good amplification in other five Ulva species and the average allele number was 4.67. Genetic variation analysis indicated that all 82 U. prolifera samples were clearly divided and most samples collected from the same site clustered together as a group in the dendrogram tree produced by unweighted pair-group mean analysis（UPGMA） method and the cluster results showed some consistency with the geographical origins. In addition, 13 free-floating samples（except HT-001-2） were grouped as a single clade separated from the attached samples.     

俄罗斯库页岛潮间带沉积物可培养细菌的系统发育多样性

采用2216E、R2A、M1培养基,首次从俄罗斯库页岛潮间带沉积物样品中分离到82株可培养海洋细菌,经查重并菌后选取其中45株具有代表性的菌株进行了16S r RNA基因序列分析和多样性研究。结果发现,它们共分布于变形细菌门(Proteobacteria)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)4个类群(分别占45株代表菌株的42.2%、20.0%、20.0%和17.8%),代表着6个纲、27个属、44个种;同时发现其中有8个潜在新种和1个潜在新属。本研究结果表明,俄罗斯库页岛潮间带沉积物可培养细菌的系统发育多样性非常高,大部分菌株与分离自日本和韩国近海的细菌物种在系统发育关系上高度同源,但也存在不少潜在的新物种。     

Seasonal Variations of Water Masses and Sea Level in the Southwestern Part of the Okhotsk Sea

A new grid data set for the southwestern part of the Okhotsk Sea was compiled by using all the available hydrographic data from the Japan Oceanographic Data Center, World Ocean Atlas 1994 and the other additional data sources with the resolution of about 10 km. We examine the seasonal variations of areas and volumes of Soya Warm Current Water (SWCW) and East Sakhalin Current Water (ESCW) and show that the exchanges of these water masses drastically occur in April and November. The peculiar variation of sea level in this region is also related with the water mass exchange. Sea level at the Hokkaido coast of the Okhotsk Sea reaches its minimum in April about two months later than in the case of ordinary mid-latitude ocean, and its maximum in December besides the summer peak. The winter peak of sea level in December is caused by the advent of fresh and cold ESCW which is accumulated at the subsurface layers (20–150 m) through the Ekman convergence by the prevailing northerly wind. Sea level minimum in April is caused by the release of the convergence and the recovery of dense SWCW that is saline and much colder than that in summer.     

Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the Sea of Okhotsk during late summer of 2006

The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the most productive marine basins in the world ocean and plays an important role in transport of organic carbon and iron to the western subarctic Pacific. We report the first measurements of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates in the Sea of Okhotsk, in late summer of 2006. The study area can be divided into two areas: nutrient-sufficient waters on the continental shelf along the east coast of Sakhalin Island and in the vicinity of Bussol Strait, and surface nutrient-depleted waters beyond the shelf break and in the vicinity of Sakhalin Bay. Phytoplankton growth rate in the studied area was strongly affected by nutrient availability, with high phytoplankton growth rate (0.55±0.14 d^?1) in the nutrient-replete region and severely depressed growth (0.03±0.05 d^?1) in the nutrient-depleted region. On the other hand, microzooplankton grazing rates in both the nutrient-replete and nutrient-depleted regions were approximately the same (0.26±0.20 d^?1 vs. 0.27±0.24 d^?1). Consequently, microzooplankton grazing consumed <50% of the phytoplankton growth in nutrient-rich waters but >3 times the phytoplankton growth in nutrient-depleted waters. Phytoplankton physiological condition as measured by the maximum photochemical quantum efficiency (F_v/F_m) of algal photosystem II (PS II) showed a general trend in agreement with the in situ growth rate of phytoplankton. In contrast to the phytoplankton community, picophytoplankton, especially the cyanobacteria Synechococcus, showed no nutrient effect on their growth, and the growth and mortality rates were well balanced, suggesting that they have a low nutrient requirement and their biomass was controlled principally by microzooplankton grazing.     

Influence of the Po River runoff on the bacterioplankton community along trophic and salinity gradients in the Northern Adriatic Sea

The Po River runoff strongly affects the oceanographic and ecological characteristics of the Northern Adriatic Sea. Catalysed reported deposition ‐ fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD‐FISH) analysis was employed to assess how the composition of the coastal bacterioplankton community is influenced by the river runoff in two different seasons (spring and autumn). Samples were collected from the water column along a coastal–offshore transect in the Northern Adriatic Sea at different depths. Four clone libraries were then constructed from coastal (0 m) and offshore waters (?65 m). Higher abundances of bacteria were recorded in coastal waters as compared with the offshore samples. This result was mainly due to the trophic state of the water column, and it was related to salinity. Particularly, Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were affected by the riverine inputs, whereas Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria showed only minor responses. This was particularly clear in the autumn sample, in which a clear difference between the coastal and the offshore samples was found due to a strong influence of the less saline river water with high nutrient concentrations. Analysis of 205 partial length 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated a high diversity with the dominance of Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria mainly affiliated to coastal and marine bacterioplankton clades. Actinobacteria were also detected and, together with Gammaproteobacteria, strongly follow the freshwater intrusion. Overall, our results indicate that the seasonal difference in the Po River discharge greatly affects the bacterioplankton community. In spring we observed a smooth transition from coastal to open‐sea conditions owing to the more superficial freshwater plume. In autumn the deeper freshwater intrusion in the coastal site and thermal stratification offshore resulted in a marked difference between the coastal and offshore microbial communities.