Seasonal and inter-annual dynamics of mesoplankton in the northwestern Japan Sea

Based upon four decades of observations in the northwestern part of the Japan Sea, the seasonal and inter-annual variations of zooplankton abundance and species composition in the epipelagic layer are considered. Seasonal characteristics of the zooplankton community are described in detail for five domains that occur within this part of the Japan Sea. Inter-decadal variation was not significant, but inter-annual variation was considerable and generally opposite to water temperature changes in the upper layer. Exceptional years such as 1996 were noted when a maximum abundance of zooplankton in summer occurred along with a slowing of the seasonal pattern of succession.     

The vertical distribution of zooplankton in the western Irish Sea

Zooplankton diel vertical migration is evident on the mixed isothermal side of the western Irish Sea frontal system but is often influenced by large tides and persistent geostrophic currents. On the stratified side of the front, temperature acts as a controlling factor with most of the zooplankton occurring above the thermocline and carrying out pronounced vertical migration when chlorophyll a levels are low and diffuse. At higher chlorophyll levels, when discrete chlorophyll a maxima form, zooplankton vertical movement may be greatly modified with a large number of species and stages concentrating within these maxima at all times of the diel light cycle.     

Fine-scale vertical distribution of coastal and offshore copepods in the Golfo de Arauco, central Chile, during the upwelling season

In order to understand the mechanism by which zooplankters from different origins co-occur during the upwelling season within Golfo de Arauco, one of the most productive areas in central Chile, we assessed short term variations in the vertical distribution of the most abundant copepod species. Fine-scale, day and night vertical zooplankton sampling was done with a pump over 12 days in summer. The water column in the gulf consisted of three layers: Equatorial Subsurface Water of low dissolved oxygen content in the deeper part of the water column, strong temperature and oxygen gradients at mid-depth (15-25 m), and a layer of warmer, more oxygenated, less saline water at the surface. Copepods within the gulf originated from offshore, from the continental shelf, and from the coastal area. Most taxa showed distinctive vertical distributions. Three copepod groups were identified by their mean weighted depths of residence. One group included shallow residents found above the thermocline/oxycline (Acartia tonsa, Centropages brachiatus, Corycaeus sp., Paracalanus parvus, Oncaea sp.). A second group was comprised by species distributed at or below the thermocline/oxycline (Oithona sp., Oncaea conifera, Lucicutia sp., Metridia sp., Heterorhabdus papilliger). The third group was composed of vertical migrators that crossed the thermocline/oxycline (Calanus chilensis, Calanoides patagoniensis, Aetideus armatus, Pleuromamma piseki). In spite of their different vertical distribution ranges, the most abundant and frequent copepod species (P. parvus, C. chilensis, C. patagoniensis, C. brachiatus) share a common capacity to withstand wide ranges of oxygen concentration and temperature. This characteristic, along with the capacity to vary their life strategies under different environmental conditions, seems to facilitate the maintenance of large numbers of copepods in coastal waters along the Humboldt Current.     

Mechanisms controlling the temporal variation of the sea ice edge in the Southern Ocean

This paper examines the mechanism controlling the short time-scale variation of sea ice cover over the Southern Ocean. Sea ice concentration and ice velocity datasets derived from images of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) are employed to reveal this mechanism. The contribution of both dynamic and thermodynamic processes to the change in ice edge location is examined by comparing the meridional velocity of ice edge displacement and sea ice drift. In the winter expansion phase, the thermodynamic process of new ice production off the ice edge plays an important role in daily advances of ice cover, whereas daily retreats are mostly due to southward ice drift. On the other hand, both advance and retreat of ice edges in the spring contraction phase are mostly caused by the dynamic process of the ice drift. Based on the above mechanism and the linear relation between the degree of ice production at the ice edge and northward wind speed, the seasonal advance of ice cover can be roughly reproduced using the meridional velocity of ice drift at the ice edge.     

Variability and predictability of Antarctic krill swarm structure

Swarming is a fundamental part of the life of Euphausia superba, yet we still know very little about what drives the considerable variability in swarm shape, size and biomass. We examined swarms across the Scotia Sea in January and February 2003 using a Simrad EK60 (38 and 120 kHz) echosounder, concurrent with net sampling. The acoustic data were analysed through applying a swarm-identification algorithm and then filtering out all non-krill targets. The area, length, height, depth, packing-concentration and inter-swarm distance of 4525 swarms was derived by this method. Hierarchical clustering revealed 2 principal swarm types, which differed in both their dimensions and packing-concentrations. Type 1 swarms were generally small (<50 m long) and were not very tightly packed (<10 ind. m⁻³), whereas type 2 swarms were an order of magnitude larger and had packing concentrations up to 10 times greater. Further sub-divisions of these types identified small and standard swarms within the type 1 group and large and superswarms within the type 2 group. A minor group (swarm type 3) was also found, containing swarms that were isolated (>100 km away from the next swarm). The distribution of swarm types over the survey grid was examined with respect to a number of potential explanatory variables describing both the environment and the internal-state of krill (namely maturity, body length, body condition). Most variables were spatially averaged over scales of 100 km and so mainly had a mesoscale perspective. The exception was the level of light (photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)) for which measurements were specific to each swarm. A binary logistic model was constructed from four variables found to have significant explanatory power (P<0.05): surface fluorescence, PAR, krill maturity and krill body length. Larger (type 2) swarms were more commonly found during nighttime or when it was overcast during the day, when surface fluorescence was low, and when the krill were small and immature. A strong pattern of diel vertical migration was not observed although the larger and denser swarms tended to occur more often at night than during the day. The vast majority of krill were contained within a minor fraction of the total number of swarms. These krill-rich swarms were more common in areas dominated by small and immature krill. We propose that, at the mesoscale level, the structure of swarms switches from being predominantly large and tightly packed to smaller and more diffuse as krill grow and mature. This pattern is further modulated according to feeding conditions and then level of light.     

Seasonal variability of the Antarctic Coastal Current and its driving mechanisms in the Weddell Sea

Insight into the dynamics of the Antarctic Coastal Current (ACoC) is achieved by quantifying the contributions of its driving mechanisms to the seasonal variability of its barotropic and baroclinic components. These mechanisms are sought out in the local wind, the sea-ice concentration, wind curl of the Weddell Gyre (Sverdrup transport) and the thermohaline forcing related to warming/cooling and ice melting and freezing. These driving mechanisms induce most of the seasonal variability of both the barotropic and baroclinic components of the ACoC by deepening the pycnocline towards the coast and sharpening the baroclinic profile following thermal wind balance. The resulting coastal current has mainly a barotropic transport (82%) and a major annual cycle, which explains 37% of this component's variability (tides and other high-frequency events generate 40%). The wind contributes with 58% of the seasonal variability of the barotropic component and 23% of the baroclinic; the sea-ice concentration contributes with 8% and 18%, respectively; Sverdrup transport with 4% and 30% and the thermohaline forcing with 30% and 29%. The results of this study are obtained with analysis of fifteen CTD sections (potential density and geostrophic velocities) of RV-Polarstern obtained between 1992 and 2005, as well as composite, spectral and harmonic analyses of 9 years of time series from moored instruments (current speed and temperature), wind speed, atmospheric pressure and sea-ice concentration of satellite imagery.     

Elevated biomass of mesozooplankton and enhanced fecal pellet flux in cyclonic and mode-water eddies in the Sargasso Sea

Accumulating evidence points to the importance of mesoscale eddies in supplying nutrients to surface waters in oligotrophic gyres. However, the nature of the biological response and its evolution over time has yet to be elucidated. Changes in mesozooplankton community composition due to eddy perturbation also could affect biogeochemical cycling. Over the course of two summers we sampled seven eddies in the Sargasso Sea. We focused on and followed a post-phytoplankton bloom cyclonic eddy (C1) in 2004 and a blooming mode-water anticyclonic eddy (A4) in 2005. We collected zooplankton in all eddies using a Multiple Opening and Closing Net Environmental Sampling System (MOCNESS) and quantified biomass (>0.15 mm, in five size fractions) from 0 to 700 m over nine discrete depth intervals. Zooplankton biomass (>0.5 mm) in the upper 150 m was similarly enhanced at night for the periphery of C1 and the center of A4 at 0.514 g m⁻² and 0.533 g m⁻², respectively, compared to outside (0.183 g m⁻² outside C1 and 0.197 g m⁻² outside A4). Despite minimal chlorophyll a enhancement and dominance by picoplankton in C1, zooplankton biomass increased most for the largest size class (>5 mm). Gut fluorescence for euphausiids and large copepods was also elevated on the C1 periphery. In A4, peak biomass occurred at eddy center coincident with peak primary production, but was highly variable (changing by >3-fold) over time, perhaps resulting from the dense, but patchy distribution of diatom chains in this region. Shifts in zooplankton community composition and abundance were reflected in enhancement of fecal pellet production and active transport by diel vertical migration in eddies. Inside C1 the flux of zooplankton fecal pellets at 150 m in June 2004 was 1.5-fold higher than outside the eddy, accounting for 9% of total particulate organic carbon (POC) flux. The flux of fecal pellets (mostly from copepods) increased through the summer in eddy A4, matching concurrent increases in zooplankton <2 mm in length, and accounting for up to 12% of total POC flux. Active carbon transport by vertically migrating zooplankton was 37% higher on the periphery of C1 and 74% higher at the center of A4 compared to the summer mean at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station. Despite contrasting responses by the phytoplankton community to cyclonic and mode-water eddies, mesozooplankton biomass was similarly enhanced, possibly due to differential physical and biological aggregation mechanisms, and resulted in important zooplankton-mediated changes in mesoscale biogeochemistry.     

Seasonal and interannual evolution of the mixed layer in the Antarctic Zone south of Tasmania

Seasonal and interannual variations of the mixed layer properties in the Antarctic Zone (AZ) south of Tasmania are described using 7 WOCE/SR3 CTD sections and 8 years of summertime SURVOSTRAL XBT and thermosalinograph measurements between Tasmania and Antarctica. The AZ, which extends from the Polar Front (PF) to the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF), is characterized by a 150 m deep layer of cold Winter Water (WW) overlayed in summer by warmer, fresher water mass known as Antarctic Surface Water (AASW). South of Tasmania, two branches of the PF divide the AZ into northern and southern zones with distinct water properties and variability. In the northern AZ (between the northern and southern branches of the PF), the mixed layer depth (MLD) is fairly constant in latitude, being 150 m deep in winter and around 40–60 m in summer. In the southern AZ, the winter MLD decreases from 150 m at the S-PF to 80 m at the SACCF and from 60 to 35 m in summer. Shallower mixed layers in the AZ-S are due to the decrease in the wind speed and stronger upwelling near the Antarctic Divergence. The WW MLD oscillates by ±15 m around its mean value and modest interannual changes are driven by winter wind stress anomalies.The mixed layer is on annual average 1.7 °C warmer, 0.06 fresher and 0.2 kg m⁻³ lighter in the northern AZ than in the southern AZ. The Levitus (1998) climatology is in agreement with the observed mean summer mixed layer temperature and salinity along the SURVOSTRAL line but underestimates the MLD by 10–20 m. The winter MLD in the climatology is also closed to that observed, but is 0.15 saltier than the observations along the AZ-N of the SR3 line. MLD, temperature and density show a strong seasonal cycle through the AZ while the mixed layer salinity is nearly constant throughout the year. During winter, the AZ MLD is associated with a halocline while during summer it coincides with a thermocline.Interannual variability of the AZ summer mixed layer is partly influenced by large scale processes such as the circumpolar wave which produces a warm anomaly during the summer 1996–1997, and partly by local mechanisms such as the retroflection of the S-PF which introduces cold water across the AZ-N.     

Dissolved iron in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean (CLIVAR SR3 section): Meridional and seasonal trends

We report measurements of dissolved iron (dFe, <0.4 μm) in seawater collected from the upper 300 m of the water column along the CLIVAR SR3 section south of Tasmania in March 1998 (between 42°S and 54°S) and November–December 2001 (between 47°S and 66°S). Results from both cruises indicate a general north-to-south decrease in mixed-layer dFe concentrations, from values as high as 0.76 nM in the Subtropical Front to uniformly low concentrations (<0.1 nM) between the Polar Front and the Antarctic continental shelf. Samples collected from the seasonal sea-ice zone in November–December 2001 provide no evidence of significant dFe inputs from the melting pack ice, which may explain the absence of pronounced ice-edge algal blooms in this sector of the Southern Ocean, as implied by satellite ocean-color images. Our data also allow us to infer changes in the dFe concentration of surface waters during the growing season. South of the Polar Front, a comparison of near-surface with subsurface (150 m depth) dFe concentrations in November–December 2001 suggests a net seasonal biological uptake of at least 0.14–0.18 nM dFe, of which 0.05–0.12 nM is depleted early in the growing season (before mid December). A comparison of our spring 2001 and fall 1998 data indicates a barely discernible seasonal depletion of dFe (0.03 nM) within the Polar Frontal Zone. Further north, most of our iron profiles do not exhibit near-surface depletions, and mixed-layer dFe concentrations are sometimes higher in samples from fall 1998 compared to spring 2001; here, the near-surface dFe distributions appear to be dominated by time-varying inputs of aerosol iron or advection of iron-rich subtropical waters from the north.     

南黄海浮游动物群落结构研究

根据2014年春、秋季南黄海16个站位的生物样品进行了浮游动物群落结构研究。共鉴定出99种浮游动物,其中春季68种,秋季78种。除浮游幼虫外,种类较多的类群是桡足类(34种,占总种类数的34.3%)、水螅水母(13种,13.1%)和端足类(5种,5.0%)。春季优势种为夜光虫(Y=0.259 7)、桡足幼体(Y=0.135 3)、拟长腹剑水蚤(Y=0.060 8)和伪长腹剑水蚤(Y=0.022 4),秋季时桡足幼体(Y=0.335 9)、伪长腹剑水蚤(Y=0.115 7)、强额拟哲水蚤(Y=0.053 3)、桡足类无节幼虫(Y=0.051 4)和拟长腹剑水蚤(Y=0.041 0)是优势种。春季浮游动物平均生物量为1 555.1 mg/m~3,秋季为425.8 mg/m~3。春季平均丰度为9 551.4个/m~3,秋季为2 103.7个/m~3。秋季香农-威纳指数、丰富度和均匀度结果皆比春季的高。浮游动物生物量与温度和水深相关性更高;丰度和温度相关性最高,其次和水深相关。     

Spatio-temporal distribution of dissolved inorganic carbon and net community production in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

As part of the 2002 Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project, spatio-temporal variability of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was employed to determine rates of net community production (NCP) for the Chukchi and western Beaufort Sea shelf and slope, and Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Seasonal and spatial distributions of DIC were characterized for all water masses (e.g., mixed layer, halocline waters, Atlantic layer, and deep Arctic Ocean) of the Chukchi Sea region during field investigations in spring (5 May–15 June 2002) and summer (15 July–25 August 2002). Between these periods, high rates of phytoplankton production resulted in large drawdown of inorganic nutrients and DIC in the Polar Mixed Layer (PML) and in the shallow depths of the Upper Halocline Layer (UHL). The highest rates of NCP (1000–2850 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) occurred on the shelf in the Barrow Canyon region of the Chukchi Sea and east of Barrow in the western Beaufort Sea. A total NCP rate of 8.9–17.8×10¹² g for the growing season was estimated for the eastern Chukchi Sea shelf and slope region. Very low inorganic nutrient concentrations and low rates of NCP (<15–25 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) estimated for the mixed layer of the adjacent Arctic Ocean basin indicate that this area is perennially oligotrophic.     

Differences in nitrous oxide distribution patterns between the Bering Sea basin and Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean

Nitrous oxide （N2O） distribution patterns in the Bering Sea basin （BSB） and Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean （ISSO） were described and compared. In both sites, the waters were divided into four layers： surface layer, subsurface layer, N2O maximum layer, and deep water. Simulations were made to find out the most important factors that regulate the N2O distribution patterns in different layers of both sites. The results showed that in the surface water, N2O was more understaturated in the ISSO than the BSB. This phenom- enon in the surface water of ISSO may result from ice melt water intrusion and northeastward transport of the Antarctic surface water. Results of the rough estimation of air-sea fluxes during the expedition were （-0.34±0.07）-（-0.64±0.13） μmol/（m2·d） and （-1.47±0.42）-（-1.77±0.51） μmol/（m-2·d） for the BSB and the ISSO, respectively. Strongly stratified surface layer and temperature minimum layer restricted exchange across the thermocline. The N2O maximum existed in higher concentration and deeper in the BSB than the ISSO, but their contribution to the upper layer by eddy diffusions was negligible. In deep waters, a concentration difference of 5 nmol/L N2O between these two sites was found, which suggested that N2O production occurred during thermohaline circulation. N2O may be a useful tracer to study important large-scale hydrographic processes.     

Seasonal and annual variability of vertically migrating scattering layers in the northern Arabian Sea

A 30-month time series of mean volume backscattering strength (MVBS) data obtained from moored acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) is used to analyze the evolution of vertically migrating scattering layers and their seasonal and annual variability in the Arabian and Oman Seas. Substantial diel vertical migration (DVM) is observed almost every day at all three mooring sites. Two daytime layers (Layers D1 and D2) and one nighttime layer (Layer E1) are typically present. The greatest biomass is observed near the surface during the night in Layer E1 and at depth between 250 and 450 m during the daytime in Layer D2. All layers are deepest during the spring inter-monsoon and shallowest during the summer/fall southwest monsoon (SWM). Seasonal modulation of the D2 biomass change is evident in our high-resolution data. The lowest biomass in D2 is measured in the early summer (May or June) followed by a rapid biomass increase during the SWM (June–November) until the biomass reaches a maximum at the end of the SWM season. Short-period oscillations in D2 biomass are often seen with periods ranging from days to one month. Occasionally, a lower nighttime layer E2 is formed between 180 and 270 m, mostly near the time of full moons. The upper daytime layer D1 is centered at 200 m and densely concentrated. It is only formed during the winter northeast monsoon (NEM) and the spring inter-monsoon. The influence of physical processes on layer distribution is also investigated. Interestingly, the two daytime layers are found to be formed at the two boundaries of the Persian Gulf outflow water (PGW) and follow the seasonal depth change of the PGW. The timing of the DVM and the formation, persistence, decay and reformation of the deep scattering layers seem to be governed by light, both solar and lunar. The scattering strength, the layer depth and the layer thickness are likewise closely related to the Moon phase at night. Cloud coverage, the isotherm and the isohaline also appear to affect the distribution and depth of the scattering layers. The continuous multiple-year acoustic data from ADCPs allow us, for the first time, to study the seasonal and annual variations of scattering layers in this region.     

南大洋凯尔盖朗海台区的流场结构及季节变化

利用冰-海耦合等密面模式模拟了南大洋凯尔盖朗海台区的环流及其季节变化.对模拟结果的分析表明,该海区的南极绕极流具有非常显着的条带状分布和非纬向性特征.南极绕极流流经凯尔盖朗海台时,在海台的南部、中部和北部表现出不同的形式,其南部的一个分支贴近南极大陆,与西向的陆坡流之间有强的相互作用.海台以北的南极绕极流的变化以年周期为主,海台以南的变化以半年周期为主,其时间变化规律与这里的风应力的变化规律是一致的.     

北太平洋Hadley 环流纬向结构的季节和年际变化

为了描述北太平洋上空Hadley 环流的纬向结构特征, 利用NCEP 再分析资料(1979～2010 年), 研究了北太平洋上空Hadley 环流纬向结构的季节和年际变化。发现在西太平洋, Hadley 环流季节性上升支呈西北-东南倾斜, 其垂向核心位于对流层中层, 纬向核心在北半球冬季(夏季)位于日界线附近(150°E); 而永久性上升支主要在东太平洋, 其垂向核心位于对流层低层, 且沿经度东移逐渐增强。根据纬向环流结构特征, 北半球冬季环流形态分为3 个区域: 160°E 以西, 主要表现为低层辐合高层辐散;160°E～130°W, 主要表现为高层辐合; 130°W 以东, 表现为低层辐合高层辐散特征。相似地, 北半球夏季环流形态也可沿纬向分为如下3 个区域: 165°E 以西、165°E～165°W 和165°W 以东, 分别对应东亚夏季风主导经圈环流区、过渡区、Hadley 环流主导经圈环流区。在年际变化上, 北太平洋Hadley 环流与ENSO 有很强的相关, 这与前人的研究是一致的。因此北太平洋上空Hadley 环流具有显著的空间性态, 并且对应时间尺度不同, 影响其变化的主要因素也不尽相同。     

Seasonal and spatial distribution of particulate organic matter (POM) in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

As part of the Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project, the production and fate of organic carbon and nitrogen from the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves were investigated during spring (5 May–15 June) and summer (15 July–25 August) cruises in 2002. Seasonal observations of suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) and large-particle (>53 μm) size class suggest that there was a large accumulation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) between spring and summer in the surface mixed layer due to high phytoplankton productivity. Considerable organic matter appeared to be transported from the shelf into the Arctic Ocean basin in an elevated POC and PON layer at the top of the upper halocline. Seasonal changes in the molar carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the suspended particulate organic matter (POM) pool reflect a change in the quality of the organic material that was present and presumably being exported to the sediment and to Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves. In spring, low particulate C:N ratios (<6; i.e., N rich) were observed in nitrate-replete surface waters. By the summer, localized high particulate C:N ratios (>9; i.e., N-poor) were observed in nitrate-depleted surface waters. Low POC and inorganic nutrient concentrations observed in the surface layer suggest that rates of primary, new and export production are low in the Canada Basin region of the Arctic Ocean.     

Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea in 1993 and 1994

INTRODUCTIONTherearemanyworksabouttheKuroshioVTintheEastChinaSeaanditsseasonalvariabil*ThisprojectwassupportedbytheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChinaundercontractNo.49776287.1.SecondinstituteofOceanography,StateOceanicAdministration,Hangzhou310012,Chinaity(Guan,1988;Nishizawaetal.,1982;SunandKaneko,1993;Yuanetal.,1990,1993,1994,1995).Thecomputationmethodusedtobethedynamicmethod(Guan,1988;Nishizawaetal.,1982;SunandKaneko,1993),butrecentlytheinverseandthemodifiedinversemetho…     

西太平洋暖池热盐结构的季节变化

Using the 28°C isotherm to define the Western Pacific Warm Pool(WPWP), this study analyzes the seasonal variability of the WPWP thermohaline structure on the basis of the monthly-averaged sea temperature and salinity data from 1950 to 2011, and the dynamic and thermodynamic mechanisms based on the monthly-averaged wind,precipitation, net heat fluxes and current velocity data. A DT=–0.4°C is more suitable than other temperature criterion for determining the mixed layer(ML) and barrier layer(BL) over the WPWP using monthly-averaged temperature and salinity data. The WPWP has a particular thermohaline structure and can be vertically divided into three layers, i.e., the ML, BL, and deep layer(DL). The BL thickness(BLT) is the thickest, while the ML thickness(MLT) is the thinnest. The MLT has a similar seasonal variation to the DL thickness(DLT) and BLT.They are all thicker in spring and fall but thinner in summer. The temperatures of the ML and BL are both higher in spring and autumn but lower in winter and summer with an annual amplitude of 0.15°C, while the temperature of the DL is higher in May and lower in August. The averaged salinities at these three layers are all higher in March but lower in September, with annual ranges of 0.41–0.45. Zonal currents, i.e., the South Equatorial Current(SEC)and North Equatorial Counter Current(NECC), and winds may be the main dynamic factors driving the seasonal variability in the WPWP thermohaline structure, while precipitation and net heat fluxes are both important thermodynamic factors. Higher(lower) winds cause both the MLT and BLT to thicken(thin), a stronger(weaker)NECC induces MLT, BLT, and DLT to thin(thicken), and a stronger(weaker) SEC causes both the MLT and BLT to thicken(thin) and the DLT to thin(thicken). An increase(decrease) in the net heat fluxes causes the MLT and BLT to thicken(thin) but the DLT to thin(thicken), while a stronger(weaker) precipitation favors thinner(thicker)MLT but thicker(thinner) BLT and DLT. In addition, a stronger(weaker) NECC and SEC cause the temperature of the three layers to decrease(increase), while the seasonal variability in salinity at the ML, BL, and DL might be controlled by the subtropical cell(STC).     

Seasonal food web structures and sympagic-pelagic coupling in the European Arctic revealed by stable isotopes and a two-source food web model

We simultaneously followed stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes in a two-source food web model to determine trophic levels and the relative importance of open water- and ice-associated food sources (phytoplankton vs. ice algae) in the lower marine food web in the European Arctic during four seasons. The model is based upon extensive seasonal data from 1995 to 2001.Phytoplankton, represented by samples of particulate organic matter from open water (Pelagic-POM) and ice algae, represented by samples from the underside of the ice (Ice-POM), were isotopically different. Ice-POM was generally dominated by the typical ice diatoms Nitzschia frigida and Melosira arctica and was more enriched than Pelagic-POM in ¹³C (δ¹³C = −20‰ vs. −24‰), but less enriched in ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N = 1.8‰ vs. 4.0‰). However, when dominated by pelagic algae, Ice-POM was enriched in ¹³C and ¹⁵N similarly to Pelagic-POM.The derived trophic enrichment factors for δ¹⁵N (Δ_N = 3.4‰) and δ¹³C (Δ_C = 0.6‰) were similar in both pelagic and sympagic (ice-associated) systems, although the Δ_C for the sympagic system was variable.Trophic level (TL) range for zooplankton (TL = 1.8-3.8) was similar to that of ice fauna (TL = 1.9-3.7), but ice amphipods were generally less enriched in δ¹⁵N than zooplankton, reflecting lower δ¹⁵N in Ice-POM compared to Pelagic-POM. For bulk zooplankton, TLs and carbon sources changed little seasonally, but the proportion of herbivores was higher during May-September than in October and March. Overall, we found that the primary carbon source for zooplankton was Pelagic-POM (mean 74%), but depending on species, season and TL, substantial carbon (up to 50%) was supplied from the sympagic system. For bulk ice fauna, no major changes were found in TLs or carbon sources from summer to autumn. The primary carbon source for ice fauna was Ice-POM (mean 67%), although ice fauna with TL > 3 (adult Onisimus nanseni and juvenile polar cod) primarily utilized a pelagic food source.     

南海混合层深度的季节和年际变化特征

利用1871-2008年SODA资料和月平均的Levitus资料计算了南海混合层深度(MLD)的季节及年际变化特征.资料分析表明:季风通过流场调整对南海MLD的时空分布特征有显著的影响.南海MLD的距平变化总体上呈上升趋势,南海南部MLD的距平变化趋势和北部的有显著差异,特别在1955年后北部整体呈下降趋势而南部呈上升趋势,二者的显著周期北部为2-3年,南部与整个区域平均的基本相似有2-6年的显著周期.SOI指数对滞后的南海各个区域有较好的相关性.EOF分析表明第一模态整体呈单极型最大变率分布在南海南部,由南往北逐渐减小显著周期2-3年变化为主;第二模态呈偶极子型,显著周期以2-5年变化为主.回归分析表明南海南部深水区域呈现增深的趋势,而吕宋海峡至南海北部陆架区呈变浅趋势,滑动t检验表明南海MLD有6个显著的突变年份.