Hydrographic conditions in the Tsushima Strait revisited

Long-term averaged temperature and salinity distributions in the Tsushima Strait are investigated on the basis of a concurrent dataset of the eastern and western channels during 1971–2000. Both temperature and salinity show a clear seasonal variation with weak and strong stratifications in December–April and June–October, respectively. The largest standard deviations occur in summer around the thermocline for temperature and in the surface layer for salinity. This indicates large interannual variability in the development of a thermocline and low salinity water advection from the East China Sea. The water masses in both channels are distinctly different from each other; the water in the western channel is generally colder and fresher than that in the eastern channel throughout the year. Baroclinic transport based on the density distributions shows a seasonal variation with a single peak in August for the eastern channel and double peaks in April and August for the western channel. However, this cannot explain the seasonal variation in the total volume transport estimated from the sea level differences across the channels. The spatial distribution of baroclinic transport shows a year-round negative transport towards the East China Sea behind the Iki Island in the eastern part of the eastern channel. This negative transport reflects the baroclinic structure between the offshore Tsushima Current Water and cold coastal water. The corresponding southwestward currents are found in both Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and high frequency (HF) radars observations.     

Validation of ADEOS-II GLI ocean color products using in-situ observations

The Global Imager (GLI) aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II) made global observations from 2 April 2003 to 24 October 2003. In cooperation with several institutes and scientists, we obtained quality controlled match-ups between GLI products and in-situ data, 116 for chlorophyll-a concentration (CHLA), 249 for normalized water-leaving radiance (nLw) at 443 nm, and 201 for aerosol optical thickness at 865 nm (Tau_865) and Angstrom exponent between 520 and 865 nm (Angstrom). We evaluated the GLI ocean color products and investigated the causes of errors using the match-ups. The median absolute percentage differences (MedPD) between GLI and in-situ data were 14.1–35.7% for nLws at 380–565 nm, 52.5–74.8% nLws at 625–680 nm, 47.6% for Tau_865, 46.2% for Angstrom, and 46.6% for CHLA, values that are comparable to the ocean-color products of other sensors. We found that some errors in GLI products are correlated with observational conditions; nLw values were underestimated when nLw at 680 nm was high, CHLA was underestimated in absorptive aerosol conditions, and Tau_865 was overestimated in sunglint regions. The error correlations indicate that we need to improve the retrievals of the optical properties of absorptive aerosols and seawater and sea surface reflection for further applications, including coastal monitoring and the combined use of products from multiple sensors.     

The role of gametes of the macroalgae <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascophyllum nodosum</Emphasis> (L.) Le Jolis and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fucus vesiculosus</Emphasis> L. (Fucales,Phaeophyceae) in summer nanoplankton of the White Sea coastal waters

Studies of macrophytes in the coastal zone of the Artic Seas, including the White Sea, have shown the essential role of these algae in the activity of the coastal half-latitude ecosystems. In summer, during the macrophyte reproduction period, a great number of reproduction products are released into the water. For a short time, this considerably affects the ratio of the nanoplankton in the populations that inhibit the vast and shallow coastal areas. At different coastal sites in Chernorechenskaya Inlet, Kadalaksha Bay, during the period of intensive reproduction of Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus, 42 plankton samples were collected in 2005. During this period the concentration of antherozoids in the water reached 55000 cells/ml (216 mg C/m³). The number of eggs was within the range of 0.05–0.7 cells/ml. The proportion of antherozoids in the total biomass of nanoplankton varied at different coastal sites from 0.37 to 99%, with a mean of 46% for the reproduction period of A. nodosum, and only 7% for the reproduction period of F. vesiculosus. As was shown by counts of F. vesiculosus female gametes in sedimentation traps, 1 m² of the macrophyte bed (assuming 100% coverage) produces 18000–108000 eggs per day (0.33–2 mg C). The calculated flux of the reproductive material from the brown algae beds to the coastal water shows good agreement with the sample counts.     

Effects of the Anticyclonic Eddies on Water Masses, Chemical Parameters and Chlorophyll Distributions in the Oyashio Current Region

Data from the R/V Mirai cruise (May–June 2000) have been examined to discover how mesoscale processes associated with eddy dynamics direct affect the water masses, the distributions and the vertical fluxes of the dissolved oxygen, nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon in the western subarctic Pacific. Using maps of the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll and sea-air pCO₂ difference we show that the boundaries of the anticyclone eddies in the study region were composed of high productivity coastal Oyashio water. The coastal waters were wrapped around the anticyclone eddies (thus creating a high productivity belt) and intruded inside of them. Using SeaWifs data we demonstrate that temporal variations in the position and the strength of anticyclone eddies advected the Kuril island coastal high productivity waters to the pelagic part, resulting in temporal variations of the chlorophyll in the Oyashio region. Computed vertical fluxes of the dissolved oxygen (DO), inorganic carbon (DIC) and silicate show that the anticylonic eddies in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Zone are characterized by enhanced vertical fluxes of the DO and DIC between the upper (σ_θ = 26.7–27.0) and lower (σ_θ = 27.1–27.5) intermediate layer, probably due to the intrusions of the Oyashio waters into the eddies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of spatial inhomogeneity of the resistance coefficient on the dynamics of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> tidal wave in the White Sea

To find variations in the dynamics of the surface M ₂ tide in the White Sea induced by the spatially inhomogeneity of the resistance coefficient, we use a modified version of the QUODDY-4 three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model. This version differs from the original version in that it has a module introduced to calculate the resistance coefficient in the bottom boundary layer (BBL). The resistance coefficient is found from resistance laws for an oscillating rotating turbulent BBL over hydrodynamically rough and partially rough (smoothly rough) underlying surfaces describing the dependence of the resistance coefficient and other integral characteristics of resistance on dimensionless similarity parameters: the sea-bottom Rossby number Ro, the streaming Reynolds number Re, and the relative (normalized to tidal frequency) inertial frequency f/σ. The use of spatial inhomogeneity of the resistance coefficient was shown not to lead to considerable changes in tidal characteristics. The values of these characteristics are several times larger than the instrumental measurement errors for the level and velocity but less than the errors in their calculation.     

Characteristics of the ratio of dissolved cadmium to phosphate in subtropical coastal waters of Ishigaki Island,Okinawa, Japan

The ratio of dissolved cadmium (Cd) to phosphate (PO₄) in the subtropical coastal area of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, was investigated. Twenty vertical seawater samplings were carried out once a month from May 2008 to January 2010. In order to examine how the Cd/PO₄ ratio in seawater varies with the oceanographic conditions (i.e., the water temperature–salinity characteristics), the water masses at the study sites were classified into two types: group 1 with a water temperature of >25°C and a salinity range of 34.0–34.4, and group 2 with a water temperature of <25°C and a salinity of >34.4. A different phytoplankton assemblage was observed in each water mass defined. Different Cd/PO₄ ratios were obtained for the two water mass types, due to the differences between the types in terms of the environmental conditions such as the water temperature–salinity (T–S) characteristics and phytoplankton assemblages, as well as possible variations in the concentrations of dissolved iron, zinc, manganese, and CO₂ in seawater in each water mass.     

Evidence of microphytobenthic roles on coastal shallow water of the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

This study describes the temporal variation of microphytobenthic biomass and its controlling factors, as well as the impact of microphytobenthic activities on coastal shallow sediment in the eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The chlorophyll a (Chl a), phaeopigments and sedimentary biophilic element (C, N, P and Si) contents in surface sediments, as well as nutrient concentrations at the sediment-water interface (overlying water and pore water) were observed monthly during November 2003 to May 2005 at one site in Shido Bay (water depth ca. 7 m) and at one site in Harima-Nada (35 m). No correlation was observed between the sedimentary biophilic elements and other parameters. The maximum chlorophyll a content of 48.2 μg g^–1 was found in surface sediments under the photon flux reaching the seafloor of 537 μmol photon m^–2 s^–1 during the winter period when water transparency was the highest at station S (Shido Bay). Our results suggest that higher chlorophyll a content in surface sediment was due to the fresh microphytobenthic biomass (mainly benthic diatom). We also found a significant negative correlation between Chl a and inorganic nutrients in pore water during the low temperature period, especially silicic acid. This result suggests that the silicic acid was assimilated largely during the increase of microphytobenthic biomass in surface sediment. This study suggests that the microphytobenthic roles may have a great effect on nutrient budgets during the large supply of irradiance (winter periods) for their photosynthetic growth in shallow coastal waters.     

Modeling and experimental research of turbulent jet propagation in the stratified environment of coastal water areas

The results of model calculations and experimental research of turbulent jet propagation in a stratified environment with reference to the Sand Island wastewater outfall (Hawaii) are considered. The jet’s emergence and initial dilution were estimated on the basis of model calculations and experimental data of the stratified environment characteristics in 2003–2004. The reason for the appearance of the bidirectional quasi-isopycnic structure in the waste and ocean water mixing area was clarified, and an analysis of the TS index was carried out. The jet’s features as calculated from the model and obtained from measurements with hydrophysical and hydrooptical instrumentation were found to closely correspond. The effects of the tides and hydrophysical conditions on the waste water’s turbulent jet characteristics (the jet’s floating-up depth level) have been revealed. The outcomes of the study corroborate the efficiency of the model as a tool for research of deep outfall turbulent jet propagation in the stratified environment of coastal water areas.     

Simulation of wind-induced oscillations of the Azov-Sea level

The prognostic fields of the surface winds and atmospheric pressure obtained according to the data of the Skiron prognostic system are used to study the surge phenomena in the Azov Sea by using a three-dimensional nonlinear model. The accumulated numerical results are compared with the data of direct measurements of the sea level at the coastal stations. The degree of sensitivity of the computed levels of surges to the value of the coefficient of surface friction is evaluated. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 53–65, November–December, 2008.     

Optical,biological, and chemical properties ofAoshio,hypoxic milky blue-green water,observed at the head of Tokyo Bay

Aoshio-hypoxic water which can be distinguished from surrounding coastal water by its milky blue-green color-is often observed at the head of Tokyo Bay when coastal upwelling of sulfidic bottom water occurs during summer and early autumn. Optical properties and the biological-chemical composition of suspended matter in theaoshio water were investigated using nearby “normal” coastal water as a reference. Suspended matter in theaoshio water contributed to the large beam-attenuation coefficient and also to the strong upward radiance with maximal intensity around 550 nm as a result of the scattering process. No significant difference in bacterial density was observed between samples ofaoshio water and reference coastal water. The low chlorophylls concentration inaoshio water samples indicates that biological pigments may not play a dominant role in the color of theaoshio events. The suspended particles inaoshio water samples had much higher contents of sulfur and manganese and a lower silicon content than those in reference coastal water samples. The colloidal elemental sulfur and manganese-rich particles identified in theaoshio water appear to be oxidation products of dissolved sulfide and manganese (II) in the anoxic water. On the basis of these findings, it may be concluded that there is a high probability that elemental sulfur and manganese-rich particles are responsible for the color and turbidity inaoshio.     

Processes influencing iron distribution in the coastal waters of the Tsugaru Strait,Japan

We report measurements of iron, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, humic-type fluorescence intensity and chlorophyll a concentrations in the coastal waters at the inflow (western) and outflow (eastern) ends of Tsugaru Strait (Japan) in June 2003 and 2004. Two different water masses (intensive eastward flow “subtropical Tsugaru Warm Current Water (TWCw)” and weak westward flow “subarctic Oyashio Water (OW)”) were observed at the eastern end of the strait. TWCw at the southern part of the eastern strait was vertically homogeneous with a uniform concentrations of iron (0.7–1.1 nM for labile dissolved Fe and 14–20 nM for total dissolvable Fe in 2003) as well as other chemical, biological and physical components throughout the water column of 200 m due to strong vertical mixing in the strait. The degree of mixing in the Tsugaru Warm Current (TWC) is predominantly affected by diurnal tidal current, which is strong during the period of tropical tides and weak during the period of equinoctial ones. The especially strong vertical water mixing in 2003 is caused by large dissipation energy input due to the bottom friction of passage-flow through the strait and tidal current. At the northern part of the eastern strait, the fresh surface layer overlying the OW and the deep-bottom waters in 2003 contained large concentrations of dissolved iron, resulting from iron supplied from river runoff and shelf sediments, respectively. These results suggest that the most important mechanism for transporting iron in the strait is the strong vertical water mixing due to the tidal current, and that the iron sources in the coastal waters are the organic-associated, iron-rich freshwater input into the surface water.     

Specific features of the variability of atmospheric processes and hydrophysical fields near the west and southwest coasts of Crimea on time scales from interdiurnal to long-term

We present the results of analysis of the variability of hydrometeorological and hydrophysical fields near the west and southwest coasts of Crimea on scales varying from 1–100 days to 1–11 yr according to the data of long-term routine (4–8 h) observations performed at the coastal marine hydrometeorological stations. New methods of filtration and spectral analysis are used to reveal the characteristic time scales of variability including the quasiperiodic and periodic components and study the physical processes responsible for the indicated variability. Special attention is given to the analysis of correlation between the periodic variability of the fields in the atmosphere and in the coastal zone on different time scales. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, pp. 22–36, January–February, 2006.     

Influence of the Kuroshio Fluctuations on Sea Level Variations along the South Coast of Japan

The correlation between the Kuroshio and coastal sea level south of Japan has been examined using the altimetry and tide gauge data during the period 1992–2000. The sea level varies uniformly in a region bounded by the coast and the mean Kuroshio axis, which stretches for several hundred kilometers along the coast. These variations are related with the Kuroshio velocity, as coastal sea level decreases (or increases) when the Kuroshio is faster (or slower). To the east of the Kii Peninsula, where sea level variations are different from these to the west, movement of the Kuroshio axis additionally affects coastal sea level variations.     

Seasonal Variation of Stratification in the Gulf of Thailand

Intensive hydrographic observations were carried out in the western part of the Gulf of Thailand and the east coastal sea of Peninsular Malaysia in September 1995 and April–May 1996. The characteristics of seasonal variation of oceanic condition in that area are discussed basis of an analysis of observed water temperature, salinity and density distributions in these cruises and NAGA cruises (Yanagi and Takao, 1998a). Stratification is most developed in March–May mainly due to large sea surface heating and weak sea surface wind, which weakened until September–October, vanishing in December–January. The horizontal distribution of bottom cold, saline and heavy water masses, which are found during the stratified season, is governed by the tidal mixing and the water depth. Water exchange between the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea becomes large in March–May due to a coupled effect of the intensified estuarine circulation and the Ekman transport by the southwest monsoon. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dissolved and labile particulate Zr,Hf, Nb,Ta, Mo and W in the western North Pacific Ocean

Dissolved and labile particulate Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo and W were determined at stations K1 (51°N, 165°E), K2 (47°N, 160°E), KNOT (44°N, 155°E) and 35N (35°N, 160°E) in the western North Pacific Ocean. A portion of seawater for dissolved species (D) was passed through a 0.2 μm Nuclepore filter and acidified to pH 2.2 with HCl and HF. A portion of seawater for acid-dissolvable species (AD) was acidified without filtration. Labile particulate (LP) species is defined as AD minus D, which represents a chemically labile fraction of particulate species. D-Zr, Hf and Ta increase with depth, Nb shows a slight depletion in surface water, whereas Mo and W have a conservative vertical profile. The concentration range of D-Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta and W is 31–275, 0.14–0.95, 4.0–7.2, 0.08–0.29 and 40–51 pmol kg⁻¹, respectively, whereas that of Mo is 97–105 nmol kg⁻¹. LP-species of Zr, Hf and Ta account for 10–14% of AD in average and increase up to 25% below 4000 m, whereas those for Mo and W are negligible. In contrast, LP-Nb shows maxima (up to 27%) in surface water. We also found that D-Zr/Hf, Nb/Ta and Mo/W mole ratios generally increase in the order continental crust < river water < coastal sea < open ocean.     

Modeling wave�Ccurrent bottom boundary layers beneath shoaling and breaking waves

The boundary layer characteristics beneath waves transforming on a natural beach are affected by both waves and wave-induced currents, and their predictability is more difficult and challenging than for those observed over a seabed of uniform depth. In this research, a first-order boundary layer model is developed to investigate the characteristics of bottom boundary layers in a wave–current coexisting environment beneath shoaling and breaking waves. The main difference between the present modeling approach and previous methods is in the mathematical formulation for the mean horizontal pressure gradient term in the governing equations for the cross-shore wave-induced currents. This term is obtained from the wave-averaged momentum equation, and its magnitude depends on the balance between the wave excess momentum flux gradient and the hydrostatic pressure gradient due to spatial variations in the wave field of propagating waves and mean water level fluctuations. A turbulence closure scheme is used with a modified low Reynolds number k-ε model. The model was validated with two published experimental datasets for normally incident shoaling and breaking waves over a sloping seabed. For shoaling waves, model results agree well with data for the instantaneous velocity profiles, oscillatory wave amplitudes, and mean velocity profiles. For breaking waves, a good agreement is obtained between model and data for the vertical distribution of mean shear stress. In particular, the model reproduced the local onshore mean flow near the bottom beneath shoaling waves, and the vertically decreasing pattern of mean shear stress beneath breaking waves. These successful demonstrations for wave–current bottom boundary layers are attributed to a novel formulation of the mean pressure gradient incorporated in the present model. The proposed new formulation plays an important role in modeling the boundary layer characteristics beneath shoaling and breaking waves, and ensuring that the present model is applicable to nearshore sediment transport and morphology evolution.     

Improved interpretation of the data of observations of the black sea by a SeaWiFS satellite instrument in autumn 1998

By analyzing, as an example, the data of observations of the Black Sea from the space in autumn 1998, we conclude that, in some cases, the atmospheric distortions manifest themselves in all measuring channels of SeaWiFS instruments and lead to significant errors in determining the concentration of chlorophyll according to the standard NASA algorithm. After additional rejection of the data with negative values of the spectral brightness of the sea surface at a wavelength of 412 nm, the results of evaluation the concentration of chlorophyll are in good agreement with the available data of direct measurements. We also present a detailed discussion of some specific features of operation of the NASA algorithm of atmospheric correction playing an important role in the interpretation of the data of observations of the Black Sea. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 68–79, March–April, 2008.     

Hydrographic Structure and Transport of Intermediate Water in the Kuroshio Region off the Boso Peninsula, Japan

Hydrographic structure and transport of intermediate water were observed in the Kuroshio region south of Japan, focusing on the 26.6–27.5σ_θ density in six cruises from May 1998 through September 2001. In the section off the Boso Peninsula where the Kuroshio exfoliates eastward, the intermediate water was clearly clustered into three groups meridionally composed of the coastal water, the Kuroshio water and the offshore water. Compared with the Kuroshio water characterized by warm, salty water transported by the Kuroshio, the coastal and offshore waters significantly degenerated due to mixing with cold, fresh waters originated from the subarctic region: the former was affected by alongshore spread of the coastal Oyashio and the latter by direct intrusion of the new North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) into the southern side of the Kuroshio current axis. Particularly the offshore water showed higher apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) in layers deeper than 26.9σ_θ while it showed lower AOU in layers shallower than 26.9σ_θ, which indicated that colder, fresher and higher AOU water was distributed on the southeastern side of the Kuroshio in deeper layers. In May 1998, the Oyashio-Kuroshio mixing ratio was estimated to be typically 2:8 for the offshore water on the assumption of isopycnal mixing. Moreover, northeastward volume transport of the Kuroshio water was obtained from geostrophic velocity fields adjusted to lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) data to yield 6.1 Sv at 26.6–26.9σ_θ and 11.8 Sv at 26.9–27.5 σ_θ. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gas and fluid venting at the Makran accretionary wedge off Pakistan

The Makran accretionary complex shows a distinct bottom-simulating reflector, indicating a thick gas-hydrate-bearing horizon between the deformational front and about 1350 m water depth which seals off the upward flow of gas-charged fluids. A field of presently inactive mud diapirs with elevations up to 65 m was discovered in the abyssal plain seawards of the deformation front, suggesting that in the past conditions were favorable for periodic but localized vigorous mud diapirism. Regional destabilization of the gas hydrate leading to focused flow was observed where deep-penetrating, active faults reach the base of the gas-hydrate layer, as in a deeply incised submarine canyon (2100–2500 m water depth). At this location we discovered seeps of methane and H₂S-rich fluids associated with chemoautotrophic vent faunas (e.g., Calyptogena sp.). Driven by the accretionary wedge dynamics, the landward part of the gas-hydrate layer below the Makran margin is being progressively uplifted. Due to reduced hydrostatic pressure and rising ocean bottom-water temperatures, gas hydrates are progressively destabilized and dissociated into hydrate water, methane and H₂S. Sediment temperatures lie outside the methane stability field wherever water depth is less than 800 m. Above this depth, upward migration of fluids to the seafloor is unimpeded, thus explaining the abundance of randomly distributed gas seeps observed at water depths of 350 to 800 m. Received: 14 June 1999 / Revision accepted: 6 February 2000