An Angus/Argo study of the neovolcanic zone along the East Pacific rise from the Clipperton fracture zone to 12°N

Still photographs and video images collected along the Neovolcanic Zone of the East Pacific Rise from 10°15′N to 11°53′N show that recent volcanic sheet flows, possibly less than 100 years old, are superimposed on an older sediment-laden pillow terrane. This recent activity is restricted to a narrow zone that crosses two topographic highs at 10°55′N and 11°26′N and diminishes along-axis away from these highs. The association of recent sheet flows with older flows and collapse structures on the overlapping spreading centers at 11°45′N supports the evolutionary model for the occurrence and evolution of overlapping spreading centers by MacDonald and others (1986, 1988).     

Biomass, Abundance, and Vertical Distribution of Micronekton and Large Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Subarctic Pacific and the Bering Sea during the Summer of 1997

The biomass, abundance, and vertical distribution of micronekton, including enidarians, mysids, euphausiids, decapods, thaliaceans, and fishes, were studied on the basis of samples collected with an 8-m² opening-closing rectangular midwater trawl (RMT-8, mesh size: 4.5 mm) at three stations in the subarctic Pacific (the western subarctic gyre, the central Subarctic, and the Gulf of Alaska) and one station in the oceanic Bering Sea. The total biomass in the 0–1000 m water column ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 gDW m^–2. Except for primary consumers that showed highly variable biomass (thaliaceans and euphausiids), biomass was highest in the oceanic Bering Sea followed by the central (boundary between eastern and western gyres), western gyre, and eastern Gulf of Alaska. The biomass compositions by higher taxa were basically similar between regions: fishes were most dominant, followed by enidarians at all stations, except for the marked predominance of thaliaceans in the Gulf of Alaska. High biomasses of gelatinous animals (31% of overall dry weight), occasionally comparable to those of fishes and crustaceans, suggest their potential importance in the subarctic Pacific. Characteristics in vertical patterns of micronekton biomass common in all stations were: (1) a mesopelagic peak around 500–600 m both day and night, (2) a layer of low biomass in the cold intermediate water and/or in the upper mesopelagic zone, (3) a nighttime shift of biomass to upper layers, and (4) an highly variable biomass of epipelagic/interzonal migrants (euphausiids and thaliaceans).     

Seasonal and Interannual Variability in the Distribution of Surface Nutrients and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon in the Northern North Pacific: Influence of El Niño

The seasonal and interannual changes in surface nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were recorded in the North Pacific (30–54°N) from 1995 to 2001. This study focuses on the region north of the subarctic boundary (∼40°N) where there was extensive monthly coverage of surface properties. The nutrient cycles showed large interannual variations in the eastern and western subarctic gyres. In the Alaska Gyre the seasonal depletion of nitrate (ΔNO₃) increased from 8–14 μmol kg⁻¹ in 1995–1999 to 21.5 μmol kg⁻¹ in 2000. In the western subarctic the shifts were similar in amplitude but more frequent. The large ΔNO₃ levels were associated with high silicate depletions, indicating enhanced diatom production. The seasonal DIC:NO₃ drawdown ratios were elevated in the eastern and central subarctic due to calcification. In the western subarctic and the central Bering Sea calcification was significant only during 1997 and/or 1998, two El Ni?o years. Regional C/N stoichiometric molar ratios of 5.7 to 7.0 (>40°N) were determined based on the years with negligible or no calcification. The annual new production (NP_a) based on ΔNO₃ and these C/N ratios showed large interannual variations. NP_a was usually higher in the western than in the eastern subarctic. However, values of 84 gC m⁻²yr⁻¹ were found in the Alaska Gyre in 2000 which is similar to that in the most productive provinces of the northern North Pacific. There were also large increases in NP_a around the Alaska Peninsula in 1997 and 1998. Finally, the net removal of carbon by the biological pump was estimated as 0.72 Gt C yr⁻¹ in the North Pacific (>30°N). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Active spreading and hydrothermalism in North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific). Results of Japanese French Cruise Kaiyo 87

The aim of the Japanese-French Kaiyo 87 cruise was the study of the spreading axis in the North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific). A Seabeam and geophysical survey allowed us to define the detailed structure of the active NS spreading axis between 16° and 22° S and its relationships with the left lateral motion of the North Fiji Fracture Zone. Between 21° S and 18°10′ S, the spreading axis trends NS. From 18°10 S to 16°40 S the orientation of the spreading axis changes from NS to 015°. North of 16°40′ S the spreading axis trends 160°. These two 015° and 160° branches converge with the left lateral North Fiji fracture zone around 16°40′ S to define an RRFZ triple junction. Water sampling, dredging and photo TV deep towing give new information concerning the hydrothermal activity along the spreading axis. The discovery of hydrothermal deposits associated with living communities confirms this activity.     

Zooplankton Distribution and Dynamics in a North Pacific Eddy of Coastal Origin: I. Transport and Loss of Continental Margin Species

Zooplankton from coastal/continental margin environments can be transported long distances seaward into the subarctic North Pacific by the large (100–200 km diameter) anticyclonic eddies that form annually in late winter along the eastern margin of the Alaska Gyre. One recurrent region for eddy formation is off the southern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands (near 52°N 132°W). Eddies from this source region (termed ‘Haida eddies’) propagate westward into open ocean waters during the subsequent 1–3 years, often to about 140°W, occasionally to mid gyre. Each eddy contains a core of anomalously low density water, and produces an upward doming of the sea surface detectable by satellite altimetry, thereby aiding repeated ship-based sampling. The zooplankton community in the eddies is a mixture between shelf/slope species (transported from the nearshore formation region) and subarctic oceanic species (which colonize the eddy from the sides and below). This paper reports sequential observations (late winter, early summer and fall seasons of 2000, and early summer and fall of 2001) of the abundance and distribution of continental-margin zooplankton in the Haida eddies that formed in late winters of 2000 and 2001. Shelf-origin species declined in abundance over time. Species that appeared to have a continental slope origin sometimes declined but sometimes persisted and flourished. Transport and retention within the eddy appeared to be especially effective for species that undergo diel vertical migration. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Subsurface Water Masses in the Central North Pacific Transition Region: The Repeat Section along the 18° Meridian

A repeat hydrographic section has been maintained over two decades along the 180° meridian across the subarctic-subtropical transition region. The section is naturally divided into at least three distinct zones. In the Subarctic Zone north of 46°N, the permanent halocline dominates the density stratification, supporting a subsurface temperature minimum (STM). The Subarctic Frontal Zone (SFZ) between 42°–46°N is the region where the subarctic halocline outcrops. To the south is the Subtropical Zone, where the permanent thermocline dominates the density stratification, containing a pycnostad of North Pacific Central Mode Water (CMW). The STM water colder than 4°C in the Subarctic Zone is originated in the winter mixed layer of the Bering Sea. The temporal variation of its core temperature lags 12–16 months behind the variations of both the winter sea surface temperature (SST) and the summer STM temperature in the Bering Sea, suggesting that the thermal anomalies imposed on the STM water by wintertime air-sea interaction in the Bering Sea spread over the western subarctic gyre, reaching the 180° meridian within a year or so. The CMW in this section originates in the winter mixed layer near the northern edge of the Subtropical Zone between 160°E and 180°. The CMW properties changed abruptly from 1988 to 1989; its temperature and salinity increased and its potential density decreased. It is argued that these changes were caused by the climate regime shift in 1988/1989 characterized by weakening of the Aleutian Low and the westerlies and increase in the SST in the subarctic-subtropical transition region. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of ridges on hydrographic parameters in the Southwest Indian Ocean

The objective of the paper is to use the data collected along two meridional sections (45° E and 57°30′ E) during the austral summer (January–March) 2004 to understand the influence of seabed topography across the Madagascar and Southwest Indian Ridges on hydrographic parameters. The study was supplemented by World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Conductivity-Temperature-Depth data collected during February–March 1996 along 30° E, as well as Levitus climatology. A southward shift of 2° latitude (between 45° E and 57°30′ E) was recorded for the two predominant frontal structures, i.e., the Agulhas Return Front and Southern Subtropical Front, which is attributed to the influence of seabed topography on hydrographic parameters. No significant spatial variation of these fronts was noted between the 30° E and 45° E meridional sections. Between latitudes 31° S and 42° S, the temperature and salinity structures show deepening over the ridges. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current core was detected between 40°15′ S and 43° S.     

Macrobenthos of the Novaya Zemlya Trough

During the 54th cruise of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh the macrobenthos of the Novaya Zemlya Trough was studied using a Sigsby trawl along the submeridional transect near 75°30′N latitude at a depth range from 68 to 362 m. In total, 140 species of bottom animals were found. The relative role of the taxons was assessed using three indices: the number, biomass, and energy flow. Similarity indices were used for the comparison of the samples. The new material greatly contributes to the data on the composition of the fauna and the structure of the communities of the studied region. It was revealed that small scyphozoid polyps and sipunculoids play an important role in the trough’s community. The presence of the community dominated by Ophiocten sericeum (with the important role of small bivalves) was revealed for the first time not only at the eastern by also at the western slope of the Novaya Zemlya Trough. The sharpest changes in the composition and structure of the bottom community were confined to the zone of the transition from the trough floor to the slope. These changes are determined by the specificity of the macrorelief (of the floor and slope), the composition of the ground (soft brown silts abound in rhizopods and dense gray silts with an admixture of pebbles), and possibly by the hydrodynamic processes near the bottom.     

Spatial distribution of phytoplankton in Spring 2004 along a transect in the eastern part of the North Sea

We report the results from a 250 km long transect, from the Danish coast to the North Sea at 55°30′ N, which was sampled every 32 km in order to study the composition and distribution of phytoplankton, and their dependence on the distance from the coast, depth and other environmental factors. Altogether 144 species of algae were identified by light, epifluorescence and electron microscopy. Some ecological preferences were found on the basis of measured environmental parameters and compared with the literature. Possible controlling mechanisms for the distribution patterns of the plankton algae were analyzed by multivariate statistics. Only distance from the coast was found to be a significant factor for algal distribution along the transect. Three main areas of the transect were found: the coastal, middle and oceanic areas. Diatoms, mainly the centric ones, were the most abundant group of algae. The other less abundant groups were Dinophyceae, Dictyochophyceae, Prasinophyceae and Chlorophyceae. The pattern of distribution of diatoms and dinophytes along the transect was more or less similar, with larger numbers of cells found close to both the eastern and western parts of the transect, although the species composition was different. Some species were found to prefer coastal waters, other species were characterized as oceanic, and several species were found at all stations. Porosira glacialis showed an atypical distribution along the transect, with highest abundances at both coastal and oceanic stations.     

Spreading rates,rift propagation,and fracture zone offset histories during the past 5 my on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; 25°–27°30′ S and 31°–34°30′ S

The southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is spreading at rates (34–38 mm yr⁻¹) that fall within a transitional range between those which characterize slow and intermediate spreading center morphology. To further our understanding of crustal accretion at these transitional spreading rates, we have carried out analysis of magnetic anomaly data from two detailed SeaBeam surveys of the MAR between 25°–27°30′S and 31°–34°30′S. Within these areas, the MAR is subdivided into 9 ridge segments bounded by large- and short-offset discontinuities of the ridge axis. From two-dimensional Fourier inversions of the magnetic anomaly data we establish the history of spreading within each ridge segment for the past 5 my and the evolution of the bounding ridge-axis discontinuities. We see evidence for the initiation and diminishment of small-offset discontinuities, and for the transition of rigid large-offset transform faults to less stable short-offset features. Individual ridge segments display independent spreading histories in terms of both the sense and amount of asymmetric spreading within each which have given rise to changes through time in the lengths of bounding ridge-axis discontinuities. Over the past 3–5 my, the short-offset discontinuities within the area have lengthened/shortened by approximately the same amount (∼ 10 km). During this same time period, larger-offset transform faults have remained comparatively constant in length. A shift in plate motion at anomaly 3 time may have given rise to change in the length of short-offset second-order discontinuities. However, the pattern of lengthening/shortening short-offset discontinuities we see is not simply related to the geometry of the plate boundary in these regions which precludes a simply relationship between plate motion changes and response at the plate boundary. We document a case of rapid (minimum 60 mm yr⁻¹) small-scale rift propagation, occurring between 2.5 and 1.8 my, associated with transition of the Moore transform fault to an oblique-trending ridge-axis discontinuity. Propagation across the Moore discontinuity and similar propagation within the 31°–34°30’S area may be associated with the reduced age contrast in lithosphere across second-order discontinuities. Total opening rates within our northern survey area decreased from anomaly 4′ to 2 time and rates within both areas have increased since the Jaramillo. Total opening rates measured for anomaly intervals differ along the plate boundary significantly, more than expected with changing distance to the pole of rotation. These differences imply a degree of short-term non-rigid plate behaviour which may be associated with ridge segments acting as independent spreading cells. Magnetic polarity transition widths from our inversion studies may be used to infer a zone of crustal accretion which is 3–6 km wide, within the inner floor of the rift valley. A systematic increase of transition width with age would be expected if deeper crustal sources dominate the magnetic signal in older crust but this is not observed. We present results from three-dimensional analysis of magnetic anomaly data which show magnetization highs located at the intersection of the MAR with both large- and short-offset discontinuities. Within the central anomaly the highs exceed 15 A m⁻¹ compared with a background of approximately 8–10 A m⁻¹ and they persist for at least 2.5 my. The highs may be caused by eruption of fractionated strongly magnetized basalts at ridge-axis discontinuities with both large and small offsets.     

Principal Modes and Related Frequencies of Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Pacific Coast of North America

We examined monthly time-series (1950 to 1999) of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in 47 quadrants (2° × 2°) along the Pacific coast of North America. Correlation, clustering and principal components analyses were applied to identify the spatial structure in coastal SST. The resulting modes and the individual series were investigated using spectral analysis to identify the most significant time-scales of variability, and the propagation of the main signals was explored by computing the wavenumber-frequency spectrum of each spatial mode. Results showed that coastal SST variability in the northeast Pacific conformed to three main geographical modes. A tropical mode extends from the equator to about the entrance to the Gulf of California. This mode appears related to two low frequency components of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation of about 3 and 5 years. The SST anomaly related to these signals propagates poleward, seemingly at low speeds (≈0.08 m s^?1). A temperate (or transitional) mode, which includes the coastal areas along the California Current System, also shows the 5-year signal plus a decadal-scale component (periods between 10–17 years). Finally, a subarctic mode includes the coastal areas along the Gulf of Alaska and is dominated by the interdecadal variability that is characterized by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.     

Polychaete community structure in the South Eastern Arabian Sea continental margin (200–1000 m)

Macrofaunal polychaete communities (>500 µm) in the South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) continental margin (200–1000 m) are described, based on three systematic surveys carried out in 9 transects (at ~200 m, 500 m and 1000 m) between 7°00′and 14°30′N latitudes. A total of 7938 polychaetes belonging to 195 species were obtained in 136 grab samples collected at 27 sites. Three distinct assemblages were identified in the northern part of the SEAS margin (10–14°30′N), occupying the three sampled depth strata (shelf edge, upper and mid-slope) and two assemblages (shelf edge and slope) in the south (7–10°N). Highest density of polychaetes and dominance of a few species were observed in the shelf edge, where the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) impinged on the seafloor, particularly in the northern transects. The resident fauna in this region (Cossura coasta, Paraonis gracilis, Prionospio spp. and Tharyx spp.) were characteristically of smaller size, and well suited to thrive in the sandy sediments in OMZ settings. Densities were lowest along the most northerly transect (T9), where dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were extremely low (<0.15 ml l⁻¹, i.e.<6.7 μmol l⁻¹). Beyond the realm of influence of the OMZ (i.e. mid-slope, ~1000 m), the faunal density decreased while species diversity increased. The relative proportion of silt increased with depth, and the dominance of the aforementioned species decreased, giving way to forms such as Paraprionospio pinnata, Notomastus sp., Eunoe sp. and lumbrinerids. Relatively high species richness and diversity were observed in the sandy sediments of the southern sector (7–9°N), where influence of the OMZ was less intense. The area was also characterized by certain species (e.g. Aionidella cirrobranchiata, Isolda pulchella) that were nearly absent in the northern region. The gradients in DO concentration across the core and lower boundary of the OMZ, along with bathymetric and latitudinal variation in sediment texture, were responsible for differences in polychaete size and community structure on the SEAS margin. Spatial and temporal variations were observed in organic matter (OM) content of the sediment, but these were not reflected in the density, diversity or distribution pattern of the polychaetes.     

The morphology and tectonics of the Mark area from Sea Beam and Sea MARC I observations (Mid-Atlantic Ridge 23° N)

High-resolution Sea Beam bathymetry and Sea MARC I side scan sonar data have been obtained in the MARK area, a 100-km-long portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley south of the Kane Fracture Zone. These data reveal a surprisingly complex rift valley structure that is composed of two distinct spreading cells which overlap to create a small, zero-offset transform or discordant zone. The northern spreading cell consists of a magmatically robust, active ridge segment 40–50 km in length that extends from the eastern Kane ridge-transform intersection south to about 23°12′ N. The rift valley in this area is dominated by a large constructional volcanic ridge that creates 200–500 m of relief and is associated with high-temperature hydrothermal activity. The southern spreading cell is characterized by a NNE-trending band of small (50–200 m high), conical volcanos that are built upon relatively old, fissured and sediment-covered lavas, and which in some cases are themselves fissured and faulted. This cell appears to be in a predominantly extensional phase with only small, isolated eruptions. These two spreading cells overlap in an anomalous zone between 23°05′ N and 23°17′ N that lacks a well-developed rift valley or neovolcanic zone, and may represent a slow-spreading ridge analogue to the overlapping spreading centers found at the East Pacific Rise. Despite the complexity of the MARK area, volcanic and tectonic activity appears to be confined to the 10–17 km wide rift valley floor. Block faulting along near-vertical, small-offset normal faults, accompanied by minor amounts of back-tilting (generally less than 5°), begins within a few km of the ridge axis and is largely completed by the time the crust is transported up into the rift valley walls. Features that appear to be constructional volcanic ridges formed in the median valley are preserved largely intact in the rift mountains. Mass-wasting and gullying of scarp faces, and sedimentation which buries low-relief seafloor features, are the major geological processes occurring outside of the rift valley. The morphological and structural heterogeneity within the MARK rift valley and in the flanking rift mountains documented in this study are largely the product of two spreading cells that evolve independently to the interplay between extensional tectonism and episodic variations in magma production rates.     

Export Production in the Subarctic North Pacific over the Last 800 kyrs: No Evidence for Iron Fertilization?

The subarctic North Pacific is a high nitrate-low chlorophyll (HNLC) region, where phytoplankton growth rates, especially those of diatoms, are enhanced when micronutrient Fe is added. Accordingly, it has been suggested that glacial Fe-laden dust might have increased primary production in this region. This paper reviews published palaeoceanographic records of export production over the last 800 kyrs from the open North Pacific (north of ∼35°N). We find different patterns of export production change over time in the various domains of the North Pacific (NW and NE subarctic gyres, the marginal seas and the transition zone). However, there is no compelling evidence for an overall increase in productivity during glacials in the subarctic region, challenging the paradigm that dust-born Fe fertilization of this region has contributed to the glacial draw down of atmospheric CO₂. Potential reasons for the lack of increased glacial export production include the possibility that Fe-fertilization rapidly drives the ecosystem towards limitation by another nutrient. This effect would have been exacerbated by an even more stable mixed layer compared to today. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biomarker records from core GH02-1030 off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific over the last 23,000 years: Environmental changes during the last deglaciation

We investigated marine and terrestrial environmental changes at the northern Japan margin in the northwestern Pacific during the last 23,000 years by analyzing biomarkers (alkenones, long-chain n-alkanes, long-chain n-fatty acids, and lignin-derived materials) in Core GH02-1030. The U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature in the last glacial maximum (LGM) centered at 21 ka was ∼10°C, which was 2°C lower than the core-top temperature (∼12°C). This small temperature drop does not agree with pollen evidence of a large air temperature drop (more than 4°C) in the Tokachi area. This disagreement might be attributed to a bias of U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature within 2.5°C by a seasonal shift in alkenone production. The U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature was significantly low during the last deglaciation. Because this cooling was significant in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, the temperature drops are attributable to the southward displacement of the Kuroshio-Oyashio boundary. Abundant lignin-derived materials, long-chain n-alkanes and long-chain n-fatty acids indicate a higher contribution of terrigenous organic matter from 17 to 12 ka. This phenomenon might have resulted from an enhanced coastal erosion of terrestrial soils due to marine transgression and/or an efficient inflow of higher plant debris to river waters from 17 to 12 ka.     

Latitudinal Differences in the Planktonic Biomass and Community Structure Down to the Greater Depths in the Western North Pacific

As part of the research program WEST-COSMIC Phase I (1997–2001), vertical profiles down to the greater depths (0–2000 m or 5800 m) of the plankton community structure composed of heterotrophic bacteria, phytoplankton, protozooplankton and metazooplankton were studied at one station in each subarctic (44°N) and in transitional region (39°N), and two stations in subtropical region (30°N and 25°N); all in 137–155°E in the western North Pacific Ocean. The biomass of all four taxonomic groups decreased rapidly with increasing depths at all stations, although the magnitude of depth-related decrease differed among the groups. As plankton community structure, metazooplankton biomass and bacterial biomass occupied >50% of the total in 0–2000 and 2000–4000 or 5000 m strata, respectively, at subarctic and transitional stations, while bacterial biomass contributed to >50% of the total consistently from 0 through 4800 or 5800 m at subtropical stations. Metazooplankton biomass integrated over the greater depths exhibited a clear latitudinal pattern (high north and low south), but this was not the case for those of the other taxonomic groups. As a component of metazooplankton, an appreciable contribution of diapausing copepods to the metazooplankton was noted at subarctic and transitional stations, but they were few or nil at subtropical stations. As protozooplankton assemblages, heterotrophic microflagellates (HMF) and dinoflagellates were two major components at subarctic and transitional stations, but were only HMF predominated at subtropical stations. From biomass ratios between heterotrophic bacteria, HMF and dinoflagellates, “sinking POC-DOC-heterotrophic bacteria-HMF-heterotrophic dinoflagellates” link was proposed as a microbial food chain operative in the deep layer of the western North Pacific. All results are discussed in the light of latitudinal differences in the structure and functioning of plankton community contributing to the ‘biological pump’ in the western North Pacific Ocean. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国海海葵目(刺胞动物门:珊瑚虫纲)物种多样性与区系特点

基于对中国海域海葵目700余条采集记录的分类整理和分析,对中国海域的海葵物种多样性与区系特点进行了总结。迄今共记录并核实了81个海葵目物种,其中黄渤海有29种,东海有23种,南海有55种,物种多样性呈"南海最高、黄渤海次之、东海最低"的分布格局。中国海海葵目这一分布模式既与中国大多数海洋生物类群由北向南递增的物种多样性格局不同,也不同于其所隶属的珊瑚虫纲与刺胞动物门从赤道向两极明显减少的纬度梯度分布模式,亦与全球海葵目物种多样性由南北纬30o—40o向低纬度热带海域和高纬度逐步降低的分布格局不同。本文将我国海城分布的海葵进行了区系划分并分析了各海域海葵的区系特点,探讨了驱动海葵物种多样性分布的环境因素。     

Chemical forms and dynamics of amino acid-containing particulate organic matter in Pacific surface waters

Particulate combined amino acids (PCAA) are the most abundant identified constituents of particulate organic matter (POM) in Pacific Ocean surface waters, but their chemical forms are unclear. In the present study, chemical characterization of amino acid-containing materials in surface POM from subarctic to subtropical waters along 165 °E in the Pacific was carried out by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. At least four chemical forms of amino acid-containing POM were distinguished: proteins, acidic materials containing peptides, protein/peptide-specific dye-stainable low-molecular-mass materials (stainable materials) and non-stainable materials, all of which were considered to be major components of detrital POM. Seventeen distinct protein containing components were distinguished in samples across the transect. A majority of stainable materials was estimated to comprise 6–8 amino acid residues, while less than six amino acid residues made up the non-stainable materials. Among the four chemical forms, acidic materials and non-stainable materials were major components, accounting for 31–42% and 49–63% of PCAA, respectively, along the transect. Proteins were common, but they were quantitatively less than 2% of PCAA. Stainable materials were regionally variable and more abundant in subarctic waters than in subtropical waters. The mechanistic processes by which such amino acid-containing POM occurs as detrital POM are discussed.     

New type of pycnostad in the western subtropical-subarctic transition region of the North Pacific: Transition Region Mode Water

A new type of pycnostad has been identified in the western subtropical-subarctic transition region of the North Pacific, based on the intensive hydrographic survey carried out in July, 2002. The potential density, temperature and salinity of the pycnostad were found to be 26.5–26.7 σ _θ , 5°–7°C and 33.5–33.9 psu respectively. The pycnostad is denser, colder and fresher than those of the North Pacific Central Mode Water and different from those of other known mode waters in the North Pacific. The thickness of the pycnostad is comparable to that of other mode waters, spreading over an area of at least 650 × 500 km around 43°N and 160°E in the western transition region. Hence, we refer to the pycnostad as Transition Region Mode Water (TRMW). Oxygen data, geostrophic current speed and climatology of mixed layer depth in the winter suggest that the TRMW is formed regularly in the deep winter mixed layer near the region where it was observed. Analysis of surface heat flux also supports the idea and suggests that there is significant interannual variability in the property of the TRMW. The TRMW is consistently distributed between the Subarctic Boundary and the Subarctic Front. It is also characterized by a wide T-S range with similar density, which is the characteristic of such a transition region between subtropical and subarctic water masses, which forms a density-compensating temperature and salinity front. The frontal nature also tends to cause isopycnal intrusions within the pycnostad of the TRMW.     

Synthesis of the crustal structure of the transform continental margin off Ghana, northern Gulf of Guinea

 Results of a detailed geophysical transect across the transform continental margin off Ghana, at the eastern end of the Romanche Fracture Zone in the Equatorial Atlantic, are presented. Seismic refraction, single-channel seismic reflection, gravity, and magnetic data were collected, and seismic, gravity, and magnetic models along the transect are shown. The 6- to 11-km-wide ocean–continent transition (OCT) is characterized by a high-velocity, high-density, high-magnetization crustal zone. The models show no evidence for any underplating of the continental crust adjacent to the margin but minor melting and intrusion of the continental crust may have occurred in the vicinity of the OCT. Received: 6 February 1995/Revision received: 24 July 1995