加利福尼亚湾温盐阶梯的发现

基于历史CTD数据和EW0210航次的部分地震测线, 在加利福尼亚湾首次发现了盐指型温盐阶梯, 并对其尺度和规模有了较为清晰的认识.经分析发现在该区域水深100~600 m范围内主要发育有层厚较大的温盐阶梯, 其中均匀混合层厚度可达几十米甚至上百米, 水平方向上连续性好, 界面处热通量主要集中在-0.1~-0.2 W·m^-2, 盐通量主要集中在-1×10^-7~-2×10^-7m·s^-1.受地形引起的内潮波或涡旋的影响, 阶梯层抖动剧烈, 上下起伏较大, 部分反射层垂向位移甚至可达80 m, 由此推测该阶梯结构可能将会被破坏.

     

Benthic foraminifera show some resilience to ocean acidification in the northern Gulf of California,Mexico

Extensive CO₂ vents have been discovered in the Wagner Basin, northern Gulf of California, where they create large areas with lowered seawater pH. Such areas are suitable for investigations of long-term biological effects of ocean acidification and effects of CO₂ leakage from subsea carbon capture storage. Here, we show responses of benthic foraminifera to seawater pH gradients at 74–207 m water depth. Living (rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera included Nonionella basispinata, Epistominella bradyana and Bulimina marginata. Studies on foraminifera at CO₂ vents in the Mediterranean and off Papua New Guinea have shown dramatic long-term effects of acidified seawater. We found living calcareous benthic foraminifera in low pH conditions in the northern Gulf of California, although there was an impoverished species assemblage and evidence of post-mortem test dissolution.     

加利福尼亚海湾及其邻近海域亚中尺度现象的地震海洋学研究

亚中尺度过程连接了中尺度与小尺度过程, 在上层海洋物质垂向交换和能量传输方面起到重要的作用.在加利福尼亚湾及其邻近海域2002年采集的地震剖面上观测到了亚中尺度的涡丝, 锋面和涡旋结构.理论的涡丝垂向结构为一对偶极子次级环流, 由中间的高密度下沉流和两侧的低密度幅聚相向流构成, 密度结构呈人字形分布的多个相向倾斜密度锋.地震剖面上中尺度涡的亚中尺度涡丝由多组相对的叠瓦状倾斜反射体构成, 验证了涡丝内部密度锋的理论垂向结构.同时我们观察到亚中尺度涡旋的垂向结构及其涡丝结构, 其涡丝在地震剖面上呈现为近水平的括号状反射, 这种形态可能与旋涡星系的旋臂结构有一定相似性.随后计算了地震斜率谱和相对谱能量分布, 通过亚中尺度涡旋和其它区域在不同波数段的能量强度差异, 探讨了亚中尺度涡对能量耗散过程的影响.

     

Faulting processes of the 1956 San Miguel,Baja California,earthquake sequence

Body waveform modeling is used to determine the source processes of three large earthquakes (magnitude 6.8, 6.4, 6.3) occurring between February 9 and 15, 1956 along the San Miguel fault in northern Baja California, Mexico. Results of the modeling suggest that the mainshock on February 9 was responsible for the 20 km of surface faulting observed during the sequence. Although previous researchers have suggested a complex rupture history for the mainshock, uncertainty estimates of source-time function shape indicate single or double source models fit the observed waveforms equally well. The February 15 aftershock, however, appears to have consisted of two events. Locations and focal mechanisms obtained for the three events suggest that the rupture process may have been controlled by cross faults to the main trace of the San Miguel fault. The good correlation between source parameter information and the surficial geology/geometry of the San Miguel fault zone demonstrates the usefulness of waveform modeling studies in unravelling the complexities of historic multi-event earthquake sequences.     

Geology, ore deposits and hydrothermal venting in Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Abstract Bahía Concepción is located in the eastern coast of the Baja California peninsula and it is shaped by northwestern–southeastern normal faults. These are associated with a 12–6 Ma rifting episode, although some have been reactivated since the Pliocene. The most abundant rocks correspond to the arc related Comondú Group, Oligocene to Miocene, which forms a mainly calc‐alkaline volcanic and volcaniclastic sequence. There are less extensive outcrops of sedimentary rocks, lava flows, domes and pyroclastic rocks of Pliocene to Quaternary ages. The Neogene volcanism in the area indicates a shift from a subduction regime to an intraplate volcanism related to continental extension and the opening of an oceanic basin. The Bahía Concepción area contains numerous Mn ore deposits, being the biggest at El Gavilán and Guadalupe. The Mn deposits occur as veins, breccias and stockworks, and are composed by Mn oxides (pyrolusite, coronadite, romanechite), dolomite, quartz and barite. The deposits are hosted in volcanic rocks of the Comondú Group and, locally, in Pliocene sedimentary rocks. Thus, the Mn deposits formed between the Middle Miocene and the Pliocene. The mineralized structures are associated with Miocene northwestern–southeastern fault systems, which are analogous to those associated with the Cu‐Co‐Zn‐Mn deposits of El Boleo. The Bahía Concepción area also bears subaerial and submarine hot springs, which are associated with the same fault systems and host rocks. The submarine and subaerial geothermal manifestations south of the bay are possibly related with recent volcanism. The geothermal manifestations within the bay are intertidal hot springs and shallow submarine diffuse venting areas. Around the submarine vents (5–15 m deep, 87°C), Fe‐oxyhydroxide crusts with pyrite and cinnabar precipitate. In the intertidal vents (62°C), aggregates of opal, calcite, barite and Ba‐rich Mn oxides occur covered by silica‐carbonate stromatolitic sinters. Some 10–30 cm thick crustiform veins formed by chalcedony, calcite and barite are also found close to the vents. The hydrothermal fluids exhibit mixed isotopic compositions between δ¹⁸O‐enriched meteoric and local marine water. The precipitation of Ba‐rich Mn oxides around the vent sites could be an active analog for the processes that produced Miocene to Pliocene hydrothermal Mn‐deposits.     

A quantitative characterization of the seasonal Lagrangian circulation of the Gulf of California from a three-dimensional numerical model

A set of four indices that quantify Lagrangian properties of the Gulf of California seasonal circulation were implemented from outputs of a three-dimensional numerical model. From trajectories of particles seeded over the entire Gulf, we calculated for 12 one-month periods the following indices: net and total distance traveled by the particles, the number of particles that are found within an area centered on the release positions after one month, and time taken by particles to escape from a 50-km-radius circle. These indices can be used for studies on transport of inert properties and passive planktonic organisms such as eggs and early-stage larvae; their use is illustrated for typical summer and winter conditions in the Gulf of California. These indices show the potential for connecting areas separated by a few hundreds of km along the eastern side of the Gulf, due to the strong seasonal up-gulf and down-gulf current. In the Northern Gulf, large displacements occur at the borders of the basin-wide seasonally reversing eddy that dominates the large-scale circulation (cyclonic in summer, anticyclonic in winter). On the other hand, the potential for self-recruitment areas is found as particles can be trapped for longer than one month within these eddies, as well as in smaller ones in the Northern Gulf, and near the coast of the peninsular side of the Southern Gulf, where current speeds are slow and many small capes and islands are present.     

Seasonal changes in larval fish assemblages in a semi-enclosed sea (Gulf of California)

The northern Gulf of California (NGC) is characterized by seasonal hydrography and circulation (cyclonic in summer and anticyclonic in winter), by intense tidal mixing in the midriff archipelago region (MAR), and by coastal upwelling on the eastern side from autumn to spring. We examined changes in larval fish assemblages (LFAs) in relation with hydrography and circulation during both phases of the seasonal circulation, as indicators of changes in the pelagic ecosystem. A canonical correspondence analysis defined LFAs (r>0.70), which were related with: (i) the coastal current on the mainland shelf, (ii) the central eddy and (iii) the MAR. In the early cyclonic phase, when the temperature and stratification were increasing and the coastal current was starting, demersal (Gobulus crescentalis, Lythrypnus dalli) and mesopelagic species (Benthosema panamense) dominated the NGC. The highest larval abundance was in the Current LFA area and the lowest in the MAR LFA area. In the mature cyclonic phase, the larval abundance increased in the NGC and species characteristic of eastern boundary current systems such as Opisthonema libertate and Engraulis mordax displaced the demersal species and became dominant, together with B. panamense in the Current LFA area; the latter species dominated in the Eddy LFA area. In the early anticyclonic phase, the direction of the coastal current reversed and the temperature and larval abundance decreased. E. mordax and B. panamense larvae continued dominating the NGC with higher abundance in the MAR than in the Current and Eddy LFA areas. In the mature anticyclonic phase, E. mordax larvae dominated in the Current and the Eddy LFA areas with the highest abundance in the former, while M. productus larvae (an eastern boundary current species) dominated in the Eddy LFA area. Results showed that in the NGC, the dramatically seasonal and predictable hydrographic and circulation features trigger the seasonal spawning of the dominant species. The biological richness of the coastal current area, in both circulation phases, suggested that this area has an important role in the pelagic ecosystem functionality of the NGC.     

Dominance patterns in macroalgal and phytoplankton biomass under different nutrient loads in subtropical coastal lagoons of the SE Gulf of California

Nine macroalgal blooms were studied in five coastal lagoons of the SE Gulf of California. The nutrient loads from point and diffuse sources were estimated in the proximity of the macroalgal blooms. Chlorophyll a and macroalgal biomass were measured during the dry, rainy and cold seasons. Shrimp farms were the main point source of nitrogen and phosphorus loads for the lagoons. High biomasses were found during the dry season for phytoplankton at site 6 (791.7 ± 34.6 mg m⁻²) and during the rainy season for macroalgae at site 4 (296.0 ± 82.4 g m⁻²). Depending on the season, the phytoplankton biomass ranged between 40.0 and 791.7 mg m⁻² and the macroalgal biomass between 1 and 296.0 g m⁻². The bulk biomass (phytoplankton + macroalgal) displayed the same tendency as the nutrient loads entering the coastal lagoons. Phytoplankton and macroalgal biomass presented a significant correlation with the atomic N:P ratio.     

Total nitrogen inflow and outflow from a large river swamp basin to the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

River corridor wetland restoration and freshwater diversion from the lower Mississippi River are being considered as two major options to reduce nitrogen input to the Gulf of Mexico. However, it is largely uncertain how much nitrogen can actually be retained from the overflowing waters by these wetland systems. This study quantified the nitrogen inflow and outflow for the largest distributary basin of the Mississippi River, the Atchafalaya River Swamp basin. The goal of the study was to seek answers to three critical questions: (a) Does the Atchafalaya River Swamp remove a significant amount of nitrogen from the overflowing water, or is it releasing more nitrogen into the Gulf? (b) How do the nitrogen removal or release rates fluctuate seasonally and annually? (c) What are the relationships between the nitrogen removal capacity and the hydrological conditions in the basin such as river stage and discharge? By utilizing the long-term (1978–2002) river discharge and water quality data, monthly and annual nitrogen fluxes were quantified, and their relationships with the basin hydrological conditions investigated. A total nitrogen—sum of the total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen (NO₃+NO₂)—mass input—output balance between the upstream (Simmesport) and downstream (Morgan City and Wax Lake Outlet) locations was established to examine the nitrogen removal potential for this, the largest freshwater swamp basin in North America. The results from this study showed that, over the past 25 years, the Atchafalaya River Swamp basin acted as a source for NO₃+NO₂ nitrogen, although the average annual output of NO₃+NO₂ nitrogen (174 584 Mg) was only slightly higher (2.3%) than the average annual input of NO₃+NO₂ nitrogen (170 721 Mg). The higher NO₃+NO₂ mass outflow occurred throughout summer and autumn, indicating an active role of biological processes on nitrogen in the overflowing waters of the Atchafalaya. However, this swamp basin has served as a major sink for organic nitrogen: the annual averages of TKN mass input and output were 200 323 and 145 917 Mg year^?1, respectively, presenting a 27.2% removal rate by the basin. This large TKN reduction appeared high during springs and low during late summers, corresponding with the fluctuation of the hydrological conditions of the river.     

墨西哥湾GC955H井天然气水合物储层声波衰减特征

墨西哥湾GC955H井钻遇两种不同的水合物储层,浅层裂隙充填型水合物和深层砂岩型水合物.浅层水合物充填在细粒泥质沉积物的裂隙中,由电阻率测井计算的饱和度平均值为25%.深层水合物充填在砂岩孔隙中,由电阻率计算的饱和度平均为65%.基于声波全波形数据,本文计算了GC955H井储层的声波衰减大小,结果发现两种水合物层对声波衰减的影响不同.泥岩水合物层中的声波衰减与上覆背景泥岩沉积层基本相当.砂岩水合物层的声波衰减大于0.1,最大0.15,远高于上覆和下伏的背景砂岩层.对声波频率的分析发现,GC955H 井泥岩层中水合物对声波频率的影响不大,砂岩水合物层的声波频谱与上下背景砂岩层相比发生变化,主频增大.通过对比两种水合物储层的特征,本文初步定性分析了造成水合物对储层声波传播影响不同的原因,包括岩性、水合物饱和度、水合物赋存方式等;但对此的定量描述需要未来更详尽地讨论和研究水合物的声波衰减机制.     

Hemolytic activity and fatty acids composition in the ichthyotoxic dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides isolated from Bahía de La Paz, Gulf of California

The hemolytic activity of the dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides from Bahía de La Paz, Gulf of California was investigated as part of the ichthyotoxic mechanism of this microalga. Two different kinds of erythrocytes, fish and human, were tested for the hemolytic assay. Since fatty acids have been associated with hemolytic activity in C. polykrikoides, the composition of fatty acids of this dinoflagellate was also analyzed. The concentration of C. polykrikoides causing 50% hemolysis (HE₅₀) was 4.88 and 5.27 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹, for fish and human erythrocytes, respectively. According to the standard curve of saponin, an equivalence between the hemolytic activity of saponin and the dinoflagellate concentration was found with 1 μg saponin mL⁻¹ equivalent to 1 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹ of C. polykrikoides. The polyunsaturated fatty acids: hexadecaenoic (16:0), docosahexaenoic (22:6 n3) and octadecapentaenoic (18:5 n3) were found in an abundance of 62% of total fatty acids.     

Seasonal upwelling on the Western and Southern Shelves of the Gulf of Mexico

An 8-year database of sea surface temperature (SST), 7 years of Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color images, wind fields, and numerical model results are analyzed to identify regions and periods of coastal upwelling on the western and southern shelves of the Gulf of Mexico. On the seasonal scale, it is found that on the Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and southwestern Texas–Louisiana shelves there are upwelling favorable winds from April to August, when southeasterly winds are dominant and cold SST anomalies associated with upwelling are observed along their coasts. However, during summer, values of chlorophyll-a concentration are lower than those in autumn and winter, which are high due to advection of old bloom biological material from upstream. During winter, there is a cold front on the Tamaulipas shelf produced by advection of cold water from the Texas–Louisiana shelf and not due to upwelling. On the eastern Campeche Bank, persistent upwelling is observed due to favorable winds throughout the year with cold SST and large chlorophyll-a content along the inner shelf from May to September. On the Tamaulipas shelf, the summer upwelling delays the annual SST peak until September, while in most of the Gulf SST peaks in August. This difference is due to the end of the upwelling favorable wind conditions and the September seasonal current reversal.     

Intense diurnal surface currents in the Bay of La Paz,Mexico

Currents in the northern Bay of La Paz were examined using an 8-month Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) record collected in the upper 185 m of the water column during 2007. Flow variability was dominated by tidal motions, which accounted for 43% (33% diurnal, 10% semidiurnal) of the total kinetic energy. The tidal motions had a pronounced vertical structure dominated within a shallow (∼30 m thick) surface layer by intense counterclockwise (CCW) rotary S₁ diurnal radiational currents that were highly coherent with the counterclockwise seabreeze. Motions within the semidiurnal frequency band were primarily associated with significant counterclockwise S₂ radiational tidal currents, which were also coherent with the seabreeze. Both S₁ and S₂ tidal ellipses in the upper layer were aligned perpendicular to the bay entrance with mean semi-major axes of 55 and 20 cm/s, respectively. Below the surface layer, tidal currents decayed rapidly to relatively weak, clockwise rotary barotropic motions. In contrast to those for radiational harmonics, tidal ellipses of the gravitational constituents (M₂, K₁ and O₁) were oriented cross-bay. Energy within the diurnal frequency band in the surface layer was dominated by a coherent component (barotropic, phase-locked baroclinic and radiational), which accounted for roughly 65% (59% from S₁ alone) of the total diurnal kinetic energy. Of the remaining diurnal band energy, 18% was associated with an incoherent baroclinic component and 17% with a background noise component. Below 30 m depth, the corresponding estimates are 40%, 32% and 28%, respectively. The persistent, surface-intensified CCW rotary currents observed at the mooring site are assumed to be forced by strong CCW seabreeze winds in the presence of a “slippery” low-density surface layer. This response may be further augmented by topographic narrowing at the bay entrance and by the close proximity of the diurnal and inertial frequency bands in the region.     

Occurrence of Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum along the southern coast of the Baja California Peninsula

As part of a continuing toxic microalgae monitoring program, 22 phytoplankton samples were collected from July to November 2010 at several sampling stations along the southern coast of the Baja California Peninsula. For the first time, the toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum was found along the southeastern and southwestsern coasts of the peninsula. P. bahamense var. bahamense was first observed off San José del Cabo, which is an extension of the range of this variety. Both varieties occur as solitary cells. P. bahamense var. compressum occurred at temperatures ranging between 24.5 °C and 31 °C, whereas var. P.bahamense occurred at 28.5 °C to 29 °C, indicating its tropical and subtropical nature. Occurrence of P. bahamense var. compressum along this coastline may be related to El Niño 2009-2010.     

Ca. 13 Ma strike-slip deformation in coastal Sonora from a large-scale,en-echelon,brittle-ductile,dextral shear indicator: implications for the evolution of the California rift

The Rancho Nuevo semi-circular structure is a geomorphological structure defined by drainage patterns in coastal Sonora, about 160 km NW of Hermosillo. The structure is about 15 by 30 km, and it is cored by felsic to intermediate plutons (granodiorite, monzogranite, quartz-porphyry) covered by Miocene volcanic rocks. This work is focused on the deformation of the intrusives which cover most of study area.The plutons are a co-magmatic suite dated between 71 ± 1.1 and 67.9 ± 1.0 Ma (U-Pb zircon, LA-ICPMS). The most voluminous unit is a granodiorite characterized by conspicuous sigmoidal fractures at the scale of high resolution satellite images, along which rhyolite dikes were emplaced about 13.2 Ma. Magnetic fabric (AMS) and paleomagnetic data were collected from 27 sites in the granodiorite. Magnetic fabrics are weak but well developed, and are characterized by steep foliation planes with strikes that follow the sigmoidal fracture pattern and suggest NE-SW to NW-SE flattening after emplacement. The characteristic magnetization is of dual polarity, but it is dominantly reverse consistent with emplacement during chron C31r. The prevalent magnetization is southwest and moderately steep negative (ten sites), a discordant direction rotated clockwise about 41 ° ± 11 with respect to the expected Late Cretaceous reference direction, also indicating gentle southward tilt. There is, however, paleomagnetic evidence suggesting that the structure did not rotate as a rigid body, but it deformed internally instead. These data are interpreted to indicate that the Rancho Nuevo semicircular structure is a large-scale, dextral, brittle-ductile shear indicator. The age of the dikes and the fact that they are covered discordantly by rocks assigned to the tuff of San Felipe indicate that northwest, srike-slip, motion of Baja California peninsula (and thus the Pacific plate relative to North America) was accommodated by faults in coastal Sonora about 13 Ma ago.     

2010年新西兰Mw7.0主震与2011年Mw6.1余震近场强地面运动特征比较分析

2010年9月3日16时35分46秒新西兰南岛Greendale附近发生了Mw7.0地震,震源深度约10.0 km.2011年2月21日新西兰南岛又发生了Mw6.1地震,为2010年Mw7.0主震后最大的一次余震,震源深度约5.0 km,发震断层为Christchurch南约9 km一条近东西走向逆冲的隐伏断层,该地震造成Christchurch城内多处建筑物严重损毁.本文分析了2010年新西兰地震事件Mw7.0主震与Mw6.1余震强地面运动的特征.新西兰Mw6.1余震近场强地面运动整体高于Mw7.0主震.将主震和余震的强震观测记录分别与新一代衰减关系(NGA)进行对比,发现余震强震观测数据整体高于其震级对应的NGA.分别选取距离主震和余震震中最近且强震观测记录最高的两个台站(GDLC台站和HVSC台站)作为参照台站,建立动态复合震源模型(DCSM)及有限断层随机振动模型(SFFM)进行强地面运动的模拟计算,分析两种模型的模拟结果并对比二者的优势及局限,以便在未来工作中更好地通过模型计算强地面运动特征,实现区域化特征快速、实时分析及局部重点、细致分析相结合的目标.     

晋冀鲁豫交界地区震源参数特征

利用晋冀鲁豫交界地区邯郸地震台网记录的地震波形资料,选取2005—2016年M_L≥1.8地震事件,采用Brune震源模型,结合遗传算法得到该区中小地震震源参数,并分析各参数形态特征。研究表明：①晋冀鲁豫交界地区中小地震的地震矩取值范围1.34×10¹¹—2.63×10¹⁵ N·m,震源半径取值范围132—1 044 m,拐角频率f_c取值范围1.25—9.82 Hz,应力降取值范围0.036 4—11.063 1 MPa;②震源参数之间相互关系;③按照震中分区分析不同区域应力降分布特征,河北邯郸、邢台等地及附近地区应力降范围为0 MPa<Δσ≤5 MPa,河南濮阳以及范县和山西黎城等地及附近地区应力降范围为5 MPa <Δσ≤11.063 1 MPa,该区处于高应力背景场状态。     

2014年3月10日加州西北岸M_w6.9级地震震源破裂过程

2014年3月10日13时18分(北京时间)美国加利福尼亚州西北岸发生Mw6.9级地震,震中位于戈尔达板块内部.本文利用国际地震学研究联合会(IRIS)地震数据中心提供的远场体波数据,通过波形反演的方法来研究此次地震的震源破裂过程,并分析未造成重大人员伤亡及诱发海啸的原因,为该地区地球动力学的研究提供依据.选取19个方位角覆盖均匀的远场P波垂向波形记录和13个近场P波初动符号进行约束,基于剪切位错点源模型确定此次地震的震源机制解.结合地质构造背景资料,确定断层破裂面的走向.在考虑海水层多次反射效应的影响下,采用18个远场P波垂向波形数据和21个远场SH波切向波形数据,利用有限断层模型,将断层面剖分为17×9块子断层单元来模拟破裂面上滑动的时空分布,通过波形反演的方法获得此次地震的震源破裂过程.利用海水层地壳模型,剪切位错点源模型的反演结果为:走向323°,倾角86.1°,滑动角-180°,震源深度为10.6km.有限断层模型的反演结果表明,此次地震的破裂过程相对简单,主要滑动量集中于震源上方35km×9km的区域内,破裂时间持续19s左右,平均破裂传播速度约为2.7km·s-1,较大滑动量均沿着走向分布,最大滑动量为249cm.此次地震为发生在戈尔达板块内部的一次Mw6.9级的陡倾角走滑型地震.此次地震为单纯的走滑型地震,断层面接近竖直方向,且发生在洋壳底部,因此破坏力不大,不会对沿岸城市造成重大损失.陡倾角断层在走滑错动的过程中不会使海底地形发生大幅度变化,不会引起大面积水体的突然升降,因此不会诱发大规模海啸.     

Microbial food web contributions to bottom water hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Nutrients from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya Rivers greatly stimulate biological production in the ‘classical’ food web on the inner shelf of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Portions of this production, especially large diatoms and zooplankton fecal pellets, sink and decompose in the bottom water, consuming oxygen and contributing to the annual development of an extensive zone of bottom water hypoxia, typically >15,000 km² since 1993. The microbial food web is also active in the Mississippi River plume, but consists of small organisms that sink slowly. This ‘recycling’ food web has not been considered as a significant contributor to vertical flux and hypoxia. However, gelatinous zooplankton, especially pelagic appendicularians such as Oikopleura dioica, mediate the conversion of microbial web organisms to organic particles with high sinking rates. When pelagic appendicularians are abundant in coastal regions of the northern Gulf of Mexico, they stimulate the rapid vertical transfer of microbial web productivity in the surface layer, which is only 5–15 m thick in the coastal hypoxic region, to the sub-pycnocline layer that becomes hypoxic each summer. In this paper we present results from two studies examining the significance of this pathway. In both 2002 and 2004, we observed high production rates of appendicularians in coastal waters. Discarded gelatinous houses and fecal pellets from the appendicularian populations often provided more than 1 g m⁻² d⁻¹ of organic carbon for the establishment and maintenance of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This source of organic matter flux is especially important in regions far from the river plumes and during periods of low river discharge. Autotrophic elements of this food web are primarily supported by recycled inorganic nutrients originating in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. Sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) supporting the heterotrophic components of this microbial food web may include in situ production, the Mississippi/Atchafalaya Rivers, and Louisiana's coastal wetlands. If significant, the latter source provides a possible link between Louisiana's high rates of coastal land loss and the large hypoxic zone observed along the coast during summer. Both of the latter DOM sources are independent of phytoplankton production stimulated by inputs of riverine inorganic nutrients.     

High-resolution ensemble forecasting for the Gulf of Mexico eddies and fronts

High-resolution models and realistic boundary conditions are necessary to reproduce the mesoscale dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In order to achieve this, we use a nested configuration of the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), where the Atlantic TOPAZ system provides lateral boundary conditions to a high-resolution (5 km) model of the GOM . However, such models cannot provide accurate forecasts of mesoscale variability, such as eddy shedding event, without data assimilation. Eddy shedding events involve the rapid growth of nonlinear instabilities that are difficult to forecast. The known sources of error are the initial state, the atmospheric condition, and the lateral boundary condition. We present here the benefit of using a small ensemble forecast (10 members) for providing confidence indices for the prediction, while using a data assimilation scheme based on optimal interpolation. Our set of initial states is provided by using different values of a data assimilation parameter, while the atmospheric and lateral boundary conditions are perturbed randomly. Changes in the data assimilation parameter appear to control the main position of the large features of the GOM in the initial state, whereas changes in the boundary conditions (lateral and atmospheric) appears to control the propagation of cyclonic eddies at their boundary. The ensemble forecast is tested for the shedding of Eddy Yankee (2006). The Loop Current and eddy fronts observed from ocean color and altimetry are almost always within the estimated positions from the ensemble forecast. The ensemble spread is correlated both in space and time to the forecast error, which implies that confidence indices can be provided in addition to the forecast. Finally, the ensemble forecast permits the optimization of a data assimilation parameter for best performance at a given forecast horizon.