Photosynthesis-irradiance relationship of phytoplankton and primary production in the vicinity of Kuroshio warm core ring in spring

The light-saturated maximum value (P ^B _max) and initial slope (α) of the photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curve were examined in a warm streamer, a cold streamer and a warm core ring off the Sanriku area in the subarctic western North Pacific Ocean during an ADEOS/OCTS Sanriku field campaign in early May 1997. BothP ^B _max and α were within the ranges of temperate populations. A regional difference was apparent inP ^B _max: populations in the warm streamer tended to show higher value ranging between 1.92 and 4.74 mgC (mgChla)⁻¹h⁻¹ than those in the cold streamer and the warm core ring (1.35–2.87 mgC (mgChla)⁻¹h⁻¹). A depth variation was also observed in α in both the warm streamer and the warm core ring: shallow populations tended to have lower α than deep populations. The depth variations in bothP ^B _max and α resulted in a lower light intensity of the light saturation in a deeper population than that of a shallower one. These depth-related variations in the P-E parameters were likely a manifestation of “shade-adaptation” of photosynthesis. Photoinhibition was not observed over in situ surface light intensity varying below ca 1600 μmol photon m⁻²s⁻¹. Water-column primary productivity was biooptically estimated to be 233 to 949 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹ using vertical distributions of the P-E parameters, chlorophylla, phytoplankton light absorption and underwater irradiance. Applicability of surface data sets for estimation of water-column productivity is discussed.     

热带太平洋西部及赤道暖水区的初级生产力

描述了对热带太平洋西部(1991年11月WOCE调查)及赤道暖水区(1992年11月至1993年2月的TOGA-COARE调查)的叶绿素a分布和初级生产力(C),及其与理化环境的关系.西部海域叶绿素a平均总量达19.79mg/m2,暖水区为2.168mg/m2;暖水区的潜在初级生产量高于西部海域,量值分别为228mg/(m2·d)和171mg/(m2·d),次表层最大值成为调查海域水体叶绿素a分布的一个明显特点.叶绿素a总量平面分布趋向表明:高生物量主要位于巴士海峡邻近、菲律宾以及伊里安岛的近岸站位,此外,在2°～4°N之间的观测区.低生物量主要位于外洋海域.生物量的分布与不同海域的物理过程变化有关,而海水涌升可能是导致温度、盐度和营养盐分布产生变化,并因而导致高生物量的一个重要的物理过程.     

Satellite and ship observations of Kuroshio warm-core ring 93A off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific, in spring 1997

Synoptic ship and satellite observations were performed of the Kuroshio warm-core ring (KWCR) 93A and its adjacent waters, off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific, between early April and late June 1997. The temporal and spatial distribution of chlorophylla (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature in the study area were analyzed using data from ADEOS Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) and NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). The objective of this study was to describe the temporal and spatial variability of the spring bloom and understand its relationship with the changes in the hydrographic structure of these waters in and around KWCR 93A. The maximum value of Chl-a concentration in the ring was less than 1 mg/m³ during April. The spring bloom in the ring occurred early in May and the relatively high maximum (>1.0 mg/m³) continued from early in May to mid-June. In late June, a ship-observed surface Chl-a concentration of less than 0.4 mg/m³ suggests that the spring bloom had already declined in and around KWCR 93A. Double spiral structures of warm and cold streamers appeared from late April to mid-May, which may have an influence on the occurrence of the spring bloom in and around the ring. In this episodic event, the warm streamer can maintain the available potential energy of the ring and the strength of upwelling around the ring. The cold streamer provided water with a high Chl-a concentration to the surface layer of the ring. In order to understand the temporal and spatial variability of Chl-a distribution in the ring, the behavior of the warm and cold streamers needs to be taken into consideration.     

Heat content change in the surface isothermal layer of a warm core ring in the sea east of Japan

Heat content change in the surface isothermal layer of a typical warm core ring in the sea east of Japan is described based on approximately 90 CTD profiles obtained by one profiling float. Erosion of the seasonal thermocline and development of a surface isothermal layer from the mid-summer to the early winter of 1999 are clearly seen. While heat content change between two consecutive profiles with a 35-hour time interval is much noisier, its 10-day running mean is consistent with net surface heat flux, indicating that surface heat flux dominates the temporal heat content change in the surface isothermal layer in the warm core ring.     

Structure of Subsurface Intrusion of the Oyashio Water into the Kuroshio Extension and Formation Process of the North Pacific Intermediate Water

In order to understand the actual formation process of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), structure of subsurface intrusions of the Oyashio water and the mixing of the Oyashio and the Kuroshio waters in and around the Kuroshio Extension (KE) were examined on the basis of a synoptic CTD observation carried out in May-June 1992. The fresh Oyashio water in the south of Hokkaido was transported into KE region through the Mixed Water Region (MWR) in the form of subsurface intrusions along two main paths. The one was along the east coast of northern Japan through the First Branch of the Oyashio (FBO) and the other along the eastern face of a warm streamer which connected KE with a warm core ring through the Second Branch of the Oyashio (SBO). The fresh Oyashio water extended southward through FBO strongly mixed with the saline NPIW transported by the Kuroshio in the south of Japan (old NPIW) in and around the warm streamer. On the other hand, the one through SBO well preserved its original properties and extended eastward beyond 150°E along KE with a form of rather narrow band. The intrusion ejected Oyashio water lens with a diameter of 50–60 km southward across KE axis and split northward into the MWR involved in the interaction of KE and a warm core ring, which were supposed to be primary processes of new NPIW formation.     

黑潮及相邻海域表层砂壳纤毛虫分布模式:以夏季黄海、东海至西太平洋断面为例

2019年夏季对沿黄、东海至西太平洋跨越黑潮一个断面(122°E～145°E)的表层砂壳纤毛虫群落进行调查,研究了黑潮中砂壳纤毛虫与相邻水体的差异.根据水文环境及各站位所处的空间位置,我们将研究区域划分为大洋边缘区域、黑潮区域和大洋区域.各站位砂壳纤毛虫的丰度范围为3.95～31.94 ind·L–1,种丰富度范围为6...     

西赤道太平洋暖池区光合色素分布及其对浮游植物群落的指示作用

利用光合色素的生物标志性可以在"纲"水平上表征浮游植物群落结构。依托大洋科学考察第20航次和21航次,通过对西赤道太平洋不同区域5个站位的HPLC藻类色素分析及CHEMTAX程序因子分析,获取了暖池区光合色素及浮游植物群落的垂直分布信息。结果显示在寡营养的暖池区,玉米黄素(Zeaxanthin)及乙二烯叶绿素a(DV Chl a)与叶绿素a浓度呈显著的正相关,浮游植物群落结构以蓝细菌、原绿球藻及定鞭金藻为优势藻纲,按对生物量的贡献率原绿球藻大于蓝细菌大于定鞭金藻的。蓝细菌和原绿球藻分布在真光层不同深度,而在营养盐丰富的次表层优势浮游藻类为定鞭金藻。     

Primary production and implications for metabolic balance in Hawaiian lee eddies

Recent discrepancies between geochemical and biological approaches for determining whether ocean ecosystems are net heterotrophic or net autotrophic have led to uncertainty in the net metabolic state of open ocean ecosystems. Geochemical approaches indicate that the oceans are net positive autotrophic, but direct observations based on short-term incubation techniques suggest that the ocean is in a state of net heterotrophy. One hypothesis for the apparent discrepancy is that net autotrophic production occurs in aperiodic “bursts,” which are superimposed on a more constant background state of net heterotrophy. Mixing events, which introduce new nutrients to the surface ocean, provide one mechanism for fueling such aperiodic bursts of net production. In conjunction with the Eddy Flux (E-Flux) program in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands during winter 2004–2005, we examined the relationship between photosynthesis and irradiance (P vs. E) in surface waters inside and outside of two cold-core, cyclonic eddies, and conducted five incubation experiments to examine the metabolic response of mixed-layer plankton communities to nutrient-rich deep-sea water additions. Our results showed that in the mixed layer, maximum rates of light-saturated photosynthesis, derived from photosynthesis–irradiance experiments were not significantly different inside vs. outside the eddies (p=0.35 and 0.44 for E-Flux I and E-Flux III, respectively). Addition of nutrients to mixed-layer water showed that (1) gross primary production (GPP) became decoupled from a more constant rate of respiration and (2) net system metabolism shifted from approximate balance, or slight net heterotrophy, to a demonstrably net autotrophic system. From these results, we determined that the threshold GPP for net autotrophic production for the mixed layer of the study region was 1.65 mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹, which is consistent with previous estimates for the oligotrophic open ocean.     

Annual dynamics of pelagic primary production and respiration in a shallow coastal basin

The Wadden Sea (North Sea, Europe) is a shallow coastal sea with high benthic and pelagic primary production rates. To date, no studies have been carried out in the Wadden Sea that were specifically designed to study the relation between pelagic respiration and production by comparable methods. Because previous studies have suggested that the import of primary-produced pelagic organic matter is important for benthic Wadden Sea carbon budgets, we hypothesised that on an annual average the northern Wadden Sea water column is autotrophic. To test this hypothesis, we studied annual dynamics of primary production and respiration at a pelagic station in a shallow tidal basin (List Tidal Basin, northern Wadden Sea). Since water depth strongly influences production estimates, we calculated primary production rates per unit area in two ways: on the basis of the mean water depth (2.7 m) and on the basis of 1 m depth intervals and their respective spatial extent in the List Tidal Basin. The latter more precise estimate yielded an annual primary production of 146 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. Estimates based on the mean water depth resulted in a 40% higher annual rate of 204 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. The total annual pelagic respiration was 50 g C m^− 2 y^− 1. The P/R ratio varied between seasons: from February to October the water column was autotrophic, with the highest P/R ratio of 4–5 during the diatom spring bloom in April/May. In autumn and winter the water column was heterotrophic. On an annual average, the water column of the List Tidal Basin was autotrophic (P/R 3). We suggest that a large fraction of the pelagic produced organic matter was respired locally in the sediment.     

The carbon dioxide system and net community production within a cyclonic eddy in the lee of Hawaii

The dynamics of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and processes controlling net community production (NCP) were investigated within a mature cyclonic eddy, Cyclone Opal, which formed in the lee of the main Hawaiian Islands in the subtropical North Pacific Gyre. Within the eddy core, physical and biogeochemical properties suggested that nutrient- and DIC-rich deep waters were uplifted by 80 m relative to surrounding waters, enhancing biological production. A salt budget indicates that the eddy core was a mixture of deep water (68%) and surface water (32%). NCP was estimated from mass balances of DIC, nitrate+nitrite, total organic carbon, and dissolved organic nitrogen, making rational inferences about the unobserved initial conditions at the time of eddy formation. Results consistently suggest that NCP in the center of the eddy was substantially enhanced relative to the surrounding waters, ranging from 14.1±10.6 (0–110 m: within the euphotic zone) to 14.2±9.2 (0–50 m: within the mixed layer) to 18.5±10.7 (0–75 m: within the deep chlorophyll-maximum layer) mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ depending on the depth of integration. NCP in the ambient waters outside the eddy averaged about 2.37±4.24 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in the mixed layer (0–95 m). Most of the enhanced NCP inside the eddy appears to have accumulated as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) rather than exported as particulate organic carbon (POC) to the mesopelagic. Our results also suggest that the upper euphotic zone (0–75 m) above the deep chlorophyll maximum is characterized by positive NCP, while NCP in the lower layer (>75 m) is close to zero or negative.     

Effects of daily nitrogen and phosphorus input on planktonic community metabolism in a semi-enclosed bay by mesocosm experiment

Planktonic metabolism plays an important role in affecting the energy transportation and carbon cycle of the marine ecosystem. However, its regulation mechanism remains unclear under the continuously exogenous nutrient inputs in nearshore waters. In this study, a mesocosm experiment was conducted in a semi-enclosed bay, the Daya Bay, to explore the responses of plankton metabolic balance and community structure to a concentration gradient of daily nitrogen and phosphorus inputs. The results showed that nutrient enrichments promoted phytoplankton biomass, total primary production, and community respiration, and the promoting effect enhanced alongwith the increase of nutrient concentration. However, the net community production fluctuated more violently between autotrophic and heterotrophic with the increase of nutrient inputs and tended to be more heterotrophic from the 5th day to the 10th day of the experiment. In addition, the daily flux of nitrogen and phosphorus, 2 μmol/(L·d) and 0.066 μmol/(L·d), respectively, could be regarded as a potential threshold for ecosystem stability and health, since most of the ecological characteristics related to plankton structure and function have undergone significant changes when the nutrient level is higher than that. In the nearshore enclosed or semi-enclosed waters, nutrient from continuous terrigenous input is likely to be concentrated and exceed this level, indicating the ecological risks due to the metabolic unbalance and the deterioration of plankton community structure.     

Benthic primary production, respiration and remineralisation: in situ measurements in the soft-bottom Abra alba community of the western English Channel (North Brittany)

In situ measurements of ammonium and carbon dioxide fluxes were performed using benthic chambers at the end of spring and the end of summer in two soft-bottom Abra alba communities of the western English Channel (North Brittany): the muddy sand community (5 m, about 10% of surface irradiance) and the fine-sand community (19 m, about 1% of surface irradiance). High rates of ammonium regeneration were measured in the two communities at the end of summer (296.03±40.07 and 201.7±62.74 μmolN m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively) as well as high respiration rates (2.60±0.94 and 2.23±0.59 mmolC m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively). Significant benthic gross primary production (up to 6.11 mmolC m⁻² h⁻¹) was measured in the muddy sand community but no benthic primary production was measured in the fine-sand community. It suggests that microphytobenthic production values used in simulations previously published for these two communities were overestimated while values of community respiration were underestimated. The study confirms that this benthic system is heterotrophic and strengthens the idea that an important pelagic-benthic coupling is required for the functioning in such coastal ecosystems.     

Spatial and temporal variability in coccolithophore abundance and production of PIC and POC in the NE subarctic Pacific during El Niño (1998), La Niña (1999) and 2000

Seasonal variations in coccolithophore abundance, chlorophyll, nutrients and production of particulate organic and inorganic carbon (POC and PIC) were determined along a coastal to oceanic east-west transect (Line P) culminating at Ocean Station Papa in the northeastern subarctic Pacific between 1998 and 2000. Offshore stations generally exhibited low seasonality in chlorophyll concentrations, with moderate seasonality in POC production. Near shelf stations showed a similar pattern to offshore stations, but were also characterized by sporadic events of higher POC productivity. During the 1998 El Niño, June was characterized by low chlorophyll and POC productivity along the transect, presumably as a result of depleted surface nitrate. In contrast, during the 1999 La Niña, and in 2000, higher POC productivity and surface nitrate occurred along the transect in June. Chlorophyll and POC productivity were similar in late summer in all 3 years. The coccolithophore population was usually numerically dominated by Emiliania huxleyi, particularly in June. Along the transect, abundance of coccolithophores was much higher in June during the 1998 El Niño (mean of 221 cells ml⁻¹) than in the 1999 La Niña (mean of 40 cells ml⁻¹), with their abundance in late summers of both years being very low. Abundances were even higher along the transect in June and the late summer of 2000 with sporadic ‘blooms’ of >1000 cells ml⁻¹ at some stations (cruise averages 395 and 552 cell ml⁻¹, respectively). Production rates of PIC did not consistently correlate with areas of high coccolithophore abundance. PIC production was high (100-250 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) along the transect during June 1998, and low (1-40 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) during both winters, June 1999 and during late summers of 1998 and 1999. The year 2000 was more complicated, with high rates of PIC production accompanying high abundance of coccolithophores in late summer, but lower rates of PIC production accompanying high coccolithophore numbers in June. Our data suggest that the abundance of coccolithophores and the production rates of PIC in the subarctic are higher than previously thought. Occasional PIC:POC production ratios of 1 or greater in 1998 and 2000 suggest that coccolithophores in this region could have a significant impact on the efficiency of the biological carbon pump.     

Long-term changes in the fish community structure from the Tsushima warm current region of the Japan/East Sea with an emphasis on the impacts of fishing and climate regime shift over the last four decades

Japanese fisheries production in the Japan/East Sea between 1958 and 2003 increased to their peak (1.76 million tons) in the late 1980s and decreased abruptly with the collapse of Japanese sardine. Catch results for 58 fisheries and various environmental time-series data sets and community indices, including mean trophic level (MTL) and Simpson’s diversity index (DI), were used to investigate the impacts of fishing and climate changes on the structure of the fish community in the Tsushima warm current (TWC) region of the Japan/East Sea. The long-term trend in fisheries production was largely dependent on the Japanese sardine that, as a single species, contributed up to 60% of the total production in the Japanese waters of the Japan/East Sea during the late 1980s. Excluding Japanese sardine, production of the small pelagic species was higher during 1960s and 1990s but lower during 1970s and 1980s. This variation pattern generally corresponds with the trend in water temperature, warmer before early 1960s and after 1990s but colder during 1970s and 1980s. The warm-water, large predatory fishes and cold water demersal species show opposite responses to the water temperature in the TWC region, indicating the significant impact of oceanic conditions on fisheries production of the Japan/East Sea. Declines in demersal fishes and invertebrates during 1970s and 1980s suggested some impact of fishing. MTL and DI show a similar variation pattern: higher during 1960s and 1990s but lower during 1970s and 1980s. In particular, the sharp decline during the 1980s resulted from the abundant sardine catches, suggesting that dominant species have a large effect on the structure of the fish community in the Japan/East Sea. Principal component analysis for 58 time-series data sets of fisheries catches suggested that the fish community varied on inter-annual to inter-decadal scales; the abrupt changes that occurred in the mid-1970s and late 1980s seemed to correspond closely with the climatic regime shifts in the North Pacific. These results strongly suggest that the structure of the fish community in the Japan/East Sea was largely affected by climatic and oceanic regime shifts rather than by fishing. There is no evidence showing “fishing down food webs” in the Japan/East Sea. However, in addition to the impacts of abrupt shifts that occurred in the late 1980s, the large predatory and demersal fishes seem to be facing stronger fishing pressure with the collapse of the Japanese sardine.     

Biogeochemistry and carbon mass balance of a coccolithophore bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay (June 2006)

Primary production (PP), calcification (CAL), bacterial production (BP) and dark community respiration (DCR) were measured along with a set of various biogeochemical variables, in early June 2006, at several stations at the shelf break of the northern Bay of Biscay. The cruise was carried out after the main spring diatom bloom that, based on the analysis of a time-series of remotely sensed chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), peaked in mid-April. Remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST) indicated the occurrence of enhanced vertical mixing (due to internal tides) at the continental slope, while adjacent waters on the continental shelf were stratified, as confirmed by vertical profiles of temperature acquired during the cruise. The surface layer of the stratified water masses (on the continental shelf) was depleted of inorganic nutrients. Dissolved silicate (DSi) levels probably did not allow significant diatom development. We hypothesize that mixing at the continental slope allowed the injection of inorganic nutrients that triggered the blooming of mixed phytoplanktonic communities dominated by coccolithophores (Emiliania huxleyi) that were favoured with regards to diatoms due to the low DSi levels. Based on this conceptual frame, we used an indicator of vertical stratification to classify the different sampled stations, and to reconstruct the possible evolution of the bloom from the onset at the continental slope (triggered by vertical mixing) through its development as the water mass was advected on-shelf and stratified. We also established a carbon mass balance at each station by integrating in the photic layer PP, CAL and DCR. This allowed computation at each station of the contribution of PP, CAL and DCR to CO₂ fluxes in the photic layer, and how they changed from one station to another along the sequence of bloom development (as traced by the stratification indicator). This also showed a shift from net autotrophy to net heterotrophy as the water mass aged (stratified), and suggested the importance of extracellular production of carbon to sustain the bacterial demand in the photic and aphotic layers.