Ocean acidification in New Zealand waters: trends and impacts

The threat posed by ocean acidification (OA) to the diversity and productivity of New Zealand marine ecosystems is assessed in a synthesis of published trends and impacts. A 20-year time series in Subantarctic water, and a national coastal monitoring programme, provide insight into pH variability, and context for experimental design, modelling and projections. A review of the potential impact of changes in the carbonate system on the major phyla in New Zealand waters confirms international observations that calcifying organisms, and particularly their early life-history stages, are vulnerable. The synthesis considers ecosystem and socio-economic impacts, and identifies current knowledge gaps and future research directions, including mechanistic studies of OA sensitivity. Advanced ecosystem models of OA, that incorporate the indirect effects of OA and interactions with other climate stressors, are required for robust projection of the future status of New Zealand marine ecosystems.     

Dissolved organic carbon and apparent oxygen utilization in the Atlantic Ocean

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) distributions along two Atlantic Meridional Transects conducted in 2005 in the region between 47°N and 34°S showed clear latitudinal patterns. The DOC concentrations in the epipelagic zone (0–100 m) were the highest (70–90 µM) in tropical and subtropical waters with stable mixed layers, and lowest (50–55 µM) at the poleward extremities of the transects due to deep convective mixing supplying low DOC waters to the surface. A decrease in DOC occurred with depth, and lowest DOC concentrations (41–45 µM) in the 100–300 m depth range were observed in the equatorial region due to upwelling of low DOC waters. A strong relationship between DOC and AOU was observed in the σ–t 26–26.5 isopycnal layer which underlies the euphotic zone and outcrops at the poleward extremities of the North and South Atlantic Subtropical Gyres (NASG and SASG) in the region ventilating the thermocline waters. Our observations reveal significant north–south variability in the DOC–AOU relationship. The gradient of the relationship suggests that 52% of the AOU in the σ–t 26–26.5 density range was driven by DOC degradation in the NASG and 36% in the SASG, with the remainder due to the remineralisation of sinking particulate material. We assess possible causes for the greater contribution of DOC remineralisation in the NASG compared to the SASG.     

Evidence that biological activity affects Ocean Bottom Seismograph recordings

Brief and impulsive signals of uncertain origin appear regularly on records from Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBS) of several institutions. These signals have been recorded on nearly all deployments of the Texas OBS, including sites at depths greater than 7000 m. At some sites, they account for over 90% of the events recorded. They are of short duration (usually 0.5–4.0 s) and have a characteristic frequency (usually in the range of 4–18 Hz) that differs from site to site. When networks of OBS instruments are deployed, the signals are not recorded simultaneously by different instruments. Neither the frequency content nor the distribution of durations of these signals is similar to what is observed for known earthquake events.We present evidence suggesting that the signals are of biological origin, perhaps caused by animals touching the OBS units. (1) The distribution of these signals on instruments deployed at depths shallower than 1000 m shows a 24 h periodicity, while there is a 24 h periodic pattern on instruments deployed at sites deeper than 1000 m (where there is no visible light). (2) The frequency of occurrence of signals is similar to the vertical distribution of biomass in the oceans, i.e., they appear most frequently on OBS instruments deployed at very shallow depths. (3) Biological material has been found attached to several OBS units upon recovery.University of Texas Institute for Geophysics contribution number 468.     

Interdecadal climate regime dynamics in the North Pacific Ocean: theories, observations and ecosystem impacts

Basin-scale variations in oceanic physical variables are thought to organize patterns of biological response across the Pacific Ocean over decadal time scales. Different physical mechanisms can be responsible for the diverse basin-scale patterns of sea-surface temperature (SST), mixed-layer depth, thermocline depth, and horizontal currents, although they are linked in various ways. In light of various theories and observations, we interpret observed basinwide patterns of decadal-scale variations in upper-ocean temperatures. Evidence so far indicates that large-scale perturbations of the Aleutian Low generate temperature anomalies in the central and eastern North Pacific through the combined action of net surface heat flux, turbulent mixing and Ekman advection. The surface-forced temperature anomalies in the central North Pacific subduct and propagate southwestwards in the ocean thermocline to the subtropics but apparently do not reach the equator. The large-scale Ekman pumping resulting from changes of the Aleutian Low forces western-intensified thermocline depth anomalies that are approximately consistent with Sverdrup theory. These thermocline changes are associated with SST anomalies in the Kuroshio/Oyashio Extension that are of the same sign as those in the central North Pacific, but lagged by several years. The physics of the possible feedback from the SST anomalies to the Aleutian Low, which might close a coupled ocean–atmosphere mode of decadal variability, is poorly understood and is an area of active research. The possible responses of North Pacific Ocean ecosystems to these complicated physical patterns is summarized.     

赤道印度洋海温偶极子的气候影响及数值模拟研究

在分析研究印度洋海温变化的基本特征,尤其是在分析赤道印度洋海温偶极子及其影响的基础上,利用IAP9L大气环流模式模拟研究了赤道印度洋海温偶极子异常对亚洲季风区气候变化的影响.其结果表明,印度洋、亚洲南部和东部地区的流场和降水都对印度洋海温异常的强迫作用比较敏感.正位相印度洋偶极子的作用使得赤道东印度洋-印度次大陆南部-阿拉伯海一带出现距平东风,孟加拉湾-中南半岛出现异常反气旋性环流,从而对减少印度南部和中南半岛南部、印度尼西亚地区的夏季降水,以及增加中国南部和东非的夏季降水有十分重要的作用.与此相反,负位相印度洋偶极子的作用将使赤道东印度洋附近出现西风异常,孟加拉湾-中南半岛存在异常气旋性环流,从而使印度次大陆和中南半岛南部、印度尼西亚地区的降水增加,使中国西部和孟加拉湾的降水减少.数值模拟结果与资料分析相互映证,切实地揭示了印度洋海温偶极子对亚洲季风区的气候变化有重要影响.     

Physical control of biological processes in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean

A five-component (phytoplankton, zooplankton, ammonium, nitrate, detritus) physical–biological model was developed to investigate the effects of physical processes on daily to interannual time scales, on the lower trophic levels of the central equatorial Pacific. Many of the biological processes included in the ecosystem model respond to environmental fluctuations with time scales between 1 and 10 d, which are not typically resolved by basin- to global-scale circulation models. Therefore, the equatorial Pacific ecosystem model is forced using daily information (solar radiation, velocity, temperature) from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) mooring array. The ecosystem model also requires vertical velocity information which necessitated the development of a method for computing daily vertical velocities from the TAO array. Much of the variability in primary production, plankton and nutrient concentrations observed in 1992 during the US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study Equatorial Pacific Process Study time-series cruises (TS1 and TS2), is well reproduced in the model simulations. Simulations demonstrate that lower primary productivities during TS1 as compared to TS2 result from the deeper thermocline that persisted during TS1 as a result of El Niño conditions; however, because of the simultaneous reduction in grazing pressure, simulated chlorophyll levels are similar for these two time periods. Simulations of this single-species ecosystem model successfully reproduce data collected both during and after the El Niño, suggesting that species composition changes are not of first-order importance when examining the effects of the 1991–92 El Niño on the equatorial Pacific ecosystem. A 60–70% increase in chlorophyll concentration and a 400% increase in the chlorophyll contribution by diatoms was associated with the passage of a tropical instability wave (20-d period) across the study site during TS2. This period of high chlorophyll concentration and diatom abundance coincided temporally with strong northward velocities and strong downwelling velocities in the upper euphotic zone. Observations and simulations suggest that this increase in chlorophyll concentration and change in species composition not only results from in situ diatom growth stimulated by increased iron concentrations, but also results from the advection of diatoms toward the convergent front located along the leading (western) edge of the instability wave. Equatorially trapped internal gravity waves can also stimulate in situ phytoplankton growth as high-frequency vertical motions introduce limiting micronutrients, such as iron, into the euphotic zone. Because iron can be taken up by the picoplankton on time scales much shorter than the wave period (6–8 days), these waves may provide a mechanism for effecting a large flux of iron into the euphotic zone. Exclusion of these high-frequency motions results in an iron flux to the euphotic zone that may be underestimated by more than 30%.     

广东省登陆热带气旋的时空分布特征及其影响

根据1949—2017年广东省登陆热带气旋最佳路径数据以及1994—2016年广东省重大热带气旋灾害资料,对登陆广东省热带气旋的时空分布特征及其影响进行了统计分析。结果表明:广东省登陆热带气旋频数的年际变化明显,总体上呈下降趋势。7—9月是广东省热带气旋登陆的高频期,登陆地点主要集中在湛江、汕尾、阳江、江门。登陆广东省的热带气旋主要来自南海北部和菲律宾以东洋面;其中登陆最多的是强热带风暴,其次是热带风暴和台风。     

《气候变化中的海洋与冰冻圈特别报告》的蓝碳内容及其影响

国际社会普遍认识到蓝碳在减缓和适应气候变化方面的价值,联合国政府间气候变化委员会(IPCC)于2019年9月25日发布的《气候变化中的海洋与冰冻圈特别报告》(SROCC)将蓝碳作为海洋自然过程减缓的重要内容,指出易于管理的海洋系统所有生物驱动的碳通量及存量可以被认为是蓝碳,并将红树林、海草床和滨海盐沼、大型海藻列为第四...     

Revisiting ENSO impacts on the Indian Ocean SST based on a combined linear regression method

The El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has great impacts on the Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST). In fact, two major modes of the Indian Ocean SST namely the Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) modes, exerting strong influences on the Indian Ocean rim countries, are both influenced by the ENSO. Based on a combined linear regression method, this study quantifies the ENSO impacts on the IOB and the IOD during ENSO concurrent, developing, and decaying stages. After removing the ENSO impacts, the spring peak of the IOB disappears along with significant decrease in number of events, while the number of events is only slightly reduced and the autumn peak remains for the IOD. By isolating the ENSO impacts during each stage, this study reveals that the leading impacts of ENSO contribute to the IOD development, while the delayed impacts facilitate the IOD phase switch and prompt the IOB development. Besides, the decadal variations of ENSO impacts are various during each stage and over different regions. These imply that merely removing the concurrent ENSO impacts would not be sufficient to investigate intrinsic climate variability of the Indian Ocean, and the present method may be useful to study climate variabilities independent of ENSO.     

Suspended barite as a tracer of biological activity in the Southern Ocean

During two cruises in the Southern Ocean (INDIGO 3, Indian sector and EPOS 2, Scotia-Weddell Confluence) suspended matter samples were collected for analysis of several biogenic elements including Ba, Si and particulate organic carbon (POC).The good agreement between particulate barium in subsurface water with oxygen minimum concentrations as well as with nitrate depletions suggests that it reflects the intensity of new production over the past season. As a consequence of new production in the Southern Ocean being performed mainly by diatoms, the occurrences of barite and diatoms are related in the water column. In areas characterized by diatom-poor phytoplankton, barite does occur, but in lower concentrations.     

亚洲入海河流的化学通量及其控制因素

根据发育于俄罗斯（极地）、中国及南亚地区的２０多条亚洲主要河流的比较研究,发现亚洲入海河流的化学一存在明显的规律性。根据离子径流量、离子浓度及离子侵蚀模中将亚洲的入海河流分为三个区,它们各具有不同的化学通量。中国的主要入海河流具有截然不同的化学通量特点,在亚洲占据重要的地位,尤其是流经黄土高原条河流具有特征的化学通量。气候、植被、土壤及地层岩性、化学风化、构造活动等因子基本控制了亚洲的入海河流的化     

北太平洋西部和印度洋东部及其邻近海域表层水体中137Cs的分布

对北太平洋西部海域、苏禄海及印尼海、中国南海、印度洋东部海域、孟加拉湾及安达曼海等表层水体中放射性核素137Cs的活度进行了测定。结果表明,上述海域表层水体中137Cs活度显示了较大的变化范围,最低值出现在南极附近的南大洋(1.1Bqm-3),较高的活度值则出现在北太平洋西部海域及中国南海(3Bqm-3)。在所研究水域范围内,137Cs活度的纬度分布特征并没有完全有效地反映出137Cs的全球理论大气沉降趋势及其纬度效应。综合本研究及Miyake等人(1988)的测定结果,我们计算出137Cs自表层海水中的析出速率在苏禄海及印尼海约为0.016/a,在孟加拉湾及安达曼海约为0.033/a,在中国南海约为0.029/a,这一结果明显低于西北太平洋日本沿海表层水体中137Cs的析出速率。这可能是因为在这些海域,横向及纵向的水体混合过程相对都较慢,而且颗粒物对137Cs的吸附析出过程也比较弱所致。     

Benthic organic carbon flux and oxygen penetration reflect different plankton provinces in the Southern Ocean

For the investigation of organic carbon fluxes reaching the seafloor, oxygen microprofiles were measured at 145 sites in different sub-regions of the Southern Ocean. At 11 sites, an in situ oxygen microprofiler was deployed for the measurement of oxygen profiles and the calculation of organic carbon fluxes. At four sites, both in situ and ex situ data were determined for high latitudes. Based on this data set as well as on previous published data, a relationship was established for the estimation of fluxes derived by ex situ measured O₂ profiles. The fluxes of labile organic matter range from 0.5 to 37.1 mg C m^?2 d^?1. The high values determined by in situ measurements were observed in the Polar Front region (water depth of more than 4290 m) and are comparable to organic matter fluxes observed for high-productivity, upwelling areas like off West Africa. The oxygen penetration depth, which reflects the long-term organic matter flux to the sediment, was correlated with assemblages of key diatom species. In the Scotia Sea (～3000 m water depth), oxygen penetration depths of less than 15 cm were observed, indicating high benthic organic carbon fluxes. In contrast, the oxic zone extends down to several decimeters in abyssal sediments of the Weddell Sea and the southeastern South Atlantic. The regional pattern of organic carbon fluxes derived from microsensor data suggests that episodic and seasonal sedimentation pulses are important for the carbon supply to the seafloor of the deep Southern Ocean.     

Vertical and horizontal extension of the oxygen minimum zone in the eastern South Pacific Ocean

Recent hydrographic measurements within the eastern South Pacific (1999–2001) were combined with vertically high-resolution data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, high-resolution profiles and bottle casts from the World Ocean Database 2001, and the World Ocean Atlas 2001 in order to evaluate the vertical and horizontal extension of the oxygen minimum zone (<20 μmol kg⁻¹). These new calculations estimate the total area and volume of the oxygen minimum zone to be 9.82±3.60×10⁶ km² and 2.18±0.66×10⁶ km³, respectively. The oxygen minimum zone is thickest (>600 m) off Peru between 5 and 13°S and to about 1000 km offshore. Its upper boundary is shallowest (<150 m) off Peru, shoaling towards the coast and extending well into the euphotic zone in some places. Offshore, the thickness and meridional extent of the oxygen minimum zone decrease until it finally vanishes at 140°W between 2° and 8°S. Moving southward along the coast of South America, the zonal extension of the oxygen minimum zone gradually diminishes from 3000 km (15°S) to 1200 km (20°S) and then to 25 km (30°S); only a thin band is detected at ∼37°S off Concepción, Chile. Simultaneously, the oxygen minimum zone's maximum thickness decreases from 300 m (20°S) to less than 50 m (south of 30°S). The spatial distribution of Ekman suction velocity and oxygen minimum zone thickness correlate well, especially in the core. Off Chile, the eastern South Pacific Intermediate Water mass introduces increased vertical stability into the upper water column, complicating ventilation of the oxygen minimum zone from above. In addition, oxygen-enriched Antarctic Intermediate Water clashes with the oxygen minimum zone at around 30°S, causing a pronounced sub-surface oxygen front. The new estimates of vertical and horizontal oxygen minimum zone distribution in the eastern South Pacific complement the global quantification of naturally hypoxic continental margins by Helly and Levin [2004. Global distribution of naturally occurring marine hypoxia on continental margins. Deep-Sea Research I 51, 1159–1168] and provide new baseline data useful for studies on the role of oxygen in the degradation of organic matter in the water column and the related implications for biogeochemical cycles. Coastal upwelling zones along the eastern Pacific combine with general circulation to provide a mechanism that allows renewal of upper Pacific Deep Water, the most oxygen-poor and oldest water mass of the world oceans.     

Influence of the Mediterranean intermediate waters on oxygen distribution in the Atlantic Ocean

The fine structure of oxygen in some regions of the north-eastern Atlantic has been studied. A discrete-continuous inflow of the Mediterranean intermediate water has a strong effect on the O₂ distribution in the layer of the main minimum of oxygen concentration. In general, this layer tends to increase and become more oxygenated when the mean vertical gradients of the oxygen concentration become smaller. Lenses of intrusion and inversion of the seawater with a high O₂ content are observed in the layer. Passage of the lens in the layer of the main minimum of oxygen concentration induces vertical advection of waters and a decrease of the oxygen concentration above and below the lens within 500–700 m. Translated by V. Puchkin.     

中西太平洋镰状真鲨的生物学信息初步研究

镰状真鲨(Carcharhinus falciformis)是金枪鱼(Thunnus)延绳钓渔业中常见的兼捕鱼种之一,位于海洋食物链的顶端,对海洋物种多样性和生态系统的稳定性有重要意义,2017年10月1日作为濒危物种被正式列入濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约附录Ⅱ中。作者根据中国金枪鱼渔业科学观察员在中西太平洋海域(7°S~9°N,149°E~150°W)采集的1 150尾镰状真鲨样本,对其叉长、体质量、繁殖和摄食等生物学信息进行初步研究与分析。结果表明:雌、雄镰状真鲨的优势叉长范围分别为80~180 cm和60~150 cm,雌性叉长均值显著大于雄性;雌、雄的叉长和体质量关系无显著性差异(ANCOVA,P0.05),叉长和体质量的幂函数关系为:W_R=9×10–6×L_F~(2.9712);雌、雄性比符合1︰1比例;镰状真鲨的鳍脚长度与叉长呈显著正相关性,其线性关系为L_C=0.1492×L_F–6.5;镰状真鲨的怀仔数为4~15尾,平均怀仔数为8尾,子宫内雌雄胚胎长度范围为24~56 cm;摄食等级以空胃率为主,其次为1级,分别为51.77%、35.07%。     

Deep-sea pycnogonids from the North Atlantic and their distribution in the World Ocean

The information on the composition and distribution of present-day pycnogonids in different regions of the World Ocean and, especially, in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean acquired during the past decades allowed us to perform a biogeographical analysis of these animals, which represent a permanent component of bottom communities. For 34 species of sea spiders (Pycnogonida) found in the North Atlantic deeper than 2 km, ten types of geographical distribution were recognized. Half of the species identified represent Atlantic forms, and 41% of them are endemic forms with West-Atlantic, East-Atlantic, amphi-Atlantic, and central-Atlantic distributions. The other half of the deep-sea Atlantic species have broad geographical ranges. Among them, 11.7% are Atlantic-Pacific species, 14.7% dwell in the Atlantic and West Pacific, 8.9% are low-latitudinal panocaanic species, and 14.7% are panoceanic species able to penetrate to higher latitudes. The zoogeographical species composition shows a significant independence of this fauna in the northern Atlantic Ocean and its relation to the Pacific and Indian oceans. At present, these relations are probably maintained via the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and via the Drake Passage; meanwhile, it seems that, previously, they were realized possibly via the ancient Tethys Ocean.     

Grand minima of solar activity and sociodynamics of culture

Indices of creative productivity introduced by C. Murrey were used to verify S. Ertel’s conclusion about a global increase in creative productivity during the prolonged minimum of solar activity in 1640–1710. It was found that these indices for mathematicians, philosophers, and scientists increase in the Maunder era by factor of 1.6 in comparison with intervals of the same length before and after the minimum. A similar effect was obtained for mathematicians and philosophers for five earlier equitype minima in total (an increase by a factor of 1.9). The regularity that is revealed is confirmed by the fact that the most important achievements of high-ranking mathematicians and philosophers during the whole time period (2300 years) considered in this study fall on epochs of reduced levels of solar activity. The rise in the probability of the generation of rational ideas during grand minima is reflected also in the fact that they precede the appearance of written language and farming. Ultra-low-frequency electromagnetic fields appear to serve as a physical agent stimulating the activity of the brain’s left hemisphere during the epochs of minima.