A comparative analysis of the Harpacticoida (Copepoda) faunas from the northern and southern seas of Russia

Based on extensive voluminous literary data, a comparison of the Harpacticoida faunas of the Black Sea; the Sea of Azov; and the Caspian, Baltic, Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas, as well as of the Spitsbergen and Franz Josef Land areas, was performed. The degree of community and specificity of the faunas of different regions was estimated and the general patterns of the latitudinal variability in the species compositions were revealed. It is shown that the Harpacticoida faunas of geographically separated areas and even those isolated from each other such as those of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Caspian Sea are rather similar; an hypothesis is put forward that this is caused by the common history of the seas’ formation. In contrast, the faunas of the Arctic seas (Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian), whose water areas are closely connected, are considerably different, being related to their different temperature conditions.     

Comparison of atmospheric forcing in four sub-arctic seas

A comparative analysis was conducted on climate variability in four sub-arctic seas: the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea shelf, the Labrador Sea, and the Barents Sea. Based on data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, the focus was on air–sea interactions, which influence ice cover, ocean currents, mixing, and stratification on sub-seasonal to decadal time scales. The seasonal cycles of the area-weighted averages of sea-level pressure (SLP), surface air temperature (SAT) and heat fluxes show remarkable similarity among the four sub-arctic seas. With respect to variation in climate, all four seas experience changes of comparable magnitude on interannual to interdecadal time scales, but with different timing. Since 2000 warm SAT anomalies were found during most of the year in three of the four sub-arctic seas, with the exception of the Sea of Okhotsk. A seesaw (out of phase) pattern in winter SAT anomalies between the Labrador and the Barents Sea in the Atlantic sector is observed during the past 50 years before 2000; a similar type of co-variability between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea shelf in the Pacific is only evident since 1970s. Recent positive anomalies of net heat flux are more prominent in winter and spring in the Pacific sectors, and in summer in the Atlantic sectors. There is a reduced magnitude in wind mixing in the Sea of Okhotsk since 1980, in the Barents Sea since 2000, and in early spring/late winter in the Bering Sea shelf since 1995. Reduced sea-ice areas are seen over three out of four (except the Sea of Okhotsk) sub-arctic seas in recent decades, particularly after 2000 based on combined in situ and satellite observations (HadISST). This analysis provides context for the pan-regional synthesis of the linkages between climate and marine ecosystems.     

Problems of operational data assimilation for marginal seas

Operational models based on the system of equations of geophysical thermohydrodynamics of the marine medium are considered, as are methods for an approximate reconstruction of the main geophysical fields from the data of deep-sea thermohaline measurements. The results of calculations for the White, Barents, and Kara seas are presented.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in the surface sediments of the White Sea

Dinoflagellate cysts were studied in 42 samples from the surface sediments of the White Sea. The total concentration of dinocysts varies from single cysts to 25 000 cyst/g of dry sediments, which reflects the biological productivity in the White Sea waters and the regional particular features of the sedimentation processes. The highest concentrations are observed in silts; they are related to the regions of propagation of the highly productive Barents Sea waters in the White Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution of dinocysts species in the surface sediments corresponds to the distribution of the major types of water masses in the White Sea. The cysts of the relatively warm-water species (Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites sp.) of North Atlantic origin that dominate in the sediments indicate an intensive intrusion of the Barents Sea water masses to the White Sea along with hydrological dwelling conditions in the White Sea favorable for the development of these species during their vegetation period. The cold-water dinocyst assemblage (Islandinium minutum, Polykrikos sp.) is rather strictly confined to the inner parts of shallow-water bays, firstly, those adjacent to the Onega and Severnaya Dvina river mouths.     

On the variability of tidal constants induced by the influence of one subsystem on another

It is stated that the seasonal variation of tidal constants may be generated through a mechanism related to the influence of one subsystem on another. This statement is verified on the basis of the three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element thermohydrodynamic model QUODDY-4, which is used to investigate the tidal dynamics of the wave M ₂ in the system of the White and Barents seas. It is testified that the freezing of the White Sea and the resulting fixed ice cover change the tidal characteristics in the other subsystem—the nonfreezing Barents Sea. Here (especially, in the southern part of the Barents Sea, adjacent to the boundary of the White Sea), the relative variations in the amplitude of tidal sea surface level elevations and the maximum barotropic tidal velocity may constitute up to 75%, and the variation in phases of tidal sea surface level elevations may cover a few tens of degrees. It follows that the seasonal variability of tidal constants induced by the influence of one subsystem on another may in principal occur and there are no good grounds for its disregard, as has been done usually.     

Influence of the White Sea on tides in adjacent marginal seas of the North European Basin

An investigation into the interaction of surface M ₂ tides in the system of marginal seas of the North European Basin is carried out using the three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4. Three numerical experiments are performed for this purpose. In the first (control), the model equations are solved in the system of the Norwegian, Greenland, Barents, and White seas; thereby the interaction of the tides in these seas is explicitly taken into account. In the second experiment, the White Sea is excluded from consideration and the no-flux condition is posed at the entrance to the sea. The third experiment uses an approach in which the observed tidal elevations that determine the existence of a finite horizontal transport of barotropic energy to the White Sea are specified at the open boundary of the White Sea. It is shown that changes in tidal dynamics represented by changes in the amplitudes and phases of tidal elevations and in the barotropic tidal velocity ellipse parameters are within the model noise in experiments 2 and 3 when compared with the control experiment. On the contrary, changes in energy characteristics (the horizontal wave transport, density, and dissipation rate of barotropic tidal energy) are equal to or greater (in order of magnitude) than the energy characteristics themselves.     

山东半岛近岸海域生态系统健康综合评价

为了构建基于多指标体系的生态系统健康评价方法,作者在调研了大量国内外文献的基础上,通过实证研究和量化分析,对山东半岛近岸海域生态系统健康的现状做出了较为客观的评价。在综合考虑影响海洋生态系统健康的各种因素的基础上,构建了山东半岛近岸海域生态系统健康评价指标体系,从陆源压力、水质状态和生物响应3个方面对山东半岛近岸海域生态系统健康和环境压力进行分析。结果显示:2006年山东半岛近岸海域生态健康状况基本呈现由外海到近岸逐渐变差的态势,其中生态健康状况较差的海域主要集中在莱州湾西南部、烟台北部海域、威海的沿岸海域以及山东半岛东南部海域。     

Biooptical characteristics of the surface layer of the Baltic,Norwegian, and Barents seas in summer 2014–2016 from shipboard and satellite data

The article presents the results of shipboard and satellite measurements in the surface layer of the Baltic, Norwegian, and Barents seas during legs from the Baltic to the White Sea in June–August 2014–2016. Special attention is paid to marine phytoplankton blooms of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea and coccolithophores in the Barents Sea. No blooms were found in the Norwegian Sea. The efficiency of combined application of in situ and satellite optical methods for studying the parameters of phytoplankton blooms is shown.     

Barents Sea upstream events impact the properties of Atlantic water inflow into the Arctic Ocean: Evidence from 2005 to 2006 downstream observations

Inflow of Atlantic water (AW) from Fram Strait and the Barents Sea into the Arctic Ocean conditions the intermediate (100–1000 m) waters of the Arctic Ocean Eurasian margins. While over the Siberian margin the Fram Strait AW branch (FSBW) has exhibited continuous dramatic warming beginning in 2004, the tendency of the Barents Sea AW branch (BSBW) has remained poorly known. Here we document the contrary cooling tendency of the BSBW through the analysis of observational data collected from the icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn over the continental slope of the Eurasian Basin in 2005 and 2006. The CTD data from the R.V. Polarstern cruise in 1995 were used as a reference point for evaluating external atmospheric and sea-ice forcing and oxygen isotope analysis. Our data show that in 2006 the BSBW core was saltier (by ～0.037), cooler (by ～0.41 °C), denser (by ～0.04 kg/m³), deeper (by 150–200 m), and relatively better ventilated (by 7–8 μmol/kg of dissolved oxygen, or by 1.1–1.7% of saturation) compared with 2005. We hypothesize that the shift of the meridional wind from off-shore to on-shore direction during the BSBW translation through the Barents and northern Kara seas results in longer surface residence time for the BSBW sampled in 2006 compared with samples from 2005. The cooler, more saline, and better-ventilated BSBW sampled in 2006 may result from longer upstream translation through the Barents and northern Kara seas where the BSBW was modified by sea-ice formation and interaction with atmosphere. The data for stable oxygen isotopes from 1995 and 2006 reveals amplified brine modification of the BSBW core sampled downstream in 2006, which supports the assumption of an increased upstream residence time as indicated by wind patterns and dissolved oxygen values.     

Seasonality of foraminiferal flux in sediment traps at Chatham Rise,SW Pacific: implications for paleotemperature estimates

Analysis of sediment traps located either side of the Subtropical Front east of New Zealand reveals a strong association between water masses and foraminiferal assemblages. The composition and timing of foraminiferal productivity is distinct between waters north and south of the front, and these differences are also reflected in the assemblages of nearby core-tops. The sediment trap data indicate highly seasonal flux patterns in this region, so sedimentary records may represent flux during a particular season, rather than throughout the annual cycle. This pronounced seasonality has implications for our estimates of the annual temperature range based on faunal assemblages. This study shows that despite strong flux seasonality the annual sea-surface temperature (SST) range is reliably estimated from the sediment trap foraminiferal assemblages by the modern analog technique. The successful estimation of the annual SST range also indicates that the annual flux obtained from these sediment traps is representative of the longer term flux preserved in surface sediments. Core-top assemblages from this region can therefore be directly related to modern sea-surface conditions, providing an analogue for interpreting past environmental change from fossil assemblages.     

Distribution of Mytilus taxa in European coastal areas as inferred from molecular markers

The genetic constitution of mussels (Mytilus spp.) was studied by means of three nuclear (Me 15/16, EF-bis, ITS) and one mtDNA (ND2-COIII) marker on a large European scale. In addition to a sharp cline between Atlantic and Mediterranean M. galloprovincialis, we observed a clear genetic distinction between the Black Sea and Mediterranean populations and a higher incidence of M. trossulus than reported so far in northern European populations. The frequency of M. galloprovincialis nuclear alleles was high along the Iberian Peninsula and decreased abruptly along the French coasts with a high frequency of M. edulis alleles in the Bay of Biscay, The Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, Barents and White Seas, and with little evidence of introgression between the two taxa. M. trossulus alleles were observed in the Baltic Sea and Danish Straits as expected. In addition, occurrence of M. trossulus alleles in cold waters of Iceland, Barents Sea and White Sea is reported for the first time.     

秋季巴伦支海海温异常对冬季我国渤海冰情的可能影响

本文利用美国NCEP/NCAR逐月的再分析资料、HadISST海温、中国160台站气温和反映渤海冰情轻重的渤海冰情等级资料,研究了前秋巴伦支海海温异常对后期渤海冰情和东亚冬季风的影响,并对相关的物理过程进行分析。结果表明,前秋巴伦支海关键区海温与该区域海冰密集度呈显著的负相关,且具有较好的持续性,通过调节随后冬季向大气释放的热通量,引起后期环流变化。偏高(偏低)年冬季亚洲纬向环流偏弱(偏强),东亚大槽加深(减弱),东亚冬季风加强(减弱),我国东北、华北及西北地区地区显著偏冷(偏暖),这与冬季渤海海冰异常的强度和范围都偏大(小)及与之相联系的环流异常相一致。进一步的分析揭示了联系上游关键区海温变化与后期东亚地区气候异常的重要途径,前秋巴伦支海海温偏高会导致200 hPa高度场形成一个自西向东的波列形式,在东亚局地Hadley环流异常的作用下,加强了我国北方地区地表的北风异常。因此,前秋巴伦支海海温异常可以作为冬季渤海冰情的预报因子。     

Primary production and fluxes of organic carbon to the seabed in the Russian Arctic seas as a response to the recent warming

The primary production and fluxes of organic matter to the seabed and their variations were estimated in the Norwegian, Greenland, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi seas in 2003–2008 on the basis of satellite and field data. When counting the open water area with the assumptions made for the assessment of the primary production in the regions hidden under clouds, the reliable trends of its variability (increasing) were revealed only in the Greenland, Barents, and Kara seas.     

Dense water formation and circulation in the Barents Sea

Dense water masses from Arctic shelf seas are an important part of the Arctic thermohaline system. We present previously unpublished observations from shallow banks in the Barents Sea, which reveal large interannual variability in dense water temperature and salinity. To examine the formation and circulation of dense water, and the processes governing interannual variability, a regional coupled ice-ocean model is applied to the Barents Sea for the period 1948-2007. Volume and characteristics of dense water are investigated with respect to the initial autumn surface salinity, atmospheric cooling, and sea-ice growth (salt flux). In the southern Barents Sea (Spitsbergen Bank and Central Bank) dense water formation is associated with advection of Atlantic Water into the Barents Sea and corresponding variations in initial salinities and heat loss at the air-sea interface. The characteristics of the dense water on the Spitsbergen Bank and Central Bank are thus determined by the regional climate of the Barents Sea. Preconditioning is also important to dense water variability on the northern banks, and can be related to local ice melt (Great Bank) and properties of the Novaya Zemlya Coastal Current (Novaya Zemlya Bank). The dense water mainly exits the Barents Sea between Frans Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, where it constitutes 63% (1.2 Sv) of the net outflow and has an average density of 1028.07 kg m⁻³. An amount of 0.4 Sv enters the Arctic Ocean between Svalbard and Frans Josef Land. Covering 9% of the ocean area, the banks contribute with approximately 1/3 of the exported dense water. Formation on the banks is more important when the Barents Sea is in a cold state (less Atlantic Water inflow, more sea-ice). During warm periods with high throughflow more dense water is produced broadly over the shelf by general cooling of the northward flowing Atlantic Water. However, our results indicate that during extremely warm periods (1950s and late 2000s) the total export of dense water to the Arctic Ocean becomes strongly reduced.     

Late Quaternary growth and decay of the Svalbard/Barents Sea ice sheet and paleoceanographic evolution in the adjacent Arctic Ocean

The paleoceanography in the Nordic seas was characterized by apparently repeated switching on and off of Atlantic water advection. In contrast, a continous influx of Atlantic waters probably occurred along the northern Barents Sea margin during the last 150?ka. Temporary ice-free conditions enhanced by subsurface Atlantic water advection and coastal polynyas accelerated the final ice sheet build-up during glacial times. The virtually complete dissolution of biogenic calcite during interglacial intervals was controlled mainly by CO2-rich bottom waters and oxidation of higher levels of marine organic carbon and indicates intensive Atlantic water inflow and a stable ice margin.     

Consequences of powerful volcanic eruptions according to dendrochronological data

For the first time we identify the peculiarities of the effect of the most powerful (VEI > 5) volcanic eruptions on the regional climate of the Murmansk region on the basis of Kola Peninsula dendrochronological data for a period of more than 560 years. The analysis was based on the tree-ring chronology covering the period from 1445 to 2005. This chronology was derived from Pinus sylvestris samples collected near the northern tree line at Loparskaya station (68°37′ N; 33°14′ E). The data were processed using modern techniques adopted in dendrochronology (cross dating and standardization). We reveal a significant decrease in the radial tree-ring growth over 8 years (on average) after the eruptions; then its value is restored to the normal level. This finding will help evaluate the response of the regional climate system to external climate forcings in this economically important region for Russia.     

Numerical modeling of the arctic ocean deepwater formation: Part II. Results of regional and global experiments

In this study the specific features of deepwater generation in an area of wind polynia and the capability of numerical models to transport bottom-density anomalies from shelf to deepwater areas are considered. The results of regional modeling indicate that the displacement method presented in the first part of this study leads to a considerable supply of dense deep waters at the expense of waters generated in shelf areas of the Barents and Kara seas. With the help of the given parametrization, these waters are shown to be able to numerically transport at significant distances from where they are generated to a shelf edge and deepwater oceanic areas with slightly changed initial density characteristics. This technique was tested within a large-scale combined ocean-ice model for the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic. With the displacement method, the numerical model was shown to have a less clearly expressed trend of decreasing the total amount of deep waters. However, this method does not eliminate the problem of adequately reproducing bottom waters in a large-scale numerical model. Based on a trend analysis of the numerical results, we found that a longer period of atmospheric influence with a prevalent cyclonic circulation leads to a decreased amount of deep waters in the Arctic Ocean, while a prevalent anticyclonic-type circulation leads to its recovery.     

Effect of the nonlinear interaction of tidal harmonics on their spatial structure as applied to the system of the white and Barents Seas

Using the three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element thermohydrodynamic model QUODDY-4, we obtain two solutions giving an idea of the role of the nonlinear interaction of tidal harmonics in the formation of their spatial structure. The first solution is induced by the total tide (M ₂ + S ₂ + K ₁ + O ₁) at the open boundary and by the total static tide inside the area under consideration; then, the solution obtained is subject to harmonic analysis. The second solution is obtained by specifying such tidal sea level elevations at the open boundary that meet individual tidal harmonics. These two solutions are compared. It is shown that the differences between the solutions for the S ₂, K ₁, and O ₁ waves can be significant, especially near the open boundary between the White and Barents seas. This conclusion remains valid also for the maximum velocities (major semiaxes of the ellipses) of the barotropic (depth-average) tidal current as well as for the average (over the tidal cycle) densities of the total tidal energy and components of the tidal-energy budget. The emergence of this feature indicates that there are resonance modes with frequencies that differ from those of the S ₂, K ₁, and O ₁ harmonics to a lesser extent than the M ₂ harmonic frequency. The same conclusion can be made by comparing the values of the amplification factor, which is defined as the ratio between the actual and static tides, for the system of the Barents and White seas as a whole and for Mezen Bay in the White Sea and Czech Bay in the Barents Sea, taken separately.     

Spatial variability of the structure of the Harpacticoida (Copepoda) crustacean assemblages in intertidal and shallow-water zones of European seas

On the basis of original and published data for 26 sites off Europe (the Barents, White, Black, Caspian, North, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Adriatic seas and the Atlantic Ocean) we assessed the variability of the near-shore benthic harpacticoid assemblages. A set of six life forms is recognized that retains its composition regardless of the geographical location and species composition of the assemblage. It is shown that the geographical variability of harpacticoid assemblages is low and intraregional and biotopical variations in the structure of these assemblages are often greater than their interregional (geographical) variability. It seems that the main factors that control the composition of species and life forms of harpacticoids are the characteristics of the sediments and the hydrodynamical processes that determine the structure of the sediments and the salinity.     

Mapping the sedimentary basins of the Barents and Kara Seas using ERS-1 altimetry-geodetic mission

The continental shelf in the Arctic north of Russia consists of a series of epicontinental seas, which are the offshore continuation of potentially oil and gas basins on land. The geology of all these epicontinental seas is poorly known, due to the remoteness, the extreme climatic conditions and the extensive costs associated with seismic exploration. Radar altimeter sensors thus provide an invaluable tool for studying the geological structures off the coast. The unique ERS-1 contribution comes from its high latitude coverage (81.5 deg south to north), and the space and time density of its measurements (168-day repeat-orbit).The gravity anomaly field is derived from the geoid height measurements by computing the deflections of the vertical in the north-south and east-west directions and transforming these deflections into gravity anomalies. The gravimetry reveals interesting features of the basement of the Barents and Kara Seas which have not been chartered in recent, previous compilation maps of sedimentary thickness in the Arctic Ocean (Jackson and Oakey, 1988; Gramberg and Puscharovski, 1989). We obtain no indication of the SE-NW offshore Baikalian trend described by Fichler et al (1997) using ERS-1 gravimetry. Instead, the data indicate the presence of a north-south trending gravity high associated with the maximum sediment thickness within the South Barents Sea and the North Barents Sea Basins. Further geological studies are needed to interpret the gravimetric data, which directly addresses the problem of understanding the gravity signature of deep, old, sedimentary basins.