Sediment variability in offshore sampling areas

From two to four different sediment types were found in each of six offshore sampling areas in western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The size of the areas ranged from 7.7 km² to 64.6 km², and the average depths ranged from 36 m to 168 m. Sediments may thus vary widely within areas plotted as homogeneous on large‐scale (1:200 000) sediment charts.     

The ocean's role in climate variability

Because of its vast volume and heat capacity, the ocean contains most of the memory of the earth's ocean - atmosphere coupled system. It has been suggested that the ocean may delay global warming by absorbing large amounts of heat, that it may cause ab- rupt climate change due to its disrupted thermohaline circulation, and that it may set the time-scales for various climate oscilla- tions. Although the slow pace and persistence of oceanic variations give hope to long-range prediction, there still exist large uncer- tainties in climate predictability. Presently available observations and models are generally inadequate for studying and predicting long-term climate changes. However, some short-term fluctuations such as ENSO have been well studied and shown to be highly predictable even with simplified models.     

Signal variability in shallow-water sound channels

Coherence of broad-band acoustic waves for mid-to-high frequencies (0.6-18 kHz) is obtained for a very shallow-water (15-m-deep) waveguide over a wide band of environmental conditions and for a source-receiver range of 387 m. Temporal behavior is sampled at two different rates: one that resolves at fractions of a second over intermittent periods of 40 s and another that resolves at 10 min over periods of several days. Spatial behavior is sampled in the vertical by hydrophones with spacings of the order of meters. The effect of environmental variability on coherence, in particular, soundspeed fluctuations in the water column and wind-induced modulations of the air-sea interface, is noted as a function of acoustic frequency and ray path. Analysis of the acoustic fluctuations over short time scales more accurately resolves the temporal decorrelation of the received signal due to sea surface waves. The vertical sampling of the received signal permits an analysis of arrival-angle fluctuations. The dependence of coherence on the number of surface bounces is studied by comparing arrivals that have zero, one, two, and three surface bounces     

Seasonal variability in Atlantic Water off Spitsbergen

A combination of 2-year-long mooring-based measurements and snapshot conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) observations at the continental slope off Spitsbergen (81°30′N, 31°00′E) is used to demonstrate a significant hydrographic seasonal signal in Atlantic Water (AW) that propagates along the Eurasian continental slope in the Arctic Ocean. At the mooring position this seasonal signal dominates, contributing up to 50% of the total variance. Annual temperature maximum in the upper ocean (above 215 m) is reached in mid-November, when the ocean in the area is normally covered by ice. Distinct division into ‘summer’ (warmer and saltier) and ‘winter’ (colder and fresher) AW types is revealed there. Estimated temperature difference between the ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ waters is 1.2 °C, which implies that the range of seasonal heat content variations is of the same order of magnitude as the mean local AW heat content, suggesting an important role of seasonal changes in the intensity of the upward heat flux from AW. Although the current meter observations are only 1-year long, they hint at a persistent, highly barotropic current with little or no seasonal signal attached.     

Meiofauna meso-scale variability in two estuarine habitats

Spatial and temporal variations in meiofauna abundances were measured for 13 months within two estuarine habitats, an intertidal mudflat and a small, usually subtidal pond. Three locales within each habitat were sampled monthly (nine replicate cores per habitat) to quantify nematode and copepod species within-habitat, meso-scale (m-km) variation. Significant levels of variation were found between habitats (all taxa tested), among locales within habitats (all taxa except the harpacticoid species Microarthridion littorale) and among months. The magnitude of variation differed greatly within the two habitats. Species with marsh affinities predominated in two of the three mudflat locales, while the third locale was predominated by subtidal species. This within-habitat heterogeneity was related to the proximity to the marsh and/or to the position on an exposure gradient. Although significant meso-scale variability was also found in the pond, species responses were more individualistic suggesting that physical gradients were not as influential. These data indicate that meso-scale variability should be considered when planning long-term or baseline meiofauna investigations to assure that the study is representative of the habitat and that subsequent ecological inferences are valid.     

Complementary (secondary) metabolites in a soft coral: sex-specific variability, inter-clonal variability, and competition

Sex‐specific interactions involving competition for space between the dioecious alcyonacean soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum and the scleractinian coral Acropora robusta were assessed experimentally on Bald Rock, central region of the Great Barrier Reef. To examine this, plus inter‐clonal responses, one male colony of S. glaucum, known to produce sarcophytoxide as its predominant complementary (secondary) metabolite, was sectioned, producing 10 clones. The same was done for a female colony. These two sets of clones were then relocated to grids and placed in contact with Acropora clones. Relocated and non‐relocated controls were also monitored. High levels of tissue necrosis were observed in the hard coral under contact conditions with both the male and female clones after 20 days. The development of a protective polysaccharide layer in the alcyonacean was also observed. Differences observed in the concentrations of complementary metabolites within the two different S. glaucum colonies were related to sex. Both under competition and non‐competition conditions, females exhibited significantly higher concentrations of sarcophytoxide than males, and this increased with time. Fatty ester concentration was also higher in females than males, varying significantly through time, and falling dramatically just after spawning. Fatty ester concentrations decreased linearly through time in the male clones. When involved in competition for space, females possessed higher concentrations of fatty esters than males, both at the site of contact and in non‐contact sites, again, decreasing after spawning. No significant changes in sarcophytoxide levels were noted in the parental colonies, but such changes were observed in fatty esters, with the female producing higher concentrations until after spawning. The use of these two variates in the form of a ratio (sarcophytoxide concentration:fatty ester concentration) yielded a variable Rho (ρ) which was a more sensitive indicator of biochemical change than either of its components alone. These two sets of compounds appeared to have a negative association through time and varied highly significantly between sexes. The diterpene sarcophytoxide may be considered an allelopathic or stress metabolite, while the lipids act as energy storage metabolites.     

Horizontal variability in chlorophyll fluorescence and potential temperature

Chlorophyll fluorescence and temperature were measured with a horizontal resolution of 4 m on two isopycnals and two isobars along a 1000 km meridional transect in the eastern North Pacific. Probability density functions (PDFs) of the magnitude of fluctuations in temperature and fluorescence are compared at each of a large range of length scales. While they are nearly identical at larger scales, the shapes of the PDFs of fluorescence and temperature differ significantly at small scales (∼1 km and less). This difference may indicate that at these scales, temperature and fluorescence distributions are controlled by distinct mechanisms. By comparing the phase of wavelet transforms of each of these two tracers, the tendency for temperature and fluorescence gradients to line up is investigated over a large range of spatial scales. At horizontal length scales of order 10 km and larger, the wavelet phase difference between temperature and fluorescence tends to be close to 0° or 180°—that is, the gradients tend to align, either in phase or 180° out of phase. At smaller scales, the distribution of phase difference on isopycnals is uniform—there is no tendency for gradients to coincide. Simple stirring models demonstrate that the locations of enhanced gradients in all tracers would be expected to coincide where the strain has been greatest. However, the directions of enhanced gradients formed in this way may be either parallel or antiparallel, depending on initial conditions and on the direction of the strain. These analyses suggest the horizontal distributions of temperature and fluorescence at large scales were both governed by advective processes. At intermediate scales, of order 1–10 km, a renovating wave model suggests that gradient alignment could be destroyed by turbulent diffusion or by rapid local phytoplankton growth.     

Climate variability and pelagic fisheries in northern Chile

A time series analysis of long-term climate variability in northern Chile (18°21′–24°00′S) shows anomalies associated with the El Niño events and the longer warm period observed since 1976, followed by a cooling trend since mid 1980s. The succession of pelagic fisheries, anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and sardine (Sardinops sagax), occurring in this fishing zone was analyzed taking into account the landings, the CPUE abundance index, the fishing effort, and the environmental variables. The anchovy production model is a negative linear function of fishing effort and turbulence. For sardine, the production model is a negative linear function of fishing effort and a quadratic function of the sea surface temperature.An analysis of the relationship between recruitment, adult biomass and the environment shows that the annual recruitment of anchovy increases with turbulence intensity until wind speed reaches a value of 5.46 m s⁻¹, decreasing for higher values. For sardine, the recruitment increases with turbulence intensity until 5.63 m s⁻¹, stabilizing thereafter.It is deduced that the climatic variations associated to the El Niño events affect the abundance of coastal pelagic fishes, without forgetting the most likely effects upon its distribution and the fishing effort. However, it is the long-term variability that mainly affects the fishing activity.     

Interannual variability of dimethylsulfide in the Yellow Sea

The 22-year(1998–2019) surface seawater dimethylsulfide(DMS) concentrations in the Yellow Sea(YS) were hindcasted based on satellite sea surface temperature(SST) and chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) data using a generalized additive mixed model(GAMM). A continuous monthly dataset of DMS concentration in the YS was obtained after using the data interpolation empirical orthogonal function(DINEOF) to reconstruct missing information in the dataset. Then, the interannual DMS variability in the YS was analyzed. T...     

Phytoplankton natural fluorescence variability in the Sargasso Sea

Phytoplankton fluorescence has been used historically as a means of assessing phytoplankton biomass, rates of primary production (PP) and physiological status in laboratory, in situ, and satellite based investigations. Assumptions about the quantum yield of phytoplankton fluorescence, φ_f, are often overlooked and can become problematic when fluorescence based methods are applied. A time series of φ_f observations from the northwestern Sargasso Sea is presented with the goal of understanding the controls on fluorescence and its applicability for assessing upper ocean biological processes. Accurate estimates of φ_f require accounting for Raman scattering and the conversion of planar to scalar irradiance. Variability in φ_f occurs on both seasonal and episodic time scales. Seasonal variations show maxima in the surface layer during summer months while lower, more uniform values are found throughout the winter when deep mixing occurs. Large episodic variations in φ_f are observed throughout the record which dwarf seasonal changes. Predictions of depth-dependent and depth-integrated PP rates using φ_f and natural fluorescence fluxes are only marginally successful (r²∼50%), although comparable with results from global bio-optical models for the Sargasso Sea. Improvements in PP predictions are hindered by weak statistical relationships with other parameters. φ_f is largely decoupled from the quantum yield of carbon assimilation, φ_c, indicating that an inverse relationship between fluorescence and photosynthesis does not exist. Consequently, variability in the quantum yield of thermal de-excitation, φ_h, is found to be of similar magnitude as φ_f on the timescales observed. These observations show that assumptions about photochemical energy flow through the phytoplankton community must be made carefully and that the fluorescence–photosynthesis relationship is not straightforward.     

Weekly variability of surface CO concentrations in Moscow

Based on observations of carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations at three Mosekomonitoring stations, we have analyzed the weekly cycle of CO in the surface air of Moscow in 2004–2007. At all stations the minimum long-term mean daily CO values are observed on Sunday. The weekly cycle of CO more clearly manifests itself at the center of Moscow and becomes less clear closer to the outskirts. We have analyzed the reproducibility of the weekly cycle of CO from one year to another, the seasonal dependence, its specific features at different times of day, and the changes in the diurnal cycle of CO during the week. The factors responsible for specific features of the evolution of surface CO concentrations at different observation stations have been analyzed. The empirical probability density functions of CO concentrations on weekdays and at week- end are presented. The regularity of the occurrence of the weekend effect in CO has been investigated and the possible reasons for breaks in weekly cycles have been analyzed. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to study the statistical significance of intraweek differences in surface CO contents.     

An investigation of algorithm-induced variability in geoacoustic inversion

This paper investigates the inherent variability in the results of matched-field geoacoustic inversion algorithms. This algorithm-induced variability must be considered when interpreting inversion results in terms of environmental changes as a function of time or space. Fast simulated annealing (FSA), genetic algorithms (GA), and a hybrid algorithm (adaptive simplex simulated annealing; ASSA) are compared by performing multiple inversions of benchmark synthetic data (noise free and noisy) and acoustic data measured over both low- and high-speed sea-bed sediments in the MAPEX 2000 experiment. ASSA produced the lowest variability in inversion results for all cases, followed by GA and FSA. For the high-speed MAPEX 2000 case, the variability is essentially negligible, while for the low-speed case the variability is significant as compared with environmental variations reported in the literature.     

Coupled seasonal variability in the South China Sea

The present study documents the relationship between seasonal variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitation in the South China Sea (SCS) region. There are strong interactions between the atmosphere and ocean in the seasonal variations of SST and precipitation. During the transition to warm and cold seasons, the SST tendency is primarily contributed by net heat flux dominated by shortwave radiation and latent heat flux with a complementary contribution from ocean advection and upwelling. The contribution of wind-driven oceanic processes depends on the region and is more important in the northern SCS than in the southern SCS. During warm and cold seasons, local SST forcing contributes to regional precipitation by modulating the atmospheric stability and lower-level moisture convergence. The SST difference between the SCS and the western North Pacific influences the convection over the SCS through its modulation of the circulation pattern.     

中尺度涡旋影响吕宋海峡黑潮变异的动力机制

使用1.5层约化重力准地转模式,研究了西边界流在西边界缺口处当处于迟滞过程的临界状态时,其路径转变受中尺度涡旋影响的动力机制,初步探讨了中尺度涡旋影响西边界流在缺口处路径变化的几种形式.结果表明,气旋和反气旋中尺度涡旋都可能使西边界流产生由入侵流态到跨隙流态的转变,而只有反气旋式中尺度涡才有可能诱发西边界流由跨隙流态向入侵流态的转变.当西边界流远离其临界状态时,其路径不容易受中尺度涡旋的影响,此时跨隙的西边界流会阻挡中尺度涡旋在缺口处的向西传播,并迫使涡旋在吕宋海峡东侧向北移动.以上结果用来解释了吕宋海峡黑潮变异的某些结构特征.     

Modeling the mesoscale variability in the Adriatic Sea

A new high-resolution (<2 km) version of the DieCAST fourth-accuracy-order model for the ocean circulation is proposed for the study of the general circulation, mesoscale structures, and their variability in the Adriatic Sea. The model uses mean seasonal data on the temperature, salinity, buoyancy fluxes, and wind. The data of the COAMPS system with a 4-km resolution were used for the simulation of the sea response to the effects of various winds: Sirocco, Maestro, and two types of boras. The mean monthly runoffs from 38 rivers and mean daily runoffs from 12 main rivers throughout the year were given in the model. The conditions at the open boundary of the Strait of Otranto were given on the basis of the hierarchy of two coarser models for the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas. Due to the extremely weak dissipation and the high resolution (the mesh size is less than the baroclinic radius of deformation, 5–10 km), the model allows one to trace the development of a baroclinic instability along the Italian coast, to simulate mesoscale structures associated with the instability, and to estimate the scales of the structures. Mesoscale filaments, meanders, mushroom-like currents, fronts, and intrusions known from satellite observations were simulated and explained. The scenario of the anomalous upwelling near the Italian coast observed in the summer of 2003 was also simulated and analyzed.     

Fishermen's perspectives on climate variability

Understanding fishermen's perspectives and responses relating to climate variability is important for sustainable fisheries management. To this end, a survey of captains of commercial passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) was conducted in San Diego. The survey demonstrates that fishermen have observed and adapted to changes in the environment and fish populations associated with climate variability. However, only 12.9% of respondents agreed that global climate change is a possibility. In order to explain fishermen's divergent beliefs on climate change, a semiparametric discrete choice model is used to identify the potential determinants. The empirical results highlight the importance of the following factors: fishermen's experience, observations of the phenomena that are associated with climate variability, and an interaction of fishermen's experience and their observations.