Pacific Basin climate variability and patterns of Northeast Pacific marine fish production

A review of oceanographic and climate data from the North Pacific and Bering Sea has revealed climate events that occur on two principal time scales: a) 2–7 years (i.e. El Niño Southern Oscillation, ENSO), and b) inter-decadal (i.e. Pacific Decadal Oscillation, PDO). The timing of ENSO events and of related oceanic changes at higher latitudes were examined. The frequency of ENSO was high in the 1980s. Evidence of ENSO forcing on ocean conditions in the North Pacific (Niño North conditions) showed ENSO events were more frequently observed along the West Coast than in the western Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Eastern Bering Sea (EBS). Time series of catches for 30 region/species groups of salmon, and recruitment data for 29 groundfish and 5 non-salmonid pelagic species, were examined for evidence of a statistical relationship with any of the time scales associated with Niño North conditions or the PDO. Some flatfish stocks exhibited high autocorrelation in recruitment coupled with a significant step in recruitment in 1977 suggesting a relationship between PDO forcing and recruitment success. Five of the dominant gadid stocks (EBS and GOA Pacific cod, Pacific hake and EBS and GOA walleye pollock) exhibited low autocorrelation in recruitment. Of these, Pacific hake, GOA walleye pollock and GOA Pacific cod exhibited significantly higher incidence of strong year classes in years associated with Niño North conditions. These findings suggest that the PDO and ENSO may play an important role in governing year-class strength of several Northeast Pacific marine fish stocks.     

Contrast in life histories of exploited fishes and ecosystem structures in coastal waters off west Canada and east Korea

By reviewing the history of fishery exploitation in the coastal waters of west Canada and east Korea, related with contrasting life history strategies of the dominant species, the fishery management challenges that each country would face in the upcoming decades were outlined. In the ecosystem of the Canadian western coastal waters, the dominant oceanographic feature is the coastal upwelling domain off the west coast of Vancouver Island, the northernmost extent of the California Current System in the eastern North Pacific. In the marine ecosystem of the eastern coasts of Korea (the Japan/East Sea), a major oceanographic feature is the Tsushima Warm Current, a branch of the Kuroshio Current in the western North Pacific. Fishes in the Canadian ecosystem are dominated by demersal, long-lived species such as flatfish, rockfish, sablefish, and halibut. During summer, migratory pelagic species such as Pacific hake, Pacific salmon, and recently Pacific sardine, move into this area to feed. In the late 1970s, Canada declared jurisdiction for 200 miles from their coastline, and major fisheries species in Canadian waters have been managed with a quota system. The overall fishing intensity off the west coast of Vancouver Island has been relatively moderate compared to Korean waters. Fishes in the ecosystem of the eastern Korean waters are dominated by short-lived pelagic and demersal fish. Historically, Korea has shared marine resources in this area with neighbouring countries, but stock assessments and quotas have only recently (since the late-1990s) been implemented for some major species. In the Korean ecosystem, fisheries can be described as intensive, and many stocks have been rated as overfished. The two ecosystems responded differently to climate impacts such as regime shifts under different exploitation histories. In the future, both countries will face the challenge of global warming and subsequent impacts on ecosystems, necessitating developing adaptive fisheries management plans. The challenges will be contrasting for the two countries: Canada will need to conserve fish populations, while Korea will need to focus on rebuilding depleted fish populations.     

POST–the Pacific Ocean salmon tracking project

For most of history, the ocean has remained nearly opaque to study, and it has been difficult to understand where salmon or other marine animals go or how they use the ocean. This greatly limits the ability of oceanographers and fisheries biologists to improve the management of many marine resources. The technical and scientific basis now exists to track the ocean movements of individual marine fish for months or years at a time. In this article, we review how new technologies might be applied to salmon in particular. Our conclusion is that animals as small as juvenile Pacific salmon can be followed for months to years at sea, and thus over great distances. By identifying the migration pathways for individual salmon and specific populations of Pacific salmon, we can establish their ocean foraging grounds. We outline the approaches and initial results from the Census of Marine Life program pacific ocean salmon tracking (POST). The research program involves two distinct aspects: (1) the development of an acoustic array for tracking the movements of Pacific salmon during their shelf-resident phase of the life history and (2) the use of archival (data storage) tags to measure aspects of their local environment and to delineate their open ocean migration pathways off the shelf. We report on some of the preliminary findings from the first year of the field project using acoustic tags.     

Comparison of carbon cycle between the western Pacific subarctic and subtropical time-series stations: highlights of the K2S1 project

A comparative study of ecosystems and biogeochemistry at time-series stations in the subarctic gyre (K2) and subtropical region (S1) of the western North Pacific Ocean (K2S1 project) was conducted between 2010 and 2013 to collect essential data about the ecosystem and biological pump in each area and to provide a baseline of information for predicting changes in biologically mediated material cycles in the future. From seasonal chemical and biological observations, general oceanographic settings were verified and annual carbon budgets at both stations were determined. Annual mean of phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity at the oligotrophic station S1 were comparable to that at the eutrophic station K2. Based on chemical/physical observations and numerical simulations, the likely “missing nutrient source” was suggested to include regeneration, meso-scale eddy driven upwelling, meteorological events, and eolian inputs in addition to winter vertical mixing. Time-series observation of carbonate chemistry revealed that ocean acidification (OA) was ongoing at both stations, and that the rate of OA was faster at S1 than at K2 although OA at K2 is more critical for calcifying organisms.     

ENSO循环相关的海洋异常信号传播特征及其机制

通过分析最新的海洋模式同化资料(EstimatingtheCirculationandClimateoftheOcean,EC CO),研究了ENSO循环相关的海洋异常信号在太平洋中的传播过程。研究发现,导致ENSO位相变化的温跃层异常信号主要从北太平洋西传而来,该区与赤道东太平洋相反的温跃层异常信号到达西太暖池区,再从西太暖池沿赤道传到东太平洋,可使ENSO向反位相发展。该异常信号沿赤道东传过程中热带西南太平洋也会出现类似的温跃层异常变化,但是随着异常信号东移和从南太平洋东边界10°S左右传来的反异常信号入侵,热带西南太平洋的异常信号逐渐减弱并消失。稳定性分析表明,北太平洋较大面积区域存在斜压不稳定性或正压不稳定性,有利于ENSO相关的温跃层异常信号以Rossby波形式有效地西传;而在南太平洋,不稳定区的面积较小,且主要局限于海盆东侧,因而传播较弱,这样就造成了ENSO信号在太平洋南、北半球的非对称传播。一般来说,ENSO信号主要在以赤道波导区、东边界、北太平洋纬向区域和西边界组成的回路中循环,在南半球的传播不明显。     

The Western North Pacific Playing a Key Role in Global Biogeochemical Fluxes

The oceanic biogeochemical fluxes in the North Pacific, especially its northwestern part, are discussed to prove their importance on a global scale. First, the air-sea exchange processes of chemical substances are considered quantitatively. The topics discussed are sea salt particles transported to land, sporadic transport of soil dust to the ocean and its role in the marine ecosystem, the larger gas transfer velocity of CO₂ indicating the effect of bubbles, and DMS and greenhouse gases other than CO₂. Next, chemical tracers are utilized to reveal the water circulation systems in the region, which are the Pacific Deep Water including its vertical eddy diffusivity, the North Pacific Intermediate Water and the Japan Sea Deep Water. Thirdly, the particulate transport process of chemical substances through the water column is clarified by analyzing the distribution of insoluble radionuclides and the results obtained from sediment trap experiments. Fourthly, the northern North Pacific is characterized by stating the site decomposing organic matter and Si playing a key role in the marine ecosystem. Both are induced by the upwelled Pacific Deep Water. Fifthly, the oceanic CO₂ system related to global warming is presented by clarifying the distribution of anthropogenic CO₂ in the western North Pacific, and roles of the upwelled Pacific Deep Water and the continental shelf zone in the absorption of atmospheric CO₂. Finally, Mn and other chemical substances in sediments are discussed as recorders of the early diagenesis and indicators of low biological productivity during glacial ages in the northwestern North Pacific. It is concluded that the western North Pacific is characterized mainly by the Pacific Deep Water bringing nutrients to the northern North Pacific, located at the exit of the global deep water circulation and, therefore, the region plays a key role in the global biogeochemical fluxes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Interplay between top-down, bottom-up, and wasp-waist control in marine ecosystems

In October 2004, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) sponsored a symposium to consider “Mechanisms that regulate North Pacific ecosystems: Bottom up, top down, or something else?” It sought to examine how marine populations, particularly the upper-trophic-level species, are regulated and to understand how energy flows through marine ecosystems. This introductory essay examines aspects of control mechanisms in pelagic marine ecosystems and some of the issues discussed during the symposium and in the 11 papers that were selected for this special issue. At global scales, the greatest biomass of fishes, seabirds and marine mammals tends to occur in regions of the world ocean with high primary production, e.g., the sub-arctic seas and up-welling regions of continental shelves. These large-scale animal distribution patterns are driven by food availability, not the absence of predators. At regional scales however, it is likely that current predation or past predation events have shaped local distributions, at least in marine birds and pinnipeds. Wasp-waist control occurs when one of the intermediate trophic levels is dominated by a single species, as occurs with small pelagic fishes of the world’s up-welling zones. Processes in these ecosystems may have features that result in a switch from bottom-up to top-down control.     

Study on the oceanic environments relating to the marine living resources

This is a review of the study on the oceanic environments relating to the marine living resources carried out since 1947, during more than 35 years which are the period of the authors oceanographic research life for fisheries. Its content consists of describing the outlines of, (1) the oceanographic study of the Subarctic Region of the Northwestern Pacific as the salmon living waters, (2) the study on dilution processes of the effluent in the coastal waters in relation to marine pollution, (3) the oceanographic study on transportation and diffusion of fish eggs and larvae in relation to the recruitment of living resources and (4) the study on forecasting of the fisheries and oceanographic conditions, and a short note on direction of fisheries oceanography expected to be studied in the future.     

近惯性内波破碎混合方案对MOM4模式的影响

风生近惯性内波破碎引起的跨等密度面混合在海洋内部混合中起重要作用。然而其参数化对海洋模式的模拟影响仍有待进一步认识。本文给出的是在模块化海洋模式（MOM）中海洋表面边界层以下引入一个考虑风驱动近惯性内波破碎引起的跨等密度面混合参数化方案的研究工作。模拟结果显示,该方案有效改善MOM4模拟的上层1 000 m以上的温盐偏差,特别是在北太平洋和北大西洋的通风地区。数值试验表明,风生近惯性内波破碎有可能是维持海洋通风过程的重要机制之一,它使得海洋通风区的位温变冷,盐度变淡,整层等位密面加深。维持的通风过程使得北太平洋副极地大涡的影响延伸到副热带大涡。从而模拟的北太平洋中层水源头及其副热带大涡东侧的温盐更接近观测实际。同时,模拟的北大西洋经圈翻转环流强度也更为合理。     

An antipodal link between the North Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans?

We report on the extraordinary findings of several endemic species of North Pacific deepwater fish and squid on the continental slope of the Falkland Islands in the Southwest Atlantic, namely the giant rattail grenadier Albatrossia pectoralis (Macrouridae), pelagic eelpout Lycodapus endemoscotus (Zoarcidae) and squid Gonatopsis octopedatus (Gonatidae). These deepwater dwellers might have moved more than 15,000 km from their common species ranges with Pacific Deep Water along the western slopes of both Americas and through the Drake Passage. Our findings provide further evidence of the possible role of deepwater currents in the dispersal of bathypelagic and benthopelagic animals from one polar region to another across various climatic zones of the world ocean.     

海洋负排放技术及其生态治理功能前瞻

工业革命以来,人类活动导致的以二氧化碳为代表的温室气体持续排放,被认为与全球气候变化密切相关,引发诸多极端气候事件,导致海平面上升、海水酸化、海水暖化等一系列环境负面效应。海洋是地球最大的活跃碳库,增汇潜力巨大。为应对全球气候变化,人为干预海洋生态系统、促进其对大气二氧化碳额外吸收封存的海洋负排放技术体系成为国际研究热点。根据负排放技术的应用场景,目前海洋负排放技术体系涵盖侧重于生态保护和修复的滨海湿地蓝碳、侧重于环境友好型养殖产业的海水养殖环境碳汇和借助生态工程技术手段的负排放工程增汇。海洋负排放技术在实现人为增汇的同时,有望通过促进海洋生物的生长和繁殖、提高海洋生态系统的稳定性和抗干扰能力、促进海洋生态系统内部及其与陆地生态系统之间的资源循环利用,发挥其生态治理功能,从而应对海洋环流改变、海水酸化脱氧等全球海洋环境恶化以及人类活动污染的局部胁迫。     

Iron, manganese and aluminum in upper waters of the western South Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas

Total dissolvable iron, manganese and aluminum distributions in upper waters were determined in the western South Pacific, Solomon Sea, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea. In these oceanic regions, the surface aluminum distributions well reflect the atmospheric deposition pattern of mineral dust in the western South Pacific reported previously. Surface manganese distributions derive mainly from lateral transportation from the coastal sediments of western tropical islands. Compared to Mn and Al, the Fe distributions reflect the nutrient cycle in upper waters. Iron limitation over the vast South Pacific, as revealed by physiological features of phytoplankton, seems to be caused by low atmospheric dust deposition and low Fe:N ratios in deep waters. In the western South Pacific, with its unique geographic and oceanographic settings, the local sources of trace metals might considerably affect their biogeochemical cycles.     

Oceanic Odyssey of a satellite-tracked drifter: North Pacific variability delineated by a single drifter trajectory

A near-surface satellite-tracked drifter launched off the east coast of the Kuril Islands on September 4,1993 began a 2.5-year Odyssey across the North Pacific Ocean. During its travels, the drifter encountered numerous energetic oceanographic regimes as it moved from the region of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench to the continental margin of the Kuril Islands, through Friza Strait into the Sea of Okhotsk, seaward again through Bussol’ Strait, and then eastward across the North Pacific. Oceanic features detected along the basin-wide trajectory include a quasi-permanent anticyclonic eddy over the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, open-ocean wind-driven inertial oscillations, coastal-trapped diurnal shelf waves, semidiurnal tidal currents, transient cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, through-strait flows, and wave-like mesoscale meanders. The single drifter track delineates the dynamically-rich variability of upper ocean currents, emphasizes the marked difference in flow dynamics between boundary and open ocean regions, and provides a time-scale for the movement of surface waters across the entire North Pacific.     

Applications of satellite altimetry to oceanography and geophysics

Satellite-borne altimeters have had a profound impact on geodesy, geophysics, and physical oceanography. To first order approximation, profiles of sea surface height are equivalent to the geoid and are highly correlated with seafloor topography for wavelengths less than 1000 km. Using all available Geos-3 and Seasat altimeter data, mean sea surfaces and geoid gradient maps have been computed for the Bering Sea and the South Pacific. When enhanced using hill-shading techniques, these images reveal in graphic detail the surface expression of seamounts, ridges, trenches, and fracture zones. Such maps are invaluable in oceanic regions where bathymetric data are sparse. Superimposed on the static geoid topography is dynamic topography due to ocean circulation. Temporal variability of dynamic height due to oceanic eddies can be determined from time series of repeated altimeter profiles. Maps of sea height variability and eddy kinetic energy derived from Geos-3 and Seasat altimetry in some cases represent improvements over those derived from standard oceanographic observations. Measurement of absolute dynamic height imposes stringent requirements on geoid and orbit accuracies, although existing models and data have been used to derive surprisingly realistic global circulation solutions. Further improvement will only be made when advances are made in geoid modeling and precision orbit determination. In contrast, it appears that use of altimeter data to correct satellite orbits will enable observation of basin-scale sea level variations of the type associated with climatic phenomena.     

The pilot project “Patterns and processes of the ecosystems of the northern Mid-Atlantic”: aims,strategy and status

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the target of an emerging international ecosystem study under the Census of marine life programme. This pilot project shall gather new knowledge on biodiversity, distribution patterns, and ecological processes, and the overriding aim is “to describe and understand the patterns of distribution, abundance and trophic relationships of the organisms inhabiting the mid-oceanic North Atlantic, and identify and model ecological processes that cause variability in these patterns”. The project will focus on pelagic, benthopelagic and epibenthic macrofauna, and analyse distribution and abundance patterns in relation to the abiotic and biotic environment, as well as trophic relationships and life history strategies. Fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and gelatinous plankton and nekton have the highest priority in the study. A major challenge of the project is to overcome observation difficulties at large depths and in rugged terrain. A central aim is thus to utilise modern remote sensing technology (acoustics, optics) using advanced instrument carriers (e.g. towed vehicles, ROVs, AUVs, etc.). The project will be carried out as a multi-ship operation in 2003–2005, and the ongoing planning is a collaborative effort involving many nations around the North Atlantic. The project will work on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and in adjacent waters from the Azores to Iceland, both by surveying large areas by acoustics and mid-water trawling, and by focusing on three selected sub-areas for intensive sampling and observation by traditional and novel methods and technology. Overlapping with the field seasons, the period 2004–2008 will be an analytical phase, also including submission of data to OBIS.     

Four-dimensional variational ocean reanalysis: a 30-year high-resolution dataset in the western North Pacific (FORA-WNP30)

We produced a four-dimensional variational ocean re-analysis for the Western North Pacific over 30 years (FORA-WNP30). It is the first-ever dataset covering the western North Pacific over 3 decades at eddy-resolving resolution. The four-dimensional variational analysis scheme version of the Meteorological Research Institute Multivariate Ocean Variational Estimation system (MOVE-4DVAR) is employed to conduct a long-term reanalysis experiment during 1982–2012. After evaluating the basic performance of FORA-WNP30, the interannual to decadal variability is analyzed. Overall, FORA-WNP30 reproduces basic features in the western North Pacific well. One of outstanding features in FORA-WNP30 is that anomalous events such as the Kuroshio large meander and anomalous intrusion of the Oyashio in the 1980s, when there were no altimeter data, are successfully reproduced. FORA-WNP30 is therefore a valuable dataset for a variety of oceanographic research topics and potentially for related fields such as climate study, meteorology and fisheries.     

Overview of NOPACCS (Northwest Pacific Carbon Cycle Study)

The Northwest Pacific Carbon Cycle Study (NOPACCS) was a program aimed at investigating the carbon cycle of the North Pacific Ocean, which can be thought of as a large reservoir of carbon dioxide. NOPACCS was also aimed at estimating the North Pacific's capacity as a carbon sink. Project design, scientific results, and data availability, and subsequent projects resulting from this project are also described in this review. Studies of the upper ocean processes focused on the latitudinal differences in the fugacity of carbon dioxide; and on the detail of plankton community structures. Intermediate water was studied in relation to the formation of North Pacific Intermediate Water and the amount of accumulated anthropogenic carbon. The sedimentation process, past carbon cycle and coral reefs were also studied during the project. A preliminary, overall view of the carbon cycle of the North Pacific was drawn from the results of the project and compared to global values.     

Societal need for improved understanding of climate change, anthropogenic impacts, and geo-hazard warning drive development of ocean observatories in European Seas

Society’s needs for a network of in situ ocean observing systems cross many areas of earth and marine science. Here we review the science themes that benefit from data supplied from ocean observatories. Understanding from existing studies is fragmented to the extent that it lacks the coherent long-term monitoring needed to address questions at the scales essential to understand climate change and improve geo-hazard early warning. Data sets from the deep sea are particularly rare with long-term data available from only a few locations worldwide. These science areas have impacts on societal health and well-being and our awareness of ocean function in a shifting climate.Substantial efforts are underway to realise a network of open-ocean observatories around European Seas that will operate over multiple decades. Some systems are already collecting high-resolution data from surface, water column, seafloor, and sub-seafloor sensors linked to shore by satellite or cable connection in real or near-real time, along with samples and other data collected in a delayed mode. We expect that such observatories will contribute to answering major ocean science questions including: How can monitoring of factors such as seismic activity, pore fluid chemistry and pressure, and gas hydrate stability improve seismic, slope failure, and tsunami warning? What aspects of physical oceanography, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystems will be most sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic change? What are natural versus anthropogenic changes? Most fundamentally, how are marine processes that occur at differing scales related?The development of ocean observatories provides a substantial opportunity for ocean science to evolve in Europe. Here we also describe some basic attributes of network design. Observatory networks provide the means to coordinate and integrate the collection of standardised data capable of bridging measurement scales across a dispersed area in European Seas adding needed certainty to estimates of future oceanic conditions. Observatory data can be analysed along with other data such as those from satellites, drifting floats, autonomous underwater vehicles, model analysis, and the known distribution and abundances of marine fauna in order to address some of the questions posed above. Standardised methods for information management are also becoming established to ensure better accessibility and traceability of these data sets and ultimately to increase their use for societal benefit. The connection of ocean observatory effort into larger frameworks including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) is integral to its success. It is in a greater integrated framework that the full potential of the component systems will be realised.     

Seasat data applications by commercial users

Abstract

The Seasat Program was initiated as a proof‐of‐concept mission to evaluate the effectiveness of remotely sensed oceanographic phenomena from a satellite platform. From inception, this program has been user‐oriented. These users, within the academic, government, and commercial ocean communities, have served as the architects of the program and are continuing to be involved in the validation and application of the satellite‐derived data. While an early failure of the satellite deprived the user communities of a real‐time multiseasonal data set, the program did yield a rare and valuable archive of data now being analyzed and validated by a variety of users.

A unique program of evaluation exists to assess the impact of satellite‐derived oceanographic observations in several segments of the commercial sector. Commercial users from such segments as marine transportation, ocean mining, offshore oil and gas exploration and operations, marine Fisheries, and marine safety are analyzing Seasat data to understand the operational and economic impact of such data on their various business activities.

Early results from these studies show that satellite observations alone can provide commercial users with historical data for new and remote areas of operation which, to obtain by in situ measurements, would require enormous expenditures of funds for oceanographic instrumentation. More significantly, these studies are showing that timely oceanographic and weather forecasts, improved by the use of satellite‐derived observations of winds, waves, and surface temperatures, can result in more efficient and safe operations, yielding industry savings of millions of dollars annually.