Methane in coastal and offshore waters of the Arabian Sea

Measurements of methane (CH₄) made during two surveys in the eastern and central Arabian Sea in April–May, 1996, and August–September, 1997, corresponding to late Spring Intermonsoon (SI) and Southwest Monsoon (SWM) seasons, respectively, revealed high spatial and temporal variability in surface saturation (110–2521%). The highest values were observed during the SWM in the inner shelf where coastal upwelling combined with freshwater runoff to produce very strong near-surface stratification. These values might result to a large extent from CH₄ inputs from coastal wetlands through seasonal runoff as abnormally high saturations (up to ∼13,000%) were recorded in the estuarine surface water. In situ production of CH₄, favoured by very high biological production in conjunction with the prevalence of suboxic conditions in the upwelled water, could be the other major CH₄ source. In comparison, sedimentary inputs of CH₄ seemed to be of lesser importance in spite of previously-reported occurrence of gas-charged sediments in this region.Methane profiles in the open central Arabian Sea showed two maxima. The more pronounced deeper maximum, occurring at 150–200 m depth, was similar to the feature seen elsewhere in the oceans, but was probably intensified here due to an acute oxygen deficiency. It showed some correlation with the subsurface particle maximum characteristic of the denitrifying layer. The dominant mechanism of its formation might be in situ production within particles rather than advection from the continental shelf as concluded by previous workers. The less pronounced and previously unreported shallower maximum, occurring in the well-oxygenated upper 50 m of the water column, was more dynamic probably as a result of variability of the balance between CH₄ production due to biological activity and its losses through microbial oxidation and air–sea exchange.     

Phytoplankton community characteristics in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea Phytoplankton community characteristics in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea

Remote sensing applications are important in the fisheries sector and efforts were on to improve the predic-tions of potential fishing zones using ocean color. The present study was aimed to investigat...     

Depth anomalies in the Arabian Basin, NW Indian Ocean

We present previously unreported depth anomalies in the Arabian Basin, northwest Indian Ocean, to provide constraints on the evolution of the oceanic lithosphere of that basin. The depth anomaly reported in this study was calculated as the difference between the observed depth to oceanic basement (corrected for sediment load) and the calculated depth to oceanic basement of the same age. The results indicate an anomalous depth to basement of oceanic crust in the Arabian Basin in the age bracket of 63–42 Ma, suggesting that subsidence in this basin does not follow the age–depth relationship of normal oceanic crust. The depth anomalies in the basin vary from +501 to −905 m. A negative depth anomaly zone, mapped in the eastern part of the basin near the Laccadive Ridge, indicates that here the basement depth is shallower than predicted. By contrast, a positive depth anomaly zone, mapped in the western part of the basin, indicates a deeper basement depth than expected. We propose that the excess subsidence of basement of the western part of the basin is probably caused by a relatively cold mantle, compared to the nearby eastern part of the basin which is affected by the intense thermal field of the former Reunion hotspot. Here, the rise in oceanic basement is caused by the vertical upwelling of oceanic crust due to convection, followed by a lateral across-axis flow facilitated by the Reunion hotspot at the time of spreading in early Tertiary times. This interpretation is in good agreement with spreading-ridge propagation and ridge-hotspot interaction reported earlier for the basin.     

The sea-floor spreading history of the eastern Indian Ocean

The geologic history of the eastern Indian Ocean between northwest Australia and the Java Trench is known to involve two separate events of rifting and sea-floor spreading. Late Jurassic spreading in the Argo Abyssal Plain off northwest Australia was followed by Early Cretaceous spreading in the Cuvier and Perth Abyssal Plains off west Australia. However, the evolution and interaction of these events has not been clear. Mesozoic sea-floor spreading anomalies have been identified throughout the Argo Abyssal Plain that define a rifting event and subsequent northward spreading on the northwestern Australian margin at 155 m.y.b.p. Magnetic anomalies northwest of the Argo Abyssal Plain indicate a ridge jump to the south at about 130 m.y.b.p. that is approximately synchronous with east-west rifting along the southwestern Australian margin. The Joey Rise in the Argo Plain was probably formed by volcanism at the intersection of this new rift and the spreading ridge to the north. The southern and northern spreading systems were connected through the Exmouth Plateau which was stretched and faulted as spreading progressed. The RRR triple junction was formed at the intersection of the two spreading systems and appears to have migrated west along the northern edge of the Gascoyne Abyssal Plain. Spreading off northwest Australia cannot be easily related to simultaneous spreading in the west central Pacific via any simple tectonic scheme.     

Phytoplankton community characteristics in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea

Remote sensing applications are important in the fisheries sector and efforts were on to improve the predictions of potential fishing zones using ocean color. The present study was aimed to investigate the phytoplankton dynamics and their absorption properties in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea in different seasons during the year 2010 to 2011. The region exhibited 73 genera of phytoplankton from 19 orders and 41 families. The numerical abundance of phytoplankton varied from 14.235×103 to 55.075×106 cells/L. Centric diatoms dominated in the region and the largest family identified was Thalassiosiraceae with main genera as Skeletonema spp., Planktionella spp. and Thalassiosira spp. Annual variations in abundance of phytoplankton showed a typical one-peak cycle, with the highest recorded during premonsoon season and the lowest during monsoon season. The species diversity index of phytoplankton exhibited low diversity during monsoon season. Phytoplankton with pigments Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, Chlorophyll c, peridinin, diadinoxanthin, fucoxanthin, β-carotene and phycoerythrobilin dominated in these waters. The knowledge on phytoplankton dynamics in coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea forms a key parameter in bio-optical models of pigments and productivity and for the interpretation of remotely sensed ocean color data.     

Waves in the nearshore waters of northern Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon

Waves at 15 m water depth in the northern Arabian Sea are measured during the summer monsoon for a period of 45 days and the characteristics are described. The significant wave height varied from 1.1 to 4.5 m with an average value of 2.5 m. 75% of the wave height at the measurement location is due to the swells arriving from the south-west and the remaining is due to the seas from south-west to north-west. Wave age of the measured data indicates that the waves in the nearshore waters of northern Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon are swells with young sea.     

Organic carbon and nitrogen in the northern California current system: comparison of offshore, river plume, and coastally upwelled waters

During the first year of the Northeast Pacific GLOBEC program we examined the spatial distributions of dissolved and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in the surface waters off the Oregon and Washington coasts of North America. Eleven east–west transects were sampled from nearshore waters to 190 km offshore. Hydrographic data and the distribution of inorganic nutrients were used to characterize three distinct water sources: oligotrophic offshore water, the Columbia River plume, and the coastal upwelling region inshore of the California Current. Warm, high salinity offshore water had very low levels of inorganic nutrients, particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Warm, low salinity water in the Columbia River plume was relatively low in nitrate, but showed a strong negative correlation between salinity and silicate. The river plume water had the highest levels of total organic carbon (TOC) (up to 180 μM) and DOC (up to 150 μM) observed anywhere in the sampling area. Cold, high salinity coastal waters had high nutrient levels, moderate to high levels of POC and particulate organic nitrogen (PON), and low to moderate levels of DOC and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Each of these regions has characteristic C:N ratios for particulate and dissolved organic material. The results are compared to concentrations and partitioning of particulate and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in other regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.     

The economics of mining seabed manganese nodules: A case study of the Indian Ocean nodule field

Abstract

Because of ever-growing demand for strategic metals, the focus of the international community has fallen on deep sea manganese nodules occurring at a water depth of more than 4500?m. We present an economic appraisal and strategy for mining of nodules from the Indian Ocean Nodule Field- one of the four economically potential areas in the world oceans. In contrast to the prevailing perception of non-viability of nodule mining, our analysis indicates a fair degree of economic feasibility and commercial sustainability to mine the deep-sea manganese nodules.     

The Indian Ocean HydroBase: A high-quality climatological dataset for the Indian Ocean

The present study developed a high-quality climatological dataset for the Indian Ocean - the Indian Ocean HydroBase (IOHB) - from a combined dataset including the World Ocean Database 1998 version 2 (WOD98v2). Methods are similar to those used by previous studies for other oceans. Japanese data for the IOHB originated from the Japanese datasets MIRC (Marine Information Research Center) Ocean Dataset 2001 and Far Seas Collection; these datasets contain more Japanese observations than WOD98v2. Water mass properties in the IOHB climatology are consistent with previous studies. Seasonal patterns of properties near the sea surface are well reproduced, and deep-layer properties are consistent with the Reid-Mantyla climatology that is derived from high-quality observations. The isopycnal climatology of the IOHB differs from the World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA01) along the fronts associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The WOA01 shows a warm and saline intermediate water intrusion from South Africa to the east along the northern edge of the front. Such an intrusion is absent in IOHB where less saline intermediate water extends continuously northward from the southern ocean. The WOA01 shows a continuous belt of low potential vorticity along the ACC. This feature is less distinct in the IOHB climatology and in the Reid-Mantyla climatology. The IOHB consists of a 1° × 1° gridded climatology and the datasets of raw and quality-controlled hydrographic stations. The latter is valuable for quality control of the Argo float salinity data as climatological reference. These datasets are available freely via the Internet.     

海南岛南北近岸海湾浮游生物对尿素的生物可利用性比较研究

2011年1~4月,分3个航次对海南岛北部海口湾和南部陵水新村湾的尿素浓度和浮游生物脲酶活性开展调查研究,结合相关理化环境因子,比较分析海南岛南北部近岸海湾冬、春季尿素的可利用性及对浮游植物群落的影响。结果表明,冬季(1~2月),北部海口湾尿素浓度范围(以N计,以下同)为0.93~4.13μmol/L,显著高于南部陵水新村湾0.38~2.05μmol/L。春季,海南岛南北部尿素浓度均有所升高,平均占总溶解态氮源的含量由冬季的5%~7%增加到24%~30%,变化显著,表明尿素是海南岛近岸海湾不可忽视的氮源。海南岛南北部海湾冬季大部分浮游生物样品脲酶活性低于检出限。春季,海口湾平均脲酶活性为44 nmol/(L·h)±23 nmol/(L·h),呈现近岸入海口水体高于离岸的特征;南部海湾平均脲酶活性升高到21 nmol/(L·h)±10 nmol/(L·h),新村湾养殖区水体的脲酶活性高于陵水湾。水温和浮游植物细胞丰度是影响海南岛脲酶活性冬、春季变化的重要因素。冬季,海口湾浮游植物细胞丰度显著低于陵水新村湾;春季,海口湾浮游植物细胞丰度增长到5.09×106个/L±7.45×106个/L,冬、春季变化显著。海南岛南北部硅藻和甲藻细胞丰度冬、春季的变化均与硝酸盐和DIP负相关,而与脲酶活性和水温正相关,尿素在不同程度上影响南北部细胞丰度的变化。     

The early life history of fish in coastal waters of northern New Zealand: A review

Studies on the early life history of fish in New Zealand started during the 1950s off the Northland coast. Since then taxonomy, seasonality in abundance, and vertical and horizontal distribution patterns have been described as well as aspects at the level of individuals, such as age, growth, and condition. I discuss the findings and issues that have developed from these studies and illustrate three undescribed presettlement reef fish. Results indicate that different taxonomic groups typically have different vertical and horizontal distribution patterns as well as different temporal patterns of abundance. This implies that general models of how “larval fish” behave are unrealistic. As a result, the importance of physical and biological processes that may influence the distribution and survival of ichthyoplankton will vary among categories of fish (such as pelagic and reef fish) and taxonomic groups within these. Based on knowledge of the distribution pattern of some species, there is considerable scope for focusing future research on specific groups offish in terms of ontogenetic changes in morphology, sensory abilities, growth, diet, condition, interrelationships with other plankters, and, in the case of reef fish, onshore transport.     

Ectoenzymatic activity in surface waters: A transect from the Mediterranean Sea across the Indian Ocean to Australia

The activities of two hydrolytic enzymes (leucine aminopeptidase and β glucosidase), belonging to the particle-bound enzymatic fraction, were measured in open-sea surface waters. Samples were collected along a transect crossing the Indian Ocean during the early NW monsoon period (November and December 2001). The latitudinal pattern of the ectoenzymatic activities highlighted a generally increasing trend of glycolysis approaching the equator, with significantly higher β glucosidase activity (0.79–3.00 nmol l⁻¹ h⁻¹) within the latitudinal range from 12°N to 16°S. In this area, the surface waters coming from the Indonesian Throughflow and the Bay of Bengal carry a considerable quantity of carbohydrates (38.9–41.9 μg l⁻¹), which stimulated glycolytic activity and its cell-specific rates scaled to bacterial abundance. On the other hand, in the Central Indian Ocean, the proteolytic activity was considerable (0.91–2.03 nmol l⁻¹ h⁻¹), although the particulate proteins did not show significant increases and the dissolved proteinlike signal was one of the lowest of the entire transect (0.7 mg l⁻¹ on average compared to the 1.4–1.6 mg l⁻¹ of the adjacent areas). Therefore, in this area, the two ectoenzymes studied did not respond to the same stimulatory effect (namely the specific substrate concentrations). The time needed for the hydrolysis of macromolecules within the particulate and dissolved organic substrate fractions, although these measures are affected by a number of assumptions starting with the potential nature of the ectoenzymatic determinations, confirms these observations. The Central Indian Ocean displayed the lowest values, from 8 to 26 days for particulate and dissolved organic carbon, respectively. As observed in the equatorial areas of the Atlantic Ocean, the relevant degradation activity of the central area of the Indian Ocean Basin suggests a notable heterotrophy based on a faster turnover of organic substrates.     

福建沿海海水表层温度实测数据个例分析

采用福建沿海4个站点(包括浮标)2016年的实测水文气象数据,初步分析了不同天气系统影响情况下海表温度的变化特征。研究结果表明:福建沿海月均海温日变化和气温日变化有一定关系,二者都有明显的日变化周期,海温的日变化的峰值略滞后于气温日变化的峰值;无明显天气系统影响时,海温和气温的变化趋势比较一致,有冷空气或台风系统影响时海温和气温的变化趋势不再一致;冷空气系统影响时气温下降的时间从北到南依次滞后,而海温的下降从北到南延迟不明显;7月上升流的作用使得古雷浮标附近海表温度降低,并且周期发生明显改变。     

A study of the geochemistry of suspended particulate matter in coastal waters

The concentrations of Si, Al, Ti, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, P and Mn, before and after chemical leaching, in particulate matter from waters off the west coast of Scotland have been measured in vertical profiles at two seasons. The distribution of Si and Ca are shown partly to reflect temporal changes in biological production in different waters. The distributions of Al, Ti, Fe, K and Mg have been used to distinguish different sources and types of suspended alumino-silicates, and to trace probable circulation patterns in the water mass.While Si and Ti contents of the particulate matter are unaffected by mild chemical leaching, large amounts of other elements, notably Mg, K and Al, can be removed by this treatment. Presumably, these losses indicate preferential release of these elements from octahedral and interlayer sites in clay mineral lattices.The distribution of particulate P covaries with non-silicate Fe in the surface waters, while in bottom waters, high concentrations of particulate Fe and Mn are associated. The relationship of Fe and P is considered to be due to the presence of particulate ferriphosphates derived from runoff. The particulate Mn and Fe in deep waters is produced by the precipitation of dissolved metals released from bottom sediments by diagenesis.     

A study of fluoride,calcium and magnesium in the Northern Indian Ocean

Estimation of fluoride in the Northern Indian Ocean gives an average concentration of 1.31 ± 0.01 mg/l and a F/Cl ratio of (6.84 ± 0.01) · 10^?5. The Ca/Cl ratio in the area is 0.02229 ± 0.000005 with an average calcium concentration of 432 ± 5 mg/l. In the Bay of Bengal this ratio is influenced by river runoff while in the Arabian Sea the outflow from the Red Sea increases the ratio. The Mg/Cl ratio is observed to be 0.06631 ± 0.00003 with an average magnesium concentration of 1281 ± 14 mg/l. Neither the river runoff nor the Red Sea outflow has any influence on this ratio. Similarities or differences of these values spatially and with reference to literature data are discussed.     

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。     

Bacterial and archaeal communities in deep sea waters near the Ninetyeast Ridge in Indian Ocean

Depth-dependent distribution patterns of bacterial and archaeal communities in deep sea water column around the Ninetyeast Ridge in the Indian Ocean were invest...     

The crustal nature of the northern Mozambique Ridge,Southwest Indian Ocean

The Mozambique Ridge (MOZR) is one of the basement high structures located in the Southwest Indian Ocean, parallel to the Southeast African continental margin. It was formed as a result of the tectono-magmatic evolution of the Gondwana breakup. The origin of the MOZR has been highly debated, with models suggesting either continental or oceanic origin. With new free-air gravity anomaly and multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data, we present results of 2D density modeling along two seismic profiles acquired by R/V Xiangyanghong 10 at the northern Mozambique Ridge (N-MOZR) between 26°S and 28°S. We observed high free-air gravity anomaly and strong positive magnetic anomaly related to the emplaced seaward dipping reflectors (SDR) and high density lower crustal body (HDLCB), and high Bouguer gravity anomaly associated with the thinning of the continental crust underneath the N-MOZR over a distance of ~82 km. This suggests a thinned and intruded continental crust bound by the Mozambique Fracture Zone (MFZ) that is characterized by gravity low and negative magnetic anomaly. This fracture zone marks the continent-ocean boundary (COB) while the N-MOZR is the transform margin high, i.e., marks the continent-ocean transition (COT) of the Southern Mozambique margin, following the definition of transform margins. We suggest that the N-MOZR was formed by continental extension and subsequent breakup of the MFZ, accompanied by massive volcanism during the southward movement of the Antarctica block. The presence of SDR, HDLCB, and relatively thick oceanic crust indicates the volcanic nature of this transform margin.     

Assessing temporal variation of coloured dissolved organic matter in the coastal waters of South Eastern Arabian Sea

Coloured dissolved organic matter （CDOM） plays a major role in marine photochemical and biological processes and its optical properties are known to affect the underwater light penetration. This paper highlights in situ optical estimation and satellite retrieval of CDOM in deciphering its temporal variations in coastal waters of the South Eastern Arabian Sea. The study accentuated the source of CDOM as terrigenous origin during monsoon, of in situ productions during pre-monsoon and during post-monsoon of autochthonous-allocthonous origin. The matchup analysis for in situ and MODIS Aqua retrieved A_dg443 exhibited bias which decreased by incorporating the seasonal component. The study also identified degrading bloom of Noctiluca scintillans as the source for exceptionally high CDOM in the area during January and February. The study demands to incorporate seasonal components and phytoplankton abundance while assessing the performance of CDOM algorithms in optically complex coastal waters.