Primary productivity in the offshore Oyashio in the spring and summer 1990

Primary productivity was measured byin situ method using¹³C in the offshore Oyashio region in the spring (May) and summer (September) of 1990. Most of the values were within the range of 0.1 to 4 gC 1^–1 h^–1 although a very large value, 7.96 gC l^–1 h^–1, was observed in summer. Most daily primary production fell within the range of 372 to 633 mgC m^–2 d^–1 although a very large value, 2,109 mgC m^–2 d^–1, was observed around the frontal area in summer. Chlorophylla (Chl.a) exceeded 1 g l^–1 in many cases, and the maximum was 4.61 g l^–1 in spring and 7.53 g l^–1 in summer. Most primary productivity per unit Chl.a (photosynthetic assimilation ratio) was within the range of 0.1 to 3 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1 although higher values, 3–6 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1, were observed where small-size phytoplanktons (<2 m) were dominant. These results were compared with results obtained until now in the Oyashio region. The values beyond the range obtained so far in the offshore region were also observed in this study. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the size composition of phytoplankton community has significant influence on the results of Chl.a and photosynthetic assimilation ratio in the Oyashio region.     

Behavior of heavy metals and particulate matters in seawater expected from that of radioactive nuclides

Vertical profiles of²¹⁰Pb and²³⁰Th in the deep water were analyzed by using a simple one-dimensional model. Both nuclides are considered to settle down with the velocity of 1×10^–4 cm/sec. The diameter of particle corresponding to the velocity is calculated to be 5, while only about 10 % of the nuclides can be collected on filter paper with a pore size of 0.5. It is supposed that the nuclides exist in particulate materials which is changeable in size. This suggestion is supported from the following evidences. (1) The directly observed behavior of marine snow and the size distribution of particles observed with a coulter counter. (2) The existence of many chemical elements of which residence time is about 150 years. (3) Their possible existence as eutectic solid phases in the seawater. (4) The consistency of the observed accumulation rate of pelagic sediments with that estimated from the settling velocity. (5) The consistency of the decomposition rate of organic matter in the deep water estimated from the oxygen comsumption with that from the settling velocity.     

Radiation balance and heat budget at the ocean/atmosphere interface in the western North Pacific

The downward short- and long-wave radiation fluxes at the sea surface (S, L) were measured aboard the R/VHakuho Maru, University of Tokyo, for the period of 117 days on six cruises from 1981 to 1985 in the western North Pacific near Japan. The upward fluxes of short- and long-wave radiation (S, L) were calculated by Payne's (1972) table and the Stefan-Boltzmann's law, respectively. The sensible and laten heat fluxes (Q _h ,Q _e ) were also estimated from an aerodynamic bulk method.From April to August, the daily mean value ofS varied with the amplitude of 100200 Wm^–2. The value ofS was estimated approximately 6% ofS in all seasons. The difference betweenL andL was so small that the net radiation flux (Q _n ) was dominated byS. In addition, the net heat flux at the sea surface was also dominated byS due to small values ofQ _h andQ _e , and then the ocean was warmed at the rate of 111 Wm^–2 in April and 63 Wm^–2 in August in the Oyashio Area, and 132 Wm^–2 in May and 164 Wm^–2 in June in the Kuroshio Area, respectively.From September to March, a remarkable negative correlation between the day to day variation ofS and that ofL was observed except when an intense cold air outbreak occurred. It was found that the correlation was caused by the cloud climatological feature of the western North Pacific in this period.S was not a dominant factor in the net heat flux. The value ofQ _h +Q _e in the Kuroshio Area ranged from 260 Wm^–2 to 630 Wm^–2, much larger thanQ _n which ranged from –8 Wm^–2 to 92 Wm^–2 in the leg mean values (each leg period was about 10 days). Then the ocean was cooled at the rate of –160–620 Wm^–2 during this period. The net heat flux in the Kuroshio Area averaged over five legs from late November to February was –473 Wm^–2. This value is 50100% larger than the climatological values reported so far.The temporal and spatial variability of radiation fluxes and heat fluxes during each leg was also discussed.     

Abundance and size composition of the summer phytoplankton communities in the western North Pacific Ocean,the Bering Sea,and the Gulf of Alaska

Chlorophylla concentrations (Chla) of size-fractionated phytoplankton samples were measured in the western North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska during the summer of 1986. Among samples collected in the upper 100 m (total of 210 samples), 207 samples were dominated by micro- (>10 m) or picoplankton (<2 m) and only three samples were represented by nanoplankton (2–10 m). These 207 samples were classified based on the total Chla content into three types: Type H (>1.0 g l^–1), Type M (0.5–1.0 g l^–1), and Type L (<0.5 g l^–1). These types further divided into two subtypes (-p and-m), depending upon dominancy of pico (-p) and microplankton (-m). The phytoplankton community was represented by Type L-p in the Gulf of Alaska, where 80% of the samples fell into this type. It was represented by Type M-p in the western North Pacific and the Oceanic Domain in the Bering Sea, where 53 and 41% of samples were identified as this type, respectively. In the Middle Domain of the Bering Sea, 68% of samples collected below the nitracline was Type H-m, which indicates blooms of microplanton. This type was also observed in the neritic waters near the Aleutian Islands. These types described above are consistent with a general trend that an increase in phytoplankton abundance is attributed to the growth of microplankton. An unusual type occurred above the nitracline of the Middle Domain, where microplankton prevailed, although the total Chla was less (Type L-m). This type represents a feature of late phase of an ice edge bloom. Another unusual type was found mainly in the Outer Domain of the Bering Sea, where the total Chla was high and picoplankton prevailed (Type H-p). The predominance of picoplankton seems to result from the heavy grazing intensity of large calanoid copepods upon microplankton but not upon picoplankton     

Particulate materials and microbial assemblages around the Izena black smoking vent in the Okinawa trough

The plume of particulate DNA (0.7–1g/l) was extended from a black smoker vent (c.a. 1340 m depth) to the west-southwest directions in the Izena bottom-water region. High concentrations of particulate materials (70–110 g C/l; 300–570 g S/l) were also detected in the bottom-waters. Microscopic observation showed that the bottom-waters were rich in alcian blue-stainable large amorphous particles which contained coccoid and rod-shaped microbial cells mostly smaller than 1m. These microbial matrix compounds appeared to contribute to low P-DNA/P-C ratio (0.011±0.008;n=27) in the vent environment. Sulfur was detected in various kinds of particles in the waters, while the content varied with calcium. Microbial population in the P-DNA plume water was in the order of 10⁵ cells/ml and the most (>99.9%) were non-culturable. The composition of culturable heterotrophs differed between the bottom-waters and surface sediments surrounding the vent; contributions of low temperature (4°C)-culturable bacteria and manganese-oxidizing bacteria to the total heterotrophs were higher in the sediments than in the waters. In contrast, percentages of orange-pigmented heterotrophs and microorganisms capable of growing in thiosulfate- and ammonia-based media to the total heterotrophs were higher in the waters than in the sediments. These results suggest that the culturable bacterial community in the bottom-waters was nutritionally versatile. Izena hydrothermal activities seemed to have a great influence in concentrations and compositions of particulate mateirals and in biomass and compositions of microbial community in the vicinity of this aphotic deep-sea environment.     

Enrichments in Hg,Cd, As,and Sb in recent sediments of Azores-Iceland Ridge

Mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony were analyzed in cores sampled on the Azores-Iceland Ridge. High values of 780 g · kg^–1 for Hg, 1.7 g · g^–1 for Cd, 87 g · g^–1 for As, and 8.1 g · g^–1 for Sb occur in the rift valley and transform faults. These enrichments, strictly linked to the ridge, could not have an allochtonous origin. A local hydrogenous flux may explain this phenomenon. These metallic enrichments may be connected to a hydrothermal activity extended between 43° N and 47° N.     

Relationship between cadmium and phosphate in the northwest Pacific Ocean

The relationship between Cd and PO₄ in the Kuroshio and Oyashio regions and the Okhotsk Sea was examined. The resultant equations are as follows: Cd (ng l^–1)=37.0 PO₄ (M)+2.6; Cd(ng l^–1)=32.1 PO₄ (M)+1.2 and Cd (ng l^–1)=34.1 PO₄ (M)+7.9, respectively. These results are in good agreement with previously reported studies, and indicate that during removal from surface waters to deeper waters by biological assimilation and regeneration in deeper waters Cd and PO₄ maintain the same ratio in the open ocean. The relationship between Cd and PO₄ in coastal waters, however, differed from that in the open ocean.     

Accumulation rate and heavy metal pollution in Osaka Bay sediments

The accumulation rates of sediment cores in Osaka Bay have been determined by using²¹⁰Pb dating technique. In the upper 10 cm²¹⁰Pb_ex contents show a constant value with depth. The accumulation rates below the homogeneous layer of sediments ranging from 0.12 to 0.61cm y^–1 (0.067–0.34 g cm^–2 y^–1) were obtained. The higher contents of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cr were observed in the upper 10 to 30 cm of sediments. Assuming that the increment of heavy metal content in sediments is due to anthropogenic origin, the amount of anthropogenic input of heavy metals into sediments were estimated to be 1,300–2,700g cm^–2 for Zn, 150 – 480 for Cu, 360 – 410 for Pb and 320 – 480 for Cr. The increment appears to start about 100 years ago. In surfical sediments most of heavy metal contents exceeded the background content, and then most part of Osaka Bay is polluted by heavy metals.     

Sedimentation rate and heavy metal pollution in sediments in Harima Nada (Harima Sound), Seto Inland Sea

Sedimentation rates were determined with the²¹⁰Pb technique in six sediment cores from Harima Nada (Harima Sound), Seto Inland Sea. The rate of deposition varies from 0.11 g cm^–2y^–1 in the northern part to 0.33 g cm^–2 y^–1 in the southern part of the basin. A marked increase in copper and zinc content was observed above a depth in the core corresponding to about 1900 A.D. as a result of increasing human activities. Anthropogenic input of copper and zinc decreased slightly after 1970. Natural background levels of copper and zinc in the sediment in this sound are 11–16 ppm and 100–120 ppm, respectively. The total amounts of anthropogenic copper and zinc in the sediments were estimated to be 110–180g cm^–2 and 610–1,280g cm^–2, respectively. These values constitute 40–50% of the total sedimentary input of copper and zinc in the sediments since about 1900 A.D.     

Consolidation and permeability characteristics of high-porosity surficial sediments in Eckernförde Bay

Back-pressured, constant-rate-of-deformation consolidation, and permeability tests were conducted on 21 undisturbed samples from Eckernförde Bay in the Baltic Sea. The soft fine-grained sediments have very high in-situ void ratios and are highly compressible. The compression index decreases slightly in the upper 40 cm but remains essentially unchanged below 40 cm at an average value of 3.5 to a depth of 260 cm. Recompression indices range from 5 to 19% of the virgin indices. The preconsolidation stress is consistently higher than the overburden stress, particularly near the surface. Permeabilities at in situ void ratios vary between 3 × 10^–4 and 10^–6 cm s^–1, with the relationship between void ratio and the logarithm of permeability being linear.     

Acetylene reducing activity at a tropical seagrass bed in Papua New Guinea

Acetylene reduction activity at a tropical seagrass bed in Papua New Guinea was studied. Blades of every species of seagrass studied (Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Halodule uninervis, Syringodium isoetifolium) at the bed showed active acetylene reduction in the rage of 0.025–0.050 mol cm^–2d^–1. It is suggested that epiphytic blue-green algae would be responsible for active acetylene reduction. Acetylene reducing activity was observed also at rhizosphere of seagrasses, microbial communities on the detritus and periphyton on snail shells. It is estimated that total nitrogen fixed at the seagrass bed will be equivalent to 6.7% of that required for the growth of seagrasses.     

Primary productivity in a cold water mass and the neighborhood area occurring off Enshu-nada in the late summer of 1989

Primary productivity off Enshu-nada was measured by the¹³C method in September 1989. Primary productivity was estimated in a cold water mass developed off Enshu-nada for the first time. The obtained value was 469 mgC·m^–2·d^–1 and higher than those in the pelagic area of Kuroshio, but equivalent to those in the neritic and the Oyashio areas. It was indicated that cold water mass is the place where organic matter is produced actively. Extremely high chlorophylla of more than 5g·l^–1 were found in the cold water mass. The high productivity was due to high standing crop of phyoplankton. Furthermore, calculated light efficiency and quantum yield showed consistent increase with depth and showed a maximum at 10% light level. Both were larger on the coastal side than those on the oceanic side of the Kuroshio current.     

Chlorophyll a Biomass of Netplankton in Surface Waters of the Northern North Pacific Ocean and the Adjacent Seas from Summer to Autumn

Chlorophyll a concentrations of net (retained on 30 m mesh net) and total plankton in surface waters were determined along cruise tracks in an area of the northern North Pacific Ocean and the adjacent Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska from summer to autumn. Total chlorophyll a concentrations were high with a great areal and temporal variations in the western northern North Pacific compared to the eastern part. Chlorophyll a concentrations of netplankton varied from 0.001 to 0.230 g chl a l^–1 (average, 0.029 ± 0.040 g chl a l^–1), and showed a positive relation but a weak regression coefficient (r ² = 0.551) against the "average total chlorophyll a" (average of total chlorophyll a at the beginning and at the end during sampling of netplankton). However there were several data points showing high "average total chlorophyll a" but low netplankton and vice versa. Average percentage share of netplankton in the total chlorophyll a was estimated to be as large as 4.26%.     

Iodine in the surface water of the ocean

Iodine in sea water of the Pacific was determined with special interest in the relation between iodide and iodate in the surface water of the ocean. The result was discussed with reference to the mechanism of iodide formation proposed byTsunogai andSase. The concentration of iodide varies widely from the lower value than the detection limit to 0.21g at./l, while the concentration of total iodine is nearly constant and the mean value is 0.41g at./l. The vertical profile of iodide often shows the maximum in the surface layer. In the surface layer, the concentration of iodide is higher in warm water (0,10g at./l on the average) than that in cold water of lower temperature than 20° C (0.03g at/l). The highest concentration of iodide among the warm waters is found in the surface water of the equatorial area (0.13g at./l) where the biological productivity is also high. Iodide is generally more enriched in the water having higher biological activity even in the cold water. These results are considered to be compatible with the mechanism of iodide formation proposed.     

Some characteristics of the development process of the wind-wave spectrum

The development process of wind-waves of which spectral peak distributes from 0.6 cps to 9.3 cps will be discussed on the basis of the wind tunnel experiments and of the field observations performed at Lake Biwa. The characteristics of power and slope spectra are here presented. The development process of these wind-waves is characterized by three stages;i.e. initial-wavelets, transition stage and sea-waves. In the wind tunnel experiments, the transition from the stage of the initial-wavelets to the transition stage occurs when the wave spectral peak arrives at the line 6.40×10^–4 k ^–2cm²·sec (wherek is wave number) or when the slope spectral density at the frequencyf _max becomes larger than 6.40×10^–4 sec. In the stage of sea-waves, the component wave of a wave-spectral peak is steepest in the component waves. And the wave spectral peak develops along the line 1.02×10² f ^–6 cm²·sec (wheref is the frequency corresponding to the wave numberk) untill it reaches the line 33.3f ^–4cm²·sec, and thereafter develops along the latter line, which indicates the constant density of slope spectrum. It is suggested that the nonlinearity of wind-waves must become stronger as wind-waves develop. The effective momentum flux _ws from the air flow to wind-waves in this stage is evaluated to be about 49% of the total stress ₀.     

Organic geochemistry of the Japan Sea sediments-1: Bulk organic matter and hydrocarbon analyses of Core KH-79-3, C-3 from the Oki Ridge for paleoenvironment assessments

Organic geochemical study of bulk organic matter (OM), hopanoid hydrocarbon and normal hydrocarbon (C₂₃C₃₅) was conducted for a 936-cm-long sediment core sample from the Oki Ridge of the Japan Sea (Core KH-79-3, C-3; 37°03.5 N, 134°42.6E, water depth 935 m). Stable carbon isotopic ratios were also measured for both bulk OM and individual hydrocarbons. The following results were obtained: (1) The weight ratios of total organic carbon to total nitrogen range from 6.2 to 9.4 in the core. The ¹³C values of bulk OM range from –25.1–20.7%.. The ¹³C values of OM in the sections of 140190 cm are lower (–25–24) than those in the other sections (–23–21). This result indicates that OM in the core except for the 140190 cm sections is essentially of marine origin. (2) The ¹³C value of diploptene (a hopanoid hydrocarbon) in the last glacial maximum (LGM), is –66.3 (vs. PDB), which indicates it originating in methanotrophic bacteria. This result provides evidence to support for the previous ideas (Oba et al., 1980, 1984; Masuzawa and Kitano, 1984) that the bottom waters in the Japan Sea were anoxic in LGM. (3) Long chain (C₂₃C₃₅) n-alkanes of higher-plant wax origin were found throughout the core. Their concentration is high in 140190 cm in depth, suggesting that eolian dust load was high in LGM. (4) The n-alkane/TOC ratio increases with decreasing ¹³C values of bulk OM. This result indicates that the load of terrestrial (probably eolian dust-derived) OM to the Japan Sea became higher in colder climates. (5) The CPI values of long-chain n-alkanes are different in different ¹³O stages of paleoclimate, probably reflecting variations in species of terrestrial higher plants as a result of climatological adaptations.     

Heat balance of the upper ocean under a land and sea breeze in Sagami Bay in summer

The heat balance of the upper ocean under a land and sea breeze was investigated based on observations of sea water temperature in the upper 300 m layer and heat flux across the sea surface at a fixed station in Sagami Bay (3510N, 13925E) during two periods of two days in August 1980 and three days in August 1981. During both periods, a typical land and sea breeze of 4–6 m sec^–1 at maximum prevailed in the observation area. Large diurnal variation of sea surface temperature with a maximum peak around noon LST was observed during both periods (the daily value of the range was 0.9C and 2.5C in 1980, and 1.2C, 1.5C and 1.7C in 1981). It was found that these large temperature variations were caused by diurnal variation of the wind speed which dropped to 0–3 m sec^–1 at noon when the strongest insolation (–270 Wm^–2) penetrated the sea and at midnight in association with alternations of the land breeze and the sea breeze. On the other hand, vertical mixing of the sea water caused by the wind stress and/or convection due to cooling at night extended down only to the surface 10 m layer. Horizontal heat advection was negligibly small. Therefore the local time change of the heat content in the upper 10 m water column was affected mainly by the heat flux across the air-sea interface which was estimated from data on radiation fluxes measured directly on board and latent and sensible heat fluxes calculated by the aerodynamic bulk method. The water temperature below the 10 m layer also varied with time and the temperature variation in the thermocline (20–50 m depth) was frequently larger than that of the sea surface temperature. However, the variation in the upper 10 m layer was little influenced by that below the layer.     

Bispectra of spike-array type time series and their application to the analysis of oceanic microstructures

Bispectral analysis is applied to records of the vertical profile of the vertical temperature gradient in the oceanic thermocline in the San Diego Trough. The bispectra exhibit three notable features; (1) bispectral peaks at the points (0.2 m^–1, 0.2 m^–1) and (0.2 m^–1, 0.1 m^–1), (2) bispectral ridges along the lines ( ₁= ₀, ₂= ₀ and ₁+ ₂= ₀ corresponding to peak wavenumbers ₀ in power spectra, and (3) array of bispectral peaks of interval of 0.2 m^–1 The results are compared with the bispectra of several modeled time series of spike-array type. The periodicity of 5 m found in the records seems to have two meanings: spacing of predominant spikes and wavelength of predominant sinusoidal wave. If this indicates the existence of internal waves having a vertical wavelength the same as the scale of homogeneous layers, it would suggest the possible importance of internal waves in the formation and maintenance mechanisms of oceanic microstructure.     

The content of selenium and its chemical form in sea water

By using the new fluorometric method of determination of the total selenium ( Se), Se (IV) and Se (VI), the content of selenium in sea weter was determined in the western North Pacific. Results showed that the content of Se in surface water ranged from 0.06 to 0.12g l^–1, while in deeper layers, the content increased to 0.20g l^–1. It was found that Se (IV) showed rather uniform distribution with depth, while Se (VI) increased with depth to about three times that in the surface. The ratio of Se (IV) to the Se ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 in the surface and 0.4 to 0.6 in the deep. The coexistence of the hexa- and tetravalent ions of selenium was confirmed both in surface and deep layers. Some results of observations on the content of selenium in the coastal areas of Japan were also reported.     

Satellite monitoring of the sea surface temperature using the NOAA satellite data

A method of obtaining the operative sea surface temperature (SST)t using satellite scanner observations in the spectral ranges 3.53–3.94 m and 10.3–11.3 m is realized. The method represents a combination of McClainet al.'s formula (1983) and expressions suggested by the authors which describe the universal angular structures of the radiation temperature fields. The RMS error of reconstructingt at scanning angles of 0–55^o is equal to 0.2–0.3°C for atmospheric states corresponding to the SST variation within the limit 6–28°C. An atlas of temperature maps on the grid 0.5×0.5^o with temporal averaging from 5 days to 1 month is compiled using the data obtained on board the RVAkademik Vernadsky in the Atlantic Ocean in 1987–1989.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.