Chlorophyll biomass off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, estimated by Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) and a vertical distribution model

To estimate chlorophyll biomass from satellite-derived data, we established an empirical model for the estimation of the chlorophyll vertical profile as a function of surface chlorophyll for four separate regions of the Sanriku area, using algorithms based upon ship observations from 1986 to 1995. The modeled profiles compared well with observations during the Sanriku Field Campaign. Chlorophyll biomass in the Sanriku Area estimated by a combination of OCTS data and the model varied from 2.6×10⁴ t in the Oyashio water to 8.2×10³ t in the Kuroshio water.     

Spatial distribution of primary production off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, during spring estimated by Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS)

An algorithm to estimate primary production by chlorophylla and sea surface temperature from satellite was evaluated with primary production data from the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) Sanriku field campaign. The algorithm was applied to the data of OCTS on the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) off Sanriku, North Pacific, on April 26, 1997. The wavelength-, time-, and depth-resolved model reasonably estimated the chlorophyll-specific primary production of each depth and water column integrated primary production. Although the model parameters were adjusted with the photosynthesis-irradiance curves obtained in the region, the resultant primary production was not significantly different from the global model of Antoine and Morel (1996). This is probably because there is considerable variability in the physiological parameters in this limited area, off Sanriku, and in the limited time, spring. Estimated integrated primary production was well correlated with chlorophylla but not with temperature. This indicates that the temperature dependence of the primary production was less than the variability caused by chlorophylla concentration.     

Description of the oceanographic condition off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, and its relation to spring bloom detected by the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) images

We describe the oceanographic condition as observed by hydrographic data and phytoplankton spring bloom detected by OCTS images off Sanriku, northwestern Pacific, during the spring bloom period in 1997. The relationship between the two is discussed. OCTS images detected the bloom in early April in the coastal area around the Izu ridge north of the Kuroshio and the eastern coastal area of Hokkaido to the Oyashio front. The bloom areas were seen along the offshore Kuroshio Extension from the end of April, in the upstream region of the Oyashio south of the Kurile Islands, except for a part of coastal area from the end of May, and in the Kuroshio warm-core ring 93A (KWCR 93A) from early June. The temperature difference between the surface and subsurface layer is used as a stratification index. This was large in the upstream region of the Oyashio south of the Kurile Islands and KWCR 93A from early June. Previous research has pointed out that the spring bloom usually corresponds to the development of stratification in the water column due to seasonal warming. In addition to that, we suggest that the transportation of water containing a high chlorophylla concentration by advection due to strong currents, like the Kuroshio and the Oyashio, is important for the formation of an area of high chlorophylla concentration. These results indicate that the OCTS images are useful for a knowledge of the distribution and the change of chlorophylla concentration in the northwestern Pacific region.     

Short term variability of Particle fluxes and its relation to variability in sea surface temperature and chlorophylla field detected by Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific in the spring of 1997

A sediment trap experiment was carried out in conjunction with an over flight of Ocean Color Temperature Scanner (OCTS) on board Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) at 40°N, 143°E off Sanriku in April to May 1997. Short term variability of particle fluxes was examined at depths of 450 m and 600 m from April 6 to May 1 with a sampling interval of two days, and at 450 m with one day interval from 2nd to 10th May. Daily averaged mass flux at 450 m and 600 m was 815 mg m⁻²d⁻¹ and 862 mg m⁻²d⁻¹, respectively. A sharp increase in mass flux was observed during the period from April 26 to April 29 with the highest mass flux of 8 g m⁻²d⁻¹. About 85% of the total mass flux for the entire duration (26 days) was collected within these 4 days. Trapped material during the peak flux period was mainly composed of diatoms dominated byThalassiosira spp. and resting spores ofChaetoceros spp. This suggested that the peak flux was the result of (a) diatom bloom(s) in the euphotic column. Current meter records at 420 m showed that on April 26 and 27, the period when the peak flux was observed, the southwestward current had diminished in strength and changed its direction northwestward. Low current speeds appeared to have enhanced trap efficiency to help form the peak flux. A time series of OCTS Intensive-LAC (Local Area Coverage: Region B) images from mid-March to early May was examined todetect phytoplankton bloom(s). In the March 26th Chl image, high concentration region was restricted to the southwest off Cape Erimo, but spread around the warm core ring (WCR) 93A by April 10. East of the WCR93A, high Chl concentration remained steady until May, but to the west of the WCR93A, Chl decreased rapidly before the 19th of April. From this observation we suspect that the peak flux observed at the end of April originated from a bloom, which ceased on the 17th or 18th of April, in the region north of 40°N and west of 143°E. Taking the current meter records into account, the source region for the trapped material is most likely around southwest of the Cape Erimo.     

The sea surface temperature product algorithm of the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) and its accuracy

The Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) can observe ocean color and sea surface temperature (SST) simultaneously. This paper explains the algorithm for the OCTS SST product in the NASDA OCTS mission. In the development of the latest, third version (V3) algorithm, the OCTS match-up dataset plays an important role, especially when the coefficients required in the MCSST equation are derived and the equation form is adjusted. As a result of the validation using the OCTS match-up dataset, the algorithm has improved the root mean square (rms) error of the OCTS SST up to 0.698°C although some problems remain in the match-up dataset used in the present study.     

基于水温垂直结构的西北太平洋柔鱼栖息地模型构建

根据1998-2004年8～10月中国大陆西北太平洋柔鱼生产数据,结合对柔鱼渔场与各水层水温的分析,以作业次数为基础建立各水层水温的适应性指数(Suitability Index,SI)模型,采用算术平均法(Arithmetic Mean Model,AMM)和几何平均法(Geometric Mean Model,GMM)建立综合栖息地指数(Habitat Suitability Index,HSI)模型;并对1998-2004年8～10月的HSI值与实际作业次数、产量和单船日产量(CPUE)作比较.结果表明,8～10月,HSI＞0.6时,AMM的产量和作业次数比重分别占83.4％和80.9％,CPUE均2.1 t/d以上;GMM的产量和作业次数比重分别占73.5％和69.6％,CPUE均2.3 t/d以上.2种模型比较认为,AMM模型稍优于GMM模型.同时,利用2005年8～10月生产数据及水温资料对HSI模型进行验证.结果表明,基于水温垂直结构的栖息地指数模型能较好地预测西北太平洋中心渔场和潜在渔场.     

Size-Fractionated Primary Production Estimated by a Two-Phytoplankton Community Model Applicable to Ocean Color Remote Sensing

In order to estimate primary production from ocean color satellite data using the Vertical Generalized Production Model (VGPM; Behrenfeld and Falkowski, 1997), we propose a two-phytoplankton community model. This model is based on the two assumptions that changes in chlorophyll concentration result from changes of large-sized phytoplankton abundance, and chlorophyll specific productivity of phytoplankton tends to be inversely proportional to phytoplankton size. Based on the analysis of primary production data, P _opt ^B , which was one parameter in the VGPM, was modeled as a function of sea surface temperature and sea surface chlorophyll concentration. The two-phytoplankton community model incorporated into the VGPM gave good estimates in a relatively high productive area. Size-fractionated primary production was estimated by the two-phytoplankton community model, and P _opt ^B of small-sized phytoplankton was 4.5 times that of large-sized phytoplankton. This result fell into the ranges observed during field studies.     

Development of a Neural Network Algorithm for Retrieving Concentrations of Chlorophyll, Suspended Matter and Yellow Substance from Radiance Data of the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner

An algorithm is presented to retrieve the concentrations of chlorophyll a, suspended pariclulate matter and yellow substance from normalized water-leaving radiances of the Ocean Color and Temperature Sensor (OCTS) of the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS). It is based on a neural network (NN) algorithm, which is used for the rapid inversion of a radiative transfer procedure with the goal of retrieving not only the concentrations of chlorophyll a but also the two other components that determine the water-leaving radiance spectrum. The NN algorithm was tested using the NASA's SeaBAM (SeaWiFS Bio-Optical Mini-Workshop) test data set and applied to ADEOS/OCTS data of the Northwest Pacific in the region off Sanriku, Japan. The root-mean-square error between chlorophyll a concentrations derived from the SeaBAM reflectance data and the chlorophyll a measurements is 0.62. The retrieved chlorophyll a concentrations of the OCTS data were compared with the corresponding distribution obtained by the standard OCTS algorithm. The concentrations and distribution patterns from both algorithms match for open ocean areas. Since there are no standard OCTS products available for yellow substance and suspended matter and no in situ measurements available for validation, the result of the retrieval by the NN for these two variables could only be assessed by a general knowledge of their concentrations and distribution patterns. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

西北太平洋海域柔鱼的产量分布及作业渔场与表温的关系研究

为了解渔业资源的时空分布及与海洋环境之间的关系 ,根据 1995～ 2 0 0 1年 6～ 11月西北太平洋海域我国鱿钓生产统计及其表温度数据 ,利用地理信息系统软件和数理统计方法分 3个海区 (14 0°E～ 15 0°E ,15 0°E～ 165°E和 165°E～ 180°E)对柔鱼产量分布、作业渔场与表温关系进行分析。研究表明 ,柔鱼产量主要分布在海区I和II ,且资源密度大 ;在海区III海域产量比重低 ,资源密度也低。 6～ 7月作业渔场广泛 ,平均日产量基本上在 1t /d以下 ;8～ 10月作业渔场集中在海区II,平均日产量基本上在 1.5t/d以上。在同一时期 ,不同海区作业渔场的最适表温有较大差异 ,并表现出自西向东逐渐降低趋势。在海区I,7～ 11月各月最适水温分别为 17～ 19℃ ,18～ 2 2℃ ,17～ 19℃ ,13～ 18℃和 10～ 14℃。在海区II ,6～ 11月各月最适水温分别为 12～ 14℃ ,14～ 17℃ ,15～ 19℃ ,14～ 18℃ ,12～ 15℃和 10～ 13℃。在海区III ,6～ 7月最适表温均为 11～ 15℃。以上结果经非参数统计的K～S检验是可信的。 3个海区柔鱼资源密度、产量分布及其作业渔场形成与各自海洋环境条件有着密切关系。     

HYCOM模式对赤道及北太平洋海表温度的模拟

本文使用HYCOM数值模式,根据两种海气通量数据集(COADS、ECMWF)和两种海气通量块体参数化方案(常数块体参数化方案和非常数块体参数化方案)的不同结合,构成4组数值实验,分别模拟了赤道及北太平洋的气候态海表温度.实验结果表明:1)在本文的实验中,非常数块体参数化方案优于常数块体参数化方案;在太平洋40°N-20°S区域内,采用前者得到的年平均海表温度比Pathfinder卫星资料高约0.21 °C,而采用后者得到的年平均海表温度比Pathfinder卫星资料高约0.63 °C.2)HYCOM数值模式很好的模拟了赤道及北太平洋的气候态海表温度变化及西太平洋暖池空间分布的月变化.特别是实验2(采用COADS数据集和非常数块体参数化方案),在太平洋40°N - 20°S区域内,冬春两季平均SST仅比Pathfinder卫星数据集高0.02 °C.3)不同的海气通量数据会对模式结果产生明显的影响.对比采用COADS数据集的实验2结果与采用ECMWF数据集的实验4结果可以发现,在模拟区域的西北部,实验2比实验4的年平均SST高约1 °C;在模拟区域的东南部,实验4比实验2的年平均SST高约1 °C.两者差的最大值出现在58°N、140°E附近及中国渤海,约为4 °C(实验2比实验4的年平均SST高约4 °C).     

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%.     

Ocean Color Satellite Imagery and Shipboard Measurements of Chlorophyll a and Suspended Particulate Matter Distribution in the East China Sea

Satellite-derived ocean color data of Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on board the Nimbus-7 and Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) are jointly used with historical in situ data to examine seasonal and spatial distributions of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations in the East China Sea. Ocean color imagery showed that Chl-a concentrations on the continental shelf were higher than those of the Kuroshio area throughout the year. Satellite-derived Chl-a concentrations are generally in good accordance with historical in situ values during spring through autumn (although no shipboard in situ measurement was conducted at nearshore areas). In contrast, ocean color imagery in winter indicated high Chl-a concentrations (4–10 mg m^–3) on the continental shelf where bottom depth was less than 50 m when surface water was turbid (2–72 g m^–3 of SPM at surface), while historical in situ values were usually less than 1 mg m^–3. This suggests that resuspended bottom sediment due to wind-driven mixing and winter cooling is responsible for the noticeable overestimation of satellite-derived Chl-a concentrations. The algorithm for ocean color needs to be improved urgently for turbid water.     

HYCOM模式对赤道及北太平洋海表温度的模拟

根据2种海气通量数据集(COADS、ECMWF)和2种海气通量块体参数化方案(常数块体参数化方案和非常数块体参数化方案)的不同结合,构成4组数值实验,使用HYCOM数值模式分别模拟了赤道及北太平洋的气候态海表温度。实验结果表明:(1)非常数块体参数化方案优于常数块体参数化方案;在太平洋40°N～20°S区域内,采用前者得到的年平均海表温度比Pathfinder卫星资料高约0.21℃,而采用后者得到的年平均海表温度比Path-finder卫星资料高约0.63℃。(2)HYCOM数值模式很好地模拟了赤道及北太平洋的气候态海表温度变化及西太平洋暖池空间分布的月变化。特别是实验2(采用COADS数据集和非常数块体参数化方案),在太平洋40°N～20°S区域内,冬、春两季平均SST仅比Pathfinder卫星数据集高0.02℃。(3)不同海气通量数据会对模拟结果产生明显影响。对比采用COADS数据集的实验2结果与采用ECMWF数据集的实验4结果可以发现,在模拟区域的西北部,实验2比实验4的年平均SST高约1℃;在模拟区域的东南部,实验4比实验2的年平均SST高约1℃。两者差的最大值出现在58°N、140°E附近及中国渤海,实验2比实验4的年平均SST高约4℃。     

Wind- and density-driven circulation in a bay on the Sanriku ria coast,Japan: study of Shizugawa Bay facing the Pacific Ocean

Flow fields in Shizugawa Bay on the Sanriku ria coast, which faces the Pacific Ocean, were investigated using hydrographic observations for the purpose of understanding oceanographic conditions and the process of water exchanges in the bay after the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku. In spring to summer, density-driven surface outflow is part of estuarine circulation and is induced by a pressure gradient force under larger longitudinal gradients in density along with lower salinity water in the innermost part of the bay, regardless of wind forcing. In winter to summer, another density-driven current with a thermal structure is induced by a pressure gradient force under the smaller longitudinal density gradients in calm wind conditions. Particularly in winter, Tsugaru Warm Current water can be transported in the surface layer inside the bay. Wind-driven bay-scale circulation with downwind and upwind currents in the surface and deeper layers, respectively, is induced by strong longitudinal wind forcing under the smaller longitudinal density gradients, irrespective of season. Particularly in fall to spring, this circulation can cause the intrusions of oceanic water associated with Oyashio water and Tsugaru Warm Current water in the deeper layer. These results suggest that wind- and density-driven currents can produce the active exchange of water from inside and outside the bay throughout the year.     

Changes in Temperature,Sea Level,and Geostrophic Currents in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and Southwestern Bering Sea under the Influence of the Nodal Tide

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - An analysis of satellite data and Argo float data has shown the variability in the sea surface temperature (SST), sea level, and geostrophic currents in...     

Biomass, Abundance, and Vertical Distribution of Micronekton and Large Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Subarctic Pacific and the Bering Sea during the Summer of 1997

The biomass, abundance, and vertical distribution of micronekton, including enidarians, mysids, euphausiids, decapods, thaliaceans, and fishes, were studied on the basis of samples collected with an 8-m² opening-closing rectangular midwater trawl (RMT-8, mesh size: 4.5 mm) at three stations in the subarctic Pacific (the western subarctic gyre, the central Subarctic, and the Gulf of Alaska) and one station in the oceanic Bering Sea. The total biomass in the 0–1000 m water column ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 gDW m^–2. Except for primary consumers that showed highly variable biomass (thaliaceans and euphausiids), biomass was highest in the oceanic Bering Sea followed by the central (boundary between eastern and western gyres), western gyre, and eastern Gulf of Alaska. The biomass compositions by higher taxa were basically similar between regions: fishes were most dominant, followed by enidarians at all stations, except for the marked predominance of thaliaceans in the Gulf of Alaska. High biomasses of gelatinous animals (31% of overall dry weight), occasionally comparable to those of fishes and crustaceans, suggest their potential importance in the subarctic Pacific. Characteristics in vertical patterns of micronekton biomass common in all stations were: (1) a mesopelagic peak around 500–600 m both day and night, (2) a layer of low biomass in the cold intermediate water and/or in the upper mesopelagic zone, (3) a nighttime shift of biomass to upper layers, and (4) an highly variable biomass of epipelagic/interzonal migrants (euphausiids and thaliaceans).     

Vertical Nutrient Distributions in the Western North Pacific Ocean: Simple Model for Estimating Nutrient Upwelling, Export Flux and Consumption Rates

A one-dimensional, steady-state model has been developed to understand the factors controlling vertical distributions of nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate in the western North Pacific water columns. The model includes simple physics and some biogeochemical processes. Nutrients are supplied by upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters with a constant upwelling velocity and nutrient regeneration due to decomposition of sinking particulate matter; the latter is expressed by an exponential-type export flux. Nutrients are consumed in the water column due to uptake by marine organisms, represented by a first-order substrate kinetics. The consumption rate constant is given as an exponential function of depth. The model has been applied to a data set of WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) P9 one-time measurements observed in the western North Pacific. The calculated curves fit well to observed vertical nutrient profiles from 100 m depth to over 2,500 m depth at 35 stations from 19°N to 33°30′ N along 137°E with correlation factors of greater than 0.998. A modified model, including a correction term representing a depth-dependent upwelling velocity, can reproduce observed vertical nutrient profiles at 32 stations from 5°N to 18°30′ N along 137°E with correlation factors greater than 0.993. The results support the hypothesis that most of the vertical nutrient profiles in the western North Pacific are controlled by particle export flux, consumption rate, remineralization rate and upwelling velocity. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geoacoustic character,sedimentology and chronology of a cross-shelf Holocene sediment deposit off Cabo Frio,Brazil (southwest Atlantic Ocean)

The Cabo Frio region in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast coast of Brazil, is characterized by a local coastal upwelling system and converging littoral sediment transport systems that are deflected offshore at Cabo Frio, as a consequence of which a thick cross-shelf sediment deposit has developed over time. To investigate the evolution of this muddy deposit, geophysical, sedimentological and geochemical data from four sediment cores (3.8–4.1 m in length) recovered in water depths between 88 and 141 m were analyzed. The high-resolution seismic data show variable sediment thicknesses ranging from 1 to 20 m, comprising two sedimentary units separated by a high-impedance layer at a depth of about 10 m below the seafloor at the coring sites. According to the available age datings, the upper sedimentary unit is late Pleistocene to Holocene in age, whereas the lower unit (not dated) must, by implication, be entirely Pleistocene in age. The boomer-seismic reflection signal can be divided into three echo-types, namely transparent (inner shelf), stratified (middle shelf) and reflective (outer shelf), each type seemingly related to the local sediment composition. The upper 4 m of the upper sedimentary unit is dominated by silty sediment on the middle shelf, and by upward-fining sediments (silty sand to sandy silt) on the inner and outer shelf. The downcore trends of P-wave velocity, gamma-ray density and acoustic impedance are largely similar, but generally reversed to those of water and organic carbon contents. Total organic carbon contents increase with decreasing mean grain size, periodic fluctuations suggesting temporal changes in the regional hydrodynamics and primary productivity fuelled by the local upwelling system. The reconstruction of sedimentation rates in the course of the Holocene is based on 35 AMS age datings of organic material recovered from variable downcore depths. These range from a maximum of 13.3 cm/decade near the base of the inner shelf core (7.73–7.70 ka BP) to generally very low values (<0.11 cm/century) over the last thousand years in all cores. Over the last 6 ka there appear to have been three distinct sedimentation peaks, one between 6 and 5 ka BP, another between 4 and 3 ka PB, and one around 1 ka BP. Due to different time intervals between dates, not every peak is equally well resolved in all four cores. Based on the similar sedimentology of the inner and outer shelf cores, an essentially identical sedimentation model is proposed to have been active in both cases, albeit at different times. Thus, already during the last glacial maximum, alongshore sediment transport was deflected offshore by a change in shoreline orientation caused by the Cabo Frio structural high. The source of terrigenous material was probably a barrier-island complex that was subsequently displaced landward in the course of sea-level rise until it stabilized some 6.5 ka BP along the modern coast.     

High-West and Low-East Distribution Patterns of Chlorophyll a, Primary Productivity and Diatoms in the Subarctic North Pacific Surface Waters, Midwinter 1996

We have determined chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration, primary productivity, cell density and species composition of diatoms, and the number of microzooplankton at the surface in the subarctic North Pacific in January 1996. The wet weight of copepods obtained by vertical tows from 150 m to the surface was also measured during the cruise. Chla concentration and primary productivity tended to be higher in the region west of 180°, the western subarctic North Pacific (WSNP), than east of 180°, the eastern subarctic North Pacific (ESNP). The same results were observed for the total diatom cell densities and for the genera Thalassiosira and Denticulopsis. Significant linear relationships were observed between the Thalassiosira cell density and Chla concentration and primary productivity, indicating that Thalassiosira contributes to the high-WSNP and low-ESNP distribution patterns of Chla concentration and primary productivity. Moreover, naked ciliate abundance tended to be lower in the WSNP than in the ESNP, whereas copepod biomass showed an inverse trend. Significantly negative Spearman rank correlations were found between the Thalassiosira cell density and the number of naked ciliates and between the number of naked ciliates and the wet weight of copepods. These results indicate that copepod grazing indirectly controls Thalassiosira cell density via predation on the naked ciliates. We conclude that the high copepod biomass in the WSNP is a factor controlling the high-WSNP and low-ESNP Thalassiosira abundance and hence Chla concentration and primary productivity patterns.     

A new species of Macandrewia (Demospongiae,Tetractinellida, Macandrewiidae) from a seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean

A new species of Macandrewia Gray from a seamount near Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean was described. Macandrewia yapensis sp. nov. is distinct from its...