巴芬湾西部和格陵兰岛东部大气经向热量输送协同变化对夏季北极海冰的影响

利用欧洲中心气候再分析资料和美国国家冰雪数据中心北极海冰面积资料,分析了夏季北极海冰面积与前期大气经向热量输送年际变化的联系。结果表明：6月北半球中高纬大气的经向热量输送以瞬变热量形式为主,其中巴芬湾西部（B区）和格陵兰岛东部（G区）是瞬变热量向极区传输的两个通道,二者之间存在反位相的协同变化,且这种协同变化与夏季北极海冰面积变化密切相关。可能的机制为：6月,AD、AO和NAO三种北极大气环流型能够引起巴芬湾西部和格陵兰岛东部瞬变热量输送的协同变化,这种协同变化通过涡旋动力作用激发夏季极区大气表现为AD异常,同时影响途经区域的气温,从而通过热动力作用影响夏季北极海冰。将向极区输送的热量称为暖输送,从极区输出的热量为冷输送,则上述两个区域的瞬变热量协同输送可分为三种情况：B暖G冷、B冷G暖、B和G均冷,而B和G均暖的情况十分罕见。当B区向极区输入、G区输出热量时,有利于太平洋扇区和喀拉海的海冰偏少;当G区输入、B区输出热量时,利于喀拉海和拉普捷夫海海冰偏少;当B区和G区均输出热量时,利于波佛特海南部、喀拉海和拉普捷夫海海冰偏多,反之则相反。     

2009年冬、夏季南海北部超微型浮游生物的分布特征及其环境相关分析

2009年2月(冬季)和8月(夏季)在南海北部海域(nSCS)采用流式细胞术对聚球藻、原绿球藻、超微型光合真核生物3类超微型光合浮游生物和异养浮游细菌的丰度和碳生物量的时空分布特征进行了研究,并分析了其与环境因子之间的关系。结果表明,夏季聚球藻和原绿球藻的平均丰度高于冬季,超微型光合真核生物和异养浮游细菌的丰度反之,为冬季高于夏季。聚球藻、超微型光合真核生物和异养浮游细菌在富营养的近岸陆架海域丰度较高,而原绿球藻高丰度则出现在陆坡开阔海域。在垂直分布上,聚球藻主要分布在跃层以上,跃层以下丰度迅速降低;原绿球藻高丰度主要出现在真光层底部;超微型光合真核生物在水层中的高值同样出现在真光层底部,且与Pico级份叶绿素a浓度分布一致;异养浮游细菌在水体中的分布与聚球藻类似。这些分布格局的差异,取决于环境条件的变化和4类超微型浮游生物生态生理适应性的差异。在超微型光合浮游生物群落中,各类群碳生物量的贡献因季节和海域类型的不同而发生变化:聚球藻在夏季近岸陆架区占超微型光合浮游生物总碳生物量的41%,原绿球藻在陆坡开阔海成为主要贡献者(50%),超微型光合真核生物碳生物量以冬季为高(在近岸陆架区占比68%)。冬、夏季异养浮游细菌碳生物量均高于超微型光合浮游生物碳生物量。     

Multibeam sonar backscatter data processing

Multibeam sonar systems now routinely record seafloor backscatter data, which are processed into backscatter mosaics and angular responses, both of which can assist in identifying seafloor types and morphology. Those data products are obtained from the multibeam sonar raw data files through a sequence of data processing stages that follows a basic plan, but the implementation of which varies greatly between sonar systems and software. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of this backscatter data processing chain, with a focus on the variability in the possible implementation of each processing stage. Our objective for undertaking this task is twofold: (1) to provide an overview of backscatter data processing for the consideration of the general user and (2) to provide suggestions to multibeam sonar manufacturers, software providers and the operators of these systems and software for eventually reducing the lack of control, uncertainty and variability associated with current data processing implementations and the resulting backscatter data products. One such suggestion is the adoption of a nomenclature for increasingly refined levels of processing, akin to the nomenclature adopted for satellite remote-sensing data deliverables.     

Reconstruction of Horizontal Plasma Motions at the Photosphere from Intensitygrams: A Comparison Between DeepVel,LCT, FLCT,and CST

Direct measurements of plasma motions in the photosphere are limited to the line-of-sight component of the velocity. Several algorithms have therefore been developed to reconstruct the transverse components from observed continuum images or magnetograms. We compare the space and time averages of horizontal velocity fields in the photosphere inferred from pairs of consecutive intensitygrams by the LCT, FLCT, and CST methods and the DeepVel neural network in order to identify the method that is best suited for generating synthetic observations to be used for data assimilation. The Stein and Nordlund (Astrophys. J. Lett.753, L13, 2012) magnetoconvection simulation is used to generate synthetic SDO/HMI intensitygrams and reference flows to train DeepVel. Inferred velocity fields show that DeepVel performs best at subgranular and granular scales and is second only to FLCT at mesogranular and supergranular scales.     

Zooplankton community structure in a highly turbid environment (Charente estuary,France): Spatio-temporal patterns and environmental control

Zooplankton assemblages were studied from January 2007 to January 2008 along the salinity gradient of the Charente estuary (France). A Lagrangian survey was performed monthly at five sampling stations defined by salinity (freshwater, 0.5, 5, 15 and 25) in order to collect zooplankton and measure the main environmental parameters (concentrations of suspended particulate matter, particulate organic carbon, chlorophyll a and phaeopigments). A combination of multivariate cluster analysis, species indicator index and canonical correspondence analysis was used to relate the spatio-temporal patterns of the zooplankton assemblages with environmental drivers. The estuary was divided into three different zones by means of environmental parameters while four zooplankton assemblages were identified along the salinity gradient. The Charente estuary appeared as one of the most turbid systems in Europe, with suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration reaching 3.5 g l⁻¹ in the Maximum Turbidity Zone (MTZ). Algal heterotrophy and microphytobenthos resuspension from the wide mudflats could be responsible for the relatively high chlorophyll a concentrations measured within this MTZ. Salinity and SPM affected significantly the spatial distribution of zooplankton species while temperature and river flow seemed to control their temporal variations. From a zooplanktonic viewpoint, the highly turbid Charente estuary seemed to match an “ecotone–ecocline” model: the succession of species assemblages along the salinity gradient matched the concept of ecocline while the MTZ, which is a stressful narrow area, could be considered as an ecotone. Although such ecoclinal characteristics seemed to be a general feature of estuarine biocenoses, the ecotone could be more system-specific and biological compartment-specific.     

Identification of Gleissberg Cycles and a Rising Trend in a 315-Year-Long Series of Sunspot Numbers

We show in this short note that the method of singular spectrum analysis (SSA) is able to clearly extract a strong, clean, and clear component from the longest available sunspot (International Sunspot Number, ISN) time series (1700?–?2015) that cannot be an artifact of the method and that can be safely identified as the Gleissberg cycle. This is not a small component, as it accounts for 13% of the total variance of the total original signal. Almost three and a half clear Gleissberg cycles are identified in the sunspot number series. Four extended solar minima (XSM) are determined by SSA, the latest around 2000 (Cycle 23/24 minimum). Several authors have argued in favor of a double-peaked structure for the Gleissberg cycle, with one peak between 55 and 59 years and another between 88 and 97 years. We find no evidence of the former: solar activity contains an important component that has undergone clear oscillations of \(\approx90\) years over the past three centuries, with some small but systematic longer-term evolution of “instantaneous” period and amplitude. Half of the variance of solar activity on these time scales can be satisfactorily reproduced as the sum of a monotonous multi-secular increase, a \(\approx90\)-year Gleissberg cycle, and a double-peaked (\(\approx10.0\) and 11.0 years) Schwabe cycle (the sum amounts to 46% of the total variance of the signal). The Gleissberg-cycle component definitely needs to be addressed when attempting to build dynamo models of solar activity. The first SSA component offers evidence of an increasing long-term trend in sunspot numbers, which is compatible with the existence of the modern grand maximum.     

Reconstruction of the North–South Solar Asymmetry with a Kuramoto Model

This paper applies a Kuramoto model of coupled oscillators to investigate the north–south (N–S) solar asymmetry and properties of meridional circulation. We focus our study on the asymmetry of the 11-year phase, which is slight but persistent: only two changes of sign (around 1928 and 1968) are observed in the past century. We present a model of two non-linear coupled oscillators that links the hemispheric phase asymmetry of sunspots with the asymmetry of the meridional flow. We use a Kuramoto model with evolving frequencies and constant symmetric coupling to show how asymmetry in meridional circulation could produce a persistent phase lead of one solar hemisphere over the other. We associate the natural frequencies of the two oscillators with the velocities of the meridional flow cells in the northern and southern hemispheres. We assume the respective circulations to be independent and estimate the value of the relevant cross-equatorial coupling by the coupling coefficient in the Kuramoto model. We find that a persistent N–S asymmetry of sunspots and the change of the leading hemisphere could indeed both be the result of the evolving frequencies of meridional circulation; the necessary asymmetry of the meridional flow may be small; and the cross-equatorial coupling has an intermediate range value. Possible applications of these results in solar dynamo models are discussed.     

Sunken wood habitat for thiotrophic symbiosis in mangrove swamps

Large organic falls to the benthic environment, such as dead wood or whale bones, harbour organisms relying on sulfide-oxidizing symbionts. Nothing is known however, concerning sulfide enrichment at the wood surface and its relation to wood colonization by sulfide-oxidizing symbiotic organisms.In this study we combined in situ hydrogen sulfide and pH measurements on sunken wood, with associated fauna microscopy analyses in a tropical mangrove swamp. This shallow environment is known to harbour thiotrophic symbioses and is also abundantly supplied with sunken wood. A significant sulfide enrichment at the wood surface was revealed. A 72 h sequence of measurements emphasized the wide fluctuation of sulfide levels (0.1–>100 μM) over time with both a tidal influence and rapid fluctuations. Protozoans observed on the wood surface were similar to Zoothamnium niveum and to vorticellids. Our SEM observations revealed their association with ectosymbiotic bacteria, which are likely to be sulfide-oxidizers. These results support the idea that sunken wood surfaces constitute an environment suitable for sulfide-oxidizing symbioses.     

Infaunal burrow ventilation and pore-water transport in muddy sediments

The ventilation of burrows by tube-dwelling benthos is understood to be important in determining rates of exchange of solutes between the sediment and overlying water. However, few models have attempted to link the burrow ventilation behavior of tube-dwelling organisms with their geochemical consequences. The classic cylinder model of bioirrigation in muddy sediments (Aller, R.C., 1980. Quantifying solute distributions in the bioturbated zone of marine sediments by defining an average microenvironment. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 44, 1955–1965) links pore-water processes and burrow sizes and distributions in the sediment by assuming that burrows are fully flushed. The equivalence between the cylinder model and the more commonly used one-dimensional non-local exchange model depends upon this assumption. However, this assumption has seldom been tested in the field. We have extended the cylinder model of bioirrigation to include burrow ventilation activities of organisms. Burrow ventilation is modeled as a simple non-local exchange of burrow water with overlying water. Model simulations indicate that burrow ventilation has a large effect on vertical profiles and fluxes of solute tracers. We collected data on burrow geometry in the field by CT-scanning freshly collected sediment cores. At the same study sites, we measured activity profiles of ²²²Rn, a naturally occurring radionuclide tracer of pore-water transport. With model geometry independently constrained, we tested the model by comparing our model-predicted profiles with measured profiles. Our results demonstrate that burrows in the field are not fully flushed. Our estimated burrow ventilation rates compare favorably with previous laboratory measurements. The inclusion of realistic burrow ventilation in this pore-water transport model strongly affects modeled solute profiles and fluxes. We demonstrate how model parameters can be determined from field samples and present a model that more realistically simulates pore-water transport processes in muddy sediments.