An Ecological-Physical Coupled Model with Ontogenetic Vertical Migration of Zooplankton in the Northwestern Pacific

A vertical one-dimensional ecosystem model with vertical migration of zooplankton was constructed and applied to Station A-7 off Sanriku district of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The model consists of an eight-compartment ecosystem model coupled with a physical model of the oceanic mixed layer. The transition of phytoplankton species responsible for the spring bloom is well reproduced by this model with vertical migration of zooplankton but is not simulated by the model without vertical migration. This new model also simulates an observed inter-annual variability of the spring bloom, with the timing and intensity of the simulated bloom in a given year depending upon the strength of mixing during the preceding winter. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A lower trophic ecosystem model including iron effects in the Okhotsk Sea

We applied a three-dimensional ecosystem-physical coupled model including iron the effect to the Okhotsk Sea. In order to clarify the sources of iron, four dissolved iron compartments, based on the sources of supply, were added to Kawamiya et al.'s [1995, An ecological-physical coupled model applied to Station Papa. Journal of Oceanography, 51, 635-664] model (KKYS) to create our ecosystem model (KKYS-Fe). We hypothesized that four processes supply iron to sea water: atmospheric loadings from Northeastern Asia, input from the Amur River, dissolution from sediments and regeneration by zooplankton and bacteria. We simulated one year, from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001, using both KKYS-Fe and KKYS. KKYS could not reproduce the surface nitrate distribution after the spring bloom, whereas KKYS-Fe agreed well with observations in the northwestern Pacific because it includes iron limitation of phytoplankton growth. During the spring bloom, the main source of iron at the sea surface is from the atmosphere. The contribution of riverine iron to the total iron utilized for primary production is small in the Okhotsk Sea. Atmospheric deposition, the iron flux from sediment and regeneration of iron in the water column play important roles in maintaining high primary production in the Okhotsk Sea.     

Estimates of Energy Dissipation Rates in the Three-Dimensional Deep Ocean Internal Wave Field

Using the “Eikonal Approach” (Henyey et al., 1986), we estimate energy dissipation rates in the three-dimensional Garrett-Munk internal wave field. The total energy dissipation rate within the undisturbed GM internal wave field is found to be 4.34 × 10⁻⁹ W kg⁻¹. This corresponds to a diapycnal diffusivity of about 0.3 × 10⁻⁴ m²s⁻¹, which is less than the value 10⁻⁴ m²s⁻¹ required to sustain the global ocean overturning circulation. Only when the high vertical wavenumber, near-inertial current shear is enhanced can diapycnal diffusivity reach ∼10⁻⁴ m²s⁻¹. It follows that the energy supplied at low vertical wavenumbers and low frequencies is efficiently transferred to high vertical wavenumbers and near-inertial frequencies in the mixing hotspots in the real ocean.     

Assessment of digital camera-derived vegetation indices in quantitative monitoring of seasonal rice growth

A commercially available digital camera can be used in a low-cost automatic observation system for monitoring crop growth change in open-air fields. We developed a prototype Crop Phenology Recording System (CPRS) for monitoring rice growth, but the ready-made waterproof cases that we used produced shadows on the images. After modifying the waterproof cases, we repeated the fixed-point camera observations to clarify questions regarding digital camera-derived vegetation indices (VIs), namely, the visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) based on daytime normal color images (RGB image) and the nighttime relative brightness index (NRBI_NIR) based on nighttime near infrared (NIR) images. We also took frequent measurements of agronomic data such as plant length, leaf area index (LAI), and aboveground dry matter weight to gain a detailed understanding of the temporal relationship between the VIs and the biophysical parameters of rice. In addition, we conducted another nighttime outdoor experiment to establish the link between NRBI_NIR and camera-to-object distance. The study produced the following findings. (1) The customized waterproof cases succeeded in preventing large shadows from being cast, especially on nighttime images, and it was confirmed that the brightness of the nighttime NIR images had spatial heterogeneity when a point light source (flashlight) was used, in contrast to the daytime RGB images. (2) The additional experiment using a forklift showed that both the ISO sensitivity and the calibrated digital number of the NIR (cDN_NIR) had significant effects on the sensitivity of NRBI_NIR to the camera-to-object distance. (3) Detailed measurements of a reproductive stem were collected to investigate the connection between the morphological feature change caused by the panicle sagging process and the downtrend in NRBI_NIR during the reproductive stages. However, these agronomic data were not completely in accord with NRBI_NIR in terms of the temporal pattern. (4) The time-series data for the LAI, plant length, and aboveground dry matter weight could be well approximated by a sigmoid curve based on NRBI_NIR and VARI. The results confirmed that NRBI_NIR was more sensitive to all of the agronomic data for overall season, including the early reproductive stages. VARI had an especially high correlation with LAI, unless yellow panicles appeared in the field of view.     

Energetics of wind-induced turbulent mixing in the ocean

The pattern and magnitude of the global ocean overturning circulation is believed to be strongly controlled by the distribution of diapycnal diffusivity below 1000 m depth. Although wind stress fluctuation is a candidate for the major energy sources of diapycnal mixing processes, the global distribution of wind-induced diapycnal diffusivity is still uncertain. It has been believed that internal waves generated by wind stress fluctuations at middle and high latitudes propagate equatorward until their frequency is twice the local inertial frequency and break down via parametric subharmonic instabilities, causing diapycnal mixing. In order to check the proposed scenario, we use a vertically two-dimensional primitive equation model to examine the spatial distribution of “mixing hotspots” caused by wind stress fluctuations. It is shown that most of the wind-induced energy fed into the ocean interior is dissipated within the top 1000 m depth in the wind-forced area and the energy dissipation rate at low latitudes is very small. Consequently, the energy supplied to diapycnal mixing processes below 1000 m depth falls short of the level required to sustain the global ocean overturning circulation.     

An ecological-physical coupled model applied to Station Papa

A vertical one-dimensional ecosystem model was constructed and applied to Station Papa. The model has seven compartments (phytoplankton, nitrate, ammonium, zooplankton, particulate organic matters, dissolved organic matters, dissolved oxygen) and was coupled with a mixed layer model for calculating diffusion coefficient which appears in the governing equations. The mixed layer model was driven by SST, SSS data observed at Station Papa in 1980 and ECMWF wind data for 1980, and the ecosystem model was driven by fixing nitrate concentration in deep layer to an observational value. The phytoplankton maximum in March was reproduced by the model although the maximum in fall-winter could not be reproduced. The model also suggests the importance of studying nitrification. As a whole, the model could reproduce characteristic features at Station Papa such as the summer ammonium maximum at 50 m depth, the summer dissolved oxygen maximum at 70 m depth and the absence of remarkable phytoplankton bloom.     

Attempting Consistent Simulations of Stn. ALOHA with a Multi-Element Ecosystem Model

We used a one dimensional, multi-element model to simulate the primary production (PP), recycling and export of organic matter at Stn. ALOHA, near Hawaii. We compared versions of the model with and without the cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) via the Microbial Food Web (MFW). We incorporated recently published measurements of high C:N ratios for uptake by diazotrophs. For other phytoplankton we included a formulation for overflow production of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which occurs under nutrient-limited, light-replete conditions. We were able to match the observed mean DOC profile near the surface with both models, by tuning only the fraction of overflow DOC that is labile. The simulated bulk C:N remineralization ratio from the MFW model agreed well with a data-based estimate for the North Pacific subtropical gyre, but that from the Base model was too low. This is because the MFW model includes bacteria, with their low-C:N biomass. Simulated mean PP was lower than observed by 10% (Base) and 27% (MFW). This is consistent with the expectation that the ¹⁴C-method measures something greater than net production. DOC accounted for approximately half of simulated PP, most of this being overflow DOC. We find that overflow production and the MFW are key processes for reconciling the various data and PP measurements at this oligotrophic site. The impact of bacteria on the C:N remineralization ratio is an important link between ecosystem structure and the cycling of carbon.