On the application of the units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter in oceanology

We consider the procedures of conversion of the conventional and out-of-system units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter used in oceanology to the International System of Units (SI). The coefficients of conversion are presented in the form of a table. We present the data on the units of measurement of mineralization (scales of salinity) of seawater for the oceanic range of its variability, freshened waters of internal seas, and brines. The contemporary concept of salinity as a dimensionless quantity is discussed.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 61–72, July–August, 2004.     

Temperature of the ocean surface as an indicator of thermodynamic processes in the northwest Pacific

The numerical computations and analysis of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface in the northwest part of the Pacific Ocean were carried out on the basis of the archival data for 1960 and 1964–1985. A five-year period of general instability of the annual average temperature was revealed (1973–1977). In this period, the year 1974 was the coldest and the year 1977 was characterized as extremely warm. We performed the analysis of the interannual and annual variability of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface and revealed common features and distinctions of the seasonal evolution of these anomalies for years with substantially different temperature conditions. A quasistationary zone of maximally heated waters was discovered in the band located (independently of the year and season) between 36 and 46°N to the east of 140°E. This zone coincides in space with the zone of the subarctic front and the south part of the subarctic region. The influence of the meanders of the Kuroshio Current was demonstrated. It is shown that their activity increases after the events of El-Niño and, hence, the thermal energy of the water area considerably increases and remains elevated for a period of 1–2 yr after the indicated events.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 45–52, September–October, 2004.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to cover date.     

Circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea: Overview and review

A review is made of circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea (the Ulleung Basin), and the Korea/Tsushima Strait which is a unique conduit for surface inflow into the Ulleung Basin. The review particularly concentrates on describing some preliminary results from recent extensive measurements made after 1996. Mean flow patterns are different in the upstream and downstream regions of the Korea/Tsushima Strait. A high velocity core occurs in the mid-section in the upstream region, and splits into two cores hugging the coasts of Korea and Japan, the downstream region, after passing around Tsushima Island located in the middle of the strait. Four-year mean transport into the East/Japan Sea through the Korea/Tsushima Strait based on submarine cable data calibrated by direct observations is 2.4 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). A wide range of variability occurs for the subtidal transport variation from subinertial (2–10 days) to interannual scales. While the subinertial variability is shown to arise from the atmospheric pressure disturbances, the longer period variation has been poorly understood.Mean upper circulation of the Ulleung Basin is characterized by the northward flowing East Korean Warm Current along the east coast of Korea and its meander eastward after the separation from the coast, the Offshore Branch along the coast of Japan, and the anticyclonic Ulleung Warm Eddy that forms from a meander of the East Korean Warm Current. Continuous acoustic travel-time measurements between June 1999 and June 2001 suggest five quasi-stable upper circulation patterns that persist for about 3–5 months with transitions between successive patterns occurring in a few months or days. Disappearance of the East Korean Warm Current is triggered by merging the Dok Cold Eddy, originating from the pinching-off of the meander trough, with the coastal cold water carried Southward by the North Korean Cold Current. The Ulleung Warm Eddy persisted for about 20 months in the middle of the Ulleung Basin with changes in its position and spatial scale associated with strengthening and weakening of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. The variability of upper circulation is partly related to the transport variation through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. Movements of the coastal cold water and the instability of the polar front also appear to be important factors affecting the variability.Deep circulation in the Ulleung Basin is primarily cyclonic and commonly consists of one or more cyclonic cells, and an anticyclonic cell centered near Ulleung Island. The cyclonic circulation is conjectured to be driven by a net inflow through the Ulleung Interplain Gap, which serves as a conduit for the exchange of deep waters between the Japan Basin in the northern East Sea and the Ulleung Basin. Deep currents are characterized by a short correlation scale and the predominance of mesoscale variability with periods of 20–40 days. Seasonality of deep currents is indistinct, and the coupling of upper and deep circulation has not been clarified yet.     

Structure of the mesoscale variability of the troposphere and stratosphere found from radio refraction measurements via CHAMP satellites

Data of an experiment on radio occultation sounding of the atmosphere with the use of GPS signals were used to obtain global distributions of the variances of mesoscale variations in the refractive index in the troposphere and stratosphere. The experiment was carried out with the CHAMP satellite during the period 2001–2005. Measured vertical profiles were smoothed inside 5–10-km-thick layers centered at different altitudes in the troposphere and stratosphere with the use of second-degree polynomials. Deviations from the smoothed quantities and the corresponding variances were obtained for each profile and averaged for each month during the analyzed interval of the CHAMP experiment. Altitude-longitude-latitude inhomogeneities in the distribution of refractive index variances were analyzed. Altitude and latitude distributions of maxima and minima of refractive index variances depend on altitude and season. Turbulence and acoustic gravity waves can be the causes of small-scale and mesoscale variations in the refractive index of the troposphere and stratosphere. The variances of variations in the refractive index are greater in the regions of tropospheric jet streams and in the zones of near-equatorial deep convection. Atmospheric disturbances increase over mountain systems.     

海洋藻类--对付全球变暖的武器?

最近,由欧盟(则资助的研究项目(Parforce)研究人员发现了海洋藻类与气候变化之间的联系。项目研究人员发现,从海洋藻类及浮游生物释放的碘蒸汽,在海面上浓缩,形成对抗地球变暖的悬浮微粒。此悬浮微粒对地球气候变化及降     

湛江港风暴增水特征分析

本文在统计1950－1997年影响湛江港的热带气旋的基础上，利用1953－1982年30年间湛江港发生的风暴增水的资料，对湛江港风暴增水的总体特征进行了分析，总结出湛江港风暴增水的特征在于季节分布的不均匀、大的正增水和高实测水位出现频繁、造成的风暴潮灾比较严重；通过两类典型风暴潮的详细分析，结果表明：湛江港的风暴增水与影响湛江的热带气旋密切相关，大的风暴增水主要由台风引起，湛江港的地理位置也是影响风暴增水的重要因子。     

Correlative changes in metabolism and DNA damage in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) exposed to benzo[a]pyrene

Juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) were injected intraperitoneally with either corn oil or 5 mg/kg benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) dissolved in corn oil and sampled I and 3 days after injection. After 1 day, no elevation of 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity was observed, however bile metabolites (BaP-7,8 dihydrodiol representing 70% of the total metabolites) and a single hepatic DNA adduct spot (0.47 adducts/10(8) nucleotides) identified by 32P-postlabelling were formed. No BaP metabolites or DNA adducts were observed in either control or carrier control fish. Fish sampled after 3 days reported 5-fold higher (P < 0.05) levels of EROD activity, a shift in the bile metabolite profile towards BaP phenol formation (1OH and 30H BaP comprising up to 60% of total metabolites detected) and the formation of two adduct spots (0.86 and 0.71 adducts/10(8) nucleotides). These results show that BaP can be metabolised and form hydrophobic DNA adducts in turbot without EROD elevation. Following EROD elevation, a shift in the profile of both BaP metabolites and BaP metabolite-DNA interactions occurs indicative of other oxidative processes.     

Microbial Biomass and Organic Nutrients in the Deep-Sea Sediments of the Central Indian Ocean Basin

In order to assess the impact of deep-sea mining on the in situ benthic life, we measured the microbial standing stock and concentration of organic nutrients in the deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Ocean Basin in the Indian pioneer area. Sediments were collected using box core and grab samples during September 1996. The total bacterial numbers ranged from 10 10 -10 11 cells per g -1 dry weight sediment. There was a marginal decrease in the number of bacteria from surface to 30 cm depth, though the subsurface section registered a higher number than did the surface. The highest numbers were encountered at depths of 4-8 cm. The retrievable number of bacteria were two orders less in comparison with the direct total counts of bacteria. An almost homogeneous distribution of bacteria, total organic carbon, living biomass, and lipids throughout the depth of cores indicates active microbial and benthic processes in the deep sea sediments. On the other hand, a uniform distribution of total counts of bacteria, carbohydrates, and total organic carbon in all the cores indicates their stable nature and suggests that they can serve as useful parameters for long-term monitoring of the area after the benthic disturbance. Further studies on temporal variability in this region would not only verify the observed norms of distribution of these variables but would also help to understand restabilization processes after the simulated benthic disturbance.