The oxygen isotope composition of water masses within the North Sea

Based on measurements of the ¹⁸O isotope composition of 247 samples collected over a 3-year period we have assessed the oxygen isotope composition of water masses in the North Sea. This is the first δ¹⁸O data set that covers the entire North Sea basin. The waters lie on a mixing line: δ¹⁸O (‰_VSMOW) = −9.300 + 0.274(S) with North Atlantic sub-polar mode water (SPMW) and surface waters, and Baltic Sea water representing the saline and freshwater end members respectively. Patterns exhibited in surface and bottom water δ¹⁸O distributions are representative of the general circulation of the North Sea. Oxygen-18 enriched waters from the North Atlantic enter the North Sea between Scotland and Norway and to a lesser extent through the English Channel. In contrast, oxygen-18 depleted waters mainly inflow from the Baltic Sea, the rivers Rhine and Elbe, and to a lesser degree, the Norwegian Fjords and other river sources. Locally the δ¹⁸O–salinity relationship will be controlled by the isotopic composition of the freshwater inputs. However, the range of local freshwater compositions around the North Sea basin is too narrow to characterise the relative contributions of individual sources to the overall seawater composition. This dataset provides important information for a number of related disciplines including biogeochemical research and oceanographic studies.     

Numerical study on salinity stratification in the Pamlico River Estuary

The variations of current circulation, salt intrusion, and vertical stratification under different river flow and wind conditions in the Pamlico River Estuary (PRE) were investigated in this paper using a three-dimensional numerical model. The model was calibrated and verified against water level variation, temperature, and salinity variations during 2003 and 2001, respectively. Eight sensitivity tests were conducted with different river flow and wind conditions specified in the model. Model results show that salinity intruded further upstream under scenarios with low flow, downriver local wind, and remote-wind-caused water level set-up conditions. In contrast, the responses of salinity stratification to different environmental forcing functions were different in different portions of the estuary. Salinity stratification was enhanced under high flow condition at the lower part of the estuary, under upriver wind near the river mouth, under downriver wind at the upstream to middle portion of the estuary, and under remote-wind-caused water level set-up condition at the majority of the estuary except near the river mouth. Model results also show that across-channel wind tended to reduce salt intrusion and salinity stratification in the PRE through increased vertical mixing.     

强壮箭虫对温度、盐度的耐受性研究

研究强壮箭虫对突变温度、突变盐度和渐变温度、渐变盐度的耐受性.结果表明:水温由15℃突变到1℃时,存活率为75%;水温由15℃突变为30℃时,存活率仅为5%.求得24h急性半致死温度上限为27.2℃.水温从20℃逐渐上升至25、30、35℃,存活率分别为85 %、10 %、0 %;水温从20℃逐渐下降至15、10、5℃,其存活率分别为 100 %、95 %和80 %.盐度从31突变为20、40,箭虫的存活率均为100%,随着盐度突变幅度的增大,强壮箭虫的存活率呈降低趋势.求得24h急性半致死盐度上限为45,24h急性半致死盐度下限为13.3.盐度逐渐从31上升到46、 52,其存活率由90%下降到0%;盐度逐渐从31降到13、6,其存活率由95%下降到0%.求得间隔12h半致死渐变盐度上限为48.7,半致死渐变盐度下限为9.3.根据实验结果,强壮箭虫应属喜冷广温种和近岸广盐种.     

Physiological and behavioral responses of Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) to hypersaline conditions at a brine pool cold seep

Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) are two of the most abundant invertebrates associated with cold‐seep mussel beds in the Gulf of Mexico. At the methane seep known as Brine Pool NR‐1 (27 °43.415 N, 91 °16.756 W; 650 m depth), which is surrounded by a broad band of mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi), these species have distinctly different patterns of abundance, with the gastropod being found mostly at the outer edge of the mussel bed (average density in November 2003: 817 individuals·m⁻² in outer zone, 20·m⁻² in inner zone) and the polychaete being found almost exclusively near the inner edge (average density in November 2003: 3155 individuals·m⁻² in inner zone, 0·m⁻² in outer zone), adjacent to the brine pool itself. The salinity of the brine pool exceeds 120, so we hypothesized that M. dendrobranchiata should be more tolerant of high salinities than B. naticoidea. The opposite proved to be true. The gastropods were capable of withstanding salinities at least as high as 85, whereas the polychaetes died at salinities higher than 75. Both species were osmoconformers over the range of salinities (35–75) tested. Behavioral responses of B. naticoidea to salinities of 50, 60, and 70 were investigated in inverted vertical haloclines. Gastropods generally did not enter water of salinity greater than 60, but tolerated short periods at 60. Behavioral avoidance of brine should limit the vertical distribution of B. naticoidea in the inner zone to the top 2.5–5 cm of the mussel bed. Behavior is also a likely (though unproven) mechanism for controlling horizontal distribution of this species across the mussel bed. Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata can tolerate short excursions into the brine, but probably avoids hypersaline conditions by aggregating on the tops of the mussels.     

Phytoplankton biomass and size fractions in surface waters of the Australian sector of the southern ocean

We collected surface water along the 142nd E meridian from Tasmania to Antarctica in December 1999. We measured temperature, salinity and total chlorophyll a; additionally, we collected suspended particle size fractions and used fluorometric analysis to determine the quantity of chlorophyll a in each of four cell size classes: picoplankton (<3 μm), two nanoplankton fractions (3–10 μm and 10–20 μm) and microplankton (> 20 μm). Changes in temperature and salinity show that we crossed 6 water masses separated by 5 fronts. We found low abundance (<0.2 mg m⁻³) of chlorophyll in all size classes, with the exception of higher values near the continent (0.2 to 0.4 mg m⁻³). Lowest chlorophyll values (<0.1 mg m⁻³) were found in the Polar Frontal Zone (51° to 54°S). Microplankton made up the largest portion of total chlorophyll throughout most of the region. We conclude that biomass of all phytoplankton fractions, especially pico-and nanoplankton, was constrained by limiting factors, most probably iron, throughout the region and that ecosystem dynamics within a zone are not circumpolar but are regionalized within sectors.     

黄河口附近海区水文要素基本特征

根据大量的实测资料,较详细地分析了黄河口附近海区的温度、盐度、密度时空分布变化规律,探讨了该海区的水流动力结构.阐明了渤海中部区高盐水团较稳定,沿岸冲淡水堆积,其中莱州湾是常年堆积最多的海区,等密度线南下倾斜,有利于黄河入海水偏东扩散.发现在莱州湾口一线有盐度低槽,可能是常流向东的主要路线.     

长江河口径流与盐度的谱分析

根据大通水文站的流量和引水船站的盐度系列资料,应用谱分析方法研究长江口径流、盐度的变化规律及两者的相互关系.分析表明,长江口径流存在4～8a,2～3a,1.5a,1a,30～60d及20d的及化周期;盐度存在5～10a,2～3a,1.5a,1a,0.5a,40～50d,26～30d,14～15d7～8d及3.5d的变化周期.径流和盐度的谱结构在各水文年基本一致,均以1a周期变化占优势,但盐度谱结构在高频部分较径流的谱结构具有更大的振荡.盐度与流量的5～10a,2～3a,1.5a,1a的周期振动上存在高相关.径流对盐度变化的影响主要体现在低频部分.在低频变化中表现为盐度变化滞后于径流变化,在高频带呈同步变化.     

盐碱水NaCl浓度和碱度对银鲫(Carassius auratus gibelio)幼鱼毒性的初步研究

通过对银鲫(Carassiusauratusgibelio)幼鱼(L=3.56±0.28cm)的NaCl浓度(pH=8.80±0.10)及碱度(pH=8.84±0.26)的急性毒性试验，用概率单位法求得其24，48，96h的半致死浓度(LC50值)NaCl浓度分别为11.53、10.77、8.58g/L；碱度分别为98.74、79.49、64.19mmol/L。在此基础上采用水生毒理联合效应相加指数法进行了氯化钠与碳酸氢钠浓度的联合毒性实验(浓度=11)，结果在96h内二者的关系全部为协同作用,且其协同性逐渐减弱并趋向于相加作用。     

Evidence for microbiological manganese oxidation in the river Tamar Estuary, South West England

Water samples from the Tamar Estuary oxidized manganese when supplemented with Mn²⁺ (2 mgl⁻¹). The rates of oxidation were depressed in the presence of various metabolic inhibitors. The effect of Mn²⁺ and temperature on the rate of manganese oxidation suggested that a biological process was largely responsible for converting Mn²⁺ to Mn⁴⁺. Rates of manganese oxidation were much higher in freshwater (3·32 μgl⁻¹ h⁻¹ in water containing 30 mgl⁻¹ of suspended matter) than in saline water (0·7 μgl⁻¹ h⁻¹ in water of salinity 32‰) containing the same amount of particulate matter. The rate of manganese oxidation was proportional to the particulate load (up to 100 mgl⁻¹ particulates).     

The effect of submarine groundwater discharge on nutrient and salinity regimes in a coastal lagoon off Perth, Western Australia

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into a coastal lagoon off Perth, Western Australia, contains nitrate and silicate in concentrations two orders of magnitude higher than those of the receiving waters. This discharge delivers enough nitrate to replace that dissolved in the lagoon water mass about every eight days and enough silicate to replace the lagoon silicate in about 48 days. The delivery rate of nitrate nitrogen by SGD is equal to about 48% of that required for observed growth rates of lagoon macrophytes. Surface salinity is lower close to the shore as a result of SGD. During calm conditions a salinity front was observed in the lagoon, with a nearshore pool of nutrient-enriched water floating above the more saline ocean water.