Estimation of Sea Ice Thickness from SARAL/AltiKa in Drifting Orbit Phase

Abstract

Intra and inter-annual variations in the sea ice thickness are highly sensitive indicators of climatic variations undergoing in the earth’s atmosphere and oceans. This paper describes the method of estimating sea ice thickness using radar waveforms data acquired by SARAL/Altika mission during its drifting orbit phase from July 2016 onwards yielding spatially dense data coverage. Based on statistical analysis of return echoes, classification of the surface has been carried out in three different types, viz. floe, lead and mixed. Time delay correction methods were suitably selected and implemented to make corrections in altimetric range measurements and thereby freeboard. By assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, freeboard data were converted into sea ice thickness. Results show that sea ice thickness varies from 4 to 5?m near ice shelves and 1 to 2.5?m in the marginal sea ice regions. Freeboard and sea ice thickness estimates were also validated using NASA’s Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) datasets. Freeboard measurements show very high correlation (0.97) having RMSE of 0.13. Overestimation of approximately 1–2?m observed in the sea ice thickness, which could be attributed to distance between AltiKa footprint and OIB locations. Moreover, sensitivity analysis shows that snow depth and snow density over sea ice play crucial role in the estimation of sea ice thickness.     

Diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from the waters of Mauritius (western Indian Ocean) inferred from stomach contents and fatty acid analysis

The diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from their spawning ground in the waters of Mauritius was investigated. The stomach contents of 249 albacore individuals, caught by industrial longliners and artisanal fishers, was analysed, and the dominant prey taxa were selected for lipid and fatty acid (FA) analysis. The FA profiles of prey were compared with those of liver tissue of spawning-capable and post-spawning female albacore, using multivariate analysis. Whereas stomach content analysis identified cephalopods and crustaceans as the dominant prey items in number, FA-profile analysis identified crustaceans and fishes as the most-frequently consumed prey of post-spawning female albacore. In contrast, the FA profiles of spawning-capable albacore and those of prey showed very low similarity. Analysis of the prey suggests that although cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes could all provide albacore with the required lipids and FAs, cephalopod prey seem to be less desirable owing to their lower energy content (i.e. low in total lipid, triacylglycerol, 16:0, 18:0 and 18:1ω9). Instead, the most beneficial food appeared to be locally available fishes, which are more energy-rich and have a higher docosahexaenoic acid/ eicosapentaenoic acid ratio. These results provide new information on the trophic ecology of albacore, promote our understanding of the importance of prey type for successful reproduction of albacore, and highlight the advantages of FA profiling to study diet.     

Effects of cold eddy on phytoplankton production and assemblages in Luzon strait bordering the South China Sea

The biochemical effects of a cold-core eddy that was shed from the Kuroshio Current at the Luzon Strait bordering the South China Sea (SCS) were studied in late spring, a relatively unproductive season in the SCS. The extent of the eddy was determined by time-series images of SeaWiFS ocean color, AVHRR sea surface temperature, and TOPEX/Jason-1 sea surface height anomaly. Nutrient budgets, nitrate-based new production, primary production, and phytoplankton assemblages were compared between the eddy and its surrounding Kuroshio and SCS waters. The enhanced productivity in the eddy was comparable to wintertime productivity in the SCS basin, which is supported by upwelled subsurface nitrate under the prevailing Northeastern Monsoon. There were more Synechococcus, pico-eucaryotes, and diatoms, but less Trichodesmium in the surface water inside the eddy than outside. Prochlorococcus and Richelia intracellularis showed no spatial differences. Water column-integrated primary production (IPP) inside the eddy was 2–3 times that outside the eddy in the SCS (1.09 vs. 0.59 g C m⁻²d⁻¹), as was nitrate-based new production (INP) (0.67 vs. 0.25 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). INP in the eddy was 6 times that in the Kuroshio (0.12 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). IPP and INP in the eddy were higher than the maximum production values ever measured in the SCS basin. Surface chlorophyll a concentration (0.40 mg m⁻³) in the eddy equaled the maximum concentration registered for the SCS basin and was higher than the wintertime average (0.29 ± 0.04 mg m⁻³). INP was 3.5 times as great and IPP was doubled in the eddy compared to the wintertime SCS basin. As cold core eddies form intermittently all year round as the Kuroshio invades the SCS, their effects on phytoplankton productivity and assemblages are likely to have important influences on the biogeochemical cycle of the region.     

四川椎实螺属一新种(肺螺亚纲:基眼目,椎实螺科)

作者1987年于四川省乐山市大渡河尾段发现椎实螺属一新种,现命名为乐山椎实螺(Lymnaea leshanensis sp.nov.)。该种与日本琵琶湖产的 Lymnaea onychia 相似,但贝壳的形态、齿式、齿形、两性生殖系统的诸器官、外套膜的色带、个体大小、生活环境和动物区系均有所不同。前者属东洋区系,后者属古北区系。     

广西沿岸海平面变化的关联维数研究

采用相空间重构和关联维数方法，研究了广西沿岸月平均海平面变化的分形特征，结果表明，相空间重构的延迟时间τ为3△t，当关联维数趋于饱和时，石头埠，北海和龙尾的相空间维数为7，而涠洲岛为9，它们的关联维数平均值平均值分别为6.6507,6.5414,6.7059.     

Studies on Genus Cryptomonas from China seas

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＣｒｙｐｔｏｍｏｎａｓｉｓｕｎｉｃｅｌｌｕｌａｒｂｉｆｌａｇｅｌｌａｔｅｗｈｉｃｈｉｓａｃｏｍｍｏｎｇｅｎｕｓｏｆＣｒｙｐｔｏｐｈｙｔａ .Ｔｈｅｃｅｌｌｓａｒｅｕｓｕａｌｌｙｓｔｒｏｎｇｌｙｃｏｍｐｒｅｓｓｅｄｌａｔｅｒａｌｌｙ .ＴｈｅｒｅａｒｅｏｎｅｏｒｔｗｏｌａｒｇｅＣｈｌｏｒｏｐｌａｓｔｓｔｈａｔｃｏｎｔａｉｎｃｈｌｏｒｏｐｈｙｌｌａ ,ｃ ,ｓｏｍｅｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｃａｒｏｔｅｎｏｉｄｓａｎｄｐｈｙｃｏｂｉｌｉｎｐｉｇｍｅｎｔｓ (Ｈｕｅｔａｌ.,1 997;Ｗｅｉ…     

碳水化合物的组合合成

碳水化合物的组合合成是一项新兴技术，该技术可以在短时间内合成大量用于进行生物活性筛选的寡糖及拟糖物。液相与固相合成技术可以极大地加快药物研究与开发进程。作者针对该技术在碳水化合物合成方面的研究进展情况进行讨论。