Global Statistical Assessment and Cross-Calibration with Jason-2 for Reprocessed HY-2 A Altimeter Data

HY-2 A (Haiyang-2 A) satellite was launched on August 16, 2011 and radar altimeter is one of its main payloads. We reprocessed two years of HY-2 A altimeter sensor geophysical dataset records (SGDR) data. This paper presents the main results in terms of reprocessed HY-2 A altimeter data quality: verification of data availability and validity, monitoring several relevant altimeter parameters, and assessment of the HY-2 A altimeter system performances. A cross-calibration analysis of reprocessed HY-2 A altimeter data with Jason-2 was conducted. The reprocessed HY-2 A altimeter data show good quality and have a low level of noise with respect to Jason-2. The same geophysical correction methods were used to calculate the sea surface height (SSH) for the two missions. The mean standard deviations of the crossover differences for HY-2 A and Jason-2 are 5.24 cm and 5.34 cm, respectively. The mean standard deviation of the crossover differences between HY-2 A and Jason-2 is 5.37 cm. These show that HY-2 A can provide SSH measurements at almost the same level of accuracy as Jason-2. The relative SSH bias between HY-2 A and Jason-2 due to the Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) drift is obviously observed, and it can affect the calculation of mean sea level and should be further studied and corrected.     

A New Retracking Technique for Brown Peaky Altimetric Waveforms

A new Brown-Peaky (BP) retracker has been developed for peaky waveforms that usually appear within ～10 km to the coastline. The main feature of the BP is that it fits peaky waveforms using the Brown model without introducing a peak function. The retracking strategy first detects the peak location and width of a waveform using an adaptive peak detection method, and then estimates retracking parameters using a weighted least squares (WLS) estimator. The WLS assigns a downsized weight to corrupted waveform gates, but an equal weight to other normal waveform gates. The BP retracker has been applied to 4-year Jason-1 waveform (2002–2006) in two Australian coastal zones. The results retracked by BP, MLE4 and ALES retrackers have been validated against tide-gauge observations located at Burnie, Lorne and Broome. The comparison results show that three retrackers have similar performance over open oceans with the correlation coefficient (～0.7) and RMSE (～13 cm) between altimetric and tide-gauge sea levels for distance >7 km offshore. The main improvement of BP retracker occurs for distance ≤7 km to the coastline, where validation results indicate that data retracked by BP are more accurate (15–21 cm) than those by ALES (16–24 cm) and MLE4 (19–37 cm).     

Biotic consequences of a shift in invertebrate ecosystem engineers: Invasion of New Zealand rocky shores by a zone‐forming ascidian

The pervasive effects of invasive ecosystem engineers, that is those species that modify their environment, are well documented, but rarely have the broader impacts of one foundation invertebrate species being replaced by another been examined. In New Zealand, green‐lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, commonly dominate wave‐exposed rocky shores. The recent appearance of an invasive ecosystem engineer, the ascidian Pyura doppelgangera, at the very northern tip of New Zealand now threatens to exclude these bivalves from this habitat. Here, we report major shifts in assemblages associated with the invader and chronicle its continued spread. We examined epibiota associated with clumps of mussels and clumps of Pyura from two rocky shore habitats—pools and emergent substrata at two locations. We detected some differences in species richness in biota associated with the two foundation species, but faunal abundance only differed between the locations. These minor changes were dwarfed by the shift in species composition within clumps of each foundation species. Molluscs, particularly gastropods, and crustaceans dominated the assemblage within mussels. In contrast, tubicolous polychaetes dominated the fauna associated with the ascidian. Sessile epifauna, notably barnacles and calcareous tube‐dwelling polychaetes, were common on mussels, but never encountered on the ascidian. Multivariate analysis revealed marked dissimilarity (>80%) between the characteristic mussel and ascidian faunas with virtually no overlap. This biotic shift overshadowed any differences between habitats and locations. The broader implications of these faunal shifts for local and regional patterns of biodiversity, as well as ecosystem function, remain unclear, but deserve further attention.     

Macrobenthic infaunal communities associated with deep‐sea hydrocarbon seeps in the northern Gulf of Mexico

There are thousands of seeps in the deep ocean worldwide; however, many questions remain about their contributions to global biodiversity and the surrounding deep‐sea environment. In addition to being globally distributed, seeps provide several benefits to humans such as unique habitats, organisms with novel genes, and carbon regulation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are unique seep macrobenthic assemblages, by comparing seep and nonseep environments, different seep habitats, and seeps at different depths and locations. Infaunal community composition, diversity, and abundance were examined between seep and nonseep background environments and among three seep habitats (i.e., microbial mats, tubeworms, and soft‐bottom seeps). Abundances were higher at seep sites compared to background areas. Abundance and diversity also differed among microbial mat, tubeworm, and soft‐bottom seep habitats. Although seeps contained different macrobenthic assemblages than nonseep areas, infaunal communities were also generally unique for each seep. Variability was 75% greater within communities near seeps compared to communities in background areas. Thus, high variability in community structure characterized seep communities rather than specific taxa. The lack of similarity among seep sites supports the idea that there are no specific infauna that can be used as indicators of seepage throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico, at least at higher taxonomic levels.     

2016年中国沿海海平面上升显著成因分析及影响

使用中国沿海及西北太平洋区域的水位、海温、气温、气压和风等水文气象资料,详细分析了2016年中国沿海海平面显著升高的成因及影响。分析结果表明:（1）2012-2016年,中国沿海海平面处于准2 a、4 a、准9 a和准19 a周期振荡的高位,几个周期振荡高位叠加,对该时段海平面上升起了一定的作用;（2）2016年,中国沿海气温和海温较1993-2011年的平均值分别高0.7℃与0.5℃,均处于1980年以来高位;气压较1993-2011年的平均值低0.2 hPa;（3）2016年4月、9月、10月和11月,中国沿海海平面均达到1980年以来同期高位,这4个月的风场距平值在东海以南均明显偏大,且以偏南向和向岸风为主,风生流使得海水向岸堆积,沿海长时间以增水为主,对当月局部海平面上升的贡献率达到40%~80%;（4）2016年,中国沿海降水总体偏多,局部区域降水量达到历史同期最高,加上沿海径流量的增加,对沿海局部海平面升高有一定贡献;（5）2016年9-10月,有5个台风相继影响我国南部沿海,持续的风暴潮增水导致台风影响期间的海平面高于当月平均海平面70~360 mm,风暴潮和洪涝灾害给当地造成直接经济损失超过30亿元。     

Scales of predator detection behavior and escape in Fissurella limbata: A field and laboratory assessment

The consumptive effects of predators are widely acknowledged, but predation can also impact prey populations through non‐consumptive effects (NCEs) such as costly antipredator behavioral responses. The magnitude of antipredator behavioral responses by prey is determined by an assessment of risk using sensory cues, which in turn is modulated by the environmental context. We studied the detection behavior and escape response of the keyhole limpet Fissurella limbata from the predatory sea star Heliaster helianthus. Through laboratory and field experimental trials, we quantified the distance and time of predator detection behavior by the prey, and measured their active escape responses when elicited. We found that predator detection by the limpet was chiefly mediated by distance, with experimental individuals capable of detecting predator presence effectively up to distances of at least 50 cm in the field and 70 cm under laboratory conditions. Our results indicate that this prey species is able to evaluate the proximity of its predator and use it as an indication of predation risk; therefore, predator–prey distance appears to be a primary predictor of the magnitude of the antipredator response. Given the tight relationship between predator distance and prey movement and the important role herbivores can play, particularly in this ecosystem, we expect that NCEs will cascade to the patterns of abundance and composition of rocky shore communities through changes in prey foraging behavior under risk.     

基于碳、氮稳定同位素的雅浦海沟底栖生物食物来源和营养级初探

为了分析雅浦海沟中底栖生物群落的食物来源和营养级,本研究分析了雅浦海沟真光层中浮游植物和浮游动物、海底沉积物和巨型底栖生物（海绵、海参、海蛇尾、海星、海葵和钩虾）中的碳、氮稳定同位素组成。研究发现雅浦海沟真光层中的浮游植物和浮游动物δ13C值[（-22.8±0.4）‰和（-21.8±0.8）‰]和δ15N值[（5.4±0.4）‰和（6.8±0.2）‰]与巨型底栖生物的δ13C值（-20.1‰~-16.8‰）和δ15N值（11.9‰~17.9‰）的差异超过了一个营养级,表明作为底栖生物的初始食物来源的浮游植物和浮游动物在向下输送的过程中经历了食物链传递和细菌的降解。巨型底栖生物的δ15N和δ13C值之间无显著的相关性,此外不同物种之间营养级也存在明显差异,表现为海绵的营养级相对较高（3.4~4.7）,海参（3.3~3.6）、海蛇尾（3.4~3.5）和海星（3.2~3.7）的营养级较为接近,钩虾（2.9~3.3）和海葵（3.1）的营养级则相对略低,反映了底栖生物不同物种之间食物来源的多样化。     

强光照和黑暗条件下刺参体壁的基因表达差异

参对光照变化非常敏感,研究刺参对光照的分子响应非常重要。本研究应用RNA测序获取了刺参暴露于强光（“强光”）、正常光照（“对照”）和完全黑暗（“黑暗”）环境下体壁的基因表达谱情况,通过“对照”与“黑暗”,“对照”与“强光”和“黑暗”与“强光”的比较,在|log₂ ratio|≥1和FDR≤0.001的标准下分别发现了1161、113和1705个差异表达基因（DEGs）。基因本体分析表明,“cellular process”和“binding”在“生物过程”和“分子功能”类别中的DEGs富集最多,而“cell”和“cell part”在“细胞组分”类别中的DEGs富集最多。将DEGs与Kyoto Encyclopedia基因和基因组数据库上的于214、41和229条通路进行比对,发现了51、2和57条通路分别显著富集。本研究发现的光特异性DEGs可作为深入研究刺参对光照变化的生化适应机制的重要目标基因。     

不同气候模态下西北太平洋秋刀鱼资源丰度预测模型建立

秋刀鱼（Cololabis saira）资源对海洋环境因素极为敏感,不同气候模态可能对秋刀鱼资源丰度产生不同的影响。根据1990-2014年西北太平洋日本的秋刀鱼渔业中单位捕捞努力量渔获量（CPUE,以此作为资源丰度）,以及相应产卵场、索饵场的海表温（SST）遥感数据,探讨太平洋年际震荡（PDO）指数冷、暖年下,秋刀鱼资源丰度CPUE变化与产卵场、索饵场SST的关系,并分别建立资源丰度的预测模型。研究表明,PDO冷年索饵场4月SST与年CPUE显著相关（P<0.05）,PDO暖年索饵场11月的SST与年标准化CPUE显著相关（P<0.05）。PDO冷、暖年的秋刀鱼资源丰度的预测模型中,CPUE均与索饵场11月的SST、索饵场4月SST呈现正相关的关系,统计学上为显著相关（P<0.05）。PDO冷年（2012年）和PDO暖年（2014年）的CPUE预测值与实际值相对误差分别为14.03%、-16.26%,具有较好的拟合效果。研究认为,不同气候模态下,可用于秋刀鱼资源丰度预测的环境因子不同,上述建立资源丰度模型可用于业务化运行。     

基于SMAP卫星雷达资料的海冰密集度反演技术研究

SMAP是美国于2015年初发射的一颗卫星,搭载了L波段的雷达。它采用圆锥扫描方式,具有固定的入射角、较大的幅宽和千米级的分辨率,在海冰监测方面具有独特的优势。本文利用SMAP卫星雷达资料分别与德国Bremen大学海冰密集度产品和美国国家冰雪数据中心（NSIDC）海冰密集度产品建立3.125 km和25 km匹配数据集,分析了L波段雷达后向散射系数、极化比和归一化极化差与海冰密集度之间相关性,建立基于人工神经网络的海冰密集度反演算法。为了验证SMAP卫星雷达资料反演海冰密集度的精度,本文选择德国Bremen大学和美国冰雪数据中心发布的海冰密集度产品分别与SMAP海冰密集度产品进行对比分析,SMAP海冰密集度与Bremen海冰密集度的偏差为0.07、均方根误差为0.14;与NSIDC海冰密集度的偏差为0.04、均方根误差为0.18,这表明SMAP海冰密集度产品与现有业务化海冰密集度产品具有很好的一致性。