Ocean current observation and spectrum analysis in central Chukchi Sea during the summer of 2008

During the summer of 2008, the third CHINARE Arctic Expedition was carried out on board of Xuelong Icebreaker in the central Chukchi Sea. A submersible mooring system was deployed and recovered at Station CN-01 (71°40.024′N, 167°58.910′W) with 33 days of the current profile records, and continuous observation of temperature and salinity data were collected. This mooring station locates in the blank of similar observation area and it is the first time for our Chinese to finish this kind of long-termmooring work in this area. Thismooring systemfinished integrated hydrological observationswith long-termcontinuous record of the whole profile velocity for the first time. Based on time series analysis of temperature, salinity, velocity and flow direction, we get the following main results. (1) During the observation period, the mean surface current velocity is 70.2 cm/s eastward, and velocity reaches itsmaximumin average at 3mlevelwithmagnitude 90.0 cm/s, direction 206°. (2) In 9-30mlayers, the semidiurnal period variationis themost obvious, the flow direction is quite stable, and the flow is synchronous and consistent vertically. (3) Besides the semidiurnal period variation, the main variation in the upper layer is in 11-d period, with variations in period 5.5, 5.5, and 3.7 d, which reflect the influences of sea surface wind change and maintenance. (4) Near the bottom, the temperature change is correlated and synchronizedwith the conductivity.     

北冰洋楚科奇边缘地的地球物理场与构造格局

利用高分辨率水深、重力、地磁和多道反射地震数据,综合分析了楚科奇边缘地及其周边区域的地形地貌和地球物理场特征,划分了区域构造单元。研究表明,楚科奇边缘地不仅是楚科奇大陆架外缘独特的地形单元,也是一个相对独立的构造单元,与周边的加拿大洋盆、阿尔法-门捷列夫大火山岩省、北楚科奇陆架盆地和阿拉斯加被动陆缘等构造单元在地球物理场和区域构造上具有截然不同的特征。楚科奇边缘地是一个地壳减薄的微陆块,新生代早、中期发生了大规模的E-W向构造拉伸作用,基底断块的差异性升降塑造了当前的地形地貌和沉积层的发育。边缘地可能形成于北楚科奇盆地侏罗纪-早白垩纪的张裂作用,而内部盆-脊相间排列的构造格局则可能与加拿大海盆相边缘地俯冲作用停止后的均衡调整有关。     

The composition and origination of particles from surface water in the Chukchi Sea,Arctic Ocean

Suspended particle samples were collected at 11 stations on the shelf and slope regions of the Chukchi Sea and the central Arctic Ocean during the fifth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （summer 2012）. The particle concentration, total organic carbon （TOC）, total nitrogen （TN） and the isotopic composition of the samples were analyzed. The suspended particle concentration varied between 0.56 and 4.01 mg.Ll; the samples collected from the sea ice margin have higher concentrations. The organic matter content is higher in the shelf area （TOC： 9.78%-20.24%; TN： 0.91‰-2.31%）, and exhibits heavier isotopic compositions （δ13C： -23.29‰ to -26.33‰ PDB; δ15N： 6.14‰-7.78‰）, indicating that the organic matter is mostly marine in origin with some terrigenous input. In the slope and the central Arctic Ocean, the organic matter content is lower （TOC： 8.06%- 8.96%; TN： 0.46%-0.72%）, except for one sample （SR15）, and has lighter isotopic compositions （δ13C： -26.93‰ to -27.78‰ PDB; δ15N： 4.13‰-4.84‰）. This indicates that the organic matter is mostly terrestrially-derived in these regions. The extremely high amount of terrigenous organic matter （TOC： 27.94%; TN： 1.16%; δ13C： -27.43‰ PDB; δ15N： 3.81‰） implies that it was carried by transpolar currents from the East Siberian Sea. Material, including sea ice algae, carried by sea ice are the primary source for particles in the sea ice margins. Sea ice melting released a substantial amount of biomass into the shelf, but a large amount of detrital and clay minerals in the slope and the central Arctic Ocean.     

New evidence for high discharge to the Chukchi shelf since the Last Glacial Maximum

Using CHIRP subbottom profiling across the Chukchi shelf, offshore NW Alaska, we observed a large incised valley that measures tens of kilometers in width. The valley appears to have been repeatedly excavated during sea level lowering; however, the two most recent incisions appear to have been downcut during the last sea level rise, suggesting an increase in the volume of discharge. Modern drainage from the northwestern Alaskan margin is dominated by small, low-discharge rivers that do not appear to be large enough to have carved the offshore drainage. The renewed downcutting and incision during the deglaciation and consequent base level rise implies there must have been an additional source of discharge. Paleoprecipitation during deglaciation is predicted to be at least 10% less than modern precipitation and thus cannot account for the higher discharge to the shelf. Glacial meltwater is the most likely source for the increased discharge.     

夏季楚科奇海浮游动物的生态特征

根据中国首次北极科学考察的资料 ,分析了楚科奇海浮游动物的物种和生态类群以及群落结构的多样性 ,报道了浮游动物不同群落的地理位置 ,生态属性及其主要种的差异 ,阐述了浮游动物数量的平面和垂直分布特征以及各主要类别的百分组成 ,探讨了本区浮游动物分布特征与环境因子的相关性 ,同时还就本区浮游动物的物种多样性和生物量等指标与相关海区进行比较。结果表明 ,在已记录的 84种浮游动物中 ,4种生态类群同时共存 ,它们以差异悬殊的数量比分别在测区 70°N以南和以北浅水区以及东北部深水区形成 3个生态属性各异的群落结构 ,其分布状况可与测区内不同海流、水团的动态相互佐证。在平面分布上 ,总生物量呈深水区低、浅水区高 ,尤以浅水区南端最高的分布格局 ,在垂直方向上 ,傍晚深水区总生物量高值层出现于 2 0 0 m以浅 ,尤以 5 0 - 0 m层最高 ,2 0 0 m以深逐层下降 ,而物种多样性则由浅到深逐层增加 ,但 80 0 -5 0 0 m层略有减少。与相邻的中、低纬度的海域相比 ,本区浮游动物总生物量均值明显较高 ,但物种多样性却明显贫乏 ,此外 ,物种多样性的垂直分布与热带海域的分布特征完全相反     

楚科奇海与白令海海洋地质研究进展

1999年7月－1999年9月我国进行了首次北极科学考察，实现了北极地区海洋地质研究零的突破，这次考虑取得了大量的沉积物样品，同时还获得了第一手现场资料。简要介绍了沉积物特性，分布特征，分析了沉积物的物质来源，沉积环境，同时介绍了部分室内研究成果。     

Seasonal and spatial distribution of particulate organic matter (POM) in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

As part of the Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project, the production and fate of organic carbon and nitrogen from the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves were investigated during spring (5 May–15 June) and summer (15 July–25 August) cruises in 2002. Seasonal observations of suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) and large-particle (>53 μm) size class suggest that there was a large accumulation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) between spring and summer in the surface mixed layer due to high phytoplankton productivity. Considerable organic matter appeared to be transported from the shelf into the Arctic Ocean basin in an elevated POC and PON layer at the top of the upper halocline. Seasonal changes in the molar carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the suspended particulate organic matter (POM) pool reflect a change in the quality of the organic material that was present and presumably being exported to the sediment and to Arctic Ocean waters adjacent to the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves. In spring, low particulate C:N ratios (<6; i.e., N rich) were observed in nitrate-replete surface waters. By the summer, localized high particulate C:N ratios (>9; i.e., N-poor) were observed in nitrate-depleted surface waters. Low POC and inorganic nutrient concentrations observed in the surface layer suggest that rates of primary, new and export production are low in the Canada Basin region of the Arctic Ocean.     

夏季北冰洋海冰边缘区海水温盐结构及其形成机理

利用1999年北极科学考察期间在海冰边缘区的三次考察数据，研究了北冰洋海冰边缘区的温度和盐度结构。将海冰边缘区分为机制不同的两大类，一类是暖水海冰边缘区，主要热源是外部暖水进入海冰边缘区携带的热量；另一类是冷水海冰边缘区，主要热源是太阳辐射加热。文中主要对冷水海冰边缘区进行了研究。虽然两个冷水海冰边缘区(R区与T区)温度结构不尽相同，但都存在表层以下水体中的温度极大值现象，R区的温度极大值位于20m左右，T区的位于40—50m左右的深度，可以认为是海冰边缘区的典型温度特征。作者认为，次表层暖水的热源是太阳辐射的直接加热，为此，建立了太阳加热引起海水次表层增暖的物理模型和简单的数学模型，获得了冰下海水在太阳辐射的作用下增暖的解析解。结果表明，部分太阳辐射能穿过海冰加热冰下海水，加热之初温度的极大值出现在近表层，随着时间的推移，海温极大值的位置向下移动，最终可以达到40m左右，证明了仅仅依靠太阳的短波辐射就可以形成中间暖的水层。文中阐明，开阔海水更多的是上混合层和跃层结构，冰下海水主要是次表层暖水结构；冷水海冰边缘区的海水主要带有冰下海水的特征。由于次表层暖水的形成与海冰厚度关系很大，近十几年北冰洋海冰厚度的显著减少势必加强次表层暖水，可能是北冰洋增暖的又一个重要现象，对全球气候变化有意义深远的影响。     

楚科奇海海冰周年变化特征及其主要关联因素

利用1999年美国国家冰雪资料中心的各种卫星遥感综合分析数据对楚科奇海海冰周年变化进行详细分析，将全年的海冰变化过程分成密集冰封期、东岸融化期、单湾结构期、双湾结构期、三湾结构期、全线北撤期、南进封闭期、全面冻结期8个阶段。海冰冻结期仅2个月，海冰融化期持续4～5个月，说明融冰过程的吸热是个漫长的过程。太平洋与北冰洋海面高度差形成的正压压强梯度力是白令海水进入北冰洋的主要动力，白令海水进入冰下形成的暖水海冰边缘区是海冰融化的重要机制。白令海水在楚科奇海扩散过程受到海底地形产生的Taylor柱效应的显著影响，使其产生绕过浅滩，沿海谷流动，在海谷的方向上输送更多的水体和热量的现象，形成海冰融化的湾状结构。楚科奇海的局地风场也是海冰形态变化的重要因素之一。局地风场在冬季阻碍白令海水的入流，而在夏季促进白令海水的入流。     

Phytoplankton in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas: Distribution, dynamics, and environmental forcing

Time-series of remotely sensed distributions of phytoplankton, sea ice, surface temperature, albedo, and clouds were examined to evaluate the variability of environmental conditions and physical forcing affecting phytoplankton in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Large-scale distributions of these parameters were studied for the first time using weekly and monthly composites from April 1998 to September 2002. The basic data set used in this study are phytoplankton pigment concentrations derived from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), ice concentrations obtained from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and surface temperature, cloud cover, and albedo derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). Seasonal variation of ice cover was observed to be the dominant environmental factor as the ice-edge blooms followed the retreating marginal ice zones northward. Blooms were most prominent in the southwestern Chukchi Sea, and were especially persistent immediately north of the Bering Strait in nutrient-rich Anadyr Water and in some fronts. Chlorophyll concentrations are shown to increase from a nominal value during the onset of melt in April to a maximum value in mid-spring or summer depending on location. Large interannual variability of ice cover and phytoplankton distributions was observed with the year 1998 being uniquely associated with an early season occurrence of a massive bloom. This is postulated to be caused in part by a rapid response of phytoplankton to an early retreat of the sea-ice cover in the Beaufort Sea region. Correlation analyses showed relatively high negative correlation between chlorophyll and ice concentration with the correlation being highest in May, the correlation coefficient being −0.45. 1998 was also the warmest in the 5 years globally and the sea-ice cover was least extensive in the Beaufort/Chukchi Sea region, partly because of the 1997–1998 El Niño. Strong correlations were noted between ice extent and surface temperature, the correlation coefficient being highest at −0.79 in April, during the onset of the bloom period.