Seasonal and Spatial Variations of Iceberg Drift off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, Detected by Satellite Scatterometers

Seasonal and spatial variations of iceberg drift were studied using continuous satellite scatterometer images off Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Generally, iceberg drift speed showed a westward increase to the Greenwich Meridian. Seasonal variations of the drift speed were high in autumn—early winter and low in spring, and their magnitudes also increased westward. Seasonal variations of the drift speed were significantly correlated with variations of sea levels at Syowa and Mawson Stations, and hence qualitatively consistent with geostrophic current variations. Thus, the scatterometer data are demonstrated to be useful in monitoring iceberg trajectory and oceanic current variations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

东中国海环流及其季节变化的数值模拟

关于东中国海环流的研究，国内外学者已做了大量的工作。早期科学家们主要依赖于对温盐资料和少数测流资料的分析研究对渤、黄、东海的环流结构有了较系统和深入的认识。东中国海环流是由一个气旋式的“流涡”组成，东侧主要是北上的黑潮-对马暖流-黄海暖流及其延伸部分；西侧为南下的沿岸流系。黑潮对东中国海环流的影响是如此之大，以致于除了某些局部区域外，上述海域主要流系的冬、夏季分布形式比较相似而无本质上的差异(胡敦欣等，1993)。但本文所研究海域正处于世界上最显著的季风区，冬、夏季盛行风向基本相反，过渡季节(春、秋季)风向多变，风力减弱；海洋热盐结构季节变化明显(如冬季混合强，而夏季层化明显等)，这些因素都使得东中国海环流存在着较明显的季节变化。 自20世纪80年代以来，东中国海环流的数值模拟工作逐步展开，并已成为研究环流结构及其形成机制的强有力工具。但由于数值模式本身以及计算方案的缺陷(如有些学者用固定的风场、温盐场对东中国海环流进行诊断模拟等)和观测资料的不足，数值模拟的结果难以得到验证，渤、黄、东海的环流研究中仍有大量的问题存在争议，以待澄清。例如，台湾暖流的来源、流径;对马暖流的来源;夏季黄海暖流的流径以及黄海冷水团环流等均有不同的论述。对黄、东海环流季节变化的数值模拟工作也较少，多用冬、夏典型月份的风场强迫积分至稳定态，给出冬、夏季环流，这种做法值得商榷。三维环流模式很难在1个月内达到稳定态，尤其是夏季层化明显、风力减弱的情况下，非常定风场的影响更应引起人们的重视。 本文采用比较符合实际的计算方案，用年循环风场和海面热通量场为外强迫，对渤、黄、东海的环流及其季节变化进行了模拟，并对一些争议问题进行了探讨。     

Seasonal and annual variations of marine sinking particulate flux during 1993~1996 in the central South China Sea

A total of 67 samples from the upper and lower sediment traps in the central South China Sea were analyzed, which were collected during 1993~1996. It is indicated that the distribution of stable isotope values, surface primary productivity, fluxes of total particulate matter, carbonate, biogenic opal, organic carbon, planktonic foraminiferal species and their total amount exhibit obviously seasonal and annual fluctuations. High values of the fluxes occurred in the prevailing periods of the northeastern and southwestern monsoons, and the low values occurred during the periods between the two monsoons. The fluxes of some planktonic foraminiferal species (Globigerinoides sacculifer, G. ruber, Globigerinita glutinata, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei) and their percentages also exhibit two prominent peaks during the prevailing periods of the northeastern and southwestern monsoons respectively, while those of Globigerina bulloides, Globorotalia menardii and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata only exhibit one peak in the prevailing periods of the northeastern monsoon. In addition, fluxes and percentages of Globigerinoides sacculifer and Globorotalia menardii as well as the fluxes of carbonate and total amount of planktonic foraminifera decrease gradually from 1993 to 1996, and those of Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinita glutinata and biogenic opal increase gradually from 1993 to 1996. The fluxes of carbonate and organic carbon in the upper trap are higher than those in the lower one. The study indicates that the seasonal and annual variations of the sediment fluxes and planktonic foraminiferal species are mainly controlled by the changes of surface primary productivity and hydrological conditions related to the East Asian monsoon. The lower carbonate and organic carbon fluxes in the lower trap are related to the dissolution.     

Seasonal dynamics in pelagic fish abundance in a Baltic Sea coastal area

The spring-spawning Baltic Sea herring spawn in coastal areas that also serve as nursery areas for the young fish during their first summer. In a bay known as a herring spawning and nursery area, the pelagic fish abundance was quantified using hydroacoustics every second week from late spring to autumn in 2000 and 2001. A dense system of survey transects allowed determination of the acoustic index (the nautical area scattering coefficient) for fish abundance with high precision. The variation, expressed as the geostatistical coefficient of variation, was on average 5% both years and ranged from 3–11% (2000) and 3–8% (2001). Through the hydroacoustic data intra-annual dynamics in acoustic fish abundance, densities and size composition could be followed, which showed similar trends in both years. In spring and early summer acoustic fish densities were low, followed by a drastic, 20-fold increase in late summer. Hydroacoustic data and biological samples suggest that the increase was caused mainly by the recruitment of young-of-the-year herring to the acoustically assessable pelagic fish community. This age class is commonly not well represented in catches when using traditional sampling gears such as gill nets and trawls, and hydroacoustics may help to improve quantitative estimates of small juvenile fish in order to increase the understanding of biological processes in coastal nursery areas.     

Seasonal Changes in Soluble Carbohydrates, Starch, and Energy Content in Mediterranean Seagrasses

Abstract. In all scagrass species investigated, rhizomes were the main storage organs for soluble carbohydrate reserves, and the highest levels were found in Cymodocea nodosa (U cria ) A scherson . Sucrose was the primary soluble carbohydrate identified in Posidonia oceanica (L.) D elile , and Zostera noltii H ornem . This disaccharide was dominant in Cymodocea nodosa roots, as well as in its rhizome in winter. Myo-inositol was the main cyclitol in Zostera noltii. In Cymodocea nodosa leaves 1-chiro-inositol was the main sugar component; it was also present to a lesser extent in the roots and rhizomes. The amounts of glucose and fructose were correlated with growth to a certain extent in all species. Higher amounts of starch were stored in the rhizomes of Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltii. The energy content of Mediterranean scagrasses was significantly higher than in tropical species. No distinct seasonal trend in energy content could be observed.     

Seasonal Changes in Nitrogen, Free Amino Acids, and C/N Ratio in Mediterranean Seagrasses

Abstract. Seasonal changes in nitrogen, free amino acids, and carbon were investigated in the three Mediterranean seagrasses Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa , and Zostera noltii. Leaves, rhizomes, roots, as well as dead plant material were analysed separately. Highest N-concentrations were obtained in the winter months, regardless of species or plant part. In contrast to the other two species, the N-content in Posidonia was higher in the rhizomes than in the leaves.
In the investigated species, marked differences in the free amino acid (FAA) composition were detected between species: Proline, lacking in Posidonia , was the main component in Cymodocea. In Posidonia , FAA decreased from 320umol g^-1 (dry wt) in leaf sheaths to 1.5 umol g^-1 (dry wt) in the leaf tips. The function of proline as a possible storage and/or stress metabolite is discussed.
High C/N values in dead P. oceanica and C. nodosa rhizomes as well as in P. oceanica wrack seem to be related to considerable resistance to decomposition. Low C/N ratios did not increase in detached C. nodosa and Z. noltii leaves, which began to decompose shortly after detachment from the plants.     

State Estimation of the North Pacific Ocean by a Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Experiment

A four-dimensional variational data assimilation system has been applied to an experiment to describe the dynamic state of the North Pacific Ocean. A synthesis of available observational records and a sophisticated ocean general circulation model produces a dynamically consistent dataset, which, in contrast to the nudging approach, provides realistic features of the seasonally-varying ocean circulation with no artificial sources/sinks for temperature and salinity fields. This new dataset enables us to estimate heat and water mass transports in addition to the qualification of water mass formation and movement processes. A sensitivity experiment on our assimilation system reveals that the origin of the North Pacific Intermediate Water can be traced back to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea in the subarctic region and to the subtropical Kuroshio region further south. These results demonstrate that our data assimilation system is a very powerful tool for the identification and characterization of ocean variabilities and for our understanding of the dynamic state of ocean circulation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.