Wintertime rates of net primary production and nitrate and ammonium uptake in the southern Benguela upwelling system

The elevated levels of primary productivity associated with eastern boundary currents are driven by nutrient- rich waters upwelled from depth, such that these regions are typically characterised by high rates of nitrate-fuelled phytoplankton growth. Production studies from the southern Benguela upwelling system (SBUS) tend to be biased towards the summer upwelling season, yet winter data are required to compute annual budgets and understand seasonal variability. Net primary production (NPP) and nitrate and ammonium uptake were measured concurrently at six stations in the SBUS in early winter. While euphotic zone NPP was highest at the stations nearest to the coast and declined with distance from the shore, a greater proportion was potentially exportable from open-ocean surface waters, as indicated by the higher specific nitrate uptake rates and f-ratios (ratio of nitrate uptake to total nitrogen consumption) at the stations located off the continental shelf. Near the coast, phytoplankton growth was predominantly supported by ammonium despite the high ambient nitrate concentrations. Along with ammonium concentrations as high as 3.6 µmol l^–1, this strongly suggests that nitrate uptake in the inshore SBUS, and by extension carbon drawdown, is inhibited by ammonium, at least in winter, although this has also been hypothesised for the summer.     

Distributions and seasonal variations of dissolved carbohydrates in the Jiaozhou Bay,China

Surface seawater samples were collected in the Jiaozhou Bay, a typical semi-closed basin located at the western part of the Shandong Peninsula, China, during four cruises. Concentrations of monosaccharides (MCHO), polysaccharides (PCHO) and total dissolved carbohydrates (TCHO) were measured with the 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine spectroscopic method. Concentrations of TCHO varied from 10.8 to 276.1 μM C for all samples and the ratios of TCHO to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ranged from 1.1 to 67.9% with an average of 10.1%. This result indicated that dissolved carbohydrates were an important constituent of DOC in the surface seawater of the Jiaozhou Bay. In all samples, the concentrations of MCHO ranged from 2.9 to 65.9 μM C, comprising 46.1 ± 16.6% of TCHO on average, while PCHO ranged from 0.3 to 210.2 μM C, comprising 53.9 ± 16.6% of TCHO on average. As a major part of dissolved carbohydrates, the concentrations of PCHO were higher than those of MCHO. MCHO and PCHO accumulated in January and July, with minimum average concentration in April. The seasonal variation in the ratios of TCHO to DOC was related to water temperature, with high values in January and low values in July and October. The concentrations of dissolved carbohydrates displayed a decreasing trend from the coastal to the central areas. Negative correlations between concentrations of TCHO and salinity in July suggested that riverine input around the Jiaozhou Bay had an important effect on the concentrations of dissolved carbohydrates in surface seawater. The pattern of distributions of MCHO and PCHO reported in this study added to the global picture of dissolved carbohydrates distribution.     

Spatial and temporal patterns in the hyperbenthic community structure in a warm temperate southern African permanently open estuary

The spatial and temporal patterns in the hyperbenthic community structure (>500 μm) in the warm temperate, permanently open Kariega Estuary situated along the south-eastern coastline of South Africa was investigated monthly over a period of twelve months. Data were collected using a modified hyperbenthic sledge at six stations along the length of the estuary. Physico-chemical data indicate the presence of a constant reverse salinity gradient, with highest salinities measured in the upper reaches and lowest at the mouth of the estuary. Strong seasonal patterns in temperature, dissolved oxygen and total chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration were evident. Total average hyperbenthic densities ranged between 0.4 and 166 ind.m⁻³ in the lower net and between 0.2 and 225 ind.m⁻³ in the upper net. Hyperbenthic biomass values ranged between 0.02 and 11.9 mg.dry weight.m⁻³ in the lower net and between 0.02 and 17.4 mg.dry weight.m⁻³ in the upper net. Both the lower and upper nets were numerically dominated by decapods (mainly brachyuran crab zoea) with the exception of June and July 2008 when mysids (mainly Mesopodopsis wooldridgei) dominated, comprising up to 72.4 ± 58.14% of the total abundance in the lower net. A redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that 99.2% of the variance in the hyperbenthic community structure could be explained by the first two canonical axes. Axis one, which accounted for 96.8% of the total variation detected in the ordination plot was highly correlated with sedimentary organic content and to a lesser extent the chl-a concentration within the Kariega Estuary. The correlations with the second canonical axis (2.4%) were less obvious, however, salinity and seston concentration were weakly correlated with this axis.     

Inorganic arsenic speciation in the waters of the Penzé estuary (NW France): Seasonal variations and fluxes to the coastal area

Over this one-year study, the variations of inorganic As species were examined monthly along the salinity gradient of the Penzé estuary (NW France) in relation with different biogeochemical parameters. In most cases, dissolved As exhibited a non-conservative behaviour which resulted from the competition between two major processes. In the upstream section of the estuary, a strong input of both total inorganic As and As(III) occurred. Then, the removal of the same species, under precipitation of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides, was observed in the low-salinity range (S < 10). Using our experimental data, the fluxes of the various As species were estimated for the first time in estuarine waters. Inputs from the river were mainly constituted of particulate As (∼70%). Conversely, dissolved species were predominant in the net fluxes (∼65%) and As(III) accounted for ∼15% of the dissolved net flux.     

江苏近岸海域水文气象要素的时空分布特征

2006～2007年在江苏近岸海域进行水文气象要素(气温、湿度、风速风向、波浪、透明度、水色和海水温盐度等)大面观测。数据分析表明,各水文气象要素具有较大的空间分异,四季变化显著。秋季气温明显高于春季,冬季气温较历史数据偏高。整个海域风速较大,风向受季风控制,有效波高与风速之间显著相关。如东附近海域波浪较大,废黄河口波浪较小;春、夏季有效波高较小,而夏、秋季近岸海域波高较小,离岸波高增大。夏季海水透明度最大,平均为2.3m;冬季透明度最小,平均只有0.6m;水色与透明度呈负指数相关。春、秋季水温分布与气温分布基本一致,冬季大致沿等深线分布。射阳河口与长江口为低盐区,辐射沙脊群外缘为高盐区。与20世纪80年代的调查结果相比,出现了一些新特点。这些新的调查成果可为江苏近岸海域的海洋环境保护和可持续发展提供科学依据。     

流沙湾的底栖大型海藻调查

2008年3月～2009年1月调查了流沙湾潮间带及湾内(109°55'～109°59'E,20?22'～20°28'N)底栖大型海藻资源,定性、定量分析该海湾底栖大型海藻种类、生态分布、区系性质、群落结构及生物量的季节变化规律。共采集底栖大型海藻3门10目17科19属32种,其中红藻门4目9科9属15种,绿藻门4目6科7属14种,褐藻门2目2科3属3种,以亚热带藻种占绝对优势,达59.4%,温带成分21.9%,热带成分18.7%。采样海藻具印度-西太平洋海洋植物区系中国-日本亚热带海洋植物亚区特点。调查区域内底栖大型海藻群落组成的季节变化明显。     

北太平洋波浪输运和西边界流的季节变化

西边界流输运可以用Sverdrup理论推算出来.本文首先利用ECMWF再分析风场数据,计算了44年的月平均的风应力旋度及Sverdrup体积输运,在北太平洋3条纬度上对Sverdrup体积输运进行积分,得到Sverdrup体积输运的季节变化,从中发现,在向赤道流动的方向上,Sverdrup体积输运在冬季存在最大值,夏季存在最小值;同样利用ECMWF再分析波浪数据,计算了44a的月平均的Stokes体积输运,在相同纬度上对Stokes体积输运进行积分,得到Stokes体积输运的季节变化,从结果中发现,在向赤道流动的方向上,Stokes输运在冬季存在最大值,在夏季存在最小值.在本文中设定R=T_(st)/T_(sv)×100%,T_(st)为Stokes体积输运,T_(sv)为Sverdrup体积输运,发现Stokes输运和Sverdrup输运存在同位相的季节变化,并且(-R)冬季平均值在5%以上,年平均值在2%～3%左右,从而推断出波浪诱导的输运对Sverdrup输运,既对西边界流有不可忽视的贡献.     

连云港近海海域水质的季节和年际变化

根据1992～2005年连云港近海海域水质监测资料,对该海域水质的季节变化和年际变化进行研究.结果表明,近海水质有明显的季节变化特征,其中盐度从春、夏季到秋季缓慢降低,冬季升高;溶解无机氮(DIN)与盐度恰恰相反,夏秋季最高且监测的超标率高.溶解氧季节性非常明显,依次为冬季>春季>秋季>夏季.总体上春冬季水质好于夏秋季.年际变化显示,1992～2005年pH和盐度均有降低趋势,尤其是2003年以后降幅更加明显;DO和COD年际变化相对平稳但季节变化幅度较大;2000年12月后油类浓度明显降低且年际变化平稳;近几年DIN有明显增加趋势,无机氮已成为该海域主要污染物.     

Global sea level change and thermal contribution

The global long-term sea level trend is obtained from the analysis of tide gauge data and TOPEX/Poseidon data. The linear trend of global mean sea level is highly non-umiform spatially, with an average rate of 2.2 mm year-1 in T/P sea-level rise from October 1992 to September 2002. Sea level change duc to temperature vanation (the thermosteric sea level) is discussed. The results are compared with TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data in the same temporal span at different spatial scales. It is indicated that the ther-mal effect accounts for 86% and 73% of the observed seasonal variability in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. The TOPEX/Poseidon observed sea level lags behind the TSI, by 2 months in the zonal band of 40°-60° in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Systematic differences of about 1-2cm between TOPEX/Poseidon observations and thermosteric sea level data are obtained. The potential causes for these differences include water exchange among the atmosphere, land, and oceans, and some pos-sible deviations in thermosteric contribution estimates and geophysical corrections to the TOPEX/Poseidon data.     

The suspended sediment concentration distribution in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The distribution of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (BYECS) is studied based on the observed turbidity data and model simulation results. The observed turbidity results show that (i) the highest SSC is found in the coastal areas while in the outer shelf sea areas turbid water is much more difficult to observe, (ii) the surface layer SSC is much lower than the bottom layer SSC and (iii) the winter SSC is higher than the summer SSC. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is used to simulate the SSC distribution in the BYECS. A comparison between the modeled SSC and the observed SSC in the BYECS shows that the modeled SSC can reproduce the principal features of the SSC distribution in the BYECS. The dynamic mechanisms of the sediment erosion and transport processes are studied based on the modeled results. The horizontal distribution of the SSC in the BYECS is mainly determined by the current-wave induced bottom stress and the fine-grain sediment distribution. The current-induced bottom stress is much higher than the wave-induced bottom stress, which means the tidal currents play a more significant role in the sediment resuspension than the wind waves. The vertical mixing strength is studied based on the mixed layer depth and the turbulent kinetic energy distribution in the BYECS. The strong winter time vertical mixing, which is mainly caused by the strong wind stress and surface cooling, leads to high surface layer SSC in winter. High surface layer SSC in summer is restricted in the coastal areas.