Size distribution of detrital mineral grains suspended in surface waters of the Yellow Sea and East China sea

Anisotropic detrital mineral grains were segregated microscopically from the suspended matter in surface waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Microscopic grain-size measurements of the anisotropic minerals were carried out for more than 80 slide specimens which are distributed homogeneously in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The distribution maps of mean grain size and sorting coefficients indicate that the mean size becomes coarser as one goes offshore, and the sorting coefficients are larger in the southern portion and smaller in the northern portion of this region. The clay-sized minerals in the suspended sediments carried out by the deltaic rivers of the continent were deposited in the nearshore area while coarser silt-sized minerals were suspended in offshore waters. The larger sorting coefficients (standard deviations) in the southern portion may imply that the silt-sized grains of offshore waters contain coarser sand-sized grains. The sand-sized grains may be supplied from offshore Taiwan and the Bashi Channel and transported by the main flow of the Kuroshio current.     

Sterols of the suspended matters in sea water

The present study deals with the content and composition of sterols of the marine-suspended matter in the surface sea water of Kagoshima-Bay. The suspended matters were separated into 3 fractions by filtration with the glass and millipore filters. The sterols in each fraction were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography on 1.5 % SE-30. The results obtained are as follows: 1) The sterol contents ranged from 2.3 to 20.5g/liter of sea water. 2) Cholesterol was usually present as a predominant sterol in both suspended and dissolved matters. 3) A relatively large amount of other sterols such as 22-dehydro-cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol,-sitosterol, and fucosterol were occasionally detected.     

Production and transport of long-chain alkenones and alkyl alkenoates in a sea water column in the northwestern Pacific off central Japan

Sinking particles collected from year-long time-series sediment traps at 1674, 4180, 5687 and 8688 m depths, the underlying bottom sediment at 9200 m depth, and suspended particles from surface and subsurface waters in the northwestern North Pacific off Japan were analyzed for long-chain alkenones and alkyl alkenoates (A&A) which are derived mainly from Gephyrocapsacean algae, especially Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. Alkenone temperature records in sediment trap samples at 1674 m were almost similar to observed sea surface temperatures (SST) with a time delay of one half to one full month. However, alkenone temperatures in trap samples were about slightly lower than measured SST in late spring to early fall. The lowering might be caused by formation of the seasonal thermocline. Nevertheless, these temperature drops observed in trap samples were smaller than those actually observed in a subsurface layer off central Japan. Vertical profiles of A&A concentrations and alkenone temperatures in suspended particles collected from the subsurface waters in early fall indicated that these compounds were produced mostly in a surface mixed layer above the depth of the chlorophyll maximum even in warm seasons. These results suggested that alkenone temperatures strongly reflected SST rather than the temperatures of thermocline waters in these study areas even in such a warm season. Pronounced maxima in A&A fluxes found in sediment trap samples at 1674 m in late spring to summer showed that A&A productions were highest during the periods of spring bloom, according to a time delay between alkenone temperatures and observed SST. Seasonal patterns of alkenone records in trap samples at 4180 and 5687 m could also preserve SST signals well, suggesting that A&A in deep sea waters were mainly derived from primary products in the surface layer. A&A fluxes tended to decrease with water depth, and the ratios of A&A to particulate organic carbon (POC) rapidly decreased in underlying bottom sediment. This clearly indicates that A&A were decomposed and diluted by other refractory organic materials in either the water column or the sediment–water interface. However, A&A compositions were consistently uniform between the trap samples and the underlying bottom sediments, so that A&A could not qualitatively alter during early diagenetic processes.     

Chlorofluorocarbons in the western North Pacific in 1993 and formation of North Pacific intermediate water

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11 and CFC-12) in the intermediate water having between 26.4 and 27.2 were determined at 75 stations in the western North Pacific north of 20°N and west of 175.5°E in 1993. The intermediate water of 26.4–26.6 was almost saturated with respect to the present atmospheric CFC-11 in the zone between 35 and 45°N around the subarctic front. Furthermore, the ratios of CFC-11/CFC-12 of the water were also of those formed after 1975. These suggest that the upper intermediate water (26.4–26.6) was recently formed by cooling and sinking of the surface water not by mixing with old waters. The water below the isopycnal surface of 26.8 contained less CFCs and the area containing higher CFCs around the subarctic front was greatly reduced. However, the CFC age of the lower intermediate water (26.8–27.2) in the zone around the subarctic front was not old, suggesting that the water was formed by diapycnal mixing of the water ventilated with the atmosphere with old waters not containing appreciable CFCs, probably the Pacific Deep Water. The southward spreading rate decreased with depth and it was one sixth of its eastward spreading rate of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW).     

Detection of Pacific tropical water variability by taut-line moorings in the western equatorial Pacific

This study uses temperature and salinity time series acquired with taut-line moorings in the western equatorial Pacific to investigate water mass behavior on the thermocline layer. Basically, it is insufficient to trace water mass variation by the original discrete depth coordinate data because of relatively high variability of density at fixed depth near the thermocline. A reconstruction method based on the density surface motion caused by tidal forcing was used to derive continuous profiles of temperature and salinity from vertically discrete measurements at fixed depths. This method can represent detailed vertical salinity structures and their variation, especially along the potential density surface of 24.8σ_θ, where the salinity maximum of South Pacific tropical water (SPTW) appeared. Variability around the 24.8σ_θ surface at each site was as large as that observed at the surface, which suggests a strong influence of SPTW behavior. High salinity along the 24.8σ_θ surface within the equatorial band of the western Pacific appeared during boreal fall-winter at sites far from New Guinea. In contrast, high salinity appeared near New Guinea during the boreal spring-summer. These features suggest the influence of the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent. Over longer time scales, several higher salinity events were observed. The most pronounced salinity event occurred during 2007–2008. Interannual variation of the salinity anomaly along the 24.8σ_θ surface was negatively correlated with the Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomaly. A long-term salinity anomaly shift from negative to positive occurred around the end of 2002. The relationship with decadal variation in subtropical cell transport is also discussed.     

Downward flux of zooplankton fecal pellets in the upper 2,000 m water column of the Izu Trench,western North Pacific

Sinking particulate matter were obtained from twelve depths using free-drifting sediment trap arrays which were deployed in the upper 2,000 m water column of the Izu Trench, northwest Pacific Ocean. The largest flux of 146 mgC m^–2 day^–1 was observed at 150 m depth. The flux generally decreased with depth below the maximum, however, minor flux peaks occurred at 1,000 and 1,250 m depth (>30 mgC m^–2 day^–1). Sinking large particles (>100 µm) were composed of fecal pellets typical of crustaceans, macroscopic aggregates, and planktonic organisms and their fragments. Three major components constituted 19%, 20% and 29%, respectively, of the total carbon flux (averaged from the fluxes at five depths; 50, 100, 150, 1,000 and 2,000 m). Among them, fecal pellet flux and large organism flux were well correlated with the total flux. The close correspondence between the fecal flux and the total carbon flux suggests that the latter is derived from a group of variables including other biogenic matter, among which fecal pellet is one of the leading factors controlling total flux, though the latter is only a minor covariable in quantity. Vertical flux profiles of fecal pellets and their internal constituents revealed some new inputs of feces occurring through the water column. This phenomenon implies that downward transportation of organic material is characterized by feeding and egestion activities of zooplankton, including overlapping processes of sinking and dispersion of large fecal particles and repackaging of dispersed small particles.     

西太平洋副热带高压变化与赤道太平洋海温场的联系

通过对西太平洋副热带高压变化的多年统计分析,发现其具有明显的年际和年代际变化特征,副高面积和强度均存在3~4 a和11~14 a显著周期,副高西伸脊点存在3~5 a和准13 a显著周期。副高面积和强度变化基本一致,与赤道中东太平洋海表温度（SST）存在显著的正相关关系,西伸脊点与中东太平洋海表温度变化则存在负的相关关系。赤道太平洋不同经度的SST与副高变化存在明显的差异,赤道中太平洋SST异常与副高变化的关系最为密切,东太平洋相对偏弱,而西太平洋呈现相反的相关关系。由此可以认为,赤道中太平洋异常SST变化是影响副高变化的关键区域。根据它们之间存在的密切关系,通过回归分析,建立了它们二者之间的回归方程,对2013年春夏季副高的强度和西伸脊点位置变化进行了预测,为2013年我国汛期降水预测提供一定的参考。     

The uranium content and the activity ratio234U/238U in marine organisms and sea water in the western North Pacific

The uranium content and activity ratio A²³⁴U/A²³⁸U were determined in open ocean water, marine plankton, marine algae and sea water in the environment in which plankton and algae live. The average uranium content of 3.34±0.28×10⁻⁶ g/l and the average activity ratio of 1.13±0.04 were obtained in open ocean water. The uranium contents in plankton and algae were respectively from 1.7 to 7.8×10⁻⁷ g/g and 0.4 to 23.5×10⁻⁷ g/g on dry basis with the respective concentration factors of 48 to 260 and 10 to 733. The activity ratio in plankton and algae ranged from 1.07 to 1.18 which coincided well with those in the environmental sea water.     

热带西太平洋海表盐度的变化特征及其对淡水通量的响应

基于1980~2015年的全球简单海洋资料同化分析系统(SODA)、全球海气通量(OAFlux)和全球降水气候学计划(GPCP)等海洋、大气观测再分析资料,采用线性拟合、经验正交函数(EOF)分解、相关分析和波谱分析等数理统计方法,分析了热带西太平洋海表盐度(SSS)和淡水通量时空变化特征及其关系.结果表明,SSS与淡水通量的气候态及长期线性变化趋势有较好的空间对应关系,两者均有多种时间尺度的EOF模态,其年代际变化模态有较好的正相关关系,并与太平洋年代际振荡(PDO)有密切的滞后相关.分析表明,PDO可能通过影响Walker环流的变化来影响热带西太平洋的淡水通量分布,从而影响SSS的时空格局.     

Dynamical downscaling of future sea level change in the western North Pacific using ROMS

The future regional sea level (RSL) rise in the western North Pacific is investigated by dynamical downscaling with the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with an eddy-permitting resolution based on three global climate models—MIROC-ESM, CSIRO-Mk3.6.0, and GFDL-CM3—under the highest greenhouse-gas emission scenario. The historical run is forced by the air-sea fluxes calculated from Coordinated Ocean Reference Experiment version 2 (COREv2) data. Three future runs—ROMS-MIROC, ROMS-CSIRO, and ROMS-GFDL—are forced with an atmospheric field constructed by adding the difference between the climate model parameters for the twenty-first and twentieth century to fields in the historical run. In all downscaling, the RSL rise along the eastern coast of Japan is generally half or less of the RSL rise maxima off the eastern coast. The projected regional (total) sea level rises along the Honshu coast during 2081–2100 relative to 1981–2000 are 19–25 (98–104), 6–15 (71–80), and 8–14 (80–86) cm in ROMS-MIROC, ROMS-CSIRO, and ROMS-GFDL, respectively. The discrepancies of the RSL rise along the Honshu coast between the climate models and downscaling are less than 10 cm. The RSL changes in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region in all downscaling simulations are related to the changes of KE (northward shift or intensification) with climate change.     

西太平洋暖池水体振荡与赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常的关联性初探

赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常是研究ENSO(El Ni?o-South Oscillation)的重要指标。本文利用海洋再分析数据,着眼于西太平洋暖池暖水体三维结构的年际变异特征,分析西太平洋暖池水体变动与赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常的关联性,并从前期西太平洋暖池三维暖水体的结构演变及其在上层海洋质量与热量配置中的作用角度,探究了赤道中东太平洋关键Ni?o分区海表温度异常变化的内在一致性,以期为ENSO的预测预报提供新的思路和依据。分析表明,ENSO尺度上西太平洋暖池三维结构变异主模态表现为暖水体平均约以170oE为轴的纬向时空振荡,其可超前赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常变化约达6个月,并以在赤道中东太平洋及附近海域形成双舌状异常"暖池"为显著特征。前期暖池暖水体的纬向振荡是赤道中东太平洋海表温度异常变化的重要前兆信息之一。作为海洋中ENSO暴发的重要源区和驱动因子,西太平洋暖池纬向振荡通过在中东太平洋形成不同强度(泛指暖水量及其深度和范围等的大小)的异常"暖池",进而在上层海洋质量和热量的纬向配置中起关键性作用,并且可能与不同EI Ni?o事件的触发机制密切相关,从这种意义上讲,不同ENSO事件的发生和发展存在一定的同源一致性。     

Thorium concentration and the activity ratios230Th/232Th and228Th/232Th in sea water in the western North Pacific

The concentration of thorium isotopes and the activity ratios of²³⁰Th/²³²Th and²²⁸Th/²³²Th in sea water collected in the Kuroshio region, the mixing area of Oyashio and Kuroshio, the Japan Sea and the East China Sea in the western North Pacific were determined. Thorium isotopes were analyzed by α-ray spectrometry after separating them with an anion exchange resin. The average content of thorium (²³²Th) of 2.2×10⁻⁹ g/l was obtained in the open Pacific waters. The ratio of²³⁰Th/²³²Th is in accord with that of the top layer of the sediment in the same area. The high values of²²⁸Th/²³²Th ratio up to 36 were observed in sea water. The excess²²⁸Th in sea water may be due to the migration of²²⁸Ra through the water-sediment interface. Thorium content in suspended matter was 10 to 20% of the total thorium content in the Pacific water.     

西北太平洋暖池区台风对海表盐度的影响

分析了西北太平洋暖池区2002和2003年夏季ARGO浮标得到的次表层温度和盐度剖面,结果表明大多数台风经过暖池区时,会引起海面盐度下降,这与Kwon和Riser等在大西洋观测到的飓风过后海面盐度上升的结论不同,表明西北太平洋暖池区特有的上层结构以及台风在此海域的降雨与大西洋不同,结果对研究西北太平洋暖池区的混合层混合和热交换过程有重要意义.     

Vertical transport and residence time of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the open ocean water column

The vertical transport of PCBs and chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides such as DDT compounds and HCH (BHC) isomers in the deep sea are discussed on basis of their vertical profiles and the proportion of their adsorbed and dissolved fractions in surface water surveyed in the Western Pacific, Eastern Indian and Antarctic Oceans.All chlorinated hydrocarbons determined were detected with measurable concentrations throughout the water column, even at depths of several thousand meters. The vertical distributions of PCBs and DDT compounds were found to show small variations in concentration throughout the water column, whereas HCH isomer concentrations decreased systematically with depth. A large portion of DDT compounds in surface water was adsorbed on suspended solids, while most of the HCH isomers were present in the filtered water. The proportion of PCBs adsorbed on suspended solids was smaller than the proportion of DDT compounds, but was much greater than that of HCH isomers. These observations suggest that HCH isomers have been slowly scavenged from the surface to the deeper layers in the water column, while PCBs and DDT compounds have been rapidly and abundantly transported downward by sinking particles.The percentages of chlorinated hydrocarbons adsorbed on suspended solids in surface water increased towards the high latitude locations, and the percentage seemed to be proportional to the concentration of suspended solids in the surface water. This implies that the residence time of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the water column will differ significantly among oceans that differ in primary productivity. According to our estimation based on the data presented in this study, the residence time ofHCH in the euphotic zone, the top 100 m of the water column, is more than 2 years, whereas those of PCBs andDDT are less than 1 year. The longest residence time, of from 5 to 10 years, was obtained forHCH in oligotrophic water of the western North Pacific. The shortest value, only 11 to 19 days, was estimated forDDT in the Antarctic Ocean.     

Hydrological properties,suspended matter,and particulate fluxes in the water column of the Bear Island Trough

The CTD and nephelometric sounding data are considered along with the parameters of the nearbottom currents and particulate fluxes measured by a subsurface mooring station in the northern part of the Bear Island Trough. It is shown that the near-bottom current is characterized by highly variable parameters, while the distribution of suspended particulate matter demonstrates surface and bottom maximums. The horizontal and vertical fluxes of sedimentary matter in the nepheloid layer are studied.     

西太平洋马尔库斯-威克海山区沉积物中生物硅含量分布

分析了大洋40航次在西太平洋马尔库斯-威克海山区山间海盆采集的表层沉积物中生物硅和有机质的含量,并对其分布特征和来源进行了初步的研究。结果表明,马尔库斯-威克海山区附近海域深海表层沉积物中生物硅含量总体较低,含量在0.88%～12.41%之间,平均含量为2.19%,分布上呈现西南含量高,向东北方向递减的趋势;深海表层沉积物中有机碳含量较低,δ¹³C同位素组成分布与生物硅相同。沉积物柱状样的研究表明研究区在过去的100～200 ka期间表层水体中硅质生物的初级生产力是逐渐增加的。     

东太平洋CC区西区表层沉积物黏土矿物和地球化学特征

本文以太平洋CC区西区12个表层沉积物样品作为研究对象,对其粒度、化学组分和矿物成分进行分析,讨论其沉积环境和物质来源。研究区地处深海,主要以深海黏土和硅钙质黏土为主,含有少量的硅质黏土、黏土质硅质软泥和黏土质钙质软泥。黏土矿物成分主要是蒙皂石和伊利石,含有部分的高岭石和绿泥石。黏土矿物组成表明,区内沉积物主要是陆源,由高空气流携带而来,南极底流和热液活动对其物源的来源有一定影响。沉积物地球化学特征也表明,物源以陆源为主,稀土元素分布曲线和北太平洋表层海水稀土曲线类似,且表现出强的Ce亏损,表明生物活动导致的生物沉降对表层沉积物也有一定的影响。     

Methane in the western North Pacific

The concentration of methane in about 400 seawater samples collected in the western North Pacific, mostly from 40°N to 5°S along 165°E was determined. While the concentration of methane in the surface water was slightly greater in the high-latitudes, it did not widely vary with a standard deviation of 0.29 n mol/l for a mean value of 2.49 n mol/l. The 90% confidence limit of the mean was 0.08 n mol/l. The degree of oversaturation in 1991 (31±4%) was not different from that in circa 1970. If we assume that this degree of oversaturation occurs in the entire oceans, the annual flux of methane becomes 6×10¹²g CH₄. Both the concentrations of methane and chlorophylla were higher in the surface 100 m layer. However, the correlation between them was not well in the entire surface waters. This may indicate that the production of methane is not directly related to the photosynthetic process. The concentration of methane decreased gradually with increasing depth down to 1000 m. Its horizontally and vertically uniform concentration in the abyssal water suggests that the turnover time of methane in the oxic pelagic water is in the range between a few years and a few hundred years.     

Water column organic carbon in a Pacific marginal sea (Strait of Georgia,Canada)

Marginal seas provide a globally important interface between land and interior ocean where organic carbon is metabolized, buried or exported. The trophic status of these seas varies seasonally, depending on river flow, primary production, the proportion of dissolved to particulate organic carbon and other factors. In the Strait of Georgia, about 80% of the organic carbon in the water column is dissolved. Organic carbon enters at the surface, with river discharge and primary production, particularly during spring and summer. The amount of organic carbon passing through the Strait (∼16 × 10⁸ kg C yr⁻¹) is almost twice the standing inventory (∼9.4 × 10⁸ kg C). The organic carbon that is oxidized within the Strait (∼5.6 × 10⁸ kg yr⁻¹) presumably supports microbial food webs or participates in chemical or photochemical reactions, while that which is exported (7.2 × 10⁸ kg yr⁻¹) represents a local source of organic carbon to the open ocean.     

太平洋夏季水对加拿大海盆海冰的影响

近年来,北极海冰发生了大面积减少,减少的原因仍存在着争议。基于2003-2011年的水文和遥感卫星数据,对北冰洋加拿大海盆的太平洋水和海冰进行研究。通过对比2006年和2007年太平洋水位温与海冰密集度的空间分布,发现太平洋水暖异常于2007年1-3月进入加拿大海盆的中部,并可能导致了2007年夏季海冰大面积的融化。2003-2011年,在加拿大海盆的中部,太平洋水位温与海冰密集度存在着时间上的负相关。选取2007年8月,发现两者在空间上也存在着负相关。这很可能说明太平洋水暖异常在流动的过程中,向上输送了热量,在一定程度上,融化了海冰,从而触发海冰-反照率正反馈,导致海冰的减少。因此,通过白令海峡进入北冰洋的太平洋夏季水,对北极海冰面积的减少有着重要影响。