Changes in the shelf macrobenthic community over large temporal and spatial scales in the Bohai Sea, China

Over the past 20 years, the Bohai Sea has been subjected to a considerable human impact through over-fishing and pollution. Together with the influence of the Yellow River cut-off, the ecosystem experienced a dramatic change. In order to integrate available information to detect any change in macrobenthic community structure and diversity over space and time, data collected during the 1980s and the 1990s from 3 regions of the Bohai Sea (Laizhou Bay, 16 stations, 37–38°N, 119–120.5°E; central Bohai Sea, 25 stations, 38–39°N, 119–121°E; eastern Bohai Bay, 12 stations, 38–39°N, 118.5–119°E) were reanalyzed in a comparative way by means of a variety of statistical techniques. A considerable change in community structure between the 1980s and the 1990s and over the geographical regions at both the species and family level were revealed. After 10 years, there was a considerable increase in abundance of small polychaetes, bivalves and crustaceans but decreased number of echinoderms. Once abundant in Laizhou Bay in the 1980s, a large echinoderm Echinocardium cordatum and a small mussel Musculista senhousia almost disappeared from the surveying area in the 1990s. Coupled with the increased abundance was the increased species richness in general whereas evenness was getting lower in central Bohai Sea and Bohai Bay but increased in Laizhou Bay. K-dominance plot showed the same trend as evenness J′. After 10 years, the macrobenthic diversity in the Bohai Sea as a whole was slightly reduced and a diversity ranking of central Bohai Sea > Laizhou Bay > eastern Bohai Bay over space was also suggested. Sediment granulometry and organic content were the two major agents behind the observed changes.     

The Gulf Stream, rings and North Atlantic eddy structures from remote sensing (Altimeter and SeaWiFS)

Seasonal SeaWiFS chlorophyll a concentrations cycles and annual changes of altimeter Sea Level Anomaly are derived for the subtropical North Atlantic near  35°N and along a Gulf Stream axis. Spatial structure of SeaWiFS, is defined in terms of deviations from a local seasonal cycle and examined in relation to altimeter eddy structure. In the subtropical region near 35°N, SeaWiFS structure is evident during the spring bloom period with a scale of  430 km, or about twice the eddy scale. A Gulf Stream axis has been selected as a region where the Sea Level Anomaly variance is a maximum. Eddy propagation speeds and scales are examined. Cold-core (cyclonic) rings correspond to areas of high SeaWiFS chlorophyll a. Warm-core (anticyclonic) rings relate to areas of low chlorophyll concentration. Both SeaWiFS structure and eddy structure have a spatial scale of  450 km or twice the ring scale along the Gulf Stream axis. SeaWiFS chlorophyll anomalies and Altimeter Sea Level Anomaly structure have an overall negative correlation coefficient of r = − 0.34. Swirl currents between eddies redistribute surface chlorophyll concentrations and can spatially bias maximum and minimum concentration levels off eddy centre.     

Observations of the Fawn Trough Current over the Kerguelen Plateau from instrumented elephant seals

Due to its great meridional extent and relatively shallow depths, the Kerguelen Plateau constitutes a major barrier to the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. While most of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport is deflected north of the Kerguelen Islands, the remainder ( 50 Sv, 1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s^− 1) must pass south of the islands, most probably through the Fawn and Princess Elizabeth Troughs. However, the paucity of finely resolved quasi-synoptic hydrographic data in this remote and infrequently sampled area has limited the progress in our knowledge of the regional circulation. Since 2004, a new approach using elephant seals from the Kerguelen Islands as autonomous oceanographic profilers has provided new information on the hydrography over the Kerguelen Plateau, covering the entire Antarctic Zone between the Polar Front and Antarctica, with a mean along-track resolution of about 25 km. These finely resolved bio-logged data revealed details of a strong northeastward current found across the Fawn Trough (sill depth: 2600 m; 56°S, 78°E). This so-called Fawn Trough Current transports cold Antarctic waters found mostly south of the Elan Bank, between the Ice Limit (58°S) and the Antarctic Divergence (64°S) in the eastern Enderby Basin, toward the Australian–Antarctic Basin. Our analysis also demonstrates that the Deep Western Boundary Current, which carries cold Antarctic water along the eastern flank of the southern Kerguelen Plateau collides with Fawn Trough Current at the outlet of the Fawn Trough sill. In other words, the Fawn Trough constitutes a veritable bottleneck, channelling the quasi-totality of the Antarctic Circumpolar flow found south of the Polar Front. Thanks to the unprecedented fine resolution of seal-borne data, a branch of flow centered at the Winter Water isotherm of 1 °C is also revealed along the northern escarpment of the Elan Bank, and then along the southern edge of Heard Island. Further analysis of different supplementary data reveals a complex circulation pattern in the entire Enderby Basin, with several distinctive branches of flow being strongly controlled by prominent topographic features such as the Southwest Indian Ridge, Conrad Rise, Elan Bank, and Kerguelen Plateau. This newly emerged frontal structure refines considerably previous large-scale circulation schematics of the area.     

Measurement of ocean temperatures using instruments carried by Antarctic fur seals

The study aimed to test the utility of instruments deployed on marine mammals for measuring physical oceanographic variation and, using this method, to examine temperature variation in the coastal waters around South Georgia. There was a significant correlation between temperature measurements made using a towed undulating oceanographic recorder (UOR) and concurrent measurements from time-depth recorders (TDRs) fitted to lactating Antarctic fur seals foraging from the coast of South Georgia. Congruence was found at horizontal spatial scales from 0.01°×0.01° to 0.5°×0.5° (degrees of latitude and longitude), and at a vertical scale of 10 m. However, there was no significant correlation between temperature measured by TDRs in the top 5 m and sea surface temperature (SST) measured by satellite remote sensing. TDR data provided information about temperature variation vertically through the water column, and through time. The UOR data were used to recalibrate the TDR data in order to correct for the slow response time of the TDR thermistor relative to the speed of seal movements through the water column. Seasonal temperature variation was apparent, and temperatures also varied between regions, and with bathymetry. These results were consistent with the current interpretation of the coastal oceanography around South Georgia. In particular, the relationship between on- and off-shelf waters showed larger amounts of warmer surface water in a region in which more run-off was to be expected. The study also showed that Antarctic fur seals concentrate their activity in regions of colder, and presumably oceanic, water. Such instrumented animals could provide near real time data for assimilation into ocean models.     

Time-series analysis of remote-sensed chlorophyll and environmental factors in the Santa Monica–San Pedro Basin off Southern California

The time-series of remote-sensed surface chlorophyll concentration measured by SeaWiFS radiometer from September 1997 to December 2001 and the relevant hydrological and meteorological factors (remote-sensed sea surface temperature, atmospheric precipitation, air temperature and wind stress) in Santa Monica Bay and adjacent waters off southern California were analyzed using wavelet and cross-correlation statistical methods. All parameters exhibited evident seasonal patterns of variation. Wavelet analysis revealed salient long-term variations most evident in air temperature during El Niño 1997–1998 and in wind stress during La Niña 1998–1999. Short-period (<100 days) variations of remote-sensed chlorophyll biomass were mostly typical to spring seasons. Chlorophyll biomass was significantly correlated with air temperature and wind stress: an increase of chlorophyll biomass followed with 5–6-day time lag an increase of wind stress accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of air temperature. The mechanism of these variations was an intensification of phytoplankton growth resulting from the mixing of water column by wind stress and entrainment of nutrients into the euphotic layer.     

Variability of the western Galician upwelling system (NW Spain) during an intensively sampled annual cycle. An EOF analysis approach

The key features of the western Galician shelf hydrography and dynamics are analyzed on a solid statistical and experimental basis. The results allowed us to gather together information dispersed in previous oceanographic works of the region. Empirical orthogonal functions analysis and a canonical correlation analysis were applied to a high-resolution dataset collected from 47 surveys done on a weekly frequency from May 2001 to May 2002. The main results of these analyses are summarized bellow. Salinity, temperature and the meridional component of the residual current are correlated with the relevant local forcings (the meridional coastal wind component and the continental run-off) and with a remote forcing (the meridional temperature gradient at latitude 37°N). About 80% of the salinity and temperature total variability over the shelf, and 37% of the residual meridional current total variability are explained by two EOFs for each variable. Up to 22% of the temperature total variability and 14% of the residual meridional current total variability is devoted to the set up of cross-shore gradients of the thermohaline properties caused by the wind-induced Ekman transport. Up to 11% and 10%, respectively, is related to the variability of the meridional temperature gradient at the Western Iberian Winter Front. About 30% of the temperature total variability can be explained by the development and erosion of the seasonal thermocline and by the seasonal variability of the thermohaline properties of the central waters. This thermocline presented unexpected low salinity values due to the trapping during spring and summer of the high continental inputs from the River Miño recorded in 2001. The low salinity plumes can be traced on the Galician shelf during almost all the annual cycle; they tend to be extended throughout the entire water column under downwelling conditions and concentrate in the surface layer when upwelling favourable winds blow. Our evidences point to the meridional temperature gradient acting as an important controlling factor of the central waters thermohaline properties and in the development and decay of the Iberian Poleward Current.     

Mesoscale subduction at the Almeria–Oran front: Part 1: Ageostrophic flow

This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from three, rapidly repeated, fine-scale surveys of the Almeria–Oran front. Instability of the frontal boundary, between surface waters of Atlantic and Mediterranean origin, is shown to provide a mechanism for significant heat transfer from the surface layers to the deep ocean in winter. The data were collected during the second observational phase of the EU funded OMEGA project on RRS Discovery cruise 224 during December 1996. High resolution hydrographic measurements using the towed undulating CTD vehicle, SeaSoar, traced the subduction of Mediterranean Surface Water across the Almeria–Oran front. This subduction is shown to result from a significant baroclinic component to the instability of the frontal jet. The Q-vector formulation of the omega equation is combined with a scale analysis to quantitatively diagnose vertical transport resulting from mesoscale ageostrophic circulation. The analyses are presented and discussed in the presence of satellite and airborne remotely sensed data; which provide the basis for a thorough and novel approach to the determination of observational error.     

A study of the response of chlorophyll-a biomass to a winter upwelling event off Western Iberia using SeaWiFS and in situ data

Observations of a winter upwelling event off Western Iberia shelf/slope in the area of influence of the Western Iberia Buoyant Plume (WIBP) were conducted in February 2000. Spatial patterns and time evolution of the chlorophyll-a (chl-a) biomass are analysed, based on in situ and satellite data. SeaWiFS-derived chl-a concentration L2 products were used to track the chlorophyll front and estimate its westward migration velocity (maximum up to 29 km day⁻¹), as well as to characterize the frontal system and its evolution. A method associating the type of spectral signature of a pixel to the fraction of chlorophyll probed by SeaWiFS enabled the estimation of the chl-a biomass within error intervals. High chlorophyll concentrations (for wintertime) were observed over the shelf and slope, up to large distances to the coast. Due to the WIBP, a shallow Ekman layer developed, being nearly coincident with the stratified upper meters. The transport comprised westward advection and stretching of the plume, with little entrainment with the offshore deep mixed layer waters. The relative enlargement of the total area of the Inside-Front Zone (IFZ) during the upwelling event was roughly accompanied by the maintenance of the average biomass per unit of area, considering the water column up to depths of interest. This suggests that there was a net increase of chl-a biomass inside the water column associated with the IFZ, roughly proportional to the increase in the IFZ area. Retention of phytoplankton in the shallow stratified nutrient-rich waters of the WIBP was a key factor for this increase in chl-a biomass.     

The shoaling of nutrient-enriched subsurface waters as a mechanism to sustain primary productivity off Central Baja California during El Niño winters

Using CalCOFI data for coastal shallow stations (above 100 m depth), higher than expected nitrate concentrations were detected in near-surface high-temperature waters off of Central Baja California during some El Niño winters. Though recent data are not available for Central Baja California, past El Niño data, though limited, showed nitrate concentrations above 16 μM at temperatures above 16 °C, and nitrate concentrations between 1 and 2 μM at 19 °C, while the previously established relationship of temperature and nitrate for California Current waters predicts nitrate depletion above 14 or 15 °C. The anomalous, high temperature–high nitrate enrichment events documented in Central Baja California were detected as shallow as 9 m and as deep as 73 m, were associated with low-oxygen (between 2 and 4 ml/l) and high-salinity (between 33.8 and 34.3 psu) waters, and occurred during the winter months of an El Niño year. Using recent data for San Diego, CA, similar but weaker enrichment events were detected for the El Niño winter of 1997–1998. The periodic shoaling of a subsurface subtropical water mass of high temperature, high salinity, low oxygen and high nutrients during some El Niño winters is proposed to cause periodic enrichment and to maintain productivity during warming events in this area. Enrichment events were not detected off Ensenada, in Northern Baja California, possibly due to the amplification of the onshore flow during El Niño there, or due to the Ensenada front. The proposed mechanism of periodic enrichment of nutrient-depleted surface waters during some El Niño winters by subsurface waters from the California Undercurrent may explain the following: (1) survival of giant kelp forests at their southern limit in Central Baja California documented during past El Niño events in warm waters, (2) the rapid recovery and high carrying capacity of giant kelp documented after the mass disappearance during El Niño 1997–1998, and (3) the increase in the extent of mesotrophic chlorophyll detected in the area during the 1997–1998 and 1982–1983 El Niño events.     

Surface patterns of zooplankton spatial variability detected by high frequency sampling in the NW Mediterranean. Role of density fronts

High frequency sampling was performed in daylight hours along a 35 km transect in the Ligurian Sea to investigate the upper layer zooplankton distribution during the spring phytoplankton bloom. The results show detailed spatial structure and biomass of key zooplankton functional groups, copepods, salps and krill larvae, within the different water masses characterizing this region. Although observed values of total copepod biomass distribution were rather constant along the transect, species-specific patterns were observed in the copepod spatial distribution. The larger species Calanus helgolandicus, as well as Centropages typicus, Oithona spp., and Oncaea spp., were associated with the frontal zone. However, Acartia spp. had a scattered distribution, and Clausocalanus/Paracalanus did not have a clear pattern. In addition, krill larvae were concentrated in the frontal area and salps had a scattered pattern. The cross-shore zooplankton distribution appeared strongly influenced by both the Northern Ligurian current governing inshore waters, which acts as a major flushing forcing, and the Ligurian front, which governs offshore waters and may act as retention area for zooplankton.     

Environmental impact assessment of sediment dumping in the southern Baltic Sea using meiofaunal indicators

An experimental sediment dumping was carried out in the southern part of the Mecklenburg Bight in June 2001. Foraminiferans and ostracods from superficial sandy sediment were studied in a time series from before dumping until March 2004 in order to assess changes in associations and recolonization patterns of both groups. Additionally, an area sampling covering the dumping site and its surroundings from 15.5 to 20.7 m water depth made it possible to compare associations inside and outside the dumping area as well as the water depth dependent distribution of foraminiferans and ostracods. Salinity values vary within the high alpha-mesohaline and low polyhaline range. The dominating species are Ammotium cassis (Foraminifera) and Sarsicytheridea bradii (Ostracoda). The diversity is low (Fisher alpha index from 0.4 to 3.2 for foraminiferans and 1.0 to 2.5 for ostracods), but higher within the dumping site samples. These higher values are explainable by input of allochthonous tests and valves representing additional species. After the sediment dumping it took two and a half years to re-establish the total foraminiferan association and the total foraminifer/ostracod ratio within the dumping site. Total foraminiferan abundance increases remarkably with water depth (mean 83 tests in 100 ml) driven by higher nutrient availability and more suitable salinity and temperature values within the zone of the oscillating halocline. The distribution of shallow water species such as Cribroelphidium excavatum, Eucythere argus and Hirschmannia viridis, within the transient water layer A. cassis, Nodulina dentaliniformis, S. bradii and Palmoconcha laevata and below Eggerella scabra indicate the depth position of the halocline. Water depth and sediment dumping influence are the main driving factors for the distribution of foraminifer and ostracod associations within the study area. However, a significant sedimentological difference between samples inside and outside the dumping area is not recognizable.     

Parameterisation of clastic sediments including benthic structures

The sediment transport processes in the south-western Baltic Sea are predicted by means of a numerical model in the project DYNAS. There are two sediment parameters that influence the results of modelling remarkably: critical shear stress velocity and bottom roughness. This paper presents the way how to parameterise these factors and extrapolate them into the investigation area. The critical shear stress velocity is parameterised basing on grain size data, combining approximations after Hjulström [Hjulström, F., 1935: Studies in the morphological activity of rivers as illustrated by the river Fyris. Geological Institution of University of Uppsala: Bulletin (25): 221–528.], Shields [Shields, A., 1936: Anwendung der Ähnlichkeits-Mechanik und der Turbulenzforschung auf die Geschiebebewegung. Mitteilungen der Preussischen Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Schiffahrt (26): 26 pp.] and Bohling [Bohling, B., 2003: Untersuchungen zur Mobilität natürlicher und anthropogener Sedimente in der Mecklenburger Bucht. unpublished doctoral thesis, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald/Germany, 156 pp.]. The roughness length, in the case of absence of macro zoo-benthos and their structures, is parameterised basing on grain size too employing Soulsby [Soulsby, R.L., 1997: Dynamics of Marine Sands: a Manual for Practical Applications. London, Thomas Telford Publications. 249 pp.], Nielsen [Nielsen, P., 1983: Analytical determination of nearshore wave height variation due to refraction shoaling and friction. Coastal Engineering 7, 233–251.] and Yalin [Yalin, M.S., 1977: Mechanics of Sediment Transport. Pergamon Press, New York. 298 pp.]. No equivalent simple parameterisations for biologically caused bed roughness exist. Here, findings of Friedrichs [Friedrichs, M., 2004: Flow-induced effects of macro zoo-benthic structures on the near-bed sediment transport. Dissertation, Universität Rostock, 80 S.] and estimations by the DYNAS biologists group were combined in order to derive roughness lengths from abundance measurements of four previously selected key species which represent the originators of the dominating benthic structures at the sea floor in the south-western Baltic Sea. Critical shear stress velocity and bed roughness are known at few sample sites only. They were extrapolated into the larger investigation area using a proxy-target concept. The mean near bottom milieu (bathymetry, median grain size, salinity, oxygen) which was derived using results from numerical modelling serves as the proxy. Since the milieu parameters are measured at the sampling sites for which the target parameters have been determined, a combined hierarchical and supervised classification was employed to transfer the local knowledge into the unknown investigation area.     

Seasonal productivity dynamics in the pelagic central Benguela System inferred from the flux of carbonate and silicate organisms

Flux of bulk components, carbonate- and silicate-bearing skeleton organisms, and the δ¹⁵N-isotopic signal were investigated on a 1-year time-series sediment trap deployed at the pelagic NU mooring site (Namibia Upwelling, ca. 29°S, 13°E) in the central Benguela System. The flux of bulk components mostly shows bimodal seasonality with major peaks in austral summer and winter, and moderate to low export in austral fall and spring. The calcium carbonate fraction dominates the export of particulates throughout the year, followed by lithogenic and biogenic opal. Planktonic foraminifera and coccolithophorids are major components of the carbonate fraction, while diatoms clearly dominate the biogenic opal fraction. Bulk δ¹⁵N isotopic composition of particulate matter is positively correlated with the total mass flux during summer and fall, while negatively correlated during winter and spring. Seasonal changes in the intensity of the main oceanographic processes affecting the NU site are inferred from variations in bulk component flux, and in the flux and diversity patterns of individual species or group of species. Influence from the Namaqua (Hondeklip) upwelling cell through offshore migration of chlorophyll filaments is stronger in summer, while the winter flux maximum seems to reflect mainly in situ production, with less influence from the coastal and shelf upwelling areas. On a yearly basis, dominant microorganisms correspond well with the flora and fauna of tropical/subtropical waters, with minor contribution of near-shore organisms. The simultaneous occurrence of species with different ecological affinities mirrors the fact that the mooring site was located in a transitional region with large hydrographic variability over short-time intervals.     

Improving the physics of a coupled physical–biogeochemical model of the North Atlantic through data assimilation: Impact on the ecosystem

Several studies on coupled physical–biogeochemical models have shown that major deficiencies in the biogeochemical fields arise from the deficiencies in the physical flow fields. This paper examines the improvement of the physics through data assimilation, and the subsequent impact on the ecosystem response in a coupled model of the North Atlantic. Sea surface temperature and sea surface height data are assimilated with a sequential method based on the SEEK filter adapted to the coupling needs. The model domain covers the Atlantic from 20°S to 70°N at eddy-permitting resolution. The biogeochemical model is a NPZD-DOM model based on the P3ZD formulation. The results of an annual assimilated simulation are compared with an annual free simulation.With assimilation, the representation of the mixed layer depth is significantly improved in mid latitudes, even though the mixed layer depth is generally overestimated compared to the observations. The representation of the mean and variance of the currents is also significantly improved.The nutrient input in the euphotic zone is used to assess the data assimilation impact on the ecosystem. Data assimilation results in a 50% reduction of the input due to vertical mixing in mid-latitudes, and in a four- to six-fold increase of the advective fluxes in mid-latitudes and subtropics. Averaged zonally, the net impact is a threefold increase for the subtropical gyre, and a moderate (20–30%) decrease at mid and high latitudes.Surface chlorophyll concentration increases along the subtropical gyre borders, but little changes are detected at mid and high latitudes. An increase of the primary production appears along the Gulf Stream path, but it represents only 12% on average for mid and high latitudes. In the subtropical gyre centre, primary production is augmented but stays underestimated (20% of observations). These experiments show the benefits of physical data assimilation in coupled physical–biogeochemical applications.     

Intrusions of eastern North Atlantic central waters and phytoplankton in the north and northwestern Iberian shelf during spring

The influence of intrusions of eastern North Atlantic central water (ENACW) in the north and northwestern Iberian shelf on phytoplankton composition and abundance and on particle-size distributions of seston was analyzed using data collected on three extensive cruises during spring 1991 and 1992. Water with temperature and salinity values between 12.20 and 13.86 °C and between 35.66 and 35.98 psu, respectively, characteristics of the subtropical type of ENACW (ENACW_t), was detected in the upper 100 m of the water-column in all cruises, but particularly in the western coast in 1992. The highest salinity values of this water were found near the surface (0–100-m depth) and in early spring 1992, while minimum salinity values, and also minimum geographical extension, were found in late spring in both years. Phytoplankton blooms concentrated in frontal areas between different water types, with maximum intensity and extension in early spring.Using temperature and salinity characteristics, samples were classified in four groups corresponding to the major water types found in the region: Bay of Biscay central water (BBCW), two segments of ENACW of different salinity and surface water influenced by continental runoff. This classification was significantly confirmed by three independent discriminant analyses using hydrographic and chemical (dissolved nutrients and chlorophyll) variables, phytoplankton species abundance variables and particle-size concentration of seston variables. Phytoplankton blooms related to the presence of saline waters were characterized by the dominance of either chain-forming diatoms or a mixture of diatoms and phytoflagellates and high concentrations of seston. The diatom species dominating in saline waters were typical of upwelling-induced blooms occurring generally during summer. Blooms occurring in waters influenced by runoff also contained diatoms but in lower numbers than those of saline waters. Nutrients were not exhausted in the region, suggesting that phytoplankton populations were still in active growth. These results are interpreted taking into account the known variability in water-mass formation and in the poleward current driving ENACW_t along the shelf, and indicate that saline intrusions are a major feature affecting the distribution and composition of plankton in the spring in the southern Bay of Biscay, thus enlarging to a wider spatial scale their reported influence on the pelagic ecosystem.     

Surface chlorophyll in the Black Sea over 1978–1986 derived from satellite and in situ data

Absolute values of chlorophyll a concentration and its spatial and seasonal variations in the Black Sea were assessed by using satellite CZCS and in situ data. Since the satellite CZCS had operated for the 1978–1986 period, CZCS data was used for assessing the past state of the Black Sea just before the onset of drastic changes observed in late 1980s. The approach used for the calculation of the absolute values of chlorophyll a concentration from CZCS data was based on the direct comparison of in situ chlorophyll a data and those of CZCS and by applying the algorithm developed for the transformation of CZCS data into chlorophyll a values. CZCS Level 2 data related with pigment concentration having a spatial resolution of 1 km at nadir were used. The daily Level 3 files were derived by binning Level 2 values into 4-km grid cells and the monthly and seasonal Level 3 files were created by averaging the daily Level 3 files over the corresponding period. In situ chlorophyll a data were obtained by spectrophotometric and fluorometric methods in 15 scientific cruises over the 1978–1986 period. Total number of ship-measured data used for the comparison with those CZCS values was 590.Chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) was derived from CZCS values (C) with regression equations Chl=kC; the coefficient of transformation k was calculated from six different data sets by taking into account distinctions between subregions and seasons. The reasons for difference in the k values have been analyzed.Statistical comparison of the chlorophyll a values measured in situ and those derived from CZCS data was based on log-transformed data and gave the following results: regression SLOPE=0.842, regression INTERCEPT=−0.081, coefficient of determination (R²)=0.806, root–mean–square ERROR=0.195. The mean monthly chlorophyll a distributions derived from CZCS data over 1978–1986 have been constructed and the mean seasonal chlorophyll a values in different regions have been calculated and analyzed. The significant difference in chlorophyll concentration between the western shelf regions and the open part of the Black Sea has been demonstrated, especially in warm season. At almost all seasons, the highest chlorophyll concentration is observed in the western interior shelf region which is under strong influence of Danube. The summer mean chlorophyll concentration in this region is 18 times higher than that in the open parts and about nine times higher than in the eastern shelf region. The greatest seasonal variations are observed in the open part of the Black Sea: chlorophyll concentration in cold season is four to six times higher than in summer and three to five times higher than in April and October. To the contrary, in the western interior shelf regions, the concentration is higher in May–October (about twice than that in November–March). Seasonal variations in the western outer shelf regions are smoothed out as compared with both the western interior shelf and the open regions.     

Distributions of oxygen and carbon stable isotopes and CFC-12 in the water masses of the Southern Ocean at 30°E from South Africa to Antarctica: results of the CIVA1 cruise

This study presents oceanic distributions of stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O of water and δ¹³C of ΣCO₂) and CFC-12 from samples collected during the CIVA1 cruise (February/March 1993), across the Southern Ocean, along a meridian section at 30°E, from South Africa (44°S) to Antarctica (70°S). The isotopic measurements show important variations between the subantarctic surface waters with low δ¹⁸O–high δ¹³C values and the antarctic surface waters with very low δ¹⁸O–low δ¹³C values. The surface distributions of δ¹³C values follow the major frontal oceanic structures; the vertical distribution shows the progressive upwelling from the subantarctic zone to the antarctic divergence of ¹³C-depleted CO₂ derived from remineralization of organic matter. Along the Antarctic continental shelf, between 2500 and 4000 m, a core of water with δ¹⁸O values close to −0.1‰ is associated with a relative maximum in CFC-12 concentration, although this core is not detected by its temperature and salinity parameters. This water mass, which corresponds to recently formed deep water, may originate from the eastward extension of the Weddell gyre or from bottom waters coming from the East and formed near Prydz Bay.     

Protist entrapment in newly formed sea ice in the Coastal Arctic Ocean

Protist abundance and taxonomic composition were determined in four development stages of newly formed sea ice (new ice, nilas, young ice and thin first-year ice) and in the underlying surface waters of the Canadian Beaufort Sea from 30 September to 19 November 2003. Pico- and nanoalgae were counted by flow cytometry whereas photosynthetic and heterotrophic protists ≥ 4 µm were identified and counted by inverted microscopy. Protists were always present in sea ice and surface water samples throughout the study period. The most abundant protists in sea ice and surface waters were cells < 4 µm. They were less abundant in sea ice (418–3051 × 10³ cells L^− 1) than in surface waters (1393–5373 × 10³ cells L^− 1). In contrast, larger protists (≥ 4 µm) were more abundant in sea ice (59–821 × 10³ cells L^− 1) than in surface waters (22–256 × 10³ cells L^− 1). These results suggest a selective incorporation of larger cells into sea ice. The ≥ 4 µm protist assemblage was composed of a total number of 73 taxa, including 12 centric diatom species, 7 pennate diatoms, 11 dinoflagellates and 16 flagellates. The taxonomic composition in the early stage of ice formation (i.e., new ice) was very similar to that observed in surface waters and was composed of a mixed population of nanoflagellates (Prasinophyceae and Prymnesiophyceae), diatoms (mainly Chaetoceros species) and dinoflagellates. In older stages of sea ice (i.e., young ice and thin first-year ice), the taxonomic composition became markedly different from that of the surface waters. These older ice samples contained relatively fewer Prasinophyceae and more unidentified nanoflagellates than the younger ice. Diatom resting spores and dinoflagellate cysts were generally more abundant in sea ice than in surface waters. However, further studies are needed to determine the importance of this winter survival strategy in Arctic sea ice. This study clearly shows the selective incorporation of large cells (≥ 4 µm) in newly formed sea ice and the change in the taxonomic composition of protists between sea ice and surface waters as the fall season progresses.     

Remotely-sensed chlorophyll a observations of the northern Red Sea indicate seasonal variability and influence of coastal reefs

The biological dynamics of the open northern Red Sea (21.5°–27.5° N, 33.5°–40° E) have not been studied extensively, due in part to both the inaccessibility of this desert region and political considerations. Remotely-sensed chlorophyll a data therefore provide a framework to investigate the primary patterns of biological activity in this oceanic basin. Monthly chlorophyll a data from the 8-year Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View sensor (SeaWiFS) mission, and data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), were analyzed with the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) online data analysis system “Giovanni”. The data indicate that despite the normal low chlorophyll a concentrations (0.1–0.2 mg m^− 3) in these oligotrophic waters, there is a characteristic seasonal bloom in March–April in the northernmost open Red Sea (24° to 27.5° N) concurrent with minimum sea surface temperature. The location of the highest chlorophyll concentrations is consistent with a linear box model [Eshel, G., and Naik, N.H., 1997. Climatological coastal jet collision, intermediate water formation, and the general circulation of the Red Sea. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 27(7), 1233–1257.] of Red Sea circulation. Two years in the data set exhibited a different seasonal cycle consisting of a relatively weak northern spring bloom and elevated chlorophyll concentrations to the south (21.5° to 24° N).The data also indicate that large coral reef complexes may be sources of either nutrients or chlorophyll-rich detritus and sediment, enhancing chlorophyll a concentration in waters adjacent to the reefs.     

Copepod diversity in the water masses of the southern East China Sea north of Taiwan

The warm oceanic current Kuroshio and the continental shelf water of the East China Sea meet in the western North Pacific, north of Taiwan and form an upwelling when they converge. The intrusion of the Kuroshio westward over the East China Sea shelf thus results in complicated exchanges of waters between these two water masses. We studied the copepods in the plankton collection taken from an east–west transect crossing these waters in April 1995 when the intrusion of the Kuroshio over the East China Sea shelf was beginning to retreat. The taxonomy of copepods was carefully treated and erroneous species records reported in the literature were guarded against. We evaluated the copepod diversity, the association of copepod species, and the association of stations in these water masses.