Deep-sea Research Part Ii-topical Studies in Oceanography最新文献

A warming climate is expected to intensify the stratification of the upper ocean in tropical and subtropical regions, which in turn results in decreases in the primary productivity for these oligotrophic areas. To assess if there is trended change in primary productivity in the southern Indian Ocean (IO) with known striking temperature increase, we use 17-years of satellite chlorophyll (Chl) data and model output to examine the trended changes in Chl. The results exhibited a surprisingly increase in Chl concentrations in part of the southern IO over the gyre area. To investigate the potential mechanisms underlying this Chl increase, we used temperature/salinity observations to re-evaluate stratification in the southern IO. The southern IO experienced basin-wide surface warming over the time series however there was a region of subsurface cooling at 50–100 m around 10°S. In the subtropical IO gyre, subsurface warming occurs at faster rates compare to the surface. Through the calculation of buoyancy frequency ($N^2$), we have confirmed the presence of subsurface instabilities caused by these inhomogeneous trends in the vertical thermohaline structure. This was particularly true over the southern IO gyre, which experienced sustained increase of surface mixing disturbances over the last decade—resulting in a more favorable environment for vertical transport of nutrients into the euphotic zone. A mixed layer nutrient budget analysis suggested that entrainment due to mixed layer deepening is crucial in delivering nutrients into the gyre's upper mixed layer, which fueled phytoplankton activity. This emphasizes the importance of considering subsurface instabilities when interpreting the factors that influence surface Chl variabilities. This study highlights the importance of a three-dimensional framework for examining stratification to assess future marine ecosystem responses to a changing climate.

The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) variability associated with 26 major Loop Current eddies (LCEs) in the Gulf of Mexico from 1994 through 2019 was investigated. We employed 3D multivariate observation-based ARMOR3D monthly ocean analyses of salinity, temperature, and geostrophic velocity field data. In addition, we used ERA5 wind data, the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric global climate reanalysis, to analyze internal and external forcing processes affecting the evolution of these LCEs. The energy analysis was performed to understand the role of barotropic (BT) and baroclinic (BC) instabilities and their associated energy conversion mechanisms in EKE generation. Our results suggest that BT instabilities are the primary source of EKE variability in the upper water column of the LC system. Furthermore, BT was positively correlated with Yucatan Channel (YC) transport during these major LCE shedding events. YC transport plays a significant role in energy conversion from mean kinetic energy to EKE, Loop Current growth, and generation of LCEs. BC instability was inversely correlated with buoyancy frequency, and a decrease in stratification triggers the development of BC instability, which favors eddy shedding. An eddy shedding index (ESI) was developed to quantify EKE evolution. Major LCE shedding occurs when ESI ≥0.46.

The sinking velocity (SV) of organic particles is a critical driver of carbon transport to the deep sea. Accurate determination of marine particle SV and their influencing factors is therefore a key to better understanding of biological carbon storage in the ocean. We used two different approaches to estimate average SVs of particles during a Southern Ocean spring bloom (North of South Georgia): optical backscatter sensors on gliders (“large”, >50 μm diameter), and radioactive pairs (²³⁴Th–²³⁸U and ²¹⁰Po-²¹⁰Pb). Our results were complemented with time-of flight estimations of bulk SVs from deep sediment traps deployed at 1950 m.

Bulk SVs increased consistently with depth from 15 ± 1 m d⁻¹ at 10 m to 50 ± 10 m d⁻¹ at the depth of export (Z_p = 95 m) and from 96 ± 35 m d⁻¹ at 150 m to 119 ± m d⁻¹ at 450 m. Only the fastest particles, mainly comprised by faecal pellets (FPs) and diatom aggregates, survived remineralization and dominated carbon fluxes at deep depth.

The SV variability at the base of the Euphotic Zone was studied in relation to the stage of the bloom by analysing three different moments of the spring diatom bloom in the region during the years 2012, 2013 and 2017. The export efficiency (ExpEff), defined as the ratio POC flux exported below the Euphotic Zone to the satellite derived surface NPP, was also evaluated. It was found from the temporal series that ExpEff and SV vary throughout the diatom bloom as the community structure progresses. A good correlation between both variables was observed (ExpEff = (0.023 ± 0.006) SV, r = 0.82, p = 0.04). Showing that the variability in how efficiently the carbon flux is exported out of the Euphotic Zone can be explained by the SV at which the particles sink. Further investigations are required to analyse if this is a specific model of the functioning of the BCP during the diatom bloom in North South Georgia or if it can be extrapolated to other scenarios.

Time series from a moored array of current velocity and surface meteorological sensors, some with record lengths as long as 25 years, are used to describe both the long-term mean circulation and its seasonal variations on the West Florida Continental Shelf (WFS). The moorings are part of the University of South Florida's Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (USF-COMPS), a network of ocean observing assets along with numerical circulation models, all used to describe and understand physical and ecological processes on the WFS. These USF-COMPS observations reveal a coherent, shelf-wide mean circulation pattern with depth-averaged flow directed alongshore and down-coast. The vertical structure and the seasonal variations further describe an inner-shelf, wind-driven upwelling region separated from a deeper-ocean influenced offshore downwelling region by a coastal jet. By adding to the record lengths from previous analyses, the statistics are shown to be robust, with the inferences drawn from shorter records being borne out by the present longer-term analyses.

In this study impact of assimilating Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) from multi-satellites (SMOS, Aquarius and SMAP) on numerical ocean model simulations in the north Indian Ocean has been analysed under the observing system experiment (OSE) framework. Daily data sets of Aquarius, SMAP and SMOS, which were available for a common period of April–May 2015, are used to constrain the ocean model using ensemble optimal interpolation technique. Apart from the control simulation in which satellite data were not assimilated, a total of seven assimilation experiments using different combinations of satellite SSS were conducted. The impact of assimilation experiments is analysed by comparing the model-simulated variables with in situ observations. Assimilating satellite SSS results in a reduction in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in SSS (∼ 54%) and also in subsurface salinity (∼ 21%) over the control run. The impact of assimilating SMAP observations is maximum on model simulations with the errors reducing by ∼ 54%. Subsurface salinity improvement is better with three satellites with ∼31% improvement in RMSE in the halocline region, which was ∼11% more than single satellite assimilation. Assimilation of SSS also resulted in improved simulations of the model surface, subsurface temperature and mixed layer depth. Model results show the ability of SSS observations to complement other ocean observation networks. One important observation from this study is that while the impact of assimilating SSS observations from a single satellite was on par with the impact of assimilating SSS observations from two or three satellites in correcting simulated surface salinity, assimilation from more than one satellite had a larger impact in the salinity of deeper layers of the ocean.

The tropical Indian Ocean consists of three basins, namely the Arabian Sea (AS), Bay of Bengal (BoB) and Southern Indian Ocean (SIO), with relatively nutrient-rich waters in the former two basins. It is hypothesized that the excess carbon produced in the northern Indian Ocean may support heterotrophic carbon demand in the SIO. In order to test this hypothesis, deck incubation experiments were conducted during the spring intermonsoon under the aegis of the Indian-GEOTRACES program. Nutrients in the mixed layer were low in the SIO compared to AS and BoB due to strong thermal stratification in the former region. Dominant net autotrophy was noticed in the AS whereas net heterotrophy in the BoB and SIO. High community respiration (CR) was observed in the BoB which may be supported by riverine organic carbon, whereas in situ produced and advected excess carbon from the northern Indian Ocean may support in AS and SIO respectively. Net community production (NCP) displayed an inverse (linear) relationship with temperature (salinity) in the euphotic zone in the BoB and SIO suggesting that stratification driven by river discharge and equatorial currents, respectively, reduced nutrients inputs through vertical mixing in the upper ocean resulting in the formation of the strong net heterotrophy and contrast to this was found in the AS due to increase in primary production due to nitrogen fixation. The euphotic zone integrated nutrients displayed a linear relationship with NCP and Gross Primary Production (GPP) indicating that the availability of nutrients controlled the plankton metabolic rates in the tropical Indian Ocean. The threshold of GPP for plankton metabolic balance in the tropical Indian Ocean (1.9 mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹) was close to that of the global mean (2.2 mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹). The slope of the log-log relationship between GPP and CR was 0.5 and it is close to that of the global mean value of 0.60.

Technology is fundamental to understanding our ocean and has been used to conduct oceanographic research for over a century. We are in an age of fast innovation and technical advancements that are pushing the boundaries of marine research, exploration, data collection, and telecommunications at sea. Through this, scientists are gaining the ability to collect data at reduced costs, more efficiently, for longer durations, and on scales previously beyond human reach. As a consequence, our knowledge of the ocean is rapidly evolving and, along with that, our capacity to excite broader public interest and inform the better stewardship of our planet.

This review provides examples of (1) successful technologies that have been used in oceanographic research, many aboard R/V Falkor; (2) prototypes that have the potential to be used more extensively; and (3) innovations in other fields that have not yet been adapted for use in the ocean. This is not an exhaustive review of existing marine technologies that fit these criteria, but collectively, they are increasing the pace of oceanographic discovery and research.

The sinking of photosynthetically produced organic carbon from the ocean surface to its interior is a significant term in the global carbon cycle. Most sinking organic carbon is, however, remineralized in the mesopelagic zone (∼100 m–1000 m), thereby exerting control over ocean-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO₂) partitioning and hence global climate. Sinking particles are considered hotspots of microbial respiration in the dark ocean. However, our observations in the contrasting Scotia Sea and the Benguela Current show that >90% of microbial remineralisation is associated with suspended, rather than sinking, organic matter, resulting in rapid turnover of the suspended carbon pool and demonstrating its central role in mesopelagic carbon cycling. A non-steady-state model indicates that temporally variable particle fluxes, particle injection pumps and local chemoautotrophy are necessary to help balance the observed mesopelagic respiration. Temperature and oxygen exert control over microbial respiration, particularly for the suspended fraction, further demonstrating the susceptibility of microbial remineralisation to the ongoing decline in oxygen at mid-ocean depths. These observations suggest a partial decoupling of carbon cycling between non-sinking and fast-sinking organic matter, challenging our understanding of how oceanic biological processes regulate climate.

Twenty-three years of surface meteorological and oceanographic data sampled from moored buoys are used to study the seasonal and interannual variations of ocean–atmosphere heat exchange and its influence on West Florida Continental Shelf (WFS) water temperature and stratification. The data are from the University of South Florida's Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS), part of the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA). Observed are incoming short and longwave radiation, air and sea surface temperatures (AT and SST), barometric pressure, relative humidity, wind velocity, water column velocity profiles, and water column temperature at discrete depths. These data are used to estimate net shortwave and longwave radiation and sensible and latent heat fluxes via the COARE 3.6 algorithm. When combined, these radiative and turbulent heat flux influences are compared with the heating and cooling of the WFS water column and SST. On seasonal average, heating starts in February and lasts through August, with a maximum rate of change in May, while cooling starts in September and lasts through January, with the maximum rate of change in October. Also on seasonal average, SST varies from 18.4 °C in February to 30.4 °C in August at mooring C10 (at the 25 m isobath) and from 20.1 °C in February to 30.2 °C in August at mooring C12 (at the 50 m isobath), the differences in the seasonal range being due to increased ocean circulation influence in deeper water. Both the spring and fall transition onsets, February and August, respectively, occur when the sign of the net heat flux changes. The water column begins to stratify in March, peaking in June–July and lagging the surface heating by one or two months, then decreasing through September at C10 and October at C12. Stratification is also modified by persistent upwelling when the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current (LC) interacts with the WFS slope at its southwest corner near the Dry Tortugas. Interannual temperature anomalies from the seasonal cycle are also related to how the LC interacts with the WFS slope.

The Maritime Continent (MC) is a region with enhanced tidal mixing and ocean cooling, which influences regional-scale sea surface temperatures (SSTs). We examine the coupled impacts of tidal mixing on near-surface stratification, SST, and deep convection on diurnal and intraseasonal time-scales, using ensembles of high-resolution, coupled ocean-atmosphere regional model simulations, with and without tidal forcing. Results show that the area-averaged SST in the eastern MC is reduced by 0.20 °C due to tidal forcing, with cooling exceeding 1 °C in the nearshore zones of shallow and complex bathymetry. The reduced SSTs decrease surface heat fluxes, leading to tropospheric drying and reduced precipitation, which are most pronounced in the nearshore zones. The results show that the magnitude of tidally-induced SST cooling is phase-dependent during the passage of the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). Strong westerly winds enhance entrainment cooling through wind-driven mixing and upwelling during the active phase. Conversely, the upper-ocean stratification is enhanced during the suppressed phase, and SSTs are less sensitive to subsurface cooling. Such spatio-temporal variability in the SST response to tides is accompanied by consistent changes to deep convection and atmospheric circulation. On the diurnal time-scale, nearshore cooling weakens the early-morning convection when the land-based convection propagates offshore and interacts with the cooler SST. On intraseasonal time-scales, the coupling between SST and precipitation is strengthened because of the asymmetric impacts of tide-induced mixing on SST and MJO-induced winds. The robust SST and precipitation responses demonstrated in this study suggest the need for an accurate representation of tidal forcing and vertical mixing processes in local MJO prediction models for the MC.