Journal of Marine Systems最新文献

This research analyzed the near-coastal circulation along 300 km in the southern Colombian Pacific, a meso-tidal region formed by Tumaco Bay and the Mira River Delta. The interaction between tidal dynamics and the Mira River plume stratification and dispersion is not well known. Moreover, the combined effects of tide and density gradients on the circulation patterns in Tumaco Bay have rarely been studied. The region was investigated using the Delft3D hydrodynamic model, calibrated and validated using field data. The results show that Tumaco Bay is ebb-dominated, and the tide and bottom shape are the dominant forces in the circulation patterns inside the bay. The weak horizontal density gradient induced by Mira River did not show a substantial effect on the circulation of the bay. Near the mouth of the Mira Delta, the water column was predominantly partially mixed, but stratification changed within the tidal cycle, presenting tidal straining along the minor axis of the plume. This may generate strongly stratified conditions in the water column during flood periods. Although tidal straining is very common along the major axis of tide-dominated estuaries, it is not as common in coastal river plumes. The analyzed system provides additional evidence about this phenomenon in a tropical delta.

Global coastal zones are constantly changing due to the actions of various physical forces. Recent studies show that the supply of suspended sediment of continental origin plays an important role in these changes. Once in the coastal region, this sediment significantly influences the sedimentation process on the inner shelf. Thus, understanding the transport and destination of these suspended sediments is crucial to interpret the morphodynamic evolution of the seabed and biogeochemical processes in the ocean. The Southwest Atlantic Shelf is the largest continental shelf in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the most important in biological production, because of the great continental contribution exercised by both Río de la Plata and Patos Lagoon. Studies in the region showed that these effluents are significantly affected by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect, which can interfere with the availability of suspended material inserted into the coastal region. Despite the great efforts of several authors to understand these changes and their interactions with the environment, some questions remain unanswered. Thus, this work aims to fill this gap by answering questions related to the contribution of suspended sediment of continental origin and its behaviour on the Southwest Atlantic Inner Shelf. The behaviour of suspended sediment was investigated in two distinct periods using the hydro-morphodynamic model TELEMAC-3D: one representing normal years, that is, without the effect of ENSO (2005–2006) and the other experiencing the effect of ENSO (2008–2009).The model was calibrated and validated using field data for both studied periods. R esults were based on statistical analysis, such as wavelet and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, in addition to time series analysis. Results showed that the Southwest Atlantic Inner Shelf is mainly influenced by the fluvial discharge of Río de la Plata and Patos Lagoon, and by the local wind. Río de la Plata is the largest exporter of suspended sediment in the region, with an approximate rate of 1.2 × 10⁸ tons.year^-1 in neutral (normal) years and 3.0 × 10⁸ tons.year^-1 in years under the influence of ENSO. The Patos Lagoon, on the other hand, exports approximately 1.25 × 10⁷ tons.year^-1 in the period without the ENSO effect and 1.35 × 10⁷ tons.year^-1 in the period influenced by ENSO. Results also showed that the fluvial discharge interacts with the suspended sediment in seasonal to interannual scales, while the wind contributes to the concentration of suspended sediment on synoptic scales. Still on the wind regime, results show that the local wind regime gains importance particularly when the suspended sediment reaches the coastal region.

This study presents an overview of oceanic mesoscale eddies and their influence on the overlying atmosphere and surrounding waters, with a focus on the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The high values of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in this region are related to the mesoscale eddies observed, which transport dynamic and thermodynamic specific properties away from their origin point, during their life cycle. This transport capacity interferes with several atmospheric and oceanic processes, such as the local marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) stability, heat fluxes, and primary production. In the Southern Hemisphere, cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddies are related to clockwise (counterclockwise) circulation and negative (positive) anomalies of the sea surface temperature (SST) and the latent and sensible heat fluxes. It has been observed that over the clockwise and cold (counterclockwise and warm) eddies, there is a decrease (increase) in the near-surface wind, as well as stable (unstable) conditions on the MABL, vertical downward (upward) movements in the atmosphere, and decreased (increased) precipitation. SST anomalies influence the curl, divergence, and magnitude of the surface wind and wind stress, while mesoscale surface oceanic currents mainly affect the stress and wind curls. The atmospheric response to SST anomalies can be explained using two main mechanisms: hydrostatic adjustment and vertical mixing. However, as will be shown, the feedback among the SST anomalies, wind, and oceanic currents is far more complex. This work compiles and provides a theoretical basis for future work concerning air-sea interactions of mesoscale oceanic structures.

The Eastern Corsican Coast (ECC) is distinguished by its shallow sandy shelf, extensive Posidonia seagrass meadows, and the relatively limited exploitation of fish in this region. To understand ECC trophic functioning and the effects of fishing in this region of the Mediterranean Sea, we applied the Ecopath and EcoTroph approaches. Our model encompassed 5 groups of primary producers and detritus, 14 invertebrate groups, two groups of Chondrichthyes, 16 teleost groups, one seabird group, and one group of cetaceans. The ECC ecosystem was structured into five trophic levels, regulated top–down by Sphyraenidae, Epinephelus marginatus, and Dentex dentex. The ecosystem displayed a high degree of benthic–pelagic coupling, confirmed by keystone groups/species located at intermediate trophic levels (planktivorous teleosts, benthic cephalopods, shrimps, zooplankton). The ECC demonstrated the lowest exploitation rate (F/Z) of all exploited Mediterranean ecosystems, with trawling representing 55% of catches, followed by the lobster net (27%) and fish net (18%) fisheries. Catches often included untargeted groups—often discarded dead—in particular sharks and rays, and several protected species. Moreover, Palinurus elephas, Scorpaena scrofa, and Dentex dentex had elevated F/Z values, highlighting their vulnerabilities to fishing. Although the fishing simulations suggested that the ECC could support a greater exploitation, they also revealed that these fisheries have a marked impact on upper trophic levels. Our study draws attention to the critical habitat the ECC provides for Chondrichthyes, evidenced by the significant biomass for these taxa and the low fishing pressure relative to other exploited Mediterranean systems. This first modelling of the ECC is an initial step towards modelling all Corsican marine ecosystems to serve as a guide for preserving these ecosystems through appropriate management measures.

The Gulf of Guinea is surrounded by numerous waterways, where several rivers flow into the ocean, and the Niger River brings large amounts of land-derived debris into the Niger Delta every year. However, geochemical characteristics and sources of sediments in this region are still poorly constrained. Here, we collected two cores (GC09 and GC10) on the shelf and one core (GC05) on the shelf break of the Niger Delta, Gulf of Guinea to assess their provenance using total carbon (TC), total organic carbon (TOC), major elements, and trace elements. The results indicate that sediments on the Niger Delta are classified as iron-rich silty clay and silty clay based on their geochemical compositions. Surface sediments are enriched in quartz and feldspar, evidenced by relatively high levels of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, NaO₂, K₂O and CaO. Trace element ratios and TOC demonstrate organic matters were mainly derived from terrestrial inputs and were deposited under aerobic conditions. Geochemical index data (TOC, REEs, δCe, δEu) reflect that the redox conditions of deposition are more inclined to aerobic environment; the sea level gradually decreased and induced more oxic depositional environment over time. According to the location of the three sampling sites, the proportion of felsic in the provenance of sediments increased towards the mainland while the proportion of mafic decreased. With the increasing of water depth, the proportion of felsic source decreases from ~67% at GC10 site (Water depth is 1418 m) to ~50% at GC05 site (Water depth is 3245 m). In contrast, the proportion of mafic source increase from ~25% at GC05 site to ~50% at GC09 site (Water depth is 1377 m). Using chemical index of alteration (CIA), it is manifested that the sediments show high maturity and have experienced strong chemical weathering. Statistical analyses indicate terrigenous inputs contribute more than half materials for the Niger Delta sediments. The relatively stable depositional environment in this region favors the formation and development of gas hydrates. This study could be used to infer the sediment sources and paleoenvironment changes during sedimentation and also provide reliable information for a better understanding of sedimentary processes in global gas hydrate-related deltas.

As one of the foremost global forcings, tidal circulation exerts a pervasive influence on biological and physical processes occurring in the world's oceans on hourly to decadal time scales. This research identified the 18.6-year periodic variation in the lunar orbital plane within an annually resolved 140-year (1875 to 2015) shell growth master chronology measured from 21 live collected Arctica islandica, a bivalve known to be one of the longest lived non-colonial animals. The potential ecological implications of this result warranted detailed inventory of underlying physical processes. The absence of long-term in situ hydrological data for the bivalve's habitat was circumvented by the use of satellite data and numerical modeling which show that coastal regions of the Northwest Atlantic shelf clearly record diurnal tidal currents influenced by the 18.6-year nodal lunar cycle. The approach described here demonstrates that combining physical and biological data can help to identify subtle ecological processes over long time-scales for accurately disentangling the latter from variation introduced by anthropogenic climate change.

Mesoscale eddies are active in the northeastern South China Sea (NESCS) and play an important role in the oceanic energy balance therein. In this study, the budgets of mesoscale eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the NESCS were explored by simultaneously considering the interactions with both large-scale and submesoscale processes based on high-resolution simulations. We found that the regions southwest of Taiwan (SWT) and Luzon Strait (LS) are two energy-cascading hotspots, but they present quite different EKE budgets. Specifically, in the SWT, which has strong EKE, the baroclinic conversion associated with the release of available potential energy is the dominant EKE source, while the barotropic conversion between large-scale and mesoscale processes (BT_LM) and the wind stress work are the main EKE sinks. In addition, submesoscale processes are found to transfer energy reversely to mesoscale eddies, but at lower magnitudes. For the LS, which shows complicated island topography and energetic large-scale and submesoscale activities, the BT_LM is the dominant EKE source, while the transfer of energy to submesoscale processes is an important EKE sink. This means that the kinetic energies in these two regions display opposing cascading directions. The cascade direction is inverse, from submesoscale to large-scale, in the SWT and forward, from large-scale to submesoscale, in the LS. These results expand our understanding of the EKE balance and energy cascade in the NESCS among multiscale dynamic processes and offer beneficial implications for improving parameterizations in ocean circulation models.

The dynamics of estuarine sediments plays a key role in the morphological evolution, water quality, and ecosystem health of estuaries. Estuarine turbidity maxima (ETMs) are ubiquitous in estuaries worldwide and have drawn enormous attention from researchers. Here, we use a coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport modeling system to examine the effects of swell waves on the location, extent, and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of ETMs in a convergent partially mixed estuary. Our results reveal that swell waves influence the residual circulation, mixing, and bottom stress in the estuary. The wave–current interaction increases the bottom stress in the estuary but reduces mixing in the lower to middle reaches of the estuary, owing to the enhanced landward salt transport, and the increased stratification. The reduced mixing enhances the estuarine circulation in the middle reach of the estuary. These changes cause a landward shift of the primary ETM and an increase in the SSC in the lower estuary. Moreover, the Coriolis force changes the ETM distribution and influences the wave effects. Overall, the findings of this study further elucidate ETM dynamics in an estuary.

Remnants of marine invertebrates are common in the wrack line of the coasts of many regions worldwide. However, little is known about its spatial and temporal variation. This study aimed to investigate the inter-site and intra-annual variability in species composition, abundance, and biomass of sponge strandings on the coast of a southern Gulf of Mexico tropical island. The environmental factors (oceanographic and meteorological) influencing such spatio-temporal variations on abundance and biomass of sponge strandings were also investigated. From a total of 21 demosponge species identified, three species of genus Clathria (with erect growth forms and a small basal area) were dominant in terms of abundance (93%) and biomass (89%). Both, the monthly average abundance and biomass varied significantly throughout the year, with maximum peaks during the cold fronts season. Only in the case of abundance, a combination of four predictor variables (wind speed, wave height, frequency of southeast winds, and frequency of north winds) explained 84.2% of its intra-annual variability. Results also showed that cold fronts (especially the stronger ones), aside from cyclonic events, can act as disruptive events regulating sponge populations in the coastal zone. Regarding the spatial variability, it was attributed to inter-site differences in the degree of exposure to hydrodynamic forces and the type of substrate. This study contributes to the knowledge of the biodiversity of sponge species in this coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico and demonstrates that large-scale seasonal events such as cold fronts can influence their temporal dynamics.

Zooplankton can amplify changes resulting from physical forcing associated with climate change at interannual and longer time scales, so multi-year time series data for the pelagic assemblage can provide useful information about climate-ecosystem interactions. Zooplankton biomass and taxonomic composition were analyzed for the region over the southern Patagonian shelf (SPS) for March 1994 to 2012 to describe interannual patterns of variation, determine the spatial consistency and dominant scale of temporal variability, and examine their relation to the regional hydrography. The biomass of selected taxa, including primarily copepods, amphipods, and euphausiids, decreased in 2003 and remained low until 2012. These patterns were associated with a moderate increase in sea surface temperature. Our observations could not establish the causal mechanisms, but the observed biomass decrease might be related to variation in northward current flow over the SPS, which is driven by large-scale climatological forcing and would result in reduced cold-water availability over SPS. Understanding the drivers of interannual variability in zooplankton composition and biomass of this ecosystem is essential for prediction of impacts of climate change on the pelagic ecosystem, including important commercially fished species.