Black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of China’s marginal seas

This study investigates the distribution of black carbon （BC） and its correlation with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （EPAH） in the surface sediments of China＇s marginal seas. BC content ranges from 〈0.10 to 2.45 mg/g dw （grams dry weight） in the sediments studied, and varied among the different coastal regions. The Bohai Bay sediments had the highest BC contents （average 2.18 mg/g dw）, which comprises a significant fraction （27%-41%） of the total organic carbon （TOC） preserved in the sediments. In comparison, BC in the surface sediments of the North Yellow Sea, Jiaozhou Bay, East China Sea and the South China Sea is less abundant and accounted for an average of 6%, 8%, 14% and 5%, respectively, of the sedimentary organic carbon pool. The concentration of EPAH in the surface sediments ranges from 41 to 3 667 ng/g dw and showed large spatial variations among the sampling sites of different costal regions. The Bohai Bay has the highest ZPAH values, ranging from 79 to 3 667 ng/g dw. This reflects the high anthropogenically contaminated nature of the sediments in the bay. BC is positively correlated to TOC but a strong correlation is not found between BC and ZPAH in the surface sediments studied, suggesting that BC and PAHs preserved in the sediments are derived from different sources and controlled by different biogeochemical processes. Our study suggests that the abundance of BC preserved in the sediments could represent a significant sink pool of carbon cycling in China＇s marginal seas.

Surface sediment diatoms from the western Pacific marginal seas and their correlation to environmental variables

Diatom data of 192 surface sediment samples from the marginal seas in the western Pacific together with modern summer and winter sea surface temperature and salinity data were analyzed.The results of canonical correspondence analysis show that summer sea-surface salinity(SSS) is highly positively correlated with winter SSS and so is summer sea-surface temperature(SST) with winter SST.The correlations between SSSs and SSTs are less positively correlated,which may be due to interactions of regional current pattern and monsoon climate.The correlations between diatom species,sample sites and environmental variables concur with known diatom ecology and regional oceanographic characters.The results of forward selection of the environmental variables and associated Monte Carlo permutation tests of the statistical significance of each variable suggest that summer SSS and winter SST are the main environmental factors affecting the diatom distribution in the area and therefore preserved diatom data from down core could be used for reconstructions of summer SSS and winter SST in the region.

Interannual variations of surface winds over China marginal seas

In a study of surface monsoon winds over the China marginal seas, Sun et al. （2012） use singular value decomposition method to identify regional dominant modes and analyze their interdecadal variability. This paper continues to evaluate the interannual variability of each dominant mode and its relation to various atmospheric, oceanic and land factors. The findings include： 1） The intensity of the winter monsoon over the East China Sea is highly correlated with the Siberian High intensity and anti-correlated with the latitudinal position of the Aleutian Low as well as the rainfall in eastern China, Korean Peninsula and Japan; 2） The western Pacific subtropical high is significantly correlated with the summer monsoon intensity over the East China Sea and anti-correlated with the summer monsoon over the South China Sea; 3） The winter monsoon in a broad zonal belt through the Luzon Strait is dominated by the ENSO signal, strengthening in the La Nifia phase and weakening in the E1 Nifio phase. This inverse relation exhibits interdecadal shift with a period of weak correlation in the 1980s; 4） Analysis of tidal records validates the interdecadal weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon and reveals an atmospheric bridge that conveys the ENSO signal into the South China Sea via the winter monsoon.

Latitudinal and interannual variations of the spring phytoplankton bloom peak in the East Asian marginal seas

Combined studies of latitudinal and interannual variations of annual phytoplankton bloom peak in East Asian marginal seas(17°–58°N, including the northern South China Sea(SCS), Kuroshio waters, the Sea of Japan and the Okhotsk Sea) are rarely. Based on satellite-retrieved ten-year(2003–2012) median timing of the annual Chlorophyll a concentration(Chl a) climax, here we report that this annual spring bloom peak generally delays from the SCS in January to the Okhotsk Sea in June at a rate of(21.20±2.86) km/d(decadal median±SD). Spring bloom is dominant feature of the phytoplankton annual cycle over these regions, except for the SCS which features winter bloom. The fluctuation of the annual peak timing is mainly within ±48 d departured from the decadal median peak date, therefore this period(the decadal median peak date ±48 d) is defined as annual spring bloom period. As sea surface temperature rises, earlier spring bloom peak timing but decreasing averaged Chl a biomass in the spring bloom period due to insufficient light is evident in the Okhotsk Sea from 2003 to 2012. For the rest of three study domains, there are no significant interannual variance trend of the peak timing and the averaged Chl a biomass. Furthermore this change of spring phytoplankton bloom timing and magnitude in the Okhotsk Sea challenges previous prediction that ocean warming would enhance algal productivity at high latitudes.

Validation of Sea Level Data in the East Asian Marginal Seas: Comparison between TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter and In-Situ Tide Gauges

In an effort to assess the reliability of satellite altimeter systems, the authors conduct a comparative analysis of sea level data that were collected from the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) altimeter and 10 tide gauges (TG) near the satellite passing ground tracks. The analysis is made using datasets collected from marginal sea regions surrounding the Korean Peninsula at T/P cycles of 2 to 230, which correspond to October 1992 to December 1998. Proper treatment of tidal errors is a very critical step in data processing because the study area has very strong tide. When the T/P data are processed, the procedures of Park and Gamberoni (1995) are adapted to reduce errors associated with the tide. When the T/P data are processed in this way, the alias periods of M2, S2, and K1 constituents are found to be 62.1, 58.7, and 173 days repectively. The compatibility of the T/P and TG datasets are examined at various filtering periods. The results indicate that the low-frequency signals of the T/P data can be interpreted more safely with longer filtering periods (such as up to the maximum selected value of 200 days). When RMS errors for the 200-day low-pass filter period are compared with all 10 tidal stations, the values span the range of 2.8 to 6.7 cm. The results of a correlation analysis for this filtering period also show a strong agreement between the T/P and TG datasets across all stations investigated (e.g.,p- values consistently less than 0.001). Hence according to the analysis, the conclusion is made that the analysis of surface sea level using satellite altimeter data can be made safely with reasonably extended filtering periods such as 200 days.

Spatio-temporal distribution of dissolved sulfide in China marginal seas

With sulfide increasingly recognized as an important parameter to assess the oxidation-reduction level in aqueous enviromnent, research on its geochemical behavior is becoming important. Water samples collected in Bohai Sea （1-19 August, 2010）, Yellow Sea （20-30 November, 2010） and East China Sea （3-17 June, 2010 and 1-10 November, 2010） were used to determine the occurrence and distribution of dissolved sulfide by methylene blue spectrophotometric method. Results show that： （1） horizontally, concentration of dissolved sulfide significantly varied from the coastal region to the open sea and profoundly influenced by physical processes. High values occurred in the river-sea boundary zone ＂marginal filter＂ due to rich riverine input, frequent upwelling and active exchange in shelf edge. Terrestrial input from adjacent rivers and the current cycling contributed to the high sulfide appeared in western Bohai Sea, eastern Shandong Peninsula, and northeast of Changjiang （Yangtze） River estuary. Especially, relative higher sulfide values occurred in Yellow Sea, which is consistent with the variation of salinity largely due to the hydrodynamic feature; （2） vertically, measurement of dissolved sulfide in bottom water was higher and more variable than that in surface water caused by the wind-induced resuspension and dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Moreover, nutrient-type profile clearly identified that oxidation plays a major role in the biogeochemistry cycle of sulfide in water; （3） seasonally, investigation for East China Sea in June and November reflected seasonal variation of Changjiang River Diluted Water, Kuroshio Current, and Taiwan Warm Current. Concentration in June was much higher than that sampled in November at most stations. Mean concentration of dissolved sulfide varied seasonally from 2.26 μg/L （June） to 1.16 μg/L （November） in surface and 3.00 μg/L （June） to 1.56 μg/L （November） in bottom. Progress in the field is slow and more effort is needed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of determination and estimate the natural or anthropogenic contribution of dissolved sulfide in ecosystems.

Systematics, species diversity and new taxa of mesozooplankton in the West Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas: a brief compilation of monographs in China

Research and protection of biodiversity is generally started with species recognizing guided by achievement of cataloguing and illustration obtained through in situ investigation data accumulation and literature learning. Facing the shortage of taxonomist, it is getting harder to maintain important specimen collections and handle loans. The West Pacific Ocean has been operating as a center of the origin of global marine biodiversity result of the richest species diversity of marine taxa found in these waters. The present work is a compilation and summary of systematics, species diversity and new taxa of mesozooplankton major group known in West Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas （0°-45°N, 105°-152°E） according to 6 203 mesozooplankton samples acquired from 701 stations during 1965 and 2008. A total of 2 657 species belonging to 686 genera and 206 families of 10 mesozooplankton groups have been found through taxonomic identification and document consulting. In details, 697 species from 251 genera of 99 families belong to the Medusozoa, 59 species from 22 genera of 12 families to the Ctenophora, 85 species from 36 genera of 14 families to the pelagic Mollusca （Pteropoda and Heteropoda）, 416 species from 91 genera of 8 families to the Ostracoda, 908 species from 156 genera of 51 families to the Copepoda, 202 species from 60 genera of 4 families to the Mysidacea, 56 species from 8 genera of 2 families to the Euphausiacea, 105 species from 23 genera of 8 families to the Decapoda, 48 species from 13 genera of 5 families to the Chaetognatha and 81 species from 26 genera of 5 families to the Tunicata. The dominant species of each group are enumerated. Moreover, 2 new species of Medusozoa, Tubulariidae, Ectopleura, 1 new species of Medusozoa, Protiaridae, Halitiarella, 1 new genus and 1 new species of Medusozoa, Corymorphidae are established. An amount of 806 species are expanded with an increase of 43.5% on the basis of 1 852 species recorded before 2008, including 1.4% increase from tropical sea around equator, 4.0% from the frigid water in high latitude region, and 3.0% of bathypelagic-associated waters. The authors also summarized future prospects into five major areas in marine mesozooplankton research in China. Such information of qualitative phyletic classification could be of high relevance to studies on biodiversity and biogeography of marine mesozooplankton, especially for monographs contributed to make an overall and systematic conclusion on the species of marine life in China after 2008.

Recent Trends in Satellite-Derived Chlorophyll and Aerosol Optical Depth Together with Simulated Dimethylsulfide in the Eastern China Marginal Seas

The biogenic compound dimethylsulfide(DMS)produced by a range of marine biota is the major natural source of re-duced sulfur to the atmosphere and plays a major role in the formation and evolution of aerosols,potentially affecting climate.The spatio-temporal distribution of satellite-derived chlorophyll_a(CHL)and aerosol optical depth(AOD)for the recent years(2011-2019)in the Eastern China Marginal Seas(ECMS)(25°-40°N,120°-130°E)are studied.The seasonal CHL peaks occurred during late April and the CHL distribution displays a clear zonal gradient.Elevated CHL was also observed along the northern and western coastlines during summer and winter seasons.Trend analysis shows that mean CHL decreases by about 10%over the 9-year study period,while AOD was higher in south and lower in north during summertime.A genetic algorithm technique is used to calibrate the key model parameters and simulations are carried out for 2015,a year when field data was available.Our simulation results show that DMS seawater concentration ranges from 1.56 to 5.88 nmol L^(−1) with a mean value of 2.76 nmol L^(−1).DMS sea-air flux ranges from 2.66 to 5.00mmol m^(−2) d^(−1) with mean of 3.80mmol m^(−2) d^(−1).Positive correlations of about 0.5 between CHL and AOD were found in the study region,with higher correlations along the coasts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces.The elevated CHL concentration along the west coast is correlated with increased sea-water concentrations of DMS in the region.Our results suggest a possible influ-ence of DMS-derived aerosol in the local ECMS atmosphere,especially along the western coastline of ECMS.

Interdecadal variations of surface winds over China marginal seas

Long term variability in the surface winds over the marginal seas of China is examined with a dominant-mode singular value decomposition method. Both interannual and interdecadal patterns are found to be seasonally and spatially dependent, with reanalyses and satellite remote sensing data yielding highly consistent results. The study reveals that summer monsoon winds over the East China Sea experienced an interdecadal weakening in the late 1960s and began a persistent recovery in 2005. The study also shows gradual weakening of the winter monsoon in the southern South China Sea by more than 2m/s since the 1960s, with corroboration from coastal climate stations in Borneo. This phenomenon has not been reported in previous monsoon studies.

Spatial Distributions and Potential Sources of Long Chain(C_(30),C_(32)1,15-)Alkyl Diols in Surface Sediments from Eastern China Marginal Seas

Long chain alkyl diols have shown important potential for the reconstruction of sea surface temperature,productivities and upwelling conditions in marine or lacustrine environments.However,little is known about the distribution and sources of the diols in eastern China marginal seas(CMS),which are areas of important organic carbon sink.Here the contents of C_(30) and C_(32)1,15-diols were analyzed in 181 surface sediments from eastern CMS.The similar distribution pattern and strong linear correlation between C_(30) and C_(32) diols indicated that they had similar biological source,with a dominance of C_(30) diol.Their contents ranged from 7-2726 ng g^(-1) for C_(30) diol and 5-669 ng g^(-1) for C_(32) diol,and both showed higher values mainly in the mud area of the Yellow Sea,while the TOC normalized contents showed a more obvious seaward increasing trend.The similar distribution pattern and significant positive correlation between diols and the other marine biomarkers(brassicasterol,dinosterol,C_(37) alkenones) indicated C_(30) and C_(32) diols in eastern CMS were mainly from marine algae.This conclusion was also supported by principal component analysis(PCA).Our results also showed that sediment diol contents were generally related to marine productivity,suggesting that diols could be applied for marine productivity reconstruction in eastern CMS.

SEA SURFACE SALINITY AND BOTTOM WATER OXYGENATED CONDITIONS IN WESTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC MARGINAL SEAS DURING THE LAST GLACLAL AGE

Based on Core GGC-6 from the South China Sea (SCS) and Core GGC-29 from the Sulu Sea,planktonic and benthic foraminifera and organic carbon measurements were used to evaluate the Water mass conditions in these sea areas during the last glacial age. The results show that the higher organic carbon contents in the SCS and Sulu Sea during the last glacial period were mainly caused by low dissolved oxygen concentrations in bottom waters and that in the last glacial to Holocene, the fluctuation of dissolvd oxygen in the bottom weters was large in the SCS and reatively stable in the Sulu Sea. In addition, increased precipitation reduced surface water salinities, which at the water column to be more stratified in the SCS and Sulu Sea during the last glacial period. This process lowered dissolved oxygen concentrations in bottom waters, which resulted in better preservation of organic matter in both basins.

Potential suitable sites for the calibration of Scientific Echo Sounder in the marginal seas around Antarctica

The in situ calibration of Scientific Echo Sounders(SESs)in the Southern Ocean is crucial for accurate assessments of Antarctic krill and fishery biomasses.Because of the occurrence of strong winds,waves,and sea ice coverage in most seasons,SES calibration is usually difficult to perform in the Southern Ocean.Accordingly,it is essential to identify potential sites suitable for SES calibration in the marginal seas around Antarctica to successfully calibrate SESs in the Southern Ocean.Using synthetic analyses of the wind,surface current,and sea ice concentration in the targeted seas,we found that the polynya in the southeast Prydz Bay,close to the Chinese Zhongshan Station,is an ideal location to calibrate SESs based on its weak wind and surface current and its ice-free coverage during Antarctic cruises.Calibrations of the SESs onboard the research vessels of Xuelong and Xuelong 2 during the 36th and 37th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions indicate that this location is a potential suitable site for conducting SES calibration with the vessel in a drifting mode.

Evaluation of an ocean data assimilation system for Chinese marginal seas with a focus on the South China Sea

Data assimilation is a powerful tool to improve ocean forecasting by reducing uncertainties in forecast initial conditions.Recently,an ocean data assimilation system based on the ensemble optimal interpolation(EnOI) scheme and HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model(HYCOM) for marginal seas around China was developed.This system can assimilate both satellite observations of sea surface temperature(SST) and along-track sea level anomaly(SLA) data.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the system.Two experiments were performed,which spanned a 3-year period from January 1,2004 to December 30,2006,with and without data assimilation.The data assimilation results were promising,with a positive impact on the modeled fields.The SST and SLA were clearly improved in terms of bias and root mean square error over the whole domain.In addition,the assimilations provided improvements in some regions to the surface field where mesoscale processes are not well simulated by the model.Comparisons with surface drifter trajectories showed that assimilated SST and SLA also better represent surface currents,with drifter trajectories fitting better to the contours of SLA field than that without assimilation.The forecasting capacity of this assimilation system was also evaluated through a case study of a birth-and-death process of an anticyclone eddy in the Northern South China Sea(NSCS),in which the anticyclone eddy was successfully hindcasted by the assimilation system.This study suggests the data assimilation system gives reasonable descriptions of the near-surface ocean state and can be applied to forecast mesoscale ocean processes in the marginal seas around China.

Heat flow in northwest Pacific marginal seas

Heat flow studies in Northwest Pacific marginal seas has a more than 40 years history with more than 4000 heat flow values obtained. The regional average value is 80.4 mW/m2, which is lower than the world’s 87 mW/m2, but higher than those of the Eurasia continent and the Pacific Ocean. This reflects the regional crust property in the area. The studies on distribution of the heat flow and contour pattern of heat flow in 1°×1° and 2°×2° scales in Northwest Pacific marginal seas revealed that the most high heat flow anomalies in the area were found along back-arc basins and island arc in an obviously northeasterly track. Exceptions are the Koman- doskaya Basin (KMB), the Izu-Bonin Trough (IBT) and the Mariana Trough (MT), which extend in northwest. The contours of low heat flow marked the boundaries of the continent and the ocean. The present heat flow values reflect the imprint of the last thermal event and relate closely to tectonic activity. The high heat flow gradient areas have high frequency of earthquake. Therefore, the area of faulting controlled the pattern of the heat flow anomalies. Heat flow gradient in 135° direction indicated a major lithosphere transformation ocean- ward resulting from movement of the earth’s material. In this paper, we described patterns of heat flow distribu- tion in the Northwest Pacific, heat flow value changes in horizontal and vertical directions, combining the studies of Shi (1997) on the landforms of the island arcs in east Asia and plate movement, and the results of Shi and Zhang (1998) on heat simulation of subduction of active ocean mountain and the activity of islands arc. A preliminary model of geodynamics in the Northwest Pacific and its adjacent area was put forward. There is a great lateral heat flow gradient on the surface of the mantle between ocean and continent, which indicates that the materials in asthenosphere move from continent to ocean causing movement of the crust.

Influence of Irregular Coastlines on a Tornadic Mesovortex in the Pearl River Delta during the Monsoon Season. Part Ⅰ:Pre-storm Environment and Storm Evolution

The Pearl River Delta(PRD),a tornado hotspot,forms a distinct trumpet-shaped coastline that concaves toward the South China Sea.During the summer monsoon season,low-level southwesterlies over the PRD’s sea surface tend to be turned toward the west coast,constituting a convergent wind field along with the landward-side southwesterlies,which influences regional convective weather.This two-part study explores the roles of this unique land–sea contrast of the trumpet-shaped coastline in the formation of a tornadic mesovortex within monsoonal flows in this region.Part I primarily presents observational analyses of pre-storm environments and storm evolutions.The rotating storm developed in a lowshear environment(not ideal for a supercell)under the interactions of three air masses under the influence of the land–sea contrast,monsoon,and storm cold outflows.This intersection zone(or“triple point”)is typically characterized by local enhancements of ambient vertical vorticity and convergence.Based on a rapid-scan X-band phased-array radar,finger-like echoes were recognized shortly after the gust front intruded on the triple point.Developed over the triple point,they rapidly wrapped up with a well-defined low-level mesovortex.It is thus presumed that the triple point may have played roles in the mesovortex genesis,which will be demonstrated in Part II with multiple sensitivity numerical simulations.The findings also suggest that when storms pass over the boundary intersection zone in the PRD,the expected possibility of a rotating storm occurring is relatively high,even in a low-shear environment.Improved knowledge of such environments provides additional guidance to assess the regional tornado risk.

Marginal zone lymphoma with severe rashes: A case report

BACKGROUND Marginal zone lymphoma(MZL)is an indolent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL),which is rare clinically with severe rashes as the initial symptom.CASE SUMMARY This study reports a case of MZL with generalized skin rashes accompanied by pruritus and purulent discharge.First-line treatment with rituximab combined with zanubrutinib had poor effects.However,after switching to obinutuzumab combined with zanubrutinib,the case was alleviated,and the rashes disappeared.CONCLUSION For patients with advanced stage MZL not benefiting from type I anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody(mAb)combination therapy,switching to a type II anti-CD20 mAb combination regimen may be considered.This approach may provide a new perspective in the treatment of MZL.

The largest CPIES array in the marginal sea:abundant dynamics in the northeast South China Sea

The South China Sea(SCS)is a marginal sea connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans and has gained much attention in recent decades.The dynamics in the northeast SCS are considerably influenced by topography,monsoons,tropical cyclones,the Kuroshio intrusion,and water exchange through the Luzon Strait(LS).

Bendamustine and rituximab as frontline therapy in extranodal marginal zone lymphoma:a single-institution experience

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma(EMZL)encompasses 70%of cases of marginal zone lymphoma.Frontline bendamustine and rituximab(BR)were derived from trials involving other indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.Only one trial has evaluated frontline BR prospectively in EMZL.This retrospective study reports outcomes among EMZL patients receiving frontline BR.Twenty-five patients were included with a median age of 69 years(40–81).Five(20.0%)patients had stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ disease,and 20(80.0%)had stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ disease.The median number of cycles was 6.0(3.0–6.0).Maintenance rituximab was administered to 10(41.7%)individuals.Overall response rate(ORR)was 100.0%(60.0%complete response,40.0%partial response).Medians of overall survival and progression-free survival were not reached.The estimated 2-year progression-free survival was 85.2%and overall survival was 100.0%.Four(16.6%)patients had infections related to treatment;3(12.0%)transformed to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma;5(20.8%)had a relapse or progression of EMZL;and 3(12.0%)died unrelated to BR.BR is an efficacious and well-tolerated front-line regimen for EMZL with response data consistent with existing literature.

Deep Learning Shows Promise for Seasonal Prediction of Antarctic Sea Ice in a Rapid Decline Scenario

The rapidly changing Antarctic sea ice has garnered significant interest. To enhance the prediction skill for sea ice and respond to the Sea Ice Prediction Network-South's latest call, this study presents the reforecast results of Antarctic sea-ice area and extent from December to June of the coming year with a Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory(Conv LSTM)Network. The reforecast experiments demonstrate that Conv LSTM captures the interannual and interseasonal variability of Antarctic sea ice successfully, and performs better than the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Based on this, we present the prediction from December 2023 to June 2024, indicating that the Antarctic sea ice will remain at lows, but may not create a new record low. This research highlights the promising application of deep learning in Antarctic sea-ice prediction.