Four-to Six-Year Periodic Variation of Arctic Sea-Ice Extent and Its Three Main Driving Factors

Besides the rapid retreating trend of Arctic sea-ice extent(SIE),this study found the most outstanding low-frequency variation of SIE to be a 4-6-year periodic variation.Using a clustering analysis algorithm,the SIE in most ice-covered regions was clustered into two special regions:Region-1 around the Barents Sea and Region-2 around the Canadian Basin,which were located on either side of the Arctic Transpolar Drift.Clear 4-6-year periodic variation in these two regions was identified using a novel method called“running linear fitting algorithm”.The rate of temporal variation of the Arctic SIE was related to three driving factors:the regional air temperature,the sea-ice areal flux across the Arctic Transpolar Drift,and the divergence of sea-ice drift.The 4-6-year periodic variation was found to have always been present since 1979,but the SIE responded to different factors under heavy and light ice conditions divided by the year 2005.The joint contribution of the three factors to SIE variation exceeded 83%and 59%in the two regions,respectively,remarkably reflecting their dynamic mechanism.It is proven that the process of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)is closely associated with the three factors,being the fundamental source of the 4-6-year periodic variations of Arctic SIE.

Impact of estuarine reclamation projects on saltwater intrusion and freshwater resource

Estuarine projects can change local topography and influence water transport and saltwater intrusion.The Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary is a multichannel estuary,and four major reclamation projects have been implemented in the Changjiang River estuary in recent years:the Xincun Shoal reclamation project(RP-XCS),the Qingcao Shoal reclamation project(RP-QCS),the Eastern Hengsha Shoal reclamation project(RP-EHS),and the Nanhui Shoal reclamation project(RP-NHS).The effects of the four reclamation projects and each project on the saltwater intrusion and water resources in the Changjiang River estuary were simulated in a 3D numerical model.Results show that for a multichannel estuary,local reclamation projects change the local topography and water diversion ratio(WDR)between channels and influence water and salt transport and freshwater utilization in the estuary.During spring tide,under the cumulative effect of the four reclamation projects,the salinity decreases by approximately 0.5in the upper reaches of the North Branch and increases by 0.5-1.0 in the middle and lower reaches of the North Branch.In the North Channel,the salinity decreases by approximately 0.5.In the North Passage,the salinity increases by 0.5-1.0.In the South Passage,the salinity increases by approximately 0.5 in the upper reaches and decreases by 0.2-0.5 on the north side of the middle and lower reaches.During neap tide,the cumulative effects of the four reclamation projects and the individual projects are similar to those during spring tide,but there are some differences.The effects of an individual reclamation project on WDR and saltwater intrusion during spring and neap tides are simulated and analyzed in detail.The cumulative effect of the four reclamation projects favors freshwater usage in the Changjiang River estuary.

Global freshwater assessment of establishment risk of invasive Alligator gar(Atractosteus spatula) and risks to freshwater ecosystems in China

DEAR EDITOR,The introduction of freshwater fish into areas outside their native range has impacted freshwater ecosystems worldwide.In China,the non-native Alligator gar(Atractosteus spatula)fish has attracted attention due to its widespread occurrence and destructive effects on local fish populations,signaling a high potential of invasiveness.

Genetic basis of embryo and juvenile physiological responses to salinity changes in freshwater pipefish (Hippichthys heptagonus)

DEAR EDITOR,Syngnathidae species commonly inhabit ocean environments.However,some have adapted to live exclusively in freshwater over long-term adaptive evolution but continue to retain physiological adaptations to saltwater environments.The genetic basis underlying the adaptive strategies and molecular regulation of freshwater syngnathids to freshwater and saltwater remains unclear.Here,we investigated the molecular characteristics and core gene expression in freshwater belly pipefish(Hippichthys heptagonus)embryos and juveniles through salinity stress experiments and transcriptome analysis.Results showed that embryonic exposure to salinity at a concentration of 30‰down-regulated cell cycle-associated genes vital to embryonic development.Retinol metabolism,neuroactive receptor interaction,and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathways were significantly enriched in up-regulated genes in the embryos.Notably,there was no significant change in the expression of ion transport and energy metabolism genes.Conversely,juvenile exposure to 30‰salinity up-regulated ion transport-related genes and significantly enriched immune-related signaling pathways,including lysosome,phagosome,autophagy,and mitophagy signaling pathways.Carbohydrate metabolism genes were also up-regulated,whereas oxidative phosphorylation genes were significantly down-regulated.These results suggest that brood pouch protection during the embryonic stage and salinity adaptation plasticity in juveniles may be strategic adaptations in freshwater pipefish.

Influence of Arctic Sea-ice Concentration on Extended-range Forecasting of Cold Events in East Asia

Utilizing the Community Atmosphere Model,version 4,the influence of Arctic sea-ice concentration(SIC)on the extended-range prediction of three simulated cold events(CEs)in East Asia is investigated.Numerical results show that the Arctic SIC is crucial for the extended-range prediction of CEs in East Asia.The conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation approach is adopted to identify the optimal Arctic SIC perturbations with the largest influence on CE prediction on the extended-range time scale.It shows that the optimal SIC perturbations are more inclined to weaken the CEs and cause large prediction errors in the fourth pentad,as compared with random SIC perturbations under the same constraint.Further diagnosis reveals that the optimal SIC perturbations first modulate the local temperature through the diabatic process,and then influence the remote temperature by horizontal advection and vertical convection terms.Consequently,the optimal SIC perturbations trigger a warming center in East Asia through the propagation of Rossby wave trains,leading to the largest prediction uncertainty of the CEs in the fourth pentad.These results may provide scientific support for targeted observation of Arctic SIC to improve the extended-range CE prediction skill.

Comparison and phylogeny on mitochondrial genome of marine and freshwater taxa of genus Hildenbrandia(Florideophyceae,Rhodophyta)

Hildenbrandia is an early diverged lineage in Florideophyceae,Rhodophyta.The species diversity of this genus is still unresolved due to the simple morphology and limited molecular information.The mitochondrial genome of freshwater H.jigongshanensis was determined in this study.The freshwater H.jigongshanensis had a larger mitochondrial genome than the marine H.rubra and GC content was higher.Collinear alignment structure was observed between the mitochondrial genomes of H.jigongshanensis and H.rubra,except for one block that was encoded on the complement strand.More introns were found in mitochondrial genome of H.jigongshanensis than in H.rubra,and H.jigongshanensis shares the common feature with Bangiophyceae that two introns were distributed in cox1.Comparison of mitochondrial genome organization suggests that H.jigongshanensis preserves characters that could be hypothetically more similar to the ancestor of Bangiophyceae and Florideophyceae,which differ with previous studies based on chloroplast,and nuclear markers.More mitochondrial genomes and phylogenetic analyses combing nuclear,chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes are needed to clarify this discrepancy.Mitochondrion-based phylogeny in this study resulted in better solution at both the deep and recent derived nodes than single-gene phylogenies.Most protein-coding genes between H.jigongshanensis and H.rubra were identical except atp8,which was present in H.jigongshanensis while absent from H.rubra.This finding follows the trend that high Ka/Ks ratio genes are more frequently lost than low Ka/Ks ratio ones in red algae.

Evaluating Parameterizations for Turbulent Fluxes over the Landfast Sea-Ice Surface in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

It is crucial to appropriately determine turbulent fluxes in numerical models.Using data collected in East Antarctica from 8 April to 26 November 2016,this study evaluates parameterization schemes for turbulent fluxes over the landfast seaice surface in five numerical models.The Community Noah Land Surface Model with Multi-Parameterizations Options(Noah_mp)best replicates the turbulent momentum flux,while the Beijing Climate System Model(BCC_CSM)produces the optimum sensible and latent heat fluxes.In particular,two critical issues of parameterization schemes,stability functions and roughness lengths,are investigated.Sensitivity tests indicate that roughness lengths play a decisive role in model performance.Based on the observed turbulent fluxes,roughness lengths over the landfast sea-ice surface are calculated.The results,which can provide a basis for setting up model parameters,reveal that the dynamic roughness length(z0m)increases with the increase of frictional velocity(u*)when u*≤0.4 m s^(−1) and fluctuates around 10^(−3 )m when u*>0.4 m s^(−1);thermal roughness length(z0t)is linearly related to the temperature gradient between air and sea-ice surface(ΔT)with a relation of lg(z0t)=−0.29ΔT−3.86;and the mean water vapor roughness length(z0q)in the specific humidity gradient(Δq)range ofΔq≤−0.6 g kg^(−1) is 10^(−6) m,3.5 times smaller than that in the range ofΔq˃−0.6 g kg^(−1).

Evaluation of the Arctic Sea-Ice Simulation on SODA3 Datasets

This study evaluates the Arctic sea-ice simulation of the SODA3 dataset driven by different atmospheric forcing fields and explores the errors of the Arctic sea-ice simulation caused by the forcing field.We find that the SODA3 data driven by different forcing fields represent a significant systematical error in the simulation of Arctic sea-ice concentration,showing a low concentration of thick ice and a high concentration of thin ice.In terms of sea-ice extent,the SODA3 data from different versions well characterize the interannual variability and declining trend in the observed data,but they overestimate the overall Arctic sea-ice extent,which is related to excessive simulation of ice in the sea-ice margin.Compared to observations,all the chosen SODA3 reanalysis versions driven by different atmospheric forcing generally tend to underestimate the Arctic sea-ice thickness,especially for thick ice in the multi-year sea-ice regions.Inaccurate simulations of Arctic sea-ice transport may partly explain the error in SODA3 sea-ice thickness in multi-year sea-ice areas.The results of different SDOA3 versions differ greatly in the Beaufort Sea,the Fram Strait,and the Central Arctic Sea.The difference in sea-ice thickness among different SODA3 versions is primarily due to the thermodynamic contribution,which may come from the diversity of atmospheric forcing fields.Our work provides a reference for using SODA3 data to study Arctic sea ice.

Water Quality Evaluation Index System for Freshwater Aquaculture Pond

[Objective] The aim was to establish the water quality evaluation index system for freshwater aquaculture pond.[Method] The expert survey,DELPHI,field research and other methods were used.Based on the analysis of factors influencing water quality of freshwater aquaculture pond,and the importance degree of 14 factors influencing water quality of freshwater aquaculture pond was ordered.Then,five factors were selected as index to establish the water quality evaluation index system of freshwater aquaculture with the determination for thresholds of these factors.[Result] The importance degree of water quality of freshwater aquaculture pond showed an order of Dissolved oxygenpHPhytoplankton biomassSecchi depthTotal NitrogenZooplankton biomassWater temperatureBiochemical Oxygen DemandWater colorSalinityTotal hardness;according to the value of importance degree,the dissolved oxygen,pH,secchi depth,phytoplankton biomass and total nitrogen these five factors were selected as the index system of water quality evaluation of pond.The level of water quality of freshwater aquaculture pond was divided into five,and the tolerance range of fish to each index was obtained by expert observation.[Conclusion] This study had provided a scientific basis for water quality evaluation system of freshwater aquaculture pond.

Sensitivity of ENSO Variability to Pacific Freshwater Flux Adjustment in the Community Earth System Model

The effects of freshwater flux （FWF） on modulating ENSO have been of great interest in recent years. Large FWF bias is evident in Coupled General Circulation Models （CGCMs）, especially over the tropical Pacific where large precipitation bias exists due to the so-called ＂double ITCZ＂ problem. By applying an empirical correction to FWF over the tropical Pacific, the sensitivity of ENSO variability is investigated using the new version （version 1.0） of the NCAR＇s Community Earth System Model （CESM1.0）, which tends to overestimate the interannual variability of ENSO accompanied by large FWF into the ocean. In response to a small adjustment of FWF, interannual variability in CESM1.0 is reduced significantly, with the amplitude of FWF being reduced due to the applied adjustment part whose sign is always opposite to that of the original FWF field. Furthermore, it is illustrated that the interannual variability of precipitation weakens as a response to the reduced interannual variability of SST. Process analysis indicates that the interannual variability of SST is damped through a reduced FWF-salt-density-mixing-SST feedback, and also through a reduced SST-wind-thermocline feedback. These results highlight the importance of FWF in modulating ENSO, and thus should be adequately taken into account to improve the simulation of FWF in order to reduce the bias of ENSO simulations by CESM.

Effects of elevated CO_2 concentration and nitrogen supply on biomass and active carbon of freshwater marsh after two growing seasons in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

An experiments were carried out with treatments differing in nitrogen supply （0, 5 and 15 g N/m^2） and CO2 levels （350 and 700 μmol/mol） using OTC （open top chamber） equipment to investigate the biomass of Calamagrostis angustifolia and soil active carbon contents after two years. The results showed that elevated CO2 concentration increased the biomass of C. angustifolia and the magnitude of response varied with each growth period. Elevated CO2 concentration has increased aboveground biomass by 16.7% and 17.6% during the jointing and heading periods and only 3.5% and 9.4% during dough and maturity periods. The increases in belowground biomass due to CO2 elevation was 26.5%, 34.0% and 28.7% during the heading, dough and maturity periods, respectively. The responses of biomass to enhanced CO2 concentrations are differed in N levels. Both the increase of aboveground biomass and belowground biomass were greater under high level of N supply （15 g N/m^2）. Elevated CO2 concentration also increased the allocation of biomass and carbon in root. Under elevated CO2 concentration, the average values of active carbon tended to increase. The increases of soil active soil contents followed the sequence of microbial biomass carbon （10.6%） 〉 dissolved organic carbon （7.5%） 〉 labile oxidable carbon （6.6%） 〉 carbohydrate carbon （4.1%）. Stepwise regressions indicated there were significant correlations between the soil active carbon contents and plant biomass. Particularly, microbial biomass carbon, labile oxidable carbon and carbohydrate carbon were found to be correlated with belowground biomass, while dissolved organic carbon has correlation with aboveground biomass. Therefore, increased biomass was regarded as the main driving force for the increase in soil active organic carbon under elevated CO2 concentration.

Quantitative Analysis of the Feedback Induced by the Freshwater Flux in the Tropical Pacific Using CMIP5

Freshwater flux （FWF） directly affects sea surface salinity （SSS） and hence modulates sea surface temperature （SST） in the tropical Pacific. This paper quantifies a positive correlation between FWF and SST using observations and simulations of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project （CMIP5） to analyze the interannual variability in the tropical Pacific. Comparisons among the displacements of FWF, SSS and SST interannual variabilities illustrate that a large FWF variability is located in the west-central equatorial Pacific, covarying with a large SSS variability, whereas a large SST variability is located in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Most CMIP5 models can reproduce the fact that FWF leads to positive feedback to SST through an SSS anomaly as observed. However, the difference in each model＇s performance results from different simulation capabilities of the CMIP5 models in the magnitudes and positions of the interannual variabilities, including the mixed layer depth and the buoyancy flux in the equatorial Pacific. SSS anomalies simulated from the CMIP5 multi-model are sensitive to FWF interannual anomalies, which can lead to differences in feedback to interannual SST variabilities. The relationships among the FWF, SSS and SST interannual variabilities can be derived using linear quantitative measures from observations and the CMIP5 multi-model simulations. A 1 mm d-1 FWF anomaly corresponds to an SSS anomaly of nearly 0.12 psu in the western tropical Pacific and a 0.11℃ SST anomaly in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Epidemiology of cercarial stage of trematodes in freshwater snails from Chiang Mai province,Thailand

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological situation of cercarial trematodes infection in freshwater snails from different water resources in Chiang Mai province,Thailand.Methods:The snail specimens were collected from 13 districts of Chiang Mai province during April 2008 to February 2012.The prevalence of cercarial infection in snails was investigated using the crushing method.The drawing was done with the help of a camera lucida for the morphological study.Results:A total of 2479 snail individuals were collected and classified into 7 families,11 genera,and 14 species,Among them,8 snails species were found to be infected with an overall prevalence of 17.27%(428/2479),which infected with nine groups of cercariae;gymnocephalous cercaria,strigea cercaria,megalurous cercaria,monostome cercaria,parapleurolophocercous cercaria(Haplorchis cercaria),pleurolophocercous cercaria,furcocercous cercaria(Transversotrema cercaria),xiphidiocercaria,and virgulate cercaria.The parapleurolophocercous cercaria was found to be the dominant type among the cercarial infection in the snails(64.25%).Conclusions:The various species of snails found in the research location act as the intermediate hosts for the high prevalence of parasitic infection of many species of mammals.This work will provide new information on both the distribution and first intermediate host of trematodes.

Contrasting patterns of river runoff and sea-ice melted water in the Canada Basin

The fractions of river runoff and sea-ice melted water in the Canada Basin in summer 2003 were determined by the salinity-δ18O system. The fraction of river runoff （fR） was high in the upper 50 m of the water column and decreased with depth and latitude. The signals of the river runoffwere confined to water depths above 200 m. The total amount of river runoff in the Canada Basin was higher than that in other arctic seas, indicating that the Canada Basin is a main storage region for river runoff. The penetration depth of the sea-ice melted water was less than 50 m to the south of 78°N, while it was about 150 m to the north of 78°N. The total amount of sea-ice melted water was much higher to the north of 78°N than to the south of 78°N, indicating the sea-ice melted waters accumulated on the ice edge. The abundant sea-ice melted water on the ice edge was attributed to the earlier melted water in the southern Canada Basin and transported by the Beaufort Gyre or the reinforced melting of sea ice by solar radiation in the polynya.

Ecological service assessment of human-dominated freshwater ecosystem with a case study in Yangzhou Prefecture, China

Freshwater ecosystems provide a host of services to humanity. These services are now rapidly being lost, not least because of the inability of making the impacts measurable. To overcome this obstacle, assessment frameworks for freshwater ecosystem services are needed. A simple water equivalent framework to assess the ecological services provided by freshwater ecosystems was developed in this study. It translated the occupation of freshwater ecosystem services into biologically freshwater volumes and then compares this consumption to the freshwater throughput, that is, the ecological capacity available in this region. In this way, we use the example of Yangzhou Prefecture, to account the main categories of human occupation of water ecosystem services. The result showed that there is a huge gap between the consumption and the supply of freshwater ecosystem services. This must encourage local government to make land-use and water management decisions both economically rational and environmentally sound.

Simulation of Salinity Variability and the Related Freshwater Flux Forcing in the Tropical Pacific: An Evaluation Using the Beijing Normal University Earth System Model(BNU-ESM)

The climatology and interannual variability of sea surface salinity （SSS） and freshwater flux （FWF） in the equatorial Pacific are analyzed and evaluated using simulations from the Beijing Normal University Earth System Model （BNU-ESM）. The simulated annual climatology and interannual variations of SSS, FWF, mixed layer depth （MLD）, and buoyancy flux agree with those observed in the equatorial Pacific. The relationships among the interannual anomaly fields simulated by BNU-ESM are analyzed to illustrate the climate feedbacks induced by FWF in the tropical Pacific. The largest interannual variations of SSS and FWF are located in the western-central equatorial Pacific. A positive FWF feedback effect on sea surface temperature （SST） in the equatorial Pacific is identified. As a response to El Nino-Southern Oscillation （ENSO）, the interannual variation of FWF induces ocean processes which, in turn, enhance ENSO. During El Nino, a positive FWF anomaly in the western-central Pacific （an indication of increased precipitation rates） acts to enhance a negative salinity anomaly and a negative surface ocean density anomaly, leading to stable stratification in the upper ocean. Hence, the vertical mixing and entrainment of subsurface water into the mixed layer are reduced, and the associated E1 Nino is enhanced. Related to this positive feedback, the simulated FWF bias is clearly reflected in SSS and SST simulations, with a positive FWF perturbation into the ocean corresponding to a low SSS and a small surface ocean density in the western-central equatorial Pacific warm pool.

UPPER OCEAN RESPONSE TO SURFACE MOMENTUM AND FRESHWATER FLUXES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC WARM POOL

A series of numerical experiments are carried out to study the tropical upper ocean response to combined momentum and buoyancy forcing, with emphasis on the three-dimensional thermohaline structure in the western Pacific warm pool. In response to climatological winds, heat fluxes and freshwater input, the model is able to simulate the salient dynamic and hydrographic features of the tropical Pacific Ocean and their seasonal variability. In response to idealized episodic westerly wind bursts and rainfall, the simulated upper ocean conditions compare favorably with available observations, thus enabling us to identify important physical processes involved. Local forcing, vertical mixing and meridional advection dominate the salt and heat budgets in the warm pool on short time scales, but it is necessary to include the saline water coming from the east with the South Equatorial Current to close the salt budget on seasonal and longer time scales. Strong westerly wind bursts generate a swift eastward equatorial jet and a pair of meridional circulation cells with convergence at the equator. This results in an equatorward advection of relatively fresh water from the north and a depression of the thermocline at the equator. Heavy rainfall reduces the surface mixed layer depth by creating a shallow halocline, thus trapping the momentum and heat inputs near the surface. The remote influences of the episodic momentum and buoyancy fluxes are very different. Westerly wind bursts can generate large downstream disturbances in both dynamic and thermal fields through the propagation of equatorial waves, while the effect of rainfall is mostly confined to the forcing area.

Bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs and whole body tissues of freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala individually and in binary solutions with nickel

Contamination of aquatic ecosystems with heavy metals has been receiving increased worldwide attention due to their harmful effects on human health and other organisms in the environment. Most of the studies dealing with toxic effects of metals deal with single metal species, while the aquatic organisms are typically exposed to mixtures of metals. Hence, in order to provide data supporting the usefulness of freshwater fish as indicators of heavy metal pollution, it has been proposed in the present study to investigate the bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs of freshwater fingerlings Cirrhinus mrigala, individually and in binary solutions with nickel. The results show that the kidney is a target organ for chromium accumulation, which implies that it is also the ＂critical＂ organ for toxic symptoms. The results further show that accumulation of nickel in all the tissues of C. mrigala is higher than that of chromium. In addition, the metal accumulations of the binary mixtures of chromium and nickel are substantially higher than those of the individual metals, indicating synergistic interactions between the two metals. Theoretically the simplest explanation for an additive joint action of toxicants in a mixture is that they act in a qualitatively similar way. The observed data suggest that C. mrigala could be suitable monitoring organisms to study the bioavailability of water-bound metals in freshwater habitats.

On a unique behavior of freshwater bacteria

Magnetic sensitivity has been found in bacteria from freshwater sites around Pavia, Italy.

Variation of freshwater components in the Canada Basin during 1967–2010

As a conservative tracer, oxygen isotopes in seawater are widely used for water mass analysis, along with temperature and salinity. In this study, seawater oxygen-18 datasets in the Canada Basin during 1967-2010 were obtained from the four cruises of the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （1999, 2003, 2008, and 2010） and the NASA database. Fractions of sea ice meltwater and river runoffwere determined from the salinity-5180 system. Our results showed that the river runoff decreased from the south to the north in the Canada Basin. The enhanced amount of river runoff observed in the southern Canada Basin may originate from the Mackenzie River, transported by the Beaufort Gyre. The river runoff component showed maximum fractions during 1967-1969, 1978-1979, 1984-1985, 1993-1994, and 2008-2010, indicating the refresh time of the river runoffwas 5.0-16.0 a in the Canada Basin. The temporal variation of the river runoffwas related to the change of the Arctic Oscillation （AO） index, suggesting the freshwater stored in the Canada Basin was affected by surface sea ice drift and water mass movement driven by atmospheric circulation.