Impact of Sea Surface Temperature Front on Stratus-Sea Fog over the Yellow and East China Seas-A Case Study with Implications for Climatology

A stratus-sea fog event that occurred over the Yellow and East China Seas on 3 June 2011 is investigated using observations and a numerical model, with a focus on the effects of background circulation and Sea Surface Temperature Front （SSTF） on the transition of stratus into sea fog. Southerly winds of a synoptic high-pressure circulation transport water vapor to the Yellow Sea, creating conditions favorable for sea fog/stratus formation. The subsidence from the high-pressure contributes to the temperature inversion at the top of the stratus. The SSTF forces a secondary circulation within the ABL （Atmospheric Boundary Layer）, the sinking branch of which on the cold flank of SSTF helps lower the stratus layer fiLrther to reach the sea surface. The cooling effect over the cold sea surface counteracts the adiabatic warming induced by subsidence. The secondary circulation becomes weak and the fog patches are shrtmk heavily with the smoothed SSTE A conceptual model is proposed for the transition of stratus into sea fog over the Yellow and East China Seas. Finally, the analyses suggest that sea fog frequency will probably decrease due to the weakened SSTF and the reduced subsidence of secondary circulation under global wanning.

Dissolved Inorganic Arsenic in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea—Distributions and Seasonal Variations

The distributions and seasonal variations of total dissolved inorganic arsenic （TDIAs, [TDIAs] = [As^5＋]＋[As^3＋]） and arsenite （As3.） in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea are presented hero based on the observations of 9 cruises carried out in 2000 - 2003. The study area covers a broad range of hydrographic and chemical properties. The emphasis is put on a southeast transect from Changjiang Estuary to the Ryukyu Islands （i.e. PN section） in the East China Sea to discuss the impact of terrestdal input on the marginal seas of China. Arsenic species （TDlAs and arsenite） are determined by selective hydride generation - atomic fluorescence spectrometry （HG-AFS）. TDIAs concentrations were high in the coastal area of Changjiang Estuary and decreased slightly towards the shelf region. High concentratiOns of TDIAs were also existed in the near bottom layer of shelf edge of the East China Sea which indicated another source of arsenic from the incursion of Kuroshio Waters. The seasonal variations of TDIAs in the study area depend on the hydrographic stages of Changjiang and the incursion intensity of Kuroshio Waters. Arsenite showed opposite distributions with TDIAs, with higher concentrations appeared at the surface layer of shelf region, which was positive correlated with the chlorophyll a. Biological conversion of arsenate into arsenite was hypothesized for the observed distribution pattern and its seasonal variations. The stoichoimetric ratios of As to P were estimated to be about 2×10^3 at PN Section in summer. The concentrations of dissolved arsenic in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea were comparable with other areas in the world.

Sea level change under IPCC-A2 scenario in Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas

Because of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of anthropogenic sea level rise （SLR）, it is very important to understand the processes leading to past and present SLRs towards more reliable future SLR projections. A regional ocean general circulation model （ROGCM）, with a grid refinement in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas （BYECSs）, was set up to project SLR induced by the ocean dynamic change in the 21st century. The model does not consider the contributions from ice sheets and glacier melting. Data of all forcing terms required in the model came from the simulation of the Community Climate System Model version 3.0 （CCSM3） under the International Panel on Climate Change （IPCC）-A2 scenario. Simulation results show that at the end of the 21st century, the sea level in the BYECSs will rise about 0.12 to 0.20 m. The SLR in the BYECSs during the 21st century is mainly caused by the ocean mass redistribution due to the ocean dynamic change of the Pacific Ocean, which means that water in the Pacific Ocean tends to move to the continental shelves of the BYECSs, although the local steric sea level change is another factor.

Effects of internal tidal dissipation and self-attraction and loading on semidiurnal tides in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea： a numerical study

A parameterized internal tide dissipation term and self-attraction and loading(SAL) tide term are introduced in a barotropic numerical model to investigate the dynamics of semidiurnal tidal constituents M_2 and S_2 in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea(BYECS). The optimal parameters for bottom friction and internal dissipation are obtained through a series of numerical computations. Numerical simulation shows that the tide-generating force contributes 1.2% of M_2 power for the entire BYECS and up to 2.8% for the East China Sea deep basin. SAL tide contributes 4.4% of M_2 power for the BYECS and up to 9.3% for the East China Sea deep basin. Bottom friction plays a major role in dissipating tidal energy in the shelf regions, and the internal tide eff ect is important in the deep water regions. Numerical experiments show that artifi cial removal of tide-generating force in the BYECS can cause a signifi cant dif ference(as much as 30 cm) in model output. Artifi cial removal of SAL tide in the BYECS can cause even greater diff erence, up to 40 cm. This indicates that SAL tide should be taken into account in numerical simulations, especially if the tide-generating force is considered.

Horizontal distribution of Changjiang Diluted Water in summer inferred from total suspended sediment in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

During the summer in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the resuspension of the bottom sediment is obstructed by strong stratification and, as a result, the concentration of total suspended sediment（TSS） can be used as an excellent tracer for Changjiang Diluted Water（CDW）. To analyze the spatial and temporal variations of the CDW distribution, the monthly mean TSS from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer（MODIS） ocean color data are constructed and are converted to salinity using the relationship between salinity observed from AQUARIUS and TSS. The process produces the detailed horizontal distribution of salinity with very high resolution（1 km）. From monthly mean salinity map from 2002 to 2012 in July and August, the expansion patterns of CDW are analyzed. The southerly wind in July and southeasterly wind in August transport the CDW eastward and northeastward, respectively. It is found that the yearly variation of the expansion of CDW toward the southern sea area of Korea is mostly due to the variation of southerly wind and the fluctuations of fresh water discharge into the Changjiang estuary show relatively little impact on the eastward extend of CDW. When 11-year mean（from2002 to 2012） salinity map in August is compared with World Ocean Atlas 2013, it is revealed that wind in August strengthened six times from 1994 and it causes the expansion of CDW extended 150 km further eastward.

Spatial distribution and reconstruction potential of Japanese anchovy(Engraulis japonicus) based on scale deposition records in recent anaerobic sediment of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Many studies have revealed that anchovy has exhibited large variability in population size on decadal tim-escales. However, such works concerning anchovy population are mainly based on short historical catch records. In order to understand the causes of variability in fish stocks （natural and/or anthropogenic） and calibrate the error between catches and standing stocks, it is essential to develop long-term time series of fish stocks from the time when human impacts are minimal or negligible. Well preserved fish scales from sediment record are regarded as useful indicators revealing the history of fish population dynamics over the last centuries. Anchovy scales was first analyzed over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea and the largest abundance was found in the central South Yellow Sea where is regarded as the largest overwintering ground for Japanese anchovy （Engraulis japonicas）. Thus in the central South Yellow Sea, two cores covering the last 150 years were collected for estimating fish scale flux. The scale deposition rate （SDR） records show that the decadal scale SDRs were obviously coherent between cores with independent chronologies. Thecalibration of downcore SDRs to the standing stocks of anchovy further validated that SDR is a reliable proxy to recon-struct the long-term anchovy population dynamic in the central South Yellow Sea where anoxic conditions prevail in the sediment. When assembled with other productivity proxies, it would be expected that SDR could be associated with changes in oceanic productivity and may make a contribution to determine the forcing factors and elucidate the mechanism of the process in future.

Validation of MODIS ocean-colour products in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

An extensive study collected in situ data along the Yellow Sea(YS) and East China Sea(ECS) to assess the radiometric properties and the concentration of the water constituents derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS). Thirteen high quality match-ups were obtained for evaluating the MODIS estimates of Rrs(λ), chlorophyll a(Chl a) and concentrations of suspended particulate sediment matter(SPM). For MODIS Rrs(λ), the mean absolute percentage difference(APD) was in the range of 20%–36%, and the highest uncertainty appeared at 412 nm, whereas the band ratio of Rrs(λ) at 488 nm compared with that at 547 nm was highly consistent, with an APD of 7%. A combination of near-infrared bands and shortwave infrared wavelengths atmosphere correction algorithm(NIR-SWIR algorithm) was applied to the MODIS data, and the estimation accuracy of Rrs were improved at most of the visible spectral bands except 645 nm, 667 nm and 678 nm. Two ocean-colour empirical algorithms for Chl a estimation were applied to the processed data, the results indicated that the accuracy of the derived Chl a values was obviously improved, the four-band algorithms outperformed the other algorithm for measured and simulated datasets, and the minimum APD was 35%. The SPM was also quantified. Two regional and two coastal SPM algorithms were modified according to the in situ data. By comparison, the modified Tassan model had a higher accuracy for the application along the YS and ECS with an APD of 21%. However, given the limited match-up dataset and the potential influence of the aerosol properties on atmosphere correction, further research is required to develop additional algorithms especially for the low Chl a coastal water.

Two drifting paths of Sargassum bloom in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea during 2019-2020

The macroalgal blooms of floating brown algae Sargassum horneri are increasing in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea during the past few years.However,the annual pattern of Sargassum bloom is not well characterized.To study the developing pattern and explore the impacts from hydro-meteorologic environment,high resolution satellite imageries were used to monitor the distribution,coverage and drifting of the pelagic Sargassum rafts in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from September 2019 to August 2020.Sargassum blooms were detected from October 2019 to June 2020 and presented two successive drifting paths that both initiated from around 37°N.The first path spanned smaller spatial scale and shorter period,starting with a bloom of 3 km^(2) distribution area near the eastern tip of Shandong Peninsula in late October 2019 and drifted southwards,hit the Pyropia aquaculture area in early January 2020,then vanished in the northwest of East China Sea(ca.32°N)around end of January.The second path began with a large distribution area of 23000 km^(2) east of 123°E in late January 2020,firstly moved southwards in the central Yellow Sea and northern East China Sea(north of 29°N)till late April,then turned northwards with monsoon wind and vanished from late June to August.The mean sea surface temperature of 8℃ to 20℃ in the Sargassum bloom areas corresponded to in situ observed temperature range for vegetative growth and floating of S.horneri.There was no observed floating Sargassum blooms during July through September in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.The results indicate that floating S.horneri is unable to complete life cycle in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea,and provide insights to the future management of Sargassum blooms.Further studies are needed to validate the pattern and source of annual Sargassum bloom in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.

A New model to forecast fishing ground of Scomber japonicus in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The pelagic species is closely related to the marine environmental factors, and establishment of forecasting model of fishing ground with high accuracy is an important content for pelagic fishery. The chub mackerel（Scomber japonicus） in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea is an important fishing target for Chinese lighting purse seine fishery. Based on the fishery data from China＇s mainland large-type lighting purse seine fishery for chub mackerel during the period of 2003 to 2010 and the environmental data including sea surface temperature（SST）, gradient of the sea surface temperature（GSST）, sea surface height（SSH） and geostrophic velocity（GV）, we attempt to establish one new forecasting model of fishing ground based on boosted regression trees. In this study, the fishing areas with fishing effort is considered as one fishing ground, and the areas with no fishing ground are randomly selected from a background field, in which the fishing areas have no records in the logbooks. The performance of the forecasting model of fishing ground is evaluated with the testing data from the actual fishing data in 2011. The results show that the forecasting model of fishing ground has a high prediction performance, and the area under receiver operating curve（AUC） attains 0.897. The predicted fishing grounds are coincided with the actual fishing locations in 2011, and the movement route is also the same as the shift of fishing vessels, which indicates that this forecasting model based on the boosted regression trees can be used to effectively forecast the fishing ground of chub mackerel in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.

Factors aff ecting lipid and fatty acid composition of Calanus sinicus in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in spring

The factors aff ecting lipid and fatty acid composition of copepod Calanus sinicus in the Yellow Sea(YS)and the East China Sea(ECS)were examined in this study.In spring,there were signifi cant diff erences between these two regions for both environmental conditions and food availability.Such regional diff erence signifi cantly infl uenced the lipid and fatty acid profi les of C.sinicus.Our results show that C.sinicus has a higher lipids content in ECS,especially for wax ester and triglyceride lipids,indicating a more active and effi cient predation.According to BIO-ENV analysis,the variation of lipids profi les may be infl uenced majorly by water temperature.Moreover,the fatty acids(FAs)profi les of C.sinicus were also diff erent between YS and ECS,especially in the four major contributors,C22꞉1ω11,eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA),docosahexenoic acid(DHA),and C20꞉1ω9.The considerable amounts of self-biosynthesized FAs of herbivorous copepod(C22꞉1ω11 and C20꞉1ω9)and low DHA/EPA ratio may indicate that C.sinicus in ECS feed mainly on phytoplankton comparing to those in YS.The fatty acid profi les of C.sinicus were aff ected by the diff erences in food availability.