Seasonal influence of freshwater discharge on spatio-temporal variations in primary productivity, sea surface temperature, and euphotic zone depth in the northern Bay of Bengal

Ocean productivity is the foundation of marine food web,which continuously removes atmospheric carbon dioxide and supports life at sea and on land.Spatio-temporal variability of net primary productivity(NPP),sea surface temperature(SST),sea surface salinity(SSS),mixed layer depth(MLD),and euphotic zone depth(EZD) in the northern B ay of Bengal(BoB) during three monsoon seasons were examined in this study based on remote sensing data for the period 2005 to 2020.To compare the NPP distribution between the coastal zones and open BoB,the study area was divided into five zones(Z1-Z5).Results suggest that most productive zones Z2 and Zl are located at the head bay area and are directly influenced by freshwater discharge together with riverine sediment and nutrient loads.Across Z1-Z5,the NPP ranges from 5 315.38 mg/(m^(2)·d) to 346.7 mg/(m^(2)·d)(carbon,since then the same).The highest monthly average NPP of 5 315.38 mg/(m^(2)·d) in February and 5 039.36 mg/(m^(2)·d) in June were observed from Z2,while the lowest monthly average of 346.72 mg/(m^(2)·d) was observed in March from Z4,which is an oceanic zone.EZD values vary from 6-154 m for the study area,and it has an inverse correlation with NPP concentration.EZD is deeper during the summer season and shallower during the wintertime,with a corresponding increase in productivity.Throughout the year,monthly SST shows slight fluctuation for the entire study area,and statistical analysis shows a significant correlation among NPP,and EZD,overall positive between NPP and MLD,whereas no significant correlation among SSS,and SST for the northern BoB.Long-term trends in SST and productivity were significantly po sitive in head bay zones but negatively productive in the open ocean.The findings in this study on the distribution of NPP,SST,SSS,MLD,and EZD and their seasonal variability in five different zones of BoB can be used to further improve the management of marine resources and overall environmental condition in response to climate changes in BoB as they are of utmost relevance to the fisheries for the three bordering countries.

Vertical flux of particulate organic carbon in the central South China Sea estimated from ^(234)Th-^(238)U disequilibria

^(234)Th-^(238)U disequilibria were applied to examine the particle dynamics in the euphotic zone of the central South China Sea during the spring 2002 cruise.The particulate organic carbon (POC),^(234)Th (including both dissolved and particulate) and ^(238)U in the water column at three stations were determined. The profiles of ^(234)Th/^(238)U activity ratio at the three stations all showed consistent ^(234)Th deficit as compared to ^(238)U in the upper 100 m water column.Based on the profiles of the dissolved and particulate ^(234)Th and a steady state box model,the dissolved ^(234)Th scavenging rates,the particulate ^(234)Th removal rates and their resident times were quantified.It was found that the POC downward export fluxes out of the upper 100 m euphotic zone ranged from 9.40 to 14.78 mmol·m^(-2)·d^(-1).The results from this study provide new information for our understanding of carbon biogeochemical cycle in the South China Sea.

Development and Application of a Marine Ecosystem Dynamic Model

A nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton-detritus （NPZD） type of marine ecosystem model was developed in this study,and was further coupled to a three-dimensional primitive-equation ocean circulation model with a river discharge model and a solar radiation model to reproduce the dynamics of the low nutrition level in the Bohai Sea （BS）.The simulation results were validated by observations and it was shown that the seasonal variation in the phytoplankton biomass could be characterized by the double-peak structure,corresponding to the spring and summer blooms,respectively.It was also found that both nitrogen and phosphate declined to the lowest level after the onset of the summer bloom,since the large amounts of nutrients were exhausted by phytoplankton for photosynthesis,and the concentrations of nutrients could resume in winter after a series of the biogeochemical-physical processes.By calculating the nitrogen/phosphorus （N/P） ratio,it is easy to see that the phytoplankton dynamics is nitrogen-limited as a whole in BS,though the phosphorus limitation may occur in the Yellow River （YR） Estuary where the input of riverine nitrogen is much more than that of phosphate.

New production in the South China Sea——A coupled ^(228)Ra-nitrate approach

Measurement of 228Ra activities in the upper 300 m water column was conducted at two stations in the South China Sea using an MnO2-fiber extraction/β-counting technique of 228Ac. Results showed that 228Ra activities ranged from 0.38 to 3.60 Bq·m-3. The vertical profiles of 228Ra at the time-series station favored a steady state assumption. Based on a one-dimensional steady state model, 228Ra-nitrate coupled approach was applied to stations NS97-43, NS99-53 (T1), NS99-53 (T2). New production thus quantified were 4.4, 5.1 and 5.7 mmolC·m-2·d-1, respectively. f ratios in the South China Sea were estimated from the derived new production and the documented primary productivity in the regime, to be 0.12-0.15.