Microearthquake reveals the lithospheric structure at midocean ridges and oceanic transform faults

Mid-ocean ridge and oceanic transforms are among the most prominent features on the seafloor surface and are crucial for understanding seafloor spreading and plate tectonic dynamics,but the deep structure of the oceanic lithosphere remains poorly understood.The large number of microearthquakes occurring along ridges and transforms provide valuable information for gaining an indepth view of the underlying detailed seismic structures,contributing to understanding geodynamic processes within the oceanic lithosphere.Previous studies have indicated that the maximum depth of microseismicity is controlled by the 600-℃isotherm.However,this perspective is being challenged due to increasing observations of deep earthquakes that far exceed this suggested isotherm along mid-ocean ridges and oceanic transform faults.Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these deep events,and we suggest that local geodynamic processes(e.g.,magma supply,mylonite shear zone,longlived faults,hydrothermal vents,etc.)likely play a more important role than previously thought.

Impacts of Ice-Ocean Stress on the Subpolar Southern Ocean:Role of the Ocean Surface Current

The mechanical influences involved in the interaction between the Antarctic sea ice and ocean surface current(OSC)on the subpolar Southern Ocean have been systematically investigated for the first time by conducting two simulations that include and exclude the OSC in the calculation of the ice-ocean stress(IOS), using an eddy-permitting coupled ocean-sea ice global model. By comparing the results of these two experiments, significant increases of 5%, 27%, and 24%, were found in the subpolar Southern Ocean when excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation for the ocean surface stress,upwelling, and downwelling, respectively. Excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation also visibly strengthens the total mechanical energy input to the OSC by about 16%, and increases the eddy kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy by about38% and 12%, respectively. Moreover, the response of the meridional overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean yields respective increases of about 16% and 15% for the upper and lower branches;and the subpolar gyres are also found to considerably intensify, by about 12%, 11%, and 11% in the Weddell Gyre, the Ross Gyre, and the Australian-Antarctic Gyre, respectively. The strengthened ocean circulations and Ekman pumping result in a warmer sea surface temperature(SST), and hence an incremental surface heat loss. The increased sea ice drift and warm SST lead to an expansion of the sea ice area and a reduction of sea ice volume. These results emphasize the importance of OSCs in the air-sea-ice interactions on the global ocean circulations and the mass balance of Antarctic ice shelves, and this component may become more significant as the rapid change of Antarctic sea ice.

Circulation Pattern Controls of Summer Temperature Anomalies in Southern Africa

This study investigates the relationship between circulation patterns and austral summer temperature anomalies in southern Africa. The results show that the formation of continental lows tends to increase the thickness of the lower atmosphere. Further, the distinct variabilities of high and low pressure under the circulation types, influence air mass advection from the adjacent oceans, as well as atmospheric stability over land. Stronger anticyclonic circulation at the western branch of the Mascarene high-pressure system enhances the low-level cold air advection by southeast winds,decreases the thickness, and lowers the temperature over a majority of the land in southern Africa. Conversely, a weaker Mascarene High, coupled with enhanced cyclonic activity in the southwest Indian Ocean increases low-level warm air advection and increases temperature anomalies over vast regions in southern Africa. The ridging of a closed South Atlantic anticyclone at the southern coast of southern Africa results in colder temperatures near the tip of southern Africa due to enhanced low-level cold air advection by southeast winds. However, when the ridge is weak and westerly winds dominate the southern coast of southern Africa, these areas experience temperature increases. The northward track of the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude cyclone, which can be linked to the negative Southern Annular Mode, reduces the temperature in the southwestern part of southern Africa. Also, during the analysis period, El Ni?o was associated with temperature increases over the central parts of southern Africa;while the positive Indian Ocean dipole was linked to a temperature increase over the northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern parts of southern Africa.

Hydrographic Characteristics and Oceanic Heat Flux in the Upper Arctic Ocean over the Alpha Ridge Observed by the DTOP Platform in 2018 and 2021

In 2018 and 2021,the Drift-Towing Ocean Profilers(DTOP)provided extensive temperature and salinity data on the upper 120m ocean through their drifts over the Alpha Ridge north of the Canada Basin.The thickness and temperature maximum of Alaska Coastal Water(ACW)ranged from 20m to 40m and-1.5℃to-0.8℃,respectively,and the salinity generally maintained from 30.2 to 32.5.Comparison with World Ocean Atlas 2018’s climatology manifested a 40m-thick and warm ACW roughly ex-ceeding the temperature maximum by 0.4–0.5℃in June–August 2021.This anomalously warm ACW was highly related to the ex-pansion of the Beaufort Gyre in the negative Arctic Oscillation phase.During summer,the under-ice oceanic heat flux F_(w)^(OHF)was elevated,with a maximum value of above 25Wm^(-2).F_(w)^(OHF)was typically low in the freezing season,with an average value of 1.2Wm^(-2).The estimates of upward heat flux contributed by ACW to the sea ice bottom F_(w)^(OHF)were in the range of 3–4Wm^(-2)in June–August 2021,when ACW contained a heat content of more than 80MJm^(-2).The heat loss over this period was driven by a weak stratification upon the ACW layer associated with a surface mixed layer(SML)approaching the ACW core.After autumn,F_(w)^(OHF)was reduced(<2 Wm^(-2))except during rare events when it elevated F_(w)^(OHF)slightly.In addition,the intensive and widespread Ekman suction,which created a violent upwelling north of the Canada Basin,was largely responsible for the substantial cooling and thinning of the ACW layer in the summer of 2021.

Contrasting physical mechanisms of yellowfin tuna fluctuations between the western and eastern Indian Ocean

As an economically critical pelagic migratory species,yellowfin tuna(Thunnus albacores,YFT)is very sensible to physical and environmental conditions,such as sea surface temperature(SST),ocean heat content(OHC),and the mixed layer depth(MLD).We investigated the impact of SST,OHC,and MLD on fluctuations of YFT catch in the western/eastern Indian Ocean using the long time series of 63-year environmental and YFT datasets.We found that the impact of SST on YFT was heavily overestimated in the past,and MLD plays a more critical role in the YFT catch fluctuation.When the MLD deepens(>34.8 m),SST was more influential in predicting the catches of YFT than OHC in the western Indian Ocean,and OHC was more critical to YFT than SST in the eastern Indian Ocean.However,when the MLD shallows(<34.8 m),MLD was more vital to predict the catch per unit effort(CPUE)of YFT than SST/OHC in the western.After 2000,there was an asynchronous pattern of YFT CPUE induced by higher frequency variations and ocean hiatus of SST/OHC signals in the western and eastern Indian Oceans basins.The impact of the subsurface hiatus may induce the decrease of YFT in the eastern Indian Ocean.The above findings clarified a non-stationary relationship between the environmental factors and catches of YFT and provided new insights into variations in YFT abundance.

Deep learning to estimate ocean subsurface salinity structure in the Indian Ocean using satellite observations

Accurately estimating the ocean subsurface salinity structure(OSSS)is crucial for understanding ocean dynamics and predicting climate variations.We present a convolutional neural network(CNN)model to estimate the OSSS in the Indian Ocean using satellite data and Argo observations.We evaluated the performance of the CNN model in terms of its vertical and spatial distribution,as well as seasonal variation of OSSS estimation.Results demonstrate that the CNN model accurately estimates the most significant salinity features in the Indian Ocean using sea surface data with no significant differences from Argo-derived OSSS.However,the estimation accuracy of the CNN model varies with depth,with the most challenging depth being approximately 70 m,corresponding to the halocline layer.Validations of the CNN model’s accuracy in estimating OSSS in the Indian Ocean are also conducted by comparing Argo observations and CNN model estimations along two selected sections and four selected boxes.The results show that the CNN model effectively captures the seasonal variability of salinity,demonstrating its high performance in salinity estimation using sea surface data.Our analysis reveals that sea surface salinity has the strongest correlation with OSSS in shallow layers,while sea surface height anomaly plays a more significant role in deeper layers.These preliminary results provide valuable insights into the feasibility of estimating OSSS using satellite observations and have implications for studying upper ocean dynamics using machine learning techniques.

The sudden ocean warming and its potential influences on earlyfrozen landfast ice in the Prydz Bay, East Antarctica

The ocean conditions beneath the ice cover play a key role in understanding the sea ice mass balance in the polar regions.An integrated high-frequency ice-ocean observation system,including Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter,Conductivity-Temperature-Depth Sensor,and Sea Ice Mass Balance Array(SIMBA),was deployed in the landfast ice region close to the Chinese Zhongshan Station in Antarctica.A sudden ocean warming of 0.14℃(p<0.01)was observed beneath early-frozen landfast ice,from(−1.60±0.03)℃during April 16-19 to(−1.46±0.07)℃during April 20-23,2021,which is the only significant warming event in the nearly 8-month records.The sudden ocean warming brought a double rise in oceanic heat flux,from(21.7±11.1)W/m^(2) during April 16-19 to(44.8±21.3)W/m^(2) during April 20-23,2021,which shifted the original growth phase at the ice bottom,leading to a 2 cm melting,as shown from SIMBA and borehole observations.Simultaneously,the slowdown of ice bottom freezing decreased salt rejection,and the daily trend of observed ocean salinity changed from+0.02 d^(-1) during April 16-19,2021 to+0.003 d^(-1) during April 20-23,2021.The potential reasons are increased air temperature due to the transit cyclones and the weakened vertical ocean mixing due to the tide phase transformation from semi-diurnal to diurnal.The high-frequency observations within the ice-ocean boundary layer enhance the comprehensive investigation of the ocean’s influence on ice evolution at a daily scale.

New Record Ocean Temperatures and Related Climate Indicators in 2023

The global physical and biogeochemical environment has been substantially altered in response to increased atmospheric greenhouse gases from human activities.In 2023,the sea surface temperature(SST)and upper 2000 m ocean heat content(OHC)reached record highs.The 0–2000 m OHC in 2023 exceeded that of 2022 by 15±10 ZJ(1 Zetta Joules=1021 Joules)(updated IAP/CAS data);9±5 ZJ(NCEI/NOAA data).The Tropical Atlantic Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea,and southern oceans recorded their highest OHC observed since the 1950s.Associated with the onset of a strong El Niño,the global SST reached its record high in 2023 with an annual mean of~0.23℃ higher than 2022 and an astounding>0.3℃ above 2022 values for the second half of 2023.The density stratification and spatial temperature inhomogeneity indexes reached their highest values in 2023.

An updated inventory of marine opisthobranch(Mollusca,Gastropoda)from the territorial waters of the Republic of Mauritius

Island ecosystems support diverse aquatic invertebrate communities comprising endemic taxa.Documentation of existing species is important for conservation.In this study,a checklist of marine opisthobranch from the Republic of Mauritius is presented.A combination of benthic surveys(50 m×5 m in triplicates),rover diving techniques and photo documentation were used over two years(2018–2020)within 35 sheltered and unsheltered lagoons.Morphological and molecular analysis were used for identification.Species composition within sheltered and unsheltered areas in Mauritius was estimated using the Bray-Curtis similarity.The checklist featured 117 species belonging to 61 genera and 28families,of which 13 are new records.The findings increased the knowledge of opisthobranch diversity from the Mauritius by 15.4%.Among the listed species,the distribution range of Cyerce nigra,Actinocyclus papillatus,and Phyllidia picta extended from the Western Pacific to the South Western Indian Ocean.Molecular analysis of the undescribed Gymnodoris sp.showed it resembled Gymnodoris sp.from Hawaii and were different by a genetic distance value of 10.6%.The species richness and evenness were higher within the sheltered regions of Mauritius which harboured the food resource of opisthobranch.These areas as compared to unsheltered regions were heavily populated,suggesting the probable influence of wave actions on opisthobranch diversity and abundance.The order Nudibranchia was reported as most speciose,with 86 species.The Sacoglossa and Nudibranchia were observed only on macroalgae and sponges respectively.High abundance was also recorded on shipwrecks which are the most common form of artificial reefs.With the inclusion of observations from previous studies,201species belonging to 94 genera and 36 families are now known from the Mauritius.

Preface for the Special Issue on“Safety and Intelligent Maintenance of Offshore Structures”

The ocean serves as a vital carrier for human resource development and economic growth and contains rich mineral resources such as oil,natural gas,polymetallic nodules,cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts,polymetallic sulfides,and rare earth ore.Moreover,the ocean has wealthy reserves of wind,wave,tidal,and solar energy,making it an essential strategic space for sustainable future development.However,offshore structures are complex.

Water Vapor Information from Satellite and Its Applications

Water vapor is a critical component of the hydrological cycle because it plays a vital role in transporting water from one part of the cycle to another.Water vapor evaporated from surfaces such as oceans,lakes,and rivers condensates into liquid-or ice-phase hydrometeors,while clouds are formed owing to the atmospheric upward motion.

Sedimentary architecture of submarine channel-lobe systems under different seafloor topography:Insights from the Rovuma Basin offshore East Africa

Seafloor topography plays an important role in the evolution of submarine lobes.However,it is still not so clear how the shape of slope affects the three-dimensional(3-D)architecture of submarine lobes.In this study,we analyze the effect of topography factors on different hierarchical lobe architectures that formed during Pliocene to Quaternary in the Rovuma Basin offshore East Africa.We characterize the shape,size and growth pattern of different hierarchical lobe architectures using 3-D seismic data.We find that the relief of the topographic slope determines the location of preferential deposition of lobe complexes and single lobes.When the topography is irregular and presents topographic lows,lobe complexes first infill these depressions.Single lobes are deposited preferentially at positions with higher longitudinal(i.e.across-slope)slope gradients.As the longitudinal slope becomes higher,the aspect ratio of the single lobes increases.Lateral(i.e.along-slope)topography does not seem to have a strong influence on the shape of single lobe,but it seems to affect the overlap of single lobes.When the lateral slope gradient is relatively high,the single lobes tend to have a larger overlap surface.Furthermore,as the average of lateral slope and longitudinal slope gets greater,the width/thickness ratio of the single lobe is smaller,i.e.sediments tend to accumulate vertically.The results demonstrate that the shape of slopes more comprehensively influences the 3-D architecture of lobes in natural deep-sea systems than previously other lobe deposits and analogue experiments,which helps us better understand the development and evolution of the distal parts of turbidite systems.

“泰坦”号潜水器--通向死亡的“海洋之门”

Early on the morning of June 18,2023,far off the shore of Newfoundland,Canada,the Titan deep-sea submersible began its descent into the depths of the North Atlantic.Aboard was Titan’s inventor and pilot,Stockton Rush,along with four“mission specialists,”several of whom may have paid as much as 250000 USD to accompany Rush on a voyage to the site of the infamous Titanic shipwreck on the ocean floor.About two hours later.

Advances in Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Blue Energy Harvesting and Marine Environmental Monitoring

Blue energy,which includes rainfall,tidal current,wave,and water-flow energy,is a promising renewable resource,although its exploitation is limited by current technologies and thus remains low.This form of energy is mainly harvested by electromagnetic generators(EMGs),which generate electricity via Lorenz force-driven electron flows.Triboelectric nano genera tors(TENGs)and TENG networks exhibit superiority over EMGs in low-frequency and high-entropy energy harvesting as a new approach for blue energy harvesting.A TENG produces electrical outputs by adopting the mechanism of Maxwell’s displacement current.To date,a series of research efforts have been made to optimize the structure and performance of TENGs for effective blue energy harvesting and marine environmental applications.Despite the great progress that has been achieved in the use of TENGs in this context so far,continuous exploration is required in energy conversion,device durability,power management,and environmental applications.This review reports on advances in TENGs for blue energy harvesting and marine environmental monitoring.It introduces the theoretical foundations of TENGs and discusses advanced TENG prototypes for blue energy harvesting,including TENG structures that function in freestanding and contact-separation modes.Performance enhancement strategies for TENGs intended for blue energy harvesting are also summarized.Finally,marine environmental applications of TENGs based on blue energy harvesting are discussed.

Early Triassic Silicic Volcanics of South China:Petrogenesis and Constraints on the Geodynamic Evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean Region

The only occurrence of Lower Triassic silicic volcanic rocks within the South China Block is in the Qinzhou Bay area of Guangxi Province.LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating reveals that volcanic rocks of the Beisi and Banba formations formed between 248.8±1.6 and 246.5±1.3 Ma,coeval with peraluminous granites of the Qinzhou Bay Granitic Complex.The studied rhyolites and dacites are characterized by high SiO_(2),K_(2)O,and Al_(2)O_(3),and low MgO,CaO,and P_(2)O_(5) contents and are classified as high-K calc-alkaline S-type rocks,with A/CNK=0.98-1.19.The volcanic rocks are depleted in high field strength elements,e.g.,Nb,Ta,Ti,and P,and enriched in large ion lithophile elements,e.g.,Rb,K,Sr,and Ba.Although the analyzed volcanic rocks have extremely enriched zircon Hf isotopic compositions(ε_(Hf)(t)=-29.1 to-6.9),source discrimination indicators and high calculated Ti-in-zircon temperatures(798-835℃)reveal that magma derived from enriched lithospheric mantle not only provided a heat source for anatectic melting of the metasedimentary protoliths but was also an endmember component of the S-type silicic magma.The studied early Triassic volcanics are inferred to have formed immediately before closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in this region,as the associated subduction would have generated an extensional setting in which the mantle-derived upwelling and volcanic activity occurred.

A positive trend in the stability of global offshore wind energy

The recognition on the trend of wind energy stability is still extremely rare,although it is closely related to acquisition efficiency,grid connection,equipment lifetime,and costs of wind energy utilization.Using the 40-year(1979–2018)ERA-Interim data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,this study presented the spatial-temporal distribution and climatic trend of the stability of global offshore wind energy as well as the abrupt phenomenon of wind energy stability in key regions over the past 40 years with the climatic analysis method and Mann-Kendall(M-K)test.The results show the following 5 points.(1)According to the coefficient of variation(C_(v))of the wind power density,there are six permanent stable zones of global offshore wind energy:the southeast and northeast trade wind zones in the Indian,Pacific and Atlantic oceans,the Southern Hemisphere westerly,and a semi-permanent stable zone(North Indian Ocean).(2)There are six lowvalue zones for both seasonal variability index(S_(v))and monthly variability index(M_(v))globally,with a similar spatial distribution as that of the six permanent stable zones.M_(v) and S_(v) in the Arabian Sea are the highest in the world.(3)After C_(v),M_(v) and S_(v) are comprehensively considered,the six permanent stable zones have an obvious advantage in the stability of wind energy over other sea areas,with C_(v) below 0.8,M_(v) within 1.0,and S_(v) within 0.7 all the year round.(4)The global stability of offshore wind energy shows a positive climatic trend for the past four decades.C_(v),M_(v) and S_(v) have not changed significantly or decreased in most of the global ocean during 1979 to2018.That is,wind energy is flat or more stable,while the monthly and seasonal variabilities tend to shrink/smooth,which is beneficial for wind energy utilization.(5)C_(v) in the low-latitude Pacific and M_(v) and S_(v) in both the North Indian Ocean and the low-latitude Pacific have an obvious abrupt phenomenon at the end of the20th century.

Simulated Indonesian Throughflow in Makassar Strait across the SODA3 products

The Indonesian Throughflow(ITF), which connects the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans, plays important roles in the inter-ocean water exchange and regional or even global climate variability. The Makassar Strait is the main inflow passage of the ITF, carrying about 77% of the total ITF volume transport. In this study, we analyze the simulated ITF in the Makassar Strait in the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation version 3(SODA3) datasets. A total of nine ensemble members of the SODA3 datasets, of which are driven by different surface forcings and bulk formulas, and with or without data assimilation, are used in this study. The annual mean water transports(i.e.,volume, heat and freshwater) are related to the combination of surface forcing and bulk formula, as well as whether data assimilation is employed. The phases of the seasonal and interannual variability in water transports cross the Makassar Strait, are basically consistent with each other among the SODA3 ensemble members. The interannual variability in Makassar Strait volume and heat transports are significantly correlated with El Ni?oSouthern Oscillation(ENSO) at time lags of-6 to 7 months. There is no statistically significant correlation between the freshwater transport and the ENSO. The Makassar Strait water transports are not significantly correlated with the Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD), which may attribute to model deficiency in simulating the propagation of semiannual Kelvin waves from the Indian Ocean to the Makassar Strait.

Southern Hemisphere Volcanism Triggered Multi-year La Niñas during the Last Millennium

To explain the recent three-year La Niña event from 2020 to 2022,which has caused catastrophic weather events worldwide,Fasullo et al.(2023)demonstrated that the increase in biomass aerosol resulting from the 2019-20 Australian wildfire season could have triggered this multi-year La Niña.Here,we present compelling evidence from paleo-proxies,utilizing a substantial sample size of 26 volcanic eruptions in the Southern Hemisphere(SH),to support the hypothesis that ocean cooling in the SH can lead to a multi-year La Niña event.This research highlights the importance of focusing on the Southern Ocean,as current climate models struggle to accurately simulate the Pacific response driven by the Southern Ocean.

Seasonal variation of mesoscale eddy intensity in the global ocean

Mesoscale eddies are a prominent oceanic phenomenon that plays an important role in oceanic mass transport and energy conversion.Characterizing by rotational speed,the eddy intensity is one of the most fundamental properties of an eddy.However,the seasonal spatiotemporal variation in eddy intensity has not been examined from a global ocean perspective.In this study,we unveil the seasonal spatiotemporal characteristics of eddy intensity in the global ocean by using the latest satellite-altimetry-derived eddy trajectory data set.The results suggest that the eddy intensity has a distinct seasonal variation,reaching a peak in spring while attaining a minimum in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.The seasonal variation of eddy intensity is more intense in the tropical-subtropical transition zones within latitudinal bands between 15°and 30°in the western Pacific Ocean,the northwestern Atlantic Ocean,and the eastern Indian Ocean because baroclinic instability in these areas changes sharply.Further analysis found that the seasonal variation of baroclinic instability precedes the eddy intensity by a phase of 2–3 months due to the initial perturbations needing time to grow into mesoscale eddies.

Data Quality Control Method of a New Drifting Observation Technology Named Drifting Air-Sea Interface Buoy

An integral quality control(QC)procedure that integrates various QC methods and considers the design indexes and operational status of the instruments for the observations of drifting air-sea interface buoy was developed in the order of basic in-spection followed by targeted QC.The innovative method of combining a moving Hampel filter and local anomaly detection com-plies with statistical laws and physical processes,which guarantees the QC performance of meteorological variables.Two sets of observation data were used to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the QC procedure,and the effect was evaluated using the observations of the Kuroshio Extension Observatory buoy as the reference.The results showed that the outliers in the time series can be correctly identified and processed,and the quality of data improved significantly.The linear correlation between the quality-controlled observations and the reference increased,and the difference decreased.The correlation coefficient of wind speed before and after QC increased from 0.77 to 0.82,and the maximum absolute error decreased by approximately 2.8ms^(-1).In addition,air pressure and relative humidity were optimized by 10^(-3)–10^(-2) orders of magnitude.For the sea surface temperature,the weight of coefficients of the continuity test algorithm was optimized based on the sea area of data acquisition,which effectively expanded the applicability of the algorithm.