A potential source of recruitment of Acartia pacifica nauplii: viable benthic resting eggs

Many estuarine and coastal planktonic copepods depend on the hatching of benthic resting eggs for recruitment of nauplii to the water column population. The distribution and abundance of viable resting eggs of Acartia pacifica in the Xiamen Bay were determined by the presence of nauplii in the laboratory. The number of viable eggs var/ed temporally and spatially. The maximum number (9.2×10^4m^-2) of viable eggs was in summer. In spring the average abundance of viable eggs was 5.6×10^4 m^-2. The abundances of viable eggs in fall and winter were similar, respectively 2.7×10^4 and 3.3×10^4m^-2, which were the lowest in the year. The numbers of viable eggs inside the stations of the Xiamen Bay were higher than those outside the stations. The viable eggs were found at all depths (0-10 cm),although not in every station. The maximum number did not necessarily occur in the uppermost centimeter of the sediments but often occurred several centimeters below the water-sediment interface. The accumulation of viable eggs in the seabed of a subtropical bay constitutes a potential source of recruitment of nauplii into the pelagic population.

A survey on Anthomedusae (Hydrozoa: Hydroidomedusae) from the Taiwan Strait with description of new species and new combinations

New data on Anthomedusae are included. Seven new species and 2 new combinations are described. An additional Teissiera polypofera Xu, Huang and Chen, 1991 is redescribed and its position of taxonomy is discussed. Other lists of species on Anthomedusae are summarized.

The seasonal variation of undercurrent and temperature in the equatorial Pacific jointly derived from buoy measurement and assimilation analysis

Based on the TOGA-TAO buoy chain observed data in the equatorial Pacific and the assimilation analysis results from SODA(simple ocean data assimilation analysis), the role of the meridional cells in the subsurface of the tropical Pacific was discussed. It was found that, the seasonal varying direction of EUC(the quatorial Undercurrent)in the Peacific is westwards beginning from the eastern equatorial Pacific in the boreal spring. The meridional cell south of the equator plays important role on this seasonal change of EUC.On the other hand, although the varying direction is westwards, the seasonal variation of temperature in the same region gets its minimum values in the boreal autumn beginning from the eastern equatorial Pacific.The meridional cell north of the equator is most responsible for the seasonal temperature variation in the eastern equatorial Pacific while the meridional cell south of the equator mainly controls the seasonal temperature change in the central Pacific. It is probably true that the asymmetry by the equator is an important factor influencing the seasonal cycle of EUC and temperature in the tropical Pacific.

Abundance and distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in Xiamen Western Harbor

In a grid investigation, dinoflagellate cysts were collected from sediments in Xiamen Western Harbor in May of 2000, from which five species of cysts were identified: Alexandrium tamarensis, A. minutum, Lingulodinium polyedra, Gonyaulax scrippsae and Gymnodinium catenatum, account for about 21% in the species composition. The quanti-tative analysis of the sediments shows that the number of dinoflagellate cysts varies from 51 to 256 cysts/g of sediment, the highest value (>200 cysts/g) being recorded at the stations of the central part of the bay, while the lowest (<100 cysts/g) at the bay mouth. A good linear relationship is found between cyst amount and fine-grained sediments. Complex physiognomies on the seabed, topographty in the bay and weak water exchange are the main factors not only in cyst accumulation but also in their distribution pattern, and have resulted in the difference in cyst densities between the inner bay and the outer bay in the harbor.

Effect of Phosphatization on Element Concentration of Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts

A detailed study on a small scale of the effect of phosphatization on the chemistry of marine cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts supplies useful information for the evaluation and comprehensive utilization of crust mineral resources. Sub-samples from top to bottom of a 10-cm thick sample from the NW Pacific Magellan seamount were taken at 5 mm intervals. The concentration profiles of ore-forming and rare earth elements show that obvious differences exist between young unphosphatized crusts and old phosphatized crusts. In the old crusts Fe, Mn, Si, Al, Zn, Mg, Co, Ni and Cu elements are depleted and Ca, P, Sr, Ba and Pb elements are enriched. The order of depletion is Co > Ni > Mg > Al > Mn > Si> Cu > Zn > Fe, while the order of enrichment is P > Ca > Ba > Pb > Sr. The phosphate mineral controls the concentration variation of the ore-forming elements in crusts and causes loss of the main ore-forming elements such as Co and Ni. The phosphatization also affects the abundance of REEs in the crusts. REEs are more abundant and the content of Ce in old crusts is higher than that in young crusts, however, the pattern of REEs and their fractionation characteristics in new and old crusts are not fundamentally changed. A Y-positive anomaly in old crusts has no relationship to the phosphatization.

Distribution and composition characteristics of heavy minerals in surficial sediment of Minjiang Estuary

Heavy minerals with a size range of 0.125￣0.250 mm in the surficial sediment of Minjiang Estuary are studied. Thirty-four heavy min- erals have been identified, with an average content of 1.92%. Major minerals include magnetite, epidote, hematite, hornblende, il- menite, and zircon mica. These types are the same as those in the 0.063￣0.125 mm range; however, the average content is lower, which reveals that the heavy minerals in Minjiang Estuary are mainly enriched in the very-fine sand fraction. According to the content and distribution characteristics of the major heavy minerals, Minjiang Estuary can be divided into 4 mineral assemblage zones. In each zone the assemblage of heavy minerals is greatly affected by the hydrodynamic condition and the sedimentary environment. Heavy mineral types also show that detrital matters in Minjiang Estuary are originated from the weathering and erosion of the bedrock in the Minjiang River drainage area.

Study of chemical forms of phosphorus and their bioavailability in the sediments

Chemical forms of phosphorus in the sediments of the Daya Bay, the Zhujiang River estuary , and the Xiamen Bay are measured with extraction solutions of MgCl2, NaOH, and HC1. Their availabilities to Chlorella sp. and Isochrysis galbana are estimated by using sediments as the sole source of P in the bioassays. The results show that the contents of total phosphorus (TP) in these sediments are 449.3, 650.1 and 643.9 mg/kg, respectively. The contents of non-apatite inorganic P (NAIP) extracted with MgCl2 and NaOH from 3 sediments are 168.8, 146.6 and 118.1 mg/kg, respectively, and account for 18.3% -32.6% of TP. The phosphorus extracted with HC1 solution is greater than that extracted with NaOH solution and the lowest extracted P is MgCl2-extractable P. The greatest relative growth rates of Chlorella sp. and Isochrysis galbana cultured with sediments are in the range of 4.3% -26.9%. The increasing biomasses of these algae correspond to NAIP and AAPP (the estimated algal-available particulate P). AAPP accounts for 42.4% -78.2% of NAIP, 21.1 % - 27.1% of total inorganic P, and 11.8% - 20.3% of TP, respectively.

Characteristics of heavy minerals composition and distribution in surface sediment from the Xinghua Bay of Fujian,China

The composition, assemblage and distribution characteristics of heavy minerals from 63 to 125 μm grain sizes in surface sediment from the Xinghua Bay (17 stations) are studied. The matter source of silt and the relationship between heavy minerals and sedimentary environment are also discussed. The results show that there are 37 kinds of heavy minerals and the average content of them is 12.08%, which exceeds 6% compared with the Meizhou Bay (5.67%). The dominant minerals are magnetite, hornblende, epidote, ilmenite, hematite, limonite, zircon and so on. Mineral kinds reveal that the sources of silt in this bay are the fluvial input and eroded products of bedrock in circumjacent land and islands of the Xinghua Bay. However, the matter source from outside this bay is less. Four mineral assemblage zones can be divided based on heavy mineral contents and distribution characteristics in the Xinghua Bay, which are not only influenced by matter source, but also controlled by hydrodynamic condition and sedimentary environment in the Xinghua Bay.

Tidal Analysis of High and Low Water Data

The harmonic analysis method based on high and low water levels is discussed in this paper. In order to make full use of the information of high and low water observations (the time derivative of water level at the observation time is zero), the weight coefficient, w, is introduced to control the importance of the part related to this information in the error formula. The major diurnal constituents, O 1 and K 1, and semi diurnal constituents, N 2, M 2 and S 2 are selected directly from the monthly data analysis, and some other important constituents, P 1, ν 2 and K 2, are included as the inferred constituents. The obtained harmonic constants of the major constituents are very close to those obtained from the analysis of hourly data, and this shows that high and low water data can be used to extract tidal constants with high accuracy. The analysis result also shows that the inference and the weighting coefficient are important in the high and low water data analysis, and it is suggested that w ≥1 should be taken in monthly high and low water data analysis. This analysis method can be used directly to analyze altimetric data with w =0.

The sources of the upper and lower halocline water in the Canada Basin derived from isotopic tracers

Seawater samples were collected in the water column from the Canada Basin aboard RV Xuelong in August 1999. Concentrations of δ D, δ 18O, nutrients (NO3-, PO43-, SiO32-) and dissolved oxygen were measured, along with hydrographic parameters (salinity and temperature). Our results showed that the upper layer of the water column was characterized by the occurrence of the upper halocline water (UHW) and the lower halocline water (LHW). The UHW was associated with a salinity of 33.1 (～150m depth) and maximums of nutrients, NO and PO*, whereas minimums of NO and PO* (PO* = PO43- + O2/175-1.95 (mol/dm3) occurred at the depth of LHW (～300m depth). Two tracer systems, S-δ 18O-PO* and S-δ D-SiO32-, were used to estimate the fractions of the Atlantic water, Pacific water, river runoff and sea ice meltwater in water samples. Combined with the nutrient ratio NO/PO, it was suggested that the UHW was derived from the inflow of the Pacific water through the Bering Strait. These waters were modified to obtain the high salinity and nutrients in the Chukchi shelf or/and the east Siberian shelf. The LHW was maintained by inflow of the Atlantic water through Barents Sea and subsequent mixing with freshwater in the shelf region to produce the signals of NO and PO* minimums. In study basin, the river runoff signals were confined to water depths less than 300 m and the fractions of river runoff decreased with the increasing depth. Water column inventories of river runoff and sea ice meltwater were calculated between the surface and 300m. The river runoff inventories in the Canada Basin were higher than those in other sea areas, suggesting that the Canada basin is a major storage region for Arctic river water. The sea ice meltwater signals suggested that the Canada Basin is a region of net sea ice formation and the inventories of net sea ice in the upper water column increasing from the south to the north.

Comparison of summer ther- mohaline field and circulation structure of the Bohai Sea between 1958 and 2000

The analysis of observed salinity data over 35 years (1961—1996) at four stations around the Bohai Sea, i.e. Huludao, Qinhuangdao, Tanggu and Beihuangcheng, reveals that the salinity of the 4 observation stations has increased 1.1, 1.6, 1.9 and 0.4, respectively. The data also show that over the past 35 years, there have been at least 5 large salin-ity variation processes. The salinity data from two cruises of the Bohai Sea in August 1958 and 2000, show that the salin-ity pattern of the Bohai Sea has changed markedly. Low sa-linity in the sea surface layer around the old Yellow River mouth in August 1958 had been replaced by high salinity in August 2000 and the maximum variation of salinity is over 10.0. In addition, the values and distribution of salinity were almost the same from surface to bottom there in August 2000, but there existed significantly different salinity levels be-tween the surface layer and the deep layer in August 1958. When a comparison is made between the salinity levels of the above-mentioned two years, it is found that the salinity in August 2000 is on average 2.0 higher than that of August 1958 in the main part of the Bohai Sea. The change of tem-perature and salinity field in the Bohai Sea leads to the change of the circulation. The numerical simulation shows that in comparison with the circulation structure of the Bohai Sea in August 1958, the circulation in August 2000 changes markedly. The significant changes of circulation appeared in Bohai Bay, Laizhou Bay and in the middle of the Bohai Sea. The clockwise current loop outside of the Bohai Bay and counterclockwise current loop outside of the Laizhou Bay in August 1958 disappeared in August 2000, and the counterclockwise current loop of the Bohai Bay mi-grated obviously outward. The flow direction in the Laizhou Bay turned 180° around. Corresponding to the variation of the Bohai Sea circulation, the amount of water exchange between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea has also changed. The water exchange rate through the Bohai Strait decreases, on average, 0.7×104 m3/s in August 2000 in contrast to that of August 1958.

Distribution of ^(226)Ra in the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea and its hydrologic implications

Radium-226 (226Ra) activities were measured in the surface water samples collected from the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea during the First Chinese National Arctic Research Ex-pedition. The results showed that 226Ra concentrations in the surface water ranged from 0.28 to 1.56 Bq/m3 with an average of 0.76 Bq/m3 in the Arctic Ocean, and from 0.25 to 1.26 Bq/m3 with an average of 0.71 Bq/m3 in the Bering Sea. The values were obviously lower than those from open oceans in middle and low latitudes, indicating that the study area may be partly influenced by sea ice meltwater. In the Bering Sea, 226Ra in the surface water decreased northward, probably as a result of the exchange between the 226Ra-deficient sea ice meltwater and the 226Ra-rich Pacific water. In the Arctic Ocean, 226Ra in the surface water increased northward and eastward. This spa-tial distribution of 226Ra reflected the variation of the 226Ra-enriched river component in the water mass of the Arctic Ocean. The vertical profiles of 226Ra in the Canadian Basin showed a concen-tration maximum at 200 m, which could be attributed to the inputs of the Pacific water or/and the bottom shelf water with high 226Ra concentration. This conclusion was consistent with the results from 2H, 18O tracers.

Temporal and spatial variabilities of sea surface heights in the northeastern South China Sea

Analyses of sea surface height anomalies (SSHA) from Jan. 1993 to Dec. 2001 measured by TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) satellite altimetry indicate that there are two energy highs of SSHA fluctuations on both sides of the Luzon Strait. The highs centered at (19.5° N, 119.5° E) and (22.0° N,124.0° E) respectively, are separated by a low energy band in the Strait. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis on the "Far Field" suggests that fluctuations of these two areas are mutually independent. EOF analysis on the "Near Field" shows that SSHA oscillation in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) is dominated by seasonal variations accompanied with significant intra-seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations. Among which, EOF1 and EOF2 reflect 66.7% of the total variance. They are both seasonal but showing three months difference in phase. The basic pattern of EOF1 appears to be the seasonal SSHA oscillation centered at (18.0° N, 119.0° E) northwest off Luzon Island, which shows maximums (minimums) in August/September (January/February) and mainly reflects the seasonal variation of steric heights of the deep SCS basin and its corresponding circulation adjustments. The basic pattern of EOF2 is featured by seasonal seesaw of sea surface elevation in the SE-NW direction, which imaged the Ekman adjustment of sea surface height (SSH) in the northeastern South China Sea (NESCS) driven by the monsoons. Our analyses also reveal that intra-seasonal variation is an important component of SSHA fluctuation of the NESCS, which reflects the frequent occurrence of mesoscale processes west to the Luzon Strait. Moreover, inter-annual variations appear in all major EOF modes.