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1.
John P. Ryan Paulo S. Polito Peter G. Strutton Francisco P. Chavez 《Progress in Oceanography》2002,55(3-4)
Unusual large-scale accumulations of phytoplankton occurred across 10,000 km of the equatorial Pacific during the 1998 transition from El Niño to La Niña. The forcing and dynamics of these phytoplankton blooms were studied using satellite-based observations of sea surface height, temperature and chlorophyll, and mooring-based observations of winds, hydrography and ocean currents. During the bloom period, the thermocline (nutricline) was anomalously shallow across the equatorial Pacific. The relative importance of processes that enhanced nutrient flux into the euphotic zone differed between the western and eastern regions of the blooms. In the western bloom region, the important vertical processes were turbulent vertical mixing and wind-driven upwelling. In contrast, the important processes in the eastern bloom region were wave-forced shoaling of nutrient source waters directly into the euphotic zone, along-isopycnal upwelling, and wind-driven upwelling. Advection by the Equatorial Undercurrent spread the largest bloom 4500 km east of where it began, and advection by meridional currents of tropical instability waves transported the bloom hundreds of kilometers north and south of the equator. Many processes influenced the intricate development of these massive biological events. Diverse observations and novel analysis methods of this work advance the conceptual framework for understanding the complex dynamics and ecology of the equatorial Pacific. 相似文献
2.
Spatial and temporal structure of Tropical Pacific interannual variability in 20th century coupled simulations 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Tropical Pacific interannual variability is examined in nine state-of-the-art coupled climate models, and compared with observations and ocean analyses data sets, the primary focus being on the spatial structure and spectral characteristics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The spatial patterns of interannual sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from the coupled models are characterized by maximum variations displaced from the coast of South America, and generally extending too far west with respect to observations. Thermocline variability is characterized by dominant modes that are qualitatively similar in all the models, and consistent with the “recharge oscillator” paradigm for ENSO. The meridional scale of the thermocline depth anomalies is generally narrower than observed, a result that can be related to the pattern of zonal wind stress perturbations in the central-western equatorial Pacific. The wind stress response to eastern equatorial Pacific SST anomalies in the models is narrower and displaced further west than observed. The meridional scale of the wind stress can affect the amount of warm water involved in the recharge/discharge of the equatorial thermocline, while the longitudinal location of the wind stress anomalies can influence the advection of the mean zonal temperature gradient by the anomalous zonal currents, a process that may favor the growth and longer duration of ENSO events when the wind stress perturbations are displaced eastwards. Thus, both discrepancies of the wind stress anomaly patterns in the coupled models with respect to observations (narrow meridional extent, and westward displacement along the equator) may be responsible for the ENSO timescale being shorter in the models than in observations. The examination of the leading advective processes in the SST tendency equation indicates that vertical advection of temperature anomalies tends to favor ENSO growth in all the CGCMs, but at a smaller rate than in observations. In some models it can also promote a phase transition. Longer periods tend to be associated with thermocline and advective feedbacks that are in phase with the SST anomalies, while advective tendencies that lead the SST anomalies by a quarter cycle favor ENSO transitions, thus leading to a shorter period. 相似文献
3.
Hydrography of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review 总被引：3，自引：10，他引：3
4.
ENSO variability and the eastern tropical Pacific: A review 总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) encompasses variability in both the eastern and western tropical Pacific. During the warm phase of ENSO, the eastern tropical Pacific is characterized by equatorial positive sea surface temperature (SST) and negative sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies, while the western tropical Pacific is marked by off-equatorial negative SST and positive SLP anomalies. Corresponding to this distribution are equatorial westerly wind anomalies in the central Pacific and equatorial easterly wind anomalies in the far western Pacific. Occurrence of ENSO has been explained as either a self-sustained, naturally oscillatory mode of the coupled ocean–atmosphere system or a stable mode triggered by stochastic forcing. Whatever the case, ENSO involves the positive ocean–atmosphere feedback hypothesized by Bjerknes. After an El Niño reaches its mature phase, negative feedbacks are required to terminate growth of the mature El Niño anomalies in the central and eastern Pacific. Four requisite negative feedbacks have been proposed: reflected Kelvin waves at the ocean western boundary, a discharge process due to Sverdrup transport, western Pacific wind-forced Kelvin waves, and anomalous zonal advections. These negative feedbacks may work together for terminating El Niño, with their relative importance being time-dependent.ENSO variability is most pronounced along the equator and the coast of Ecuador and Peru. However, the eastern tropical Pacific also includes a warm pool north of the equator where important variability occurs. Seasonally, ocean advection seems to play an important role for SST variations of the eastern Pacific warm pool. Interannual variability in the eastern Pacific warm pool may be largely due to a direct oceanic connection with the ENSO variability at the equator. Variations in temperature, stratification, insolation, and productivity associated with ENSO have implications for phytoplankton productivity and for fish, birds, and other organisms in the region. Long-term changes in ENSO variability may be occurring and are briefly discussed. This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific. 相似文献
5.
M.F. Lavín P.C. Fiedler J.A. Amador L.T. Ballance J. Frber-Lorda A.M. Mestas-Nuez 《Progress in Oceanography》2006,69(2-4):391
The collection of articles in this volume reviewing eastern tropical Pacific oceanography is briefly summarized, and updated references are given. The region is an unusual biological environment as a consequence of physical characteristics and patterns of forcing – including a strong and shallow thermocline, the ITCZ and coastal wind jets, equatorial upwelling, the Costa Rica Dome, eastern boundary and equatorial current systems, low iron input, inadequate ventilation of subthermocline waters, and dominance of ENSO-scale temporal variability. Remaining unanswered questions are presented. 相似文献
6.
We review the spatial and temporal patterns of zooplankton in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and relationships with oceanographic factors that affect zooplankton distribution, abundance and trophic relationships. Large-scale spatial patterns of some zooplankton groups show broad coincidence with surface water masses, circulation, and upwelling regions, in agreement with an ecological and dynamic partitioning of the pelagic ecosystem. The papers reviewed and a new compilation of zooplankton volume data at large-scale show that abundance patterns of zooplankton biomass have their highest values in the upwelling regions, including the Gulf of Tehuantepec, the Costa Rica Dome, the equatorial cold tongue, and the coast of Peru.Some of the first studies of zooplankton vertical distribution were done in this region, and a general review of the topic is presented. The possible physiological implications of vertical migration in zooplankton and the main hypotheses are described, with remarks on the importance of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) as a barrier to both the vertical distribution and migration of zooplankton in the region. Recent results, using multiple-net gear, show that vertical distribution is more complex than previously thought. There are some well-adapted species that do live and migrate within the OMZ.Temporal patterns are reviewed and summarized with historical data. Seasonal variations in zooplankton biomass follow productivity cycles in upwelling areas. No zooplankton time series exist to resolve ENSO effects in oceanic regions, but some El Niño events have had effects in the Peru Current ecosystem. Multidecadal periods of up to 50 years show a shift from a warm sardine regime with a low zooplankton biomass to a cool anchovy regime in the eastern Pacific with higher zooplankton biomasses. However, zooplankton volume off Peru has remained at low values since the 1972 El Niño, a trend opposite to that of anchoveta biomass since 1984.Studies of trophic relations emphasize the difference in the productivity cycle in the eastern tropical Pacific compared to temperate or polar ecosystems, with no particular peaks in the stocks of either zooplankton or phytoplankton. Productivity is more dependent on local events like coastal upwelling or water circulation, especially in the equatorial countercurrent and around the equatorial cool-tongue. Micrograzers are very important in the tropics as are predatory mesozooplankton. Up to 70% of the daily primary productivity is consumed by microzooplankton, which thus regulates the phytoplankton stocks. Micrograzers are an important link between primary producers, including bacteria, and mesozooplankton, constituting up to 80% of mesozooplankton food. Oceanography affects zooplankton trophic relationships through spatial–temporal effects on primary productivity and on the distributions of metabolic factors, food organisms, and predators. This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific. 相似文献
7.
本文使用SODA(simple ocean data assimilation)海洋同化资料,系统分析了厄尔尼诺-南方涛动(El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation,ENSO)循环中冷暖位相期间热带太平洋上层海洋环流的演变规律,探讨了形成海洋环流异常的新机制。结果表明,在厄尔尼诺成熟期,热带中东太平洋赤道潜流最弱,赤道两侧出现反气旋性环流异常;西太平洋赤道外热带海域出现气旋性环流异常,该区南、北赤道流、棉兰老流、黑潮、新几内亚沿岸潜流及南赤道逆流增强;北赤道逆流区出现异常气旋性环流串,北赤道逆流接近正常。在厄尔尼诺衰退期和拉尼娜发展期,热带中西太平洋赤道潜流达到极强,赤道两侧出现气旋性环流异常;西太平洋赤道外热带海域异常环流减弱,该处主要流场的强度减弱或处于正常状态;北赤道逆流区反转为异常西向流。结果表明, ENSO循环期间的上层海洋环流异常受到热带太平洋温跃层深度异常产生的压强梯度力异常调控,在赤道外热带海洋温跃层深度异常和科里奥利力共同作用产生大尺度海洋环流异常,而在赤道海域,海洋温跃层深度异常和Gill效应造成赤道潜流异常以及关于赤道对称的气旋或反气旋性环流异常。 相似文献
8.
中国科学院气候系统模式模拟的ENSO循环 总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0
On the basis of more than 200-year control run, the performance of the climate system model of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS-ESM-C) in simulating the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) cycle is evaluated, including the onset, development and decay of the ENSO. It is shown that, the model can reasonably simulate the annual cycle and interannual variability of sea surface temperature(SST) in the tropical Pacific, as well as the seasonal phase-locking of the ENSO. The model also captures two prerequisites for the El Ni?o onset, i.e., a westerly anomaly and a warm SST anomaly in the equatorial western Pacific. Owing to too strong forcing from an extratropical meridional wind, however, the westerly anomaly in this region is largely overestimated. Moreover, the simulated thermocline is much shallower with a weaker slope. As a result, the warm SST anomaly from the western Pacific propagates eastward more quickly, leading to a faster development of an El Ni?o. During the decay stage, owing to a stronger El Ni?o in the model, the secondary Gill-type response of the tropical atmosphere to the eastern Pacific warming is much stronger, thereby resulting in a persistent easterly anomaly in the western Pacific. Meanwhile, a cold anomaly in the warm pool appears as a result of a lifted thermocline via Ekman pumping. Finally, an El Ni?o decays into a La Ni?a through their interactions. In addition, the shorter period and larger amplitude of the ENSO in the model can be attributed to a shallower thermocline in the equatorial Pacific, which speeds up the zonal redistribution of a heat content in the upper ocean. 相似文献
9.
This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific, the oceanic region centered on the eastern Pacific warm pool, but also including the equatorial cold tongue and equatorial current system, and summarizes what is known about oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans there. The eastern tropical Pacific supports on the order of 50 species of seabirds and 30 species of cetaceans as regular residents; these include four endemic species, the world’s largest populations for several others, three endemic sub-species, and a multi-species community that is relatively unique to this ecosystem. Three of the meso-scale physical features of the region are particularly significant to seabirds and cetaceans: the Costa Rica Dome for blue whales and short-beaked common dolphins, the Equatorial Front for planktivorous seabirds, and the countercurrent thermocline ridge for flocking seabirds that associate with mixed-species schools of spotted and spinner dolphins and yellowfin tuna. A few qualitative studies of meso- to macro-scale distribution patterns have indicated that some seabirds and cetaceans have species-specific preferences for surface currents. More common are associations with distinct water masses; these relationships have been quantified for a number of species using several different analytical methods. The mechanisms underlying tropical species–habitat relationships are not well understood, in contrast to a number of higher-latitude systems. This may be due to the fact that physical variables have been used as proxies for prey abundance and distribution in species–habitat research in the eastern tropical Pacific.Though seasonal and interannual patterns tend to be complex, species–habitat relationships appear to remain relatively stable over time, and distribution patterns co-vary with patterns of preferred habitat for a number of species. The interactions between seasonal and interannual variation in oceanographic conditions with seasonal patterns in the biology of seabirds and cetaceans may account for some of the complexity in species–habitat relationship patterns.Little work has been done to investigate effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycles on cetaceans, and results of the few studies focusing on oceanic seabirds are complex and not easy to interpret. Although much has been made of the detrimental effects of El Niño events on apex predators, more research is needed to understand the magnitude, and even direction, of these effects on seabirds and cetaceans in space and time. 相似文献
10.
《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2006,53(10):1581-1600
We used Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) to document the seasonal cycle of surface chlorophyll in the western tropical Pacific. Surface waters in this region can be divided into two ecosystems. The western end of the cold, salty waters of the cold tongue with high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) characteristics occupies most of the eastern part of the region, while warm, fresh, and oligotrophic waters of the warm pool stand in the western part. Nevertheless, disruption of the oligotrophy may show up at different locations. We reconstructed the seasonal cycle of chlorophyll, sea surface temperature (SST), winds, and surface currents from satellite data and satellite-derived products by extracting the annual and semi-annual harmonics of the time series at each grid point. The calculation was done for the 1999–2004 years in order to exclude the consequences of the major 1997–1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation event. The variance explained by the seasonal cycle for this period highlights three regions with high seasonality: (1) The oligotrophy/HNLC transition zone undergoes meridional seasonal displacements. The cold tongue is at its northernmost (southernmost) position during boreal spring (fall). These displacements can be explained in terms of meridional advection of chlorophyll-rich waters and are consistent with the seasonal cycle of the north and south equatorial countercurrents that transport phytoplankton-poor waters. (2) Ocean-color images show seasonal enrichments in the far western north equatorial countercurrent (NECC) area, especially during boreal spring. The chlorophyll maximum coincides with the maximum NECC velocity, follows a SST minimum, and occurs during the upwelling-favorable phase of the wind stress curl. We attribute these enrichments to local upwelling associated with current meandering, horizontal advection from further west, and transport of nutrient-rich waters by the New Guinea coastal undercurrent. (3) Near the Solomon Archipelago, we observe enhancements of chlorophyll concentration southwest of the islands in austral winter, when both the southwestward surface currents and the southeasterly wind stress are strongest. This may be a combination of an island-mass effect and wind-driven upwelling. Horizontal advection from the Solomon area leads to an almost concurrent seasonal chlorophyll enrichment in the northern Coral Sea. In the Gulf of Papua, high chlorophyll concentrations at the same time can be explained by the presence of a strong cyclonic circulation. This study highlights the richness of the response of surface chlorophyll to physical processes at the seasonal time scale in a region usually acknowledged as oligotrophic. 相似文献
11.
SST年循环对El Niño事件局地海气过程的影响 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
利用Hadley中心逐月海表温度、欧洲中心ERA-40的10 m风场及CMAP降水资料探讨了年循环对热带太平洋El Niño海气相互作用过程的影响。尽管El Niño对应的海表温度异常主要出现在赤道东太平洋,经向上呈南北对称分布,然而其对应的大气响应在El Niño年衰减阶段却有着强的向南移动特征。在El Niño发展年的11月之前,强的西风和降水异常主要出现在赤道中太平洋;在12月份之后,赤道上的西风和降水异常迅速南移至5°S,随后西风一直维持在该位置直至衰亡。同时,西太平洋负降水和反气旋异常向北移动。这种SST异常与其大气响应的经向移动不一致,主要是由热带中太平洋气候态SST的季节性南移导致的。由于对流与海温之间存在非线性关系,即当总SST超过一定的阈值,对流降水才会迅速增强;因此相应的对流响应也随着总海温的南移而南移,风场响应也同时南移。此外,南半球增强的对流会通过经向环流进一步抑制北半球的降水,从而使西太平洋负降水和反气旋异常增强并北移。通过分析有/无年循环的两组数值试验结果验证了上述结论,即有年循环的试验较真实地模拟出了观测中异常西风南移和西北太平洋反气旋异常的出现;无年循环试验尽管能模拟出El Niño年赤道中太平洋的西风异常,但其却没有南北向的移动,西北太平洋的反气旋也没有出现。因此,热带中太平洋气候态暖海温的季节循环对El Niño事件大气响应有着至关重要的作用。 相似文献
12.
An eddy-resolving numerical simulation for the Peru–Chile system between 1993 and 2000 is analyzed, mainly for the 1997–1998 El Niño. Atmospheric and lateral oceanic forcings are realistic and contain a wide range of scales from days to interannual. The solution is validated against altimetric observations and the few in situ observations available. The simulated 1997–1998 El Niño closely resembles the real 1997–1998 El Niño in its time sequence of events. The two well-marked, sea-level peaks in May–June and November–December 1997 are reproduced with amplitudes close to those observed. Other sub-periods of the El Niño seem to be captured adequately. Simple dynamical analyses are performed to explain the 1997–1998 evolution of the upwelling in the model. The intensity of the upwelling appears to be determined by an interplay between alongshore, poleward advection (related to coastal trapped waves) and wind intensity, but also by the cross-shore geostrophic flow and distribution of the water masses on a scale of 1000 km or more (involving Rossby waves westward propagation and advection from equatorial currents). In particular, the delay of upwelling recovery until fall 1998 (i.e., well after the second El Niño peak) is partly due to the persistent advection of offshore stratified water toward the coast of Peru. Altimetry data suggest that these interpretations of the numerical solution also apply to the real ocean. 相似文献
13.
Thomas Gorgues C. Menkes L. Slemons O. Aumont Y. Dandonneau M.-H. Radenac S. Alvain C. Moulin 《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2010,57(4):567-576
A biogeochemical model of the tropical Pacific has been used to assess the impact of interannual variability in a western Pacific iron source on the iron-limited ecosystem of the central and eastern Pacific during the 1997–1998 El Niño. A reference simulation and two simulations with an iron source in the western Pacific have been performed. The two “source” simulations differed only in the temporal variability of the iron source. In the variable source simulation, the iron concentration in the source region was proportional to the velocity of the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent (NGCUC). In the constant source simulation, the same time-averaged concentration of iron was imposed with no temporal variability. The variable source was designed to mimic variations of iron flux from the northeast slope of New Guinea to the NGCUC due to modulation of sedimentary iron resuspension as previously hypothesized. Through the comparison of these simulations, it appeared that: (i) an iron source in the NGCUC, regardless of its source variability, increases biomass in the eastern equatorial Pacific because of the greater eastward iron flux by the Equatorial Undercurrent and (ii) a variable NGCUC iron source does not change the temporal variability of eastern Pacific chlorophyll, and in particular the timing and intensity of the June 1998 bloom. To explain eastern Pacific biological variability, local rather than remote processes are needed, such as wind-driven upwelling, the local depth of the thermocline, tropical instability waves and biological processes such as high grazing pressure. Therefore, while the western Pacific sources of dissolved iron are important in our model to sustain annually integrated equatorial Pacific production, they are unlikely to strongly constrain the timing of blooms in the central and eastern Pacific such as during the 1998 La Niña. 相似文献
14.
1 IntroductionIn the Equatorial Pacific, due to the difference between the atmospheric circulation and air-sea interaction, the near-surface seawater heat structure in the eastern and western Pacific presents two ℃obviously different characteristics: warm pool ( > 28 ) in the western equatorial Pacific and cold ℃tongue ( < 24 ) in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The water bodies of these two heat structures would give rise to change in spatial distribution under the action of the equato… 相似文献
15.
《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2007,54(12):2023-2035
Three hydrographic surveys were conducted within the Galápagos Archipelago during 2005–2006. The surveys captured the surface properties (<80 m) near the extremes and midpoint of the annual cycle of the mean sea surface temperature (SST) and winds. A cooler SST occurs in boreal summer and fall as the southeast trades strengthen. Current data at 110°W show that this coincides with the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) becoming weaker and deeper below a strengthening westward South Equatorial Current (SEC). Opposite conditions are generally found in the spring. Meanwhile, the sea surface salinity (SSS) freshens in late winter/spring when the archipelago receives large rainfalls as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) shifts southward, or in late fall when receiving large influxes from the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). As a result, Tropical Surface Waters (TSW) with salinity (S) <34 fill the archipelago from the late fall through early spring. The SSS becomes saltiest in late spring/early summer as the EUC strengthens, resulting in Equatorial Surface Waters (ESW), S>34, throughout the archipelago. Equatorial Surface Waters are present west of Isabela, where the EUC upwells as it interacts with the Galápagos platform. They also are found east of the archipelago in the cold tongue, which extends westward from South America, and therefore may be advected by the SEC into the archipelago. The upwelling west of Isabela creates a consistently shallow 20 °C isotherm (thermocline), which remains elevated across the archipelago. Linear extrapolation of the thermocline depth along the equator from 110 to 95°W gives a good approximation of the thermocline depth within the archipelago from 92 to 89°W. 相似文献
16.
Effects of adjusting vertical resolution on the eastern equatorial Pacific cold tongue 总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3
The vertical resolution of LICOM1.0 (LASG/IAP Climate System Ocean Model, version 1.0) is adjusted by increasing the level amount within the upper 150 m while keeping the total of levels. It is found that the eastern equatorial Pacific cold tongue is sensitive to the adjustment. Compared with the simulation of the original level scheme, the adjusting yields a more realistic strucature of cold tongue extending from the coast of Peru to the equator, as well as a temperature minimum at Costa Rica coast, north of the cold tongue. In the original scheme experiment, the sharp heating by net surface heat flux at the beginning of spin-up leads to a great warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The weak vertical advection due to a too thick mixed layer in the coarse vertical structure also accounts for the warm bias. The fact that most significant improvements of the upper 50 m temperature appear at the region of the thinnest mixed layer indicates the necessity of fine vertical resolution for the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. However, the westward extension of equatorial cold tongue, a defect in the original scheme, gets even more serious in the adjusting scheme due to the intensified vertical velocity and hence vertical advection in the central-eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. 相似文献
17.
18.
The longitude of the western limit of the equatorial Pacific upwelling is a key parameter for studies of carbon budget and pelagic fisheries variability. Although it is well defined at the surface on the equator by a salinity front and a sharp variation of the partial pressure of CO2, data from two equatorial cruises make it clear that this hydrological limit does not necessarily coincide with the boundary of the nitrate and chlorophyll enriched area. In January-February 1991 during a non-El Niño period, when trade winds and the South Equatorial current (SEC) were favorable to upwelling, the two limits were at the same longitude. Conversely, in September-October 1994 during El Niño conditions, when the equatorial upwelling had stopped, the nitrate and chlorophyll enriched zone was found a few degrees of longitude east of the hydrological boundary (5.5° at the surface and 2.5° for the 50 m upper layer), whereas no such offset was observed for zooplankton biomass. A simple model, based on the HNLC (High Nutrient - Low Chlorophyll) ecosystem functioning, was initialized with nitrate uptake measurements and estimates of upwelling break duration. The model results support the hypothesis that zonal separation of the limits arises from biological processes (i.e. nitrate uptake and phytoplankton grazing) achieved during that upwelling break. 相似文献
19.
- The relationship between meridional wind in mid - latitudes of East Asia and SST in the Equatorial Eastern Pacific is analysed in this paper. It is pointed out that there exist close relations between the seasonal changes of the meridional wind in mid - latitudes of East Asia and SST in the Equatorial Eastern Pacific. The intensification of north winds over East Asia also plays an important role in the rise of SST in Equatorial Eastern Pacific one year later. The strong winter monsoon usually occurs in previous winter of El Nino and it causes low temperature to a great extent in China . The low temperature in China can be regarded as a precursor of El Nino. 相似文献
20.
Primary production in the eastern tropical Pacific: A review 总被引：2，自引：12，他引：2
J. Timothy Pennington Kevin L. Mahoney Victor S. Kuwahara Dorota D. Kolber Ruth Calienes Francisco P. Chavez 《Progress in Oceanography》2006,69(2-4):285
The eastern tropical Pacific includes 28 million km2 of ocean between 23.5°N and S and Central/South America and 140°W, and contains the eastern and equatorial branches of the north and South Pacific subtropical gyres plus two equatorial and two coastal countercurrents. Spatial patterns of primary production are in general determined by supply of macronutrients (nitrate, phosphate) from below the thermocline. Where the thermocline is shallow and intersects the lighted euphotic zone, biological production is enhanced. In the eastern tropical Pacific thermocline depth is controlled by three interrelated processes: a basin-scale east/west thermocline tilt, a basin-scale thermocline shoaling at the gyre margins, and local wind-driven upwelling. These processes regulate supply of nutrient-rich subsurface waters to the euphotic zone, and on their basis we have divided the eastern tropical Pacific into seven main regions. Primary production and its physical and chemical controls are described for each.Enhanced rates of macronutrient supply maintains levels of primary production in the eastern tropical Pacific above those of the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north and south. On the other hand lack of the micronutrient iron limits phytoplankton growth (and nitrogen fixation) over large portions of the open-ocean eastern tropical Pacific, depressing rates of primary production and resulting in the so-called high nitrate-low chlorophyll condition. Very high rates of primary production can occur in those coastal areas where both macronutrients and iron are supplied in abundance to surface waters. In these eutrophic coastal areas large phytoplankton cells dominate; conversely, in the open-ocean small cells are dominant. In a ‘shadow zone’ between the subtropical gyres with limited subsurface ventilation, enough production sinks and decays to produce anoxic and denitrified waters which spread beneath very large parts of the eastern tropical Pacific.Seasonal cycles are weak over much of the open-ocean eastern tropical Pacific, although several eutrophic coastal areas do exhibit substantial seasonality. The ENSO fluctuation, however, is an exceedingly important source of interannual variability in this region. El Niño in general results in a depressed thermocline and thus reduced rates of macronutrient supply and primary production. The multi-decadal PDO is likely also an important source of variability, with the ‘El Viejo’ phase of the PDO resulting in warmer and lower nutrient and productivity conditions similar to El Niño.On average the eastern tropical Pacific is moderately productive and, relative to Pacific and global means, its productivity and area are roughly equivalent. For example, it occupies about 18% of the Pacific Ocean by area and accounts for 22–23% of its productivity. Similarly, it occupies about 9% of the global ocean and accounts for 10% of its productivity. While representative, these average values obscure very substantial spatial and temporal variability that characterizes the dynamics of this tropical ocean. 相似文献