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1.
From January 9 to 17, 1981, detailed observations of the horizontal and vertical structure beneath one of the quasi-permanent semi-stationary mesoscale offshore eddy signatures in the California Current System (CCS) discussed by Bernstein, Breaker and Whritner (1977), Burkov and Pavlova (1980), and Simpson (1982) were made. The vertical sections of temperature and density show the presence of three-layer system. A subsurface warm-core eddy, whose diameter is about 150 km at the 7°C isotherm, is the dominant feature. A warm surface layer, which extends to a depth of 75 m, lies over the eddy. Between the warm surface layer and the subsurface warm-core eddy, there is a cold-core region which extends to a depth of about 200 m. There is a high degree of symmetry about the vertical axis of rotation. Vertical sections of salinity and dissolved oxygen are entirely different from sections of temperature and density. Diagrams of water mass characteristics confirm that the core of the eddy, found between 250–600 m, consists of inshore water from the California Undercurrent (CU). Below about 700 m, local waters from the Deep Poleward Flow (DPF) have been incorporated into the eddy. The observed distributions of properties (T, S, δθ, O2) are inconsistent with a single, local generation process for the eddy system. Radial distributions of angular velocity, normalized gradient velocity and relative vorticity support the use of a Gaussian radial height field as an initial condition in eddy models. Possible reasons why CCS eddies may differ dynamically from Gulf Stream rings are given in the text. At the time the observations were made, the system as a whole was in near geostrophic balance. Local geostrophic balance, however, cannot explain the observed distribution of properties and structure. The observed symmetry in the structure of the eddy system, chemical evidence (Simpson, 1984), biological distributions (Haury, 1984) and satellite images of the CC (Koblinsky, Simpson and Dickey, 1984) suggest that lateral entrainment of warm (oceanic) and cold (coastal) water into the upper two layers of the three-layer system by the subsurface eddy is a likely generation mechanism for the cold-core region. The coastal origin of the frontal structure along the northeastern quadrant and the oceanic origin of the frontal structure along the southwestern quadrant of the eddy system further support lateral entrainment as a generation mechanism for the cold core. This entrainment makes the CCS eddy system different from cold-core rings in the Gulf Stream and rather similar to some warm-core eddies found in the East Australian Current. The presence of CU water in the core of this eddy raises the question of how CU water was transported from the continental slope. Eddy generation mechanisms, other than baroclinic instability of the CC, may be required to explain the distribution, persistence, and core composition of offshore mesoscale eddies in the CCS. There is evidence that barotropic, in addition to baroclinic, processes may be important.  相似文献   

2.
The distribution of plankton across a warm-core eddy system in the California Current 400 km off Point Conception, California was studied in January 1981. The eddy system, about 150 km in diameter at the 7°C isotherm, was made up of a 75 m thick surface layer, a cold-core region extending from 75 m to about 200 m, and a warm-core eddy below 200 m extending to at least 1450 m. Casts for the vertical distribution of chlorophyll/phaeophytin and integrating zooplankton net tows were taken at 37 stations located about 20 km apart on two orthogonal transects across the eddy system. Vertical distributions of microplankton were determined on one section from the eddy center to beyond the eastern edge. Integrated chlorophyll/phaeophytin values were highest to the north and east of the eddy system; across the system itself, there was only a small increase of values near the center. Asymmetrical distributions of maximum concen Current water was being entrained into the center of the eddy system from the northeast. Dinoflagellates were numerically the most important member of the microplankton, especially in the deep chlorophyll maximum. Zooplankton distributions indicated the intermingling of warm and cool water species throughout at least the upper 200 m of the eddy system. Some cold water species were as abundant inside the system as outside to the north and east; their numbers were much reduced in a band surrounding the system where warm water species were most abundant. The presence of species characteristic of different water types throughout the region of the eddy system provides an indication of the mixing that had occurred since the system originally formed. The biological data, together with the physical and chemical results, indicate the importance of frontal boundary processes and lateral entrainment of surrounding water into the eddy system in determining the character and productivity of such systems.  相似文献   

3.
Ship and satellite observations taken over the last thirty years show that mesoscale patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) in the California Current System are consistently found throughout the year and usually occur in approximately the same geographical locations. Typically, these patterns are more pronounced in fall/winter than in spring/summer. The temporal and spatial characteristics of these persistent feature were examined with satellite infrared (IR) measurements during winter 1980–1981. In January 1981, a ship surveyed the vertical structure of several physical, chemical, and biological parameters beneath one of these SST features centered near 32°N, 124°W. The surface IR pattern had a length scale of 200 km and a time scale of about 100 days. It disintegrated following the first two storms of the winter season. Motion studies of the pattern in late October indicated an anticyclonic rotation with maximum velocities of 50 cm s?1 at 50 km from the axis of rotation. As a unit, the pattern advected southward with an average speed of 1 cm s?1. Thermal fronts, determined from the satellite imagery, were strongest (0.4°C km?1) along the rim of the pattern and were advected anticyclonically with the pattern; their length scales were 20–30 km in the along-front direction and less than 10 km wide. The hydrographic data revealed a three-layer structure beneath the surface pattern; a 75 m deep surface layer, a cold-core region from 75 to 200 m depth, and a warm-core eddy extending from 250 to 1450 m. The anticyclonic motion of the surface layer was caused by a geostrophic adjustment to the surface dynamic height anomaly produced by the subsurface warm-core eddy. The IR pattern observed from space reflects the horizontal structure of the surface layer and is consistent with a theoretical model of a mean horizontal SST gradient perturbed by a subsurface density anomaly. Ship of opportunity SST observations collected by the National Marine Fisheries are shown to resolve mesoscale patterns. For December 1980, the SST pattern near 32°N, 124°W represented a 2°C warm anomaly compared with the 20-year mean monthly SST pattern.  相似文献   

4.
Data on East Australian Current (EAC) warm-core eddies were obtained over the period 1976–1978 by the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). In that time we have learned that warm eddies form by pinch-off of poleward EAC meanders, can coalesce with the EAC and appear generally similar to Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and other current system eddies. Two eddies were tracked over 1977–1978 with satellite buoys and one (eddy B) was repeatedly studied over eleven months. A deep winter core formed by winter convective cooling and the following summer a new surface mixed layer formed on top of the core. The seasonal changes have been analysed for heat content and changes in dynamic relief. The eddy decayed with a time constant of 650 ± 150 days, due to upwelling below the seasonal thermocline. Surface cooling had little effect on eddy lifetime. The eddy contracted horizontally, possibly after some interaction with the EAC, giving rise to eddy spin-up with increasing age. Surface currents increased after eleven months to 2.0 m s?1. The dynamic relief during summer was also apparently boosted by contact with the EAC. Eddy B was observed to coalesce with a new meander of the EAC rather than drift away to the south. It is proposed that the formation of these eddies is governed by the westward propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave known as the Tasman Front. Pinch-off of eddies adjacent to the coast and the variable flow of the EAC may be caused by the baroclinic wave ‘breaking’ on the coast. The eddy formation rate is about two per year and most eddies coalesce with the EAC and do not escape to the south. Eddies coalesce and re-separate, creating many subsurface isothermal layers from old cores south of 34°S.  相似文献   

5.
通过对2014年8月31日-9月26日国家自然科学基金委南海西部综合航次的调查结果分析,发现在中南半岛沿岸海域存在具有低温高盐的冷涡和位于其东南部海域具有高温低盐的暖涡。相对于暖涡和其他海域,冷涡水团含有更高的营养盐,并在50 m、75 m和100 m层增加明显,DIP分别高0.21 μmol/L、0.39 μmol/L和0.23 μmol/L,DIN分别高4.94 μmol/L、7.56 μmol/L和3.76 μmol/L,DSi分别高2.55 μmol/L、5.25 μmol/L和3.46 μmol/L,说明冷涡对提高初级生产力具有明显的营养优势条件和巨大潜力;叶绿素a最大值均出现在50 m层,其中以海南岛近岸海域最大,冷涡在25 m层提高初级生产力明显,主要是受营养盐影响显著;而在75 m、100 m层可能受到冷涡带来的低温环境而导致叶绿素a含量不高。  相似文献   

6.
The eddy formation determined as an anticyclonic spin-off eddy of the Gulf Stream is analysed from the CTD data of surveys made in the Gulf Stream region. The differences in its structure and conditions of formation from cyclonic eddies of this type observed previously are examined. Barotropic instability of the Gulf Stream's main jet is considered as a possible reason for such unstable disturbances existing at the south boundary of the Gulf Stream.Translated by M. M. Trufanov.  相似文献   

7.
A Large-Scale Seasonal Modeling Study of the California Current System   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
A high-resolution, multi-level, primitive equation ocean model has been used to investigate the combined role of seasonal wind forcing, seasonal thermohaline gradients, and coastline irregularities on the formation of currents, meanders, eddies, and filaments in the entire California Current System (CCS) region, from Baja to the Washington-Canada border. Additional objectives are to further characterize the meandering jet south of Cape Blanco and the seasonal variability off Baja. Model results show the following: All of the major currents of the CCS (i.e., the California Current, the California Undercurrent, the Davidson Current, the Southern California Countercurrent, and the Southern California Eddy) as well as filaments, meanders and eddies are generated. The results are consistent with the generation of eddies from instabilities of the southward current and northward undercurrent via barotropic and baroclinic instability processes. The meandering southward jet, which divides coastally-influenced water from water of offshore origin, is a continuous feature in the CCS, and covers an alongshore distance of over 2000 km from south of Cape Blanco to Baja. Off Baja, the southward jet strengthens (weakens) during spring and summer (fall and winter). The area off southern Baja is a highly dynamic environment for meanders, filaments, and eddies, while the region off Point Eugenia, which represents the largest coastline perturbation along the Baja peninsula, is shown to be a persistent cyclonic eddy generation region. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

8.
In general, a mesoscale cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddy has a colder (warmer) core, and it is considered as a cold (warm) eddy. However, recently research found that there are a number of “abnormal” mesoscale cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddies associated with warm (cold) cores in the South China Sea (SCS). These “abnormal” eddies pose a challenge to previous works on eddy detection, characteristic analysis, eddy-induced heat and salt transports, and even on mesoscale eddy dynamics. Based on a 9-year (2000–2008) numerical modelling data, the cyclonic warm-core eddies (CWEs) and anticyclonic cold-core eddies (ACEs) in the SCS are analyzed. This study found that the highest incidence area of the “abnormal” eddies is the northwest of Luzon Strait. In terms of the eddy snapshot counting method, 8 620 CWEs and 9 879 ACEs are detected, accounting for 14.6% and 15.8% of the total eddy number, respectively. The size of the “abnormal” eddies is usually smaller than that of the “normal” eddies, with the radius only around 50 km. In the generation time aspect, they usually appear within the 0.1–0.3 interval in the normalized eddy lifespan. The survival time of CWEs (ACEs) occupies 16.3% (17.1%) of the total eddy lifespan. Based on two case studies, the intrusion of Kuroshio warm water is considered as a key mechanism for the generation of these “abnormal” eddies near the northeastern SCS.  相似文献   

9.
针对海洋中尺度涡对水声传播的影响,利用中尺度涡区的历史水文实测数据提取涡旋强度,空间尺度等中尺度涡特征参数,建立了海洋中尺度涡理论计算模型。运用MMPE水下声场模型仿真试验研究了涡旋性质、强度和位置、声源频率和置放深度对声传播特性的影响。结果表明：暖涡使得会聚区的位置“后退”,会聚区宽度增加;冷涡使得会聚区的位置“前移”,会聚区宽度减小。涡旋的强度越大,“前移”或“回退”的效应越显著。  相似文献   

10.
两个西边界流延伸体区域中尺度涡统计特征分析   总被引：3，自引：2，他引：1  
黑潮和湾流是世界大洋中最典型的两支西边界流，黑潮延伸体（Kuroshio Extention，KE）和湾流延伸体（Gulf Stream Extention，GSE）区域中尺度涡活动十分活跃。本文综合利用卫星高度计资料和Argo浮标资料，对KE和GSE区域中尺度涡的表层特征及其对温盐影响进行了统计研究和对比分析。结果表明:黑潮和湾流主轴附近为涡旋频率的高值区，主轴南北两侧分别以气旋涡和反气旋涡数量占多，主轴附近的涡旋强度明显大于其他区域；两个区域的涡旋以西向移动为主，气旋涡和反气旋涡都具有向南（赤道）偏离的趋势；两个区域的涡旋数量都以夏、秋季较多，涡旋强度都在春、夏季较大，且GSE区域涡旋强度明显大于KE区域；气旋涡（反气旋涡）引起内部明显的温度负（正）异常，KE区域气旋涡（反气旋涡）内部呈"负-正"（"正-负"）上下层相反的盐度异常分布，GSE区域气旋涡（反气旋涡）在各层呈现较为一致的盐度负（正）异常；两个区域中尺度涡对温盐场的平均影响深度可达1 000×104 Pa以上。  相似文献   

11.
The south-flowing waters of the Kamchatka and Oyashio Currents and west-flowing waters of the Alaskan Stream are key components of the western sub-Arctic Pacific circulation. We use CTD data, Argo buoys, WOCE surface drifters, and satellite-derived sea-level observations to investigate the structure and interannual changes in this system that arise from interactions among anticyclonic eddies and the mean flow. Variability in the temperature of the upstream Oyashio and Kamchatka Currents is evident by warming in mesothermal layer in 1994–2005 compared to 1990–1991. A major fraction of the water in these currents is derived directly from the Alaskan Stream. The stream also sheds large anticyclonic (Aleutian) eddies, averaging approximately 300 km in diameter with a volume transport significant in comparison with that of the Kamchatka Current itself. These eddies enclose pools of relatively warm and saline water whose temperature is typically 4 °C warmer and salinity is 0.4 greater than that of cold-core Kamchatka eddies in the same density range. Aleutian eddies drift at approximately 1.2 km d−1 and retain their distinctive warm and salty characteristics for at least 2 years. Selected westward pathways during 1990–2004 are identified. If the shorter northern route is followed, Aleutian eddies remain close to the stream and persist sufficiently long to carry warm and saline water directly to the Kamchatka Current. This was observed during 1994–1997 with substantial warming of the waters in the Kamchatka Current and upstream Oyashio. If the eddies take a more southern route they detach from the stream but can still contribute significant quantities of warm and saline water to the upstream Oyashio, as in 2004–2005. However, the eddies following this southern route may dissipate before reaching the western boundary current region.  相似文献   

12.
The structure of the current and temperature fields along 30°N over the mid-shelf and western Blake Plateau in the South Atlantic Bight has been investigated by combining two moored instrument experiments in the summer of 1981. The shelf moorings were part of the second Georgia Bight Experiment (GABEX-II) and the Gulf Stream mooring data on the Blake Plateau have been described by LEE and WADDELL (1983). Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) in the frequency domain are used to extract shelf and Gulf Stream coherent current and temperature fluctuations in the two- to 14-day period band. Three modes are found, of which the first two are interpreted as Gulf Stream meander and frontal eddy circulations. The difference between them is chiefly in the shelf motions; the first mode is primarily restricted to the shelf edge, whereas the second mode penetrates to the 40m isobath. The third mode dominates at mid-shelf and is the only mode that shows strong coherence with the windstress and local sea-level fluctuations. The relationship of the modes to the occurrence of mid- and inner-shelf cold sub-surface intrusions, generated by shelf-edge Gulf Stream frontal eddies, is examined. All three modes are found to play a role in the initiation, growth and decay of these structures.  相似文献   

13.
This study describes the association between transient, mesoscale hydrographic features along the axis of the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence, in the SW Atlantic, and the foraging behavior of 2–3-year-old (focal) juvenile southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, from Península Valdés, Argentina. Departing from the dominant pattern of foraging on predictable bathymetric fronts on the Patagonian shelf and slope, three females out of 12 satellite-tracked juveniles remained at the edge of young warm-core eddies and near the outer core of cold-core eddies, coinciding with the most productive areas of these temperature fronts. Seal trajectories along high-temperature gradients were always consistent with the speed and direction of surface currents inferred from the temperature distribution and confirmed by surface drifters. Movements of foraging seals were compared with those of surface drifters, coinciding in time and space and yielding independent and consistent data on regional water circulation parameters. The diving pattern recorded for one focal seal yielded shallower dives and a loose diel pattern in the eddy, and a marked diurnal cycle compatible with foraging on vertically migrating prey in the cold waters of the Malvinas Current. Pre-reproductive females that use the mesoscale fronts of the Argentine Basin as an alternative foraging area would benefit from lower competition with more experienced seals and with other top predators that reproduce along the coast of Patagonia.  相似文献   

14.
Basic patterns of the reversal of the Kuroshio water toward the shelf, intrusion of the shelf mixed waterinto the Kuroshio and uplifting of the near-bottom nutrient-rich water into the upper layer by the pumping of the frontal eddy are analyzed on the basis of satellite infrared images and hydrologic, chemical and biological observations. Results show that the Kuroshio frontal eddies play a very important role in the exchange between the shelf water and the Kuroshio water. The estimation of the average volume transports for three frontal eddy events indicates that the shelf mixed water entrained by an eddy into Kuroshio is 0.44×10~6 m3/s and the reversal Kuroshio water onto the shelf region only 0.04×10~6 m3/s. Along the whole shelf edge, the volume transport of the shelf mixed water entrained by the eddies into the Kuroshio is 1.8×10~6 m3/s. The nutrient (NO3-N) flux pumped to the euphotic zone and input to the continental shelf through a column with 1 m wide is 974 μmol/(s·m) when there is frontal eddy and only 79 μmol/(s·m) in the case of no frontal eddy. Yearly nutrient (NO3-N) flux input to the shelf area caused by the frontal eddy is 1.7×10~5 t/a.  相似文献   

15.
Anticyclonic mesoscale eddies form near shore each winter in the Gulf of Alaska. One site near the Queen Charlotte Islands is shown to produce eddies that transport from 3000 to 6000 km3 of coastal water up to 1000 km westward. Eddies carry shelf nutrients either into the high nutrient, low chlorophyll waters of the NE Pacific, or in a more southerly direction into seasonally nitrate depleted waters. A large eddy sampled in summer 1998 was found to have elevated particulate levels on its perimeter. Nitrate supplied to the euphotic zone by this eddy during its natal summer is estimated to be three times greater than the usual seasonal nutrient transport in the Gulf of Alaska. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

16.
The poleward flowing East Australian Current (EAC) is characterised by its separation from the coast, 100-200 nautical miles north of Sydney, to form the eastward flowing Tasman Front and a southward flowing eddy field. The separation zone greatly influences coastal ecosystems for the relatively narrow continental shelf (only 15-50 km wide), particularly between 32-34°S. In this region the continental shelf has a marked shift in the seasonal temperature-salinity relationship and elevated surface nitrate concentrations. This current parallels the portion of the coast where Australia’s population is concentrated and has a long history of scientific research. However, understanding of physical and biological processes driven by the EAC, particularly in linking circulation to ecosystems, is limited. In this special issue of 16 papers on the EAC, we examine the effects of climatic wind-stress forced ocean dynamics on EAC transport variability and coastal sea level, from ENSO to multi-decadal time scales; eddy formation and structure; fine scale connectivity and larval retention. Comparisons with the poleward-flowing Leeuwin Current on Australia’s west coast show differences in ecosystem productivity that can be attributed to the underlying physics in each region. On average there is double the chlorophyll a concentration on the east coast than the west. In comparison to the Leeuwin, the EAC may have less local retention of larvae and act as a partial barrier to onshore transport, which may also be related to the local spawning and early life history of small pelagic fish on each coast. Inter-annual variations in the EAC transport produce a detectable sea-level signal in Sydney Harbour, which could provide a useful fisheries index as does the Fremantle sea level and Leeuwin Current relationship. The EAC’s eddy structure and formation by the EAC are examined. A particular cold-core eddy is shown to have a “tilt” towards the coast, and that during a rotation the flow of particles may rise up to the euphotic zone and then down beneath. In a warm-core eddy, surface flooding is shown to produce a new shallower surface mixed layer and promote algal growth. An assessment of plankton data from 1938-1942 showed that the local, synoptic conditions had to be incorporated before any comparison with the present. There are useful relationships of water mass characteristics in the Tasman Sea and separation zone with larval fish diversity and abundance, as well as with long-line fisheries. These fisheries-pelagic habitat relationships are invaluable for fisheries management, as well as for climate change assessments.There is further need to examine the EAC influence on rainfall, storm activity, dust deposition, and on the movements by fish, sharks and whales. The Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) has provided new infrastructure to determine the changing behaviour of the EAC and its bio-physical interaction with the coasts and estuaries. The forecasting and hindcasting capability developed under the Bluelink project has provided a new tool for data synthesis and dynamical analysis. The impact of a strengthening EAC and how it influences the livelihoods of over half the Australian population, from Brisbane to Sydney, Hobart and Melbourne, is just being realised.  相似文献   

17.
The Gulf Stream system has been numerically simulated with relatively high resolution and realistic forcing. The surface fluxes of the simulation were obtained from archives of calculations from the Eta-29 km model which is an National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP) operational atmospheric prediction model; synoptic fields are available every 3 hour. A comparison between experiments with and without surface fluxes shows that the effect of the surface wind stress and heat fluxes on the Gulf Stream path and separation is closely related to the intensification of deep circulations in the northern region. Additionally, the separation of the Gulf Stream and the downslope movement of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) are reproduced in the model results. The model DWBC crosses under the Gulf Stream southeast of Cape Hatteras and then feeds the deep cyclonic recirculation east of the Bahamas. The model successfully reproduces the cross-sectional vertical structures of the Gulf Stream, such as the asymmetry of the velocity profile, and this structure is sustained along the downstream axis. The distribution of Root Mean Square (RMS) elevation anomaly of the model shows that the eddy activity of the Gulf Stream is realistically reproduced by the model physics. The entrainment of the upper layer slope current into the Gulf Stream occurs near cross-over; the converging cross-stream flow is nearly barotropic. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

18.
During the Austral summer of 2006-07 a series of extreme oceanic events occurred in the Tasman Sea. Following a series of strong wind-driven upwelling events, an intense cold-core eddy developed off Sydney, Australia. A data-assimilating, eddy-resolving ocean model is used to create a three-dimensional time-varying reanalysis of these events. The reanalysis indicates that the cold anomalies associated with the upwellings were in excess of −5 °C near the coast, where sea level decreased by as much as 0.2 m. The reanalysed three-dimensional structure of the cold-core eddy shows the eddy "leaning" to the west-north-west, in towards the continental shelf. The diameter of the eddy is about 100 km and the sea-level anomaly at the eddy centre peaks at around −1 m, with an associated sub-surface temperature anomaly in excess of −8 °C at 200 m depth, corresponding to an upward isotherm excursion of 600 m. The circulation around the cyclonic eddy is ageostrophic, with upwelling in the southern sector of the eddy (where flow is onshore and climbing the continental slope) and downwelling in the northern sector (where flow is descending off the slope). Three-dimensional trajectories of water parcels around the eddy involve 50-100-m vertical excursions. Based on the reanalysed circulation and composite satellite images of Chlorophyll-a, we hypothesise that the circulation around the eddy led to significant nutrient enrichment in the euphotic zone around the perimeter of the eddy.  相似文献   

19.
A considerable amount of the Amazon River water that is discharged into the equatorial Atlantic is then advected northward along the shelf by the strong North Brazil Current (NBC). Being relatively fresh, this water remains in the near-surface layer and can serve as an excellent tracer for the complex and variable flow of the offshore mesoscale eddies. Both surface salinity observations and CZCS (Coastal Zone Color Scanner) imagery can be mapped to estimate the circulation patterns of the eddies. Presented here are two sets of XBT (expendable bathythermograph) sections that give the thermal structure of eddies off the Demerara Rise (6–9°N). They were occupied nearly contemporaneously with CZCS imagery obtained during October 1980 and November 1981. Several studies have shown from ship drift data, from CZCS observations, and from Geosat altimetry that, particularly during late summer and fall, the NBC is found to retroflect offshore to the east, supplying the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) and is associated with eddies along the coast. Good agreement is shown between the CZCS and a NAVOCEANO AXBT (airborne bathythermograph) survey during this period as well as observations of surface phytoplankton and geopotential anomaly from an earlier 1964 survey. Estimates of volume transport within the eddy structure indicate that at times the offshore retroflection during spring as well as autumn can amount to 10 × 106 m3 s–1. The pronounced eddy variability off South America is shown by comparing a number of past hydrographic surveys. These suggest that considerable spatial variability can occur as can seasonal changes in volume transport of the NBC and the associated eddy circulation.  相似文献   

20.
This study focuses on the comparison of oceanic and coastal cold-core eddies with inner-shelf and East Australian Current (EAC) waters at the time of the spring bloom (October 2008). The surface water was biologically characterised by the phytoplankton biomass, composition, photo-physiology, carbon fixation and by nutrient-enrichment experiments. Marked differences in phytoplankton biomass and composition were observed. Contrasted biomarker composition suggests that biomarkers could be used to track water masses in this area. Divinyl chlorophyll a, a biomarker for tropical Prochlorophytes, was found only in the EAC. Zeaxanthin a biomarker for Cyanophytes, was found only within the oceanic eddy and in the EAC, whereas chlorophyll b (Chlorophytes) was only present in the coastal eddy and at the front between the inner-shelf and EAC waters.This study showed that cold-core eddies can affect phytoplankton, biomass, biodiversity and productivity. Inside the oceanic eddy, greater phytoplankton biomass and a more complex phytoplankton community were observed relative to adjacent water masses (including the EAC). In fact, phytoplankton communities inside the oceanic eddy more closely resembled the community observed in the inner-shelf waters. At a light level close to half-saturation, phytoplankton carbon fixation (gC d−1) in the oceanic eddy was 13-times greater than at the frontal zone between the eddy and the EAC and 3-times greater than in the inner-shelf water. Nutrient-enrichment experiments demonstrated that nitrogen was the major macronutrient limiting phytoplankton growth in water masses associated with the oceanic eddy. Although the effective quantum yield values demonstrate healthy phytoplankton communities, the phytoplankton community bloomed and shifted in response to nitrogen enrichments inside the oceanic eddy and in the frontal zone between this eddy and the EAC. An effect of Si enrichment was only observed at the frontal zone between the eddy and the EAC. No response to nutrient enrichment was observed in the inner-shelf water where ambient NOx, Si and PO4 concentrations were up to 14, 4 and 3-times greater than in the EAC and oceanic eddy. Although results from the nutrient-enrichment experiments suggest that nutrients can affect biomass and the composition of the phytoplankton community, the comparison of all sites sampled showed no direct relationship between phytoplankton biomass, nutrients and the depth of the mixed layer. This is probably due to the different timeframe between the rapidly changing physical and chemical oceanography in the separation zone of the EAC.  相似文献   

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