Fourteen years (September 2002 to August 2016) of high-resolution satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) data are used to describe the frontal pattern and frontogenesis on the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil. The daily SST fronts are obtained using an edge-detection algorithm, and the monthly frontal probability (FP) is subsequently calculated. High SST FPs are mainly distributed along the coast and decrease with distance from the coastline. The results from empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decompositions reveal strong seasonal variability of the coastal SST FP with maximum (minimum) in the astral summer (winter). Wind plays an important role in driving the frontal activities, and high FPs are accompanied by strong alongshore wind stress and wind stress curl. This is particularly true during the summer, when the total transport induced by the alongshore component of upwelling-favorable winds and the wind stress curl reaches the annual maximum. The fronts are influenced by multiple factors other than wind forcing, such as the orientation of the coastline, the seafloor topography, and the meandering of the Brazil Current. As a result, there is a slight difference between the seasonality of the SST fronts and the wind, and their relationship was varying with spatial locations. The impact of the air-sea interaction is further investigated in the frontal zone, and large coupling coefficients are found between the crosswind (downwind) SST gradients and the wind stress curl (divergence). The analysis of the SST fronts and wind leads to a better understanding of the dynamics and frontogenesis off the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil, and the results can be used to further understand the air-sea coupling process at regional level.
Rivers link terrestrial ecosystems and marine ecosystems, and they transport large amounts of substances into oceans each year, including several forms of silicon (Si), carbon (C), and other nutrients. However, river damming affects the water flow and biogeochemical cycles of Si, C, and other nutrients through biogeochemical interacting processes. In this review, we first summarize the current understanding of the effects of river damming on the processes of biogeochemical Si cycle, especially the source, composition, and recycling process of biogenic silica (BSi). Then, we introduce dam impacts on the cycles of C and some other nutrients. Dissolved silicon in rivers is mainly released from phytolith dissolution and silicate weathering. BSi in suspended matter or sediments in most rivers mainly consists of phytoliths and mainly originates from soil erosion. However, diatom growth and deposition in many reservoirs formed by river interception may significantly increase the contribution of diatom Si to total BSi, and thus significantly influence the biogeochemical Si, C, and nutrient cycles. Yet the turnover of phytoliths and diatoms in different rivers formed by river damming is still poorly quantified. Thus, they should be further investigated to enhance our understanding about the effects of river damming on global biogeochemical Si, C and nutrient cycles. 相似文献
