Beneath the surface: Characteristics of oceanic ecosystems under weak mixing conditions – A theoretical investigation     

Aike Beckmann  Inga Hense   《Progress in Oceanography》2007,75(4):771-796

This study considers an important biome in aquatic environments, the subsurface ecosystem that evolves under low mixing conditions, from a theoretical point of view. Employing a conceptual model that involves phytoplankton, a limiting nutrient and sinking detritus, we use a set of key characteristics (thickness, depth, biomass amplitude/productivity) to qualitatively and quantitatively describe subsurface biomass maximum layers (SBMLs) of phytoplankton. These SBMLs are defined by the existence of two community compensation depths in the water column, which confine the layer of net community production; their depth coincides with the upper nutricline. Analysing the results of a large ensemble of simulations with a one-dimensional numerical model, we explore the parameter dependencies to obtain fundamental steady-state relationships that connect primary production, mortality and grazing, remineralization, vertical diffusion and detrital sinking. As a main result, we find that we can distinguish between factors that determine the vertically integrated primary production and others that affect only depth and shape (thickness and biomass amplitude) of this subsurface production layer. A simple relationship is derived analytically, which can be used to estimate the steady-state primary productivity in the subsurface oligotrophic ocean. The fundamental nature of the results provides further insight into the dynamics of these “hidden” ecosystems and their role in marine nutrient cycling.  相似文献   

Elucidating the dynamics and mixing agents of a shallow fjord through age tracer modelling     

Karin E. Gustafsson  Jrgen Bendtsen 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2007,74(4):641

The mixing agents and their role in the dynamics of a shallow fjord are elucidated through an Eulerian implementation of artificial tracers in a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The time scales of vertical mixing in this shallow estuary are short, and the artificial tracers are utilized in order to reveal information not detectable in the temperature or salinity fields. The fjord's response to external forcing is investigated through a series of model experiments in which we quantify vertical mixing, transport time scales of fresh water runoff and estuarine circulation in relation to external forcing.Using age tracers released at surface and bottom, we quantify the time scales of downward mixing of surface water and upward mixing of bottom water. Wind is shown to be the major agent for vertical mixing at nearly all depth levels in the fjord, whereas the tide or external sea level forcing is a minor agent and only occasionally more important just close to the bottom. The time scale of vertical mixing of surface water to the bottom or ventilation time scale of bottom water is estimated to be in the range 0.7 h to 9.0 days, with an average age of 2.7 days for the year 2004.The fjord receives fresh water from two streams entering the innermost part of the fjord, and the distribution and age of this water are studied using both ageing and conservative tracers. The salinity variations outside this fjord are large, and in contrast to the salinity, the artificial tracers provide a straight forward analysis of river water content. The ageing tracer is used to estimate transport time scales of river water (i.e. the time elapsed since the water left the river mouth). In May 2004, the typical age of river water leaving the fjord mouth is 5 days. As the major vertical mixing agent is wind, it controls the estuarine circulation and export of river water. When the wind stress is set to zero, the vertical mixing is reduced and the vertical salinity stratification is increased, and the river water can be effectively exported out of the fjord.We also analyse the river tracer fields and salinity field in relation to along estuary winds in order to detect signs of wind-induced straining of the along estuary density gradient. We find that events of down estuary winds are primarily associated with a reduced along estuary salinity gradient due to increased surface salinity in the innermost part of the fjord, and with an overall decrease in vertical stratification and river water content at the surface. Thus, our results show no apparent signs of wind-induced straining in this shallow fjord but instead they indicate increased levels of vertical mixing or upwelling during down estuary wind events.  相似文献   

Estimation of gillnet and hook selectivity using log-linear models   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Millar  Russell B.; Holst  Rene 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》1997,54(3):471-477

  相似文献   

弱地形上内潮生成问题——Ⅱ.粗糙地形情况下水深对内潮能通量的影响     

戴德君  乔方利  袁业立 《海洋科学进展》2007,25(3):247-256

前人在讨论水深对内潮能通量影响的时候得出结论:有限深海洋中海面对内潮的反射使得正压潮向内潮的能量转化相比较无限深海的情况显著降低,对于选定的地形,在无限深海假定下得到的能通量是该地形上内潮能通量的上限。鉴于前人所研究的基本上都是平滑的地形,而实际的海洋地形总是比较粗糙的,本文探讨了粗糙地形上内潮能通量随水深的变化。选取了弦函数地形、随机白噪声地形、弦函数地形叠加在高斯地形之上、随机白噪声地形叠加在高斯地形之上和随机白噪声地形与弦函数地形同时叠加在高斯地形之上5种情况进行了研究,发现对于这5种情况,都存在海洋有限深时的能通量大于无限深假定时的能通量,这说明前人得出的"有限深海洋中海面对内潮的反射使得正压潮向内潮的能量转化相比较无限深海的情况显著降低"的结论对于粗糙地形并不适用。  相似文献   

渤黄东海混合层化演变规律的研究进展   总被引：9，自引：0，他引：9  

刘丽萍  黄大吉  章本照 《海洋科学进展》2002,20(3):84-89

较详细地综述了渤黄东海混合层化演变过程与规律的研究进展情况，主要包括：混合和层化过程的分布规律与季节变化特性，采用水温垂直剖面自相关函数的半经验预报模式，动力学和热力学的数值预报模式。  相似文献   

Aspects of Deep Ocean Mixing     

Chris Garrett  Louis St. Laurent 《Journal of Oceanography》2002,58(1):11-24

The turbulent motions responsible for ocean mixing occur on scales much smaller than those resolved in numerical simulations of oceanic flows. Great progress has been made in understanding the sources of energy for mixing, the mechanisms, and the rates. On the other hand, we still do not have adequate answers to first order questions such as the extent to which the thermohaline circulation of the ocean, and hence the earth's climate, is sensitive to the present mixing rates in the ocean interior. Internal waves, generated by either wind or flow over topography, appear to be the principle cause of mixing. Mean and eddy flows over topography generate internal lee waves, while tidal flows over topography generate internal tides. The relative importance of these different internal wave sources is unknown. There are also great uncertainties about the spatial and temporal variation of mixing. Calculations of internal tide generation are becoming increasingly robust, but we do not know enough about the subsequent behavior of internal tides and their eventual breakdown into turbulence. It does seem, however, that most internal tide energy flux is radiated away from generation sites as low modes that propagate over basin scales. The mechanisms of wave-wave interaction and topographic scattering both act to transfer wave energy from low modes to smaller dissipative scales. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

鸭绿江洪季的河口最大混浊带   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

金惜三  李炎 《海洋学研究》2001,19(1):1-10

对 1 994年 8月在鸭绿江河口的水文和悬浮泥沙的观测资料进行分析。结果表明 ,在洪季鸭绿江河口的最大混浊带 ,出现在第一个河口锋面内侧。它的核心处盐度小于 1 ,从上游带入河口的细颗粒泥沙多数被河口第一锋面截留 ,还有一部分上游来沙穿过该锋面 ,聚集在河口第一和第二锋面之间。垂向密度环流作用和絮凝作用在鸭绿江洪季最大混浊带的维持过程中起着主导作用  相似文献   

Longshore drift estimation using fluorescent tracers: New insights from an experiment at Comporta Beach, Portugal   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Ana Silva  Rui Taborda  Aurora Rodrigues  Joo Duarte  Joo Cascalho 《Marine Geology》2007,240(1-4):137-150

A fluorescent sand-tracer experiment was performed at Comporta Beach (Portugal) with the aim of acquiring longshore sediment transport data on a reflective beach, the optimization of field and laboratory tracer procedures and the improvement of the conceptual model used to support tracer data interpretation.

The field experiment was performed on a mesotidal reflective beach face in low energetic conditions (significant wave height between 0.4 and 0.5 m). Two different colour tracers (orange and blue) were injected at low tide and sampled in the two subsequent low tides using a high resolution 3D grid extending 450 m alongshore and 30 m cross-shore. Marked sand was detected using an automatic digital image processing system developed in the scope of the present experiment.

Results for the two colour tracers show a remarkable coherence, with high recovery rates attesting data validity. Sand tracer displayed a high advection velocity, but with distinct vertical distribution patterns in the two tides: in the first tide there was a clear decrease in tracer advection velocity with depth while in the second tide, the tracer exhibited an almost uniform vertical velocity distribution. This differing behaviour suggests that, in the first tide, the tracer had not reached equilibrium within the transport system, pointing to a considerable time lag between injection and complete mixing. This issue has important implications for the interpretation of tracer data, indicating that short term tracer experiments tend to overestimate transport rates. In this work, therefore, longshore estimates were based on tracer results obtained during the second tide.

The estimated total longshore transport rate at Comporta Beach was 2 × 10^− 3 m³/s, more than four times larger than predicted using standard empirical longshore formulas. This discrepancy, which results from the unusually large active moving layer observed during the experiment, confirms the idea that most common longshore transport equations under-estimate total sediment transport in plunging/surging waves.  相似文献   

南沙群岛海域混合层深度季节变化特征     

刘辉  江丽芳  齐义泉  毛庆文  程旭华 《海洋科学进展》2007,25(3):268-279

基于南沙群岛海域综合科学考察11个航次的实测资料,研究了南沙群岛海域的混合层深度季节变化特征。研究结果表明,南沙群岛海域混合层深度存在明显的季节变化,并且与季风和海表热通量的变化密切相关。春季,风速较小且风向不稳定,海面得到的净热通量全年最大,上层水体层结稳定,混合层深度较小;夏季,南海西南季风盛行,上层为反气旋式环流,海面得到的净热通量减少,混合层呈加深的趋势;秋季,海面净热通量继续减少,混合层深度达到最大值;冬季,东北季风驱动下形成的上层气旋式环流引起深层冷水的上升,限制了混合层的加深。  相似文献   

Depth and Seasonal Distribution of Some Groups of the Vagile Fauna of the Posidonia oceanica Leaf Stratum: Structural and Trophic Analyses     

Maria Cristina  Gambi  Maurizio  Lorenti  Giovanni F.  Russo  Maria Beatrice  Scipione Valerio  Zupo 《Marine Ecology》1992,13(1):17-39

Abstract. The taxonomical and trophic structures of the vagile fauna communities of the leaf stratum in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy) were investigated at five stations along a depth gradient (1 to 25 m). Sampling was performed in July, November, February, and May. The analyzed groups - polychaetes, molluscs, tanaids, isopods, amphipods, and decapods - exhibited similar distributional trends in all seasons, with coenotic discontinuities occurring at well-defined depths. The same zonation pattern was produced by feeding-guild analysis. Eleven trophic groups were identified. The most abundant groups were: Herbivores, which were found mainly at the shallow stations; Herbivores-deposit feeders, which were widely distributed along the transect; Deposit feeders-carnivores, found mainly at the deep stations.
This study suggests that in the Posidonia leaf stratum, herbivores and herbivores-deposit feeders, as consumers of epiphytic micro- and macroflora and deposited particulate organic matter, play an important role in the energy transfer from producers to higher trophic levels of the system.  相似文献