Lunar fortnightly modulation of tidal mixing near Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk, and its impacts on biota and sea ice |
| |
| Authors: | Konstantin A Rogachev Eddy C Carmack Alexander S Salomatin Marina G Alexanina |
| |
| Abstract: | Here we examine the consequences of strong tidal mixing on spatial and temporal distributions of biota and sea ice above Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk, using data from field surveys (hydrography, pressure gauge and current meter moorings, and bio-acoustic soundings) and remote sensing (NOAA AVHRR). Fortnightly variations in the amplitude of diurnal tidal currents, primarily resulting from the K1–O1 interaction, are shown to dominate water motion over the bank. These currents (with maximum velocities 2 m s−1) create a sharp tidally-mixed front that separates well-mixed water above the bank from stratified water along its flanks. Such mixing draws water upward from the cold dichothermal layer (100–150 m) into the surface layer, and thus serves to ventilate the intermediate layers of the Sea of Okhotsk. In summer, fortnightly modulation of the tidal mixing creates temporal variations in water column stratification, a critical factor in the joint supply of nutrients and light required to sustain phytoplankton growth. As such, chlorophyll-a and oxygen values vary in response to the fortnightly cycle, and zooplankton likewise form dense aggregations within the tidally-mixed front in response to the phytoplankton production. It is further noted that the brood cycle of dominant zooplankton species on the bank matches the fortnightly modulation of the tidal currents. In winter, tidal mixing draws relatively warm water upward from mid-depth to maintain a polynya that cyclically opens and closes in response to fortnightly variation in vertical heat flux. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
