Article
Environmental Sciences
Perumthuruthil Suseelan Vishnu, Maycira Costa
Summary: This study validates the remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) and chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration derived from the Polymer atmospheric correction algorithm using in situ data for the subarctic northeast Pacific (SNEP). The validation results show that Polymer performs well in the blue and green bands, but fails to represent in situ Rrs in the red band. However, there is excellent agreement between satellite-derived and in situ Chla. The study emphasizes the importance of obtaining high-quality matchups from oligotrophic waters and using high spatial and temporal resolution satellite imagery to study phytoplankton dynamics in the SNEP.
Article
Ecology
Abigale M. Wyatt, Laure Resplandy, Adrian Marchetti
Summary: Marine heat waves (MHWs) are expected to intensify in the northeast Pacific, impacting regional ecosystems differently in subpolar Alaska Gyre (AG) and North Pacific Transition Zone (NPTZ). The study suggests that the influence of MHWs on marine productivity is relatively modest, but leads to significant changes in phytoplankton size distribution, especially towards smaller phytoplankton production.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zhuo Chen, Jun Sun, Dawei Chen, Shihao Wang, Hao Yu, Hongtao Chen, Min Wang
Summary: Phytoplankton community structure in the western Pacific Ocean exhibits spatial variability, with different groups related to circulation and hydrological characteristics. The distribution of phytoplankton communities is influenced not only by temperature and nutrients, but also by ocean currents.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Afonso Ferreira, Ana C. Brito, Carlos R. B. Mendes, Vanda Brotas, Raul R. Costa, Catarina V. Guerreiro, Carolina Sa, Thomas Jackson
Summary: This study evaluates the performance of global and regional satellite algorithms in the Western Antarctic Peninsula and investigates the factors contributing to Chl-a underestimation. The results show that the global algorithm underestimates in-situ Chl-a by an average of ~59%, with higher underestimation in waters with greater Chl-a concentrations. No clear link was found between Chl-a underestimation and pigment packaging effect, phytoplankton community composition, or sea ice contamination. A new satellite Chl-a algorithm, OC4-SO, is proposed based on multi-sensor satellite data and the most comprehensive in-situ dataset collected from the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicholas A. Pittman, Peter G. Strutton, Robert Johnson, Richard J. Matear, Adrienne J. Sutton
Summary: The equatorial Pacific serves as the largest oceanic source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, with its outgassing being influenced by ENSO and decadal climate variability. New production, driven by upwelled nitrate, plays a significant role in modulating air-sea CO2 fluxes, but decreased between 2000 and 2020. The western Pacific occasionally acts as a weak carbon sink, depending on ENSO, with changes in wind speed, temperature, and ENSO frequency altering the surface carbon budget.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fuminori Hashihama, Ichiro Yasuda, Aki Kumabe, Mitsuhide Sato, Hiroshi Sasaoka, Yosuke Iida, Takuhei Shiozaki, Hiroaki Saito, Jota Kanda, Ken Furuya, Philip W. Boyd, Masao Ishii
Summary: The seasonal drawdown of dissolved inorganic carbon in the subtropical upper ocean contributes significantly to net community production globally. While surface macronutrients are chronically depleted, nanomolar increases in surface nitrate plus nitrite and phosphate from summer to winter in the western subtropical North Pacific are found to be in near-stoichiometric balance with microbial C:N:P ratios. These findings suggest that the nanomolar upward supply of phosphorus and its preferential recycling play a vital role in sustaining net community production in oligotrophic ocean environments.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas J. Browning, Ali A. Al-Hashem, Eric P. Achterberg, Paloma C. Carvalho, Paulo Catry, Jason Matthiopoulos, Julie A. O. Miller, Ewan D. Wakefield
Summary: Nutrients supplied by seabird guano can enhance primary production in coastal and potentially open ocean ecosystems. This study investigated nutrient concentrations and release dynamics in guano collected from the North Atlantic, finding that guano is enriched in phosphorus, released as phosphate in solution, and also releases nitrogen in the form of ammonium and urea. Trace elements, including iron, were also released. Bioassays demonstrated that fresh guano can increase phytoplankton biomass and photochemical efficiencies in ambient seawater. Despite being a minor source of nutrients on annual scales in the surface North Atlantic, guano deposition could be highly important in late spring/summer, with phosphorus deposition estimates comparable to diffusion from deeper waters.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Baohong Chen, Kaiwen Zhou, Kang Wang, Jigang Wang, Sumin Wang, Xiuwu Sun, Jinmin Chen, Cai Lin, Hui Lin
Summary: This research investigated the spatial distribution characteristics of nutrients and chlorophyll a concentration in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the eastern tropical Pacific. The study found that nutrient concentrations were lowest in the upper layer and increased from surface to some depths, then decreased slightly to the bottom. Nitrogen was the limiting factor for phytoplankton growth. Nutrient concentrations in the study area were higher than those in other seamounts and Station ALOHA. Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to identify depth, salinity, and phosphate concentration as major factors controlling phytoplankton abundance. This study provides basic data and theoretical support for the development and long-term impact assessment of polymetallic nodule areas.
ACTA OCEANOLOGICA SINICA
(2022)
Review
Oceanography
Hiroomi Miyamoto, Kazutaka Takahashi, Hiroshi Kuroda, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Yukiko Taniuchi, Akira Kuwata, Hiromi Kasai, Shigeho Kakehi, Taiki Fuji, Satoshi Suyama, Kazuaki Tadokoro
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between copepod communities and oceanographic environment in the North Pacific Ocean subtropical-subarctic gyre transition region. The results show the biogeographical boundary and distribution patterns of different copepod communities in the region. The study also reveals the enhancing effect of water mixing on the grazing food chain in both subtropical and subarctic communities, providing insights into the potential mechanisms controlling prey availability for small pelagic fish in the region as a nursery and feeding ground.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Norbert Kamjunke, Holger Brix, Gotz Floeser, Ingeborg Bussmann, Claudia Schuetze, Eric P. Achterberg, Uta Koedel, Philipp Fischer, Louise Rewrie, Tina Sanders, Dietrich Borchardt, Markus Weitere
Summary: The nutrient and carbon dynamics within river-estuary-coastal water systems were analyzed to understand the flux of matter from the terrestrial environment to the ocean. The study revealed that the distribution and variations of nutrients and carbon varied significantly in different water environments, influenced by the travel time of water and nutrient fluxes, thereby affecting the functionality and stability of the aquatic ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Renata Caiado Cagnin, Cybelle Menolli Longhini, Eduardo Schettini Costa, Cesar Alexandro da Silva, Stefano Zorzal-Almeida, Danniel Mendes, Vanya Marcia Duarte Pasa, Paulo Jorge Sanches Barbeira, Alessandra Delazari-Barroso, Bjorn Gucker, Iola Goncalves Boechat, Ana Teresa Lima, Renato Rodrigues Neto, Fabian Sa, Gilberto Fonseca Barroso
Summary: Recently, dam rupture disasters in the mining industry have caused significant damage to ecosystems worldwide. This study examines the impact of iron ore tailings on the Doce River and the adjacent continental shelf. The research highlights the importance of reporting local data to understand the global land-ocean nutrient fluxes.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Richard L. Nixon, M. Angelica Pena, Robyn Taves, David J. Janssen, Jay T. Cullen, Andrew R. S. Ross
Summary: This study used IMAC method to investigate the complex interaction between copper and marine phytoplankton, finding higher copper ligand concentrations at coastal stations and an increase in ligand concentrations at station P26 from 2016 to 2018 following the warming anomaly in the northeast Pacific.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dabin Lee, Jae Joong Kang, Naeun Jo, Kwanwoo Kim, Hyo Keun Jang, Myung Joon Kim, Yejin Kim, Sanghoon Park, SeungHyun Son, Jae-Il Kwon, Mi Sun Yun, Chang-Keun Kang, Sang Heon Lee
Summary: The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has significant effects on the physical properties of the ocean, as well as on fishery and water resources. This study investigates the relationship between PDO and primary production (PP), and the subsequent impact on the marine ecosystem in the East/Japan Sea. The results show that PDO is negatively correlated with sea surface temperature (SST) and the contribution of small phytoplankton to total PP, but positively correlated with mixed layer depth (MLD) and PP. These findings suggest that PDO influences the nutrient regime and environmental conditions in the East/Japan Sea, potentially affecting fishery resources.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maxime Savatier, Maria Teresa Guerra, Jennifer Elaine Murphy, Carlos Rocha
Summary: The study evaluates the impact of freshwater discharge on solute vertical mixing and horizontal transfer rates in a variably stratified temperate fjord in Killary Harbour, Ireland. High river discharge leads to stratification and clear differences in Ra-224/Ra-223 activity ratios between surface and bottom layers, while low discharge results in a well-mixed water column. The degree of vertical mixing was found to be an important driver of nutrient ratios in the system, with stratification potentially amplifying the effect of variable watershed inputs on the estuarine N:P ratio in Killary Harbour.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
R. C. Taves, D. J. Janssen, M. A. Pena, A. R. S. Ross, K. G. Simpson, W. R. Crawford, J. T. Cullen
Summary: This study investigates the relationships between dissolved iron (dFe) and macronutrients, net community production (NCP), nutrient uptake ratios, and phytoplankton community composition during the marine heatwave events from 2012 to 2015. The results highlight the importance of external dFe supply during these events, as a more shallow mixed layer reduces the transport of essential nutrients to the surface layer.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Alyssa M. LeClaire, Eric N. Powell, Roger Mann, Kathleen M. Hemeon, Sara M. Pace, Vincent Saba, Hubert du Pontavice, Jillian R. Sower
Summary: Arctica islandica is an important species for recording climate change on the U.S. northeast continental shelf, and its growth rates show synchronous changes with cold and warm climatic periods. This study finds that A. islandica near the Delmarva Peninsula had higher growth rates during cold periods, possibly due to increased food supply in shallower water. The range recession of this species is a long-term process determined by the survivorship of older individuals.
CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH
(2024)