Advection Of Upwelled Water Research Articles

Southwest monsoon-driven changes in the phytoplankton community structure in the central Arabian Sea (2017–2018): After two decades of JGOFS

The Arabian Sea, a land-locked low latitude high productive oceanic province, is characterized by strong seasonality due to the reversal of monsoon winds. “Open ocean upwelling” occurs during the southwest monsoon (SWM) in the northern part of the Findlater Jet, (a low-level atmospheric jet that forms in the Arabian Sea), and consequently, the southern part experiences downwelling. Moreover, the hydrography of this region can be further modulated by coupled ocean-atmospheric events such as ENSO and IOD which eventually lead to changes in biological production. After two decades of joint global ocean flux studies (JGOFS), this is the first report on the phytoplankton community from the central Arabian Sea during the SWM. We tried to interlink the north-south gradient in hydrography as well as the physicochemical features with the phytoplankton community structure (within 60 m) along 64° E (11–21° N) during two consecutive SWM cruises (August 2017 and 2018). The variability in surface wind forcing directly influenced the nutrient stoichiometry and phytoplankton dynamics, through the changes in open ocean upwelling and mixing. Significant spatial and inter-annual variability in phytoplankton abundance, diversity, ratios of diatom: dinoflagellate and centric: pennate diatoms were noticed and were closely coupled with the nutrient availability (bottom-up control). Relatively low phytoplankton cell density in 2017 was coupled with high zooplankton biomass (top-down control). During 2018, higher dissolved silicate (DSi) supply due to stronger open-ocean upwelling along with the advection of upwelled water from the Somali coast likely promoted larger diatoms capable of escaping grazing and have led to higher export production. The large centric diatoms occupied the upwelled regions (21–20° N) (e. g. Rhizosolenia imbricata, R. hebetata and Coscinodiscus radiatus) whereas, small pennate diatoms (Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Navicula spp. Nitzschia spp.) and dinoflagellates (Gymnodinium spp.) were pronounced in the south (11–15° N). And while comparing the trends with the JGOFS reports, no considerable community shift was noticed. However, in the context of ongoing climate change, the rapid warming of the Arabian Sea may potentially influence the hydrography and biogeochemistry of this region and thus may impact phytoplankton community structure, trophic transfer, and organic carbon export flux.

Inconsistent change in surface hydrography of the eastern Arabian Sea during the last four glacial–interglacial intervals

AbstractThe eastern Arabian Sea is influenced by both the advection of upwelled water from the western Arabian Sea and winter convective mixing. Therefore, sediments collected from the eastern Arabian Sea can help to understand the long-term seasonal hydrographic changes. We used the planktonic foraminifera census and stable isotopic ratio (δ18O) from sediments drilled during the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 355 to reconstruct surface hydrographic changes in the eastern Arabian Sea during the last 350 kyr. The increased abundance of Globigerina bulloides suggests enhanced advection of upwelled water during the latter half of MIS7 and the beginning of MIS6, as a result of a strengthened summer monsoon. A large drop in upwelling and/or advection of upwelled water from the western Arabian Sea is inferred during the subsequent interval of MIS6, based on the rare presence of G. bulloides. The comparable relative abundance of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, G. bulloides and Globigerinoides ruber suggests that during the early part of MIS5, hydrographic conditions were similar to today. The upwelling decreased and winter convection increased with the progress of the glacial interval. A good coherence between planktonic foraminiferal assemblage-based monsoon stacks from both the eastern and western Arabian Sea suggests a coeval response of the entire northern Arabian Sea to the glacial–interglacial changes. The glacial–interglacial difference in δ18Osw-ivc was at a maximum with 4–5 psu change in salinity during Termination 2 and 3, and a minimum during Termination 4. The significantly reduced regional contribution to the glacial–interglacial change in δ18Osw-ivc during Termination 4 suggests a lesser change in the monsoon.

Spatio-Temporal Variation in Effects of Upwelling on the Fatty Acid Composition of Benthic Filter Feeders in the Southern Benguela Ecosystem: Not All Upwelling Is Equal.

Variability in mesoscale nearshore oceanographic conditions plays an important role in the distribution of primary production and food availability for intertidal consumers. Advection of nutrient rich waters by upwelling usually allows the proliferation of diatoms, later replaced by dinoflagellates. We examined upwelling effects on the fatty acid (FA) signature of a benthic intertidal filter feeder to identify its response to pulsed variability in food availability. The study took place in two contrasting seasons and at two upwelling and two non-upwelling sites interspersed within the southern Benguela upwelling system of South Africa. We investigated the FA composition of the adductor muscles and gonads of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis to assess how FA are apportioned to the different tissues and whether this changes between upwelling and non-upwelling conditions. In situ temperature loggers used to identify upwelling conditions at the four sites indicated that such events occurred only at the upwelling centres and only in summer. Tissues differed strongly, with gonads presenting a higher proportion of essential FAs. This could reflect the faster turnover rate of gonad tissue or preferential retention of specific FA for reproductive purposes. FA composition did not vary as a direct function of upwelling, but there were strong dissimilarities among sites. Upwelling influenced mussel diets at one upwelling site while at the other, the expected signature of upwelling was displaced downstream of the core of upwelling. Condition Index (CI) and Gonad Index (GI) differed among sites and were not influenced by upwelling, with GI being comparable among sites. In addition, FA proportions were consistent among sites, indicating similar food quality and quantity over time and under upwelling and non-upwelling conditions. This suggests that the influence of upwelling on the west coast of South Africa is pervasive and diffuse, rather than discrete; while nearshore retention or advection of upwelled water is critical and site-specific so that the effects of upwelling differ even among sites categorised as upwelling centres.

Ocean pH time‐series and drivers of variability along the northern Channel Islands, California, USA

AbstractEastern boundary current systems (EBCSs) experience dynamic fluctuations in seawater pH due to coastal upwelling and primary production. The lack of high‐resolution pH observations in EBCSs limits the ability to relate field pH exposures to performance of coastal marine species under future ocean change (acidification, warming). This 3‐yr study describes spatio‐temporal pH variability across the northern Channel Islands, along a persistent temperature gradient (1–4°C) within the eastern boundary California Current System. pH and Conductivity, Temperature, Depth, and Oxygen sensors were deployed on island piers in eelgrass and kelp habitat and on a subtidal mooring. Due to event‐scale primary production, the temperature gradient across the islands did not manifest in a pH gradient. We resolved spatial pH variability on diel (ΔpHT 0.05–0.2: photosynthesis), event‐scale (ΔpHT <0.1–0.2: upwelling, phytoplankton blooms, wind relaxation), and seasonal (ΔpHT 0.06: warming) time frames. In the kelp forest, summer mean pHT (8.01–8.02) and magnitude of diel pHT cycles (ΔpHT 0.12–0.10) were comparable year‐to‐year, despite 2.1°C warming from 2012 to 2014. Compared to nearby mainland sites, the northern Channel Islands experienced few low pH events. The majority of pHT observations were >7.9. The lowest pH observations (>1 SD below mean pHT) occurred under either warm (respiration during warm nights) or cold (advection of upwelled water) temperatures. We emphasize the importance of incorporating site‐specific environmental variability in studies of ocean change biology, particularly in the design of multistressor experiments.

Mesozooplankton biomass and grazing in the Costa Rica Dome: amplifying variability through the plankton food web

We investigated standing stocks and grazing rates of mesozooplankton assemblages in the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), an open-ocean upwelling ecosystem in the eastern tropical Pacific. While phytoplankton biomass in the CRD is dominated by picophytoplankton (<2-µm cells) with especially high concentrations of Synechococcus spp., we found high mesozooplankton biomass (∼5 g dry weight m-2) and grazing impact (12-50% integrated water column chlorophyll a), indicative of efficient food web transfer from primary producers to higher levels. In contrast to the relative uniformity in water-column chlorophyll a and mesozooplankton biomass, variability in herbivory was substantial, with lower rates in the central dome region and higher rates in areas offset from the dome center. While grazing rates were unrelated to total phytoplankton, correlations with cyanobacteria (negative) and biogenic SiO2 production (positive) suggest that partitioning of primary production among phytoplankton sizes contributes to the variability observed in mesozooplankton metrics. We propose that advection of upwelled waters away from the dome center is accompanied by changes in mesozooplankton composition and grazing rates, reflecting small changes within the primary producers. Small changes within the phytoplankton community resulting in large changes in the mesozooplankton suggest that the variability in lower trophic level dynamics was effectively amplified through the food web.

Why is the southwest the most productive region of the East Sea/Sea of Japan?

The East Sea/Sea of Japan is a moderately productive sea that supports a wealth of living marine resources. Of the East Sea subregions, the southwest has the highest productivity. Various authors have proposed coastal upwelling, the Tsushima Current, the Changjiang Dilute Water, eddies, or discharge from the Nagdong River as potential sources of additional nutrients. In this paper, we propose, using satellite data from 1998 to 2006, that the biological productivity of the southwestern region is enhanced mainly by wind-driven upwelling along the Korean coast. Firstly, the climatology of seasonal patterns suggests that the enhanced chlorophyll a along the Korean coast is of local origin. Secondly, coastal upwelling is frequent in all seasons except winter. For example, along the coast of the Ulgi region, enhanced chlorophyll a due to coastal upwelling was observed for 25–92% of the time between Jun and Sep in the period 1998–2006. Thirdly, the advection of upwelled water through various pathways to the deeper basin was observed. Fourthly, there appeared to be a strong correlation between the interannual chlorophyll a variations of the coastal upwelling regions and the Ulleung Basin. The chlorophyll a patterns of both regions were closely related to the wind pattern in the upwelling regions, but not to that in the Ulleung Basin. Finally, changes in advection pathways also appeared to affect the productivity of the Ulleung Basin. Since 2004, there has been a shift in the pathways of upwelled water, and consequent increases in chlorophyll a in the Ulleung Basin were observed. This last observation requires further investigation.

On the heat budget of the Arabian Sea

This study analyzes the heat budget of the Arabian Sea using satellite-derived sea-surface temperature (SST) from 1985 to 1995 along with other data sets. For a better understanding of air–sea interaction, canonical average monthly fields representing the spatial and temporal structure of the various components of the heat balance of the Arabian Sea are constructed from up to 30 years of monthly atmospheric and oceanic data. The SST over the Arabian Sea is not uniform and continually evolves with time. Cooling occurs over most of the basin during November through January and May through July, with the greatest cooling in June and July. Warming occurs over most of the basin during the remainder of the year, with the greatest warming occurring in March and September. Results indicate that the sign of the net heat flux is strongly dependent on the location and month. The effects of net heat flux and penetrative solar radiation strongly influence the change in SST during February and are less important during August and September. Horizontal advection acts to cool the sea surface during the northeast monsoon months. During the southwest monsoon horizontal advection of surface waters warms the SST over approximately the southern half of the basin, while the advection of upwelled water from the Somalia and Oman coasts substantially cools the northern basin. The central Arabian Sea during the southwest monsoon is the only area where the change in SST is balanced by the entrainment and turbulent diffusion at the base of the mixed layer. Agreement between the temporal change in the satellite-derived SST and the change calculated from the conservation of heat equation is surprisingly good given the errors in the measured variables and the bulk formula parameters. Throughout the year, monthly results over half of the basin agree within 3°. Considering that the SST changes between 8° and 12° over the year, this means that our results explain from 62% to 75% of the change in SST over 56% of the Arabian Sea. Two major processes contribute to the discrepancy in the change in SST calculated according to the heat budget equation and the change in SST derived from satellite observations. The first is the effect of the horizontal advection term. The position of the major eddies and currents during the southwest monsoon greatly affects the change in SST due to the large gradient in temperature between the cold upwelled waters along the Somali coast to the warm waters in the interior of the basin. The second major process is the thermocline effect. In areas of shallow mixed-layer depth, high insolation and wind speeds of either less than 3 m/s or greater than 15 m/s, the bulk formulae parameterization of the surface heat fluxes is inappropriate.

Seasonality and interannual variability of particle fluxes to the deep Bay of Bengal: influence of riverine input and oceanographic processes

Abstract Results from sediment trap experiments conducted from October 1987 until November 1997 in the deep northern, central and southern Bay of Bengal, northern Indian Ocean, revealed significant monsoon-induced seasonal and interannual variations in total and component fluxes. Distinct regional differences occurred related to the variable effect of terrestrial input and the development of relatively small-scaled oceanographic processes. The enormous fluvial input to the Bay during SWM is reflected in the high average content of lithogenic matter between 39% at the northernmost and 12.6% at the most distal sampling site in the southern Bay of Bengal. Generally, the riverine input supports a relative increase in the fluxes of biogenic opal. At the stations nearest to the continent (NBBT-N; CBBT) terrestrial inputs determine seasonal and interannual variabilities. Lateral supply of lithogenic matter from the shelf regions lead to distinct increase of fluxes with depth. High-flux events of >300 mg m −2 d −1 consisting of >50% lithogenics occur in the central Bay of Bengal during NEM and in the northern Bay of Bengal during SWM in response to resuspension of shelf sediments and severe floods. When riverine input by Ganges/Brahmaputra and the offshore propagation of the river plume during SWM is reduced, the advection from an upwelling area along the east coast of India during NE–SW intermonsoon becomes the most prominent control mechanism for both biogenic and lithogenic fluxes at NBBT-N. In the central Bay of Bengal (CBBT) fluxes are characterized by a bimodal pattern. High carbonate-dominated fluxes during SWM and NEM occur mainly due to wind-induced nutrient supply, whereas high, opal-rich fluxes during SW–NE intermonsoon are controlled by both upwelling as well as supply of riverine and shelf-derived matter. Wind forcing is the dominant factor controlling particle fluxes at the most distal stations (NBBT-S; SBBT), leading to distinct maxima during SWM with high abundance of biogenic components. Here, interannual variations of particle fluxes are associated with changes in marine productivity induced by oceanographic processes. This is most obvious for SBBT, where the advection of upwelled water from the west coast of India in some years results in highest SWM fluxes and a distinct shift towards biogenic opal.

Advection of upwelled waters in the form of plumes off Oman during the Southwest Monsoon

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery of sea-surface-temperature, TOPEX/POSEIDON measurements of sea-level-anomaly (SLA), and modeled surface winds and wind-stress fields are used in concert with other ancillary data to describe the influence of the 1995 Southwest Monsoon on the distribution of upwelled waters off the coast of Oman. The Oman upwelling zone is characterized by the entrainment of cold upwelled waters into plumes extending from the coast into the deep ocean unaffected by the steep bottom gradients. The most prominent of these plumes is found offshore of Ras al Madraka. A mechanism for the entrainment of upwelled water into plumes is hypothesized, and validated by observational data. It is proposed that the location of the plume is primarily governed by the sea level structure away from the coast and that coastally upwelled water is passively advected offshore through regions of low sea level. Analysis of the surface wind-stress fields show significant spatial variability associated with the predominantly cyclonic mean wind-stress curl, with relatively weak curl observed in the region south of Ras al Madraka and north of Ras Marbat. Decomposition of the surface wind-stress fields through Principal Component Analysis shows that, at certain periods, the development of strong along-shore winds and cyclonic wind-stress curl in the region north of Ras al Madraka. This information, combined with concurrent observations of TOPEX/POSEIDON sea-level-anomalies (SLAs), satellite derived sea-surface-temperatures (SST), and surface current measurements, shows that the combined effects of a strong along-shore wind field and positive wind-stress curl forces a depression in sea level in the region north of Ras al Madraka. The sea level gradient, caused by the presence of a sustained high sea level to the south of Ras al Madraka, causes geostrophic advection of coastally upwelled waters away from the shelf. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) velocity measurements along with SST maps further prove that the upwelled water is geostrophically advected offshore as opposed to being an offshore deflection of a wind-driven coastal current. Comparison of interannual features in the TOPEX/POSEIDON SLAs suggest that the plumes coming off coast in the Oman upwelling zone may not be directly linked to the coastal topography or bathymetry but are a result of interaction between mesoscale variations in the wind field and the underlying ocean. The strong along-shore winds and cyclonic wind-stress curl to the north of Ras al Madraka becomes enhanced when the Findlater Jet moves closer to the Oman coast than its mean position.