Salinity Minimum Research Articles

The role of salinity on the dynamics of the Arabian Sea mini warm pool

Warmer (>28°C) sea surface temperature (SST) occurs in the South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS, 5°N–13°N, 65°E–76°E) during March–April, and is known as the Arabian Sea Mini Warm Pool (ASMWP). In this study, we address the role of salinity and the upper layer heat and salt budgets in the formation and collapse of this ASMWP. An assessment of Level 3 sea surface salinity (SSS) data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission for the year 2010 shows that SMOS is able to capture the SSS variability in the SEAS. Analysis of temperature, salinity and currents from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model during 2003–06, and, in situ temperature and salinity data from Argo floats during 2003–06 for the SEAS revealed that low salinity waters cap the top 60 m of the SEAS in January–February. This minimum salinity was concurrent with the formation of a barrier layer and with the time when the SEAS gained little net heat flux and the equatorward flowing East India Coastal Current (EICC) fed low saline waters into the SEAS. Subsequently, the net heat flux increased to a peak value under the increased salinity stratification, leading to the formation of the ASMWP in March–April. The ASMWP collapsed by May due to increase in SSS and the associated weakening of the salinity stratification. The monsoon onset vortex in May 2004 could be related to the minimum SSS that occurred in February 2004, followed by higher SST and heat content of the ASMWP in April 2004.

The destiny of the North Pacific Intermediate Water in the South China Sea

The previous studies show that the spreading path of the subtropical salinity minimum of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) is southwestward pointing to the Luzon Strait. Based on the P-vector method and generalized digital environmental model (GDEM) data, the volume transport of NPIW through Luzon Strait and the upward transport on the NPIW lower and upper boundaries are calculated to examine the destiny of NPIW in the South China Sea (SCS). On the annual mean, the estimation of NPIW transport into the SCS through the Luzon Strait is 1.72 Sv (1Sv=106 m3/s). The upward transport over the SCS is 0.31 Sv on the NPIW upper boundary and 1.31 Sv on the NPIW lower boundary. There is no strait or passage deeper than the surface for the NPIW to extend, except for the Luzon Strait. For the volume balance in the SCS NPIW, the volume transport of 2.72 Sv has to flow out of the SCS NPIW layer through the Luzon Strait.

Thermohaline Staircases in a British Columbia Fjord

We present the first documented evidence of thermohaline staircases generated by double-diffusion in a coastal environment. Results are based on high (centimetre scale) resolution profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration collected on 20 July 2009 at seven stations along the axis of Belize Inlet on the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada (Fig. 1). Except for stations nearest the narrow Pacific Ocean entrance to the inlet, the observed temperature and salinity gradients between 70 and 210 m depth were of the same sign, therefore conducive to double-diffusive phenomena. Thermohaline features were especially well developed near the head of the inlet. Salt-fingering staircases of approximately 10 m thickness were observed above the temperature and salinity minima at 150 m depth and diffusive-convection staircases of approximately 1 m thickness were observed below this depth. We speculate that conditions favourable to double diffusion were initiated by a mid-depth intrusion of relatively cold, low salinity, oxygen-rich water that likely originated with intense tidal mixing in the narrow oceanic passage leading to the inlet. Findings confirm the existence of double diffusion in coastal oceanic regions and indicate that Belize Inlet may be a natural laboratory for the study of thermohaline processes in the ocean. [Traduit par la rédaction] Nous présentons la première observation documentée d'une structure thermohaline en escalier produite par double diffusion dans un environnement côtier. Les résultats sont basés sur des profils à haute résolution (échelle centimétrique) de la température, de la salinité et de la concentration en oxygène dissout établis le 20 juillet 2009 à sept stations le long de l'axe de l'anse Belize sur la côte continentale de la Colombie-Britannique, au Canada (fig. 1). À l'exception des stations les plus proches de l’étroite entrée de l'océan Pacifique vers l'anse, les gradients de température et de salinité entre 70 et 210 m de profondeur étaient du même signe et donc favorables au phénomène de double diffusion. Les caractéristiques thermohalines étaient particulièrement nettes près de la tête de l'anse. Des doigts de sel en forme de marches d'approximativement 10 m d’épaisseur ont été observés au-dessus des minimums de température et de salinité à 150 m de profondeur et des marches de convection diffusive d'environ 1 m d’épaisseur ont été observées au-dessous de cette profondeur. Nous formulons l'hypothèse que les conditions favorables à la double diffusion sont apparues par suite d'une intrusion à mi-profondeur d'eau relativement froide, de faible salinité et riche en oxygène provenant vraisemblablement d'un intense brassage maréal dans l’étroit passage océanique menant à l'anse. Les résultats confirment l'existence d'une double diffusion dans les régions océaniques côtières et indiquent que l'anse Belize peut être un laboratoire naturel pour l’étude des processus thermohalins dans l'océan.

Health and growth performance of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis L.) from two hanging cultivation sites in the German Bight: a nearshore—offshore comparison

The health of cultivated blue mussels from an offshore and a nearshore sites was compared by assessing lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) and accumulations of lipofuscin and neutral lipids in the digestive glands. In addition, the condition index, parasite infestation rates, growth performance and energy status of the mussels were assessed during 10 months of sampling. Abiotic and biotic site characteristics were investigated by water analysis for each sampling cycle. Further, data of contaminant loads of the softbody and pollutant concentration of the water column, suspended particles and sediments from both sites were analysed. Results show that positive offshore effects due to dilution of contamination were not evident for all parameters analysed. Condition indices were high, and parasites were not present in offshore mussels. In contrast, the integrative health parameter LMS and growth performance were slightly, but not significantly, better in the nearshore cultivated mussels. These findings correspond with the higher contaminant concentrations in the softbodies of mussels and the water column from the offshore testing site. Both sites showed low LMS values and high accumulations of lipofuscin and neutral lipids, indicating that environmental conditions in the German Bight are generating stress for blue mussels even in the offshore areas. Exposure to fluvial transport points to a comparable probability for high contamination loads similar to nearshore areas. We therefore recommend adding a minimum salinity threshold to the definition of offshore aquaculture to exclude areas under fluvial influence.

Simulated Interannual Variations of Freshwater Content and Sea Surface Height in the Beaufort Sea*

Abstract The authors investigate the interannual variations of freshwater content (FWC) and sea surface height (SSH) in the Beaufort Sea, particularly their increases during 2004–09, using a coupled ice–ocean model (CIOM), adapted for the Arctic Ocean to simulate the interannual variations. The CIOM simulation exhibits a (relative) salinity minimum in the Beaufort Sea and a warm Atlantic water layer in the Arctic Ocean, which is similar to the Polar Hydrographic Climatology (PHC), and captures the observed FWC maximum in the central Beaufort Sea, and the observed variation and rapid decline of total ice concentration, over the last 30 years. The model simulations of SSH and FWC suggest a significant increase in the central Beaufort Sea during 2004–09. The simulated SSH increase is about 8 cm, while the FWC increase is about 2.5 m, with most of these increases occurring in the center of the Beaufort gyre. The authors show that these increases are due to an increased surface wind stress curl during 2004–09, which increased the FWC in the Beaufort Sea by about 0.63 m yr−1 through Ekman pumping. Moreover, the increased surface wind is related to the interannual variation of the Arctic polar vortex at 500 hPa. During 2004–09, the polar vortex had significant weakness, which enhanced the Beaufort Sea high by affecting the frequency of synoptic weather systems in the region. In addition to the impacts of the polar vortex, enhanced melting of sea ice also contributes to the FWC increase by about 0.3 m yr−1 during 2004–09.

Rain‐induced variability of near sea‐surface T and S from drifter data

The effect of rain on sea surface temperature, salinity and density is examined using data of surface drifters in regions of the tropical oceans with large rainfall. In a few off‐equatorial areas, there are sufficient drifter data to composite average daily cycles. There, the period of the day with largest salinity changes is associated with the largest rainfall rates and the lowest salinity. For a one‐yearlong trajectory in the southwest Pacific, this results in an early morning salinity minimum, whereas the opposite is found close to equatorial West Africa. We then consider individual freshening events larger than 0.1 psu (averaging 0.56 psu at 50 cm), and find that they are often related with local rainfall, are associated with a surface cooling, and relax in a time inversely proportional to wind intensity. The temperature cooling is dependent on the time of day, but the freshening presents less daily cycle and the largest fast changes in salinity tend to be associated with the largest rainfall rates. When two measurement levels are available, the initial salinity signal is larger by more than 20% at the shallow depth (15 cm) compared with the deeper measurement level (near 50 cm), and the temperature and salinity gradients between the two levels are proportional (0.22°C for a 1% dilution).

Long-term variations of surface and intermediate waters in the southern Indian Ocean along 32°S

Variations of water properties in surface and intermediate layers along 32°S in the southern Indian Ocean were examined using a 50-year (1960–2010) time series reproduced from historical hydrographic and Argo data by using optimum interpolation. Salinity in the 26.7–27.3σθ density layer decreased significantly over the whole section, at a maximum rate of 0.02 decade−1 at 26.8–26.9σθ, for the 50-year average. Three deoxygenating cores were identified east of 75°E, and the increasing rate of apparent oxygen utilization in the most prominent core (26.9–27.0σθ) exceeded 0.05 ml l−1 decade−1. The pycnostad core of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and the salinity minimum of Antarctic Intermediate Water shifted slightly toward the lighter layers. Comparisons with trans-Indian Ocean survey data from 1936 suggest that the tendencies found in the time series began before 1960. Interestingly, cores of many prominent trends were located just offshore of Australia at 26.7–27.0σθ, which is in the SAMW density range. Spectrum analysis revealed that two oscillation components with time scales of about 40 and 10 years were dominant in the subsurface layers. Our results are fairly consistent with, and thus support, the oceanic responses in the southern Indian Ocean to anthropogenic climate change predicted by model studies.

Multidecadal Warming and Shoaling of Antarctic Intermediate Water*

Abstract Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is a dominant Southern Hemisphere water mass that spreads from its formation regions just north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) to at least 20°S in all oceans. This study uses an isopycnal climatology constructed from Argo conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profile data to define the current state of the AAIW salinity minimum (its core) and thence compute anomalies of AAIW core pressure, potential temperature, salinity, and potential density since the mid-1970s from ship-based CTD profiles. The results are used to calculate maps of temporal property trends at the AAIW core, where statistically significant strong circumpolar shoaling (30–50 dbar decade−1), warming (0.05°–0.15°C decade−1), and density reductions [up to −0.03 (kg m−3) decade−1] are found. These trends are strongest just north of the ACC in the southeast Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and decrease equatorward. Salinity trends are generally small, with their sign varying regionally. Bottle data are used to extend the AAIW core potential temperature anomaly analysis back to 1925 in the Atlantic and to ~1960 elsewhere. The modern warm AAIW core conditions appear largely unprecedented in the historical record: biennially and zonally binned median AAIW core potential temperatures within each ocean basin are, with the notable exception of the subtropical South Atlantic in the 1950s–70s, 0.2–1°C colder than modern values. Zonally averaged sea surface temperature anomalies around the AAIW formation latitudes in each ocean and sectoral southern annular mode indices are used to put the AAIW core property trends and variations into context.

Surface water dissolved aluminum and titanium: Tracers for specific time scales of dust deposition to the Atlantic?

Surface water distributions of dissolved Al (dAl) and dissolved Ti (dTi) were investigated along a meridional Atlantic transect and related to dust deposition estimates. In the zone of Saharan dust deposition, highest dAl concentrations occurred in the tropical salinity minimum and suggest increasing Al dissolution from Saharan aerosols with wet deposition. By contrast, the dTi distribution is not related to precipitation but agrees with the pattern of annual dust deposition. In the zone of Patagonian dust deposition, elevated dTi concentrations contrasted with decreased dAl concentrations, indicating excess dAl scavenging onto biogenic particles in surface waters. Estimated residence times range from months to years for dAl and are ∼10 times higher for dTi. This suggests that dAl reflects seasonal changes in dust deposition, while dTi is related to longer temporal scales. However, spatial variations in input and removal processes complicate the quantification of dust deposition from surface water concentrations.

The California Current System in relation to the Northeast Pacific Ocean circulation

The California Current System is described in its regional setting using two modern datasets. Argo provides a broadscale view of the entire eastern North Pacific Ocean for the period 2004–2010, and the High Resolution XBT Network includes transects from Honolulu to San Francisco (1991–2010) and to Los Angeles (2008–2010). Together these datasets describe a California Current of 500–800 km width extending along the coast from 43°N to 23°N. The mean southward transport of the California Current is about 5 Sv off Central and Southern California, with about 2.5 Sv of northward flow on its inshore side. Interannual variations are 50% or more of the mean transports. The salinity minimum in the core of the California Current is supplied by the North Pacific Current and by freshwater from the northern continental shelf and modified by alongshore geostrophic and across-shore Ekman advection as well as eddy fluxes and air–sea exchange. The heat and freshwater content of the California Current vary in response to the fluctuating strength of the alongshore geostrophic flow. On its offshore side, the California Current is influenced by North Pacific Intermediate Waters at its deepest levels and by Eastern Subtropical Mode Waters on shallower density surfaces. In total, the sources of the California Current, its alongshore advection, and its strong interactions with the inshore upwelling region and the offshore gyre interior combine to make this a rich and diverse ecosystem. The present work reviews previous contributions to the regional oceanography, and uses the new datasets to paint a spatially and temporally more comprehensive description than was possible previously.

통영 주변 해역 수질의 공간분포 및 월 변화 특성

연안 해역을 효과적으로 관리하고 어장을 이용하기 위한 기초자료로 활용하기 위해 통영주변해역에 대하여 환경 특성을 조사하였다. 수온의 변동범위는 5.17~27.11 ℃이었으며, 1월에 낮았으며, 8월 하순에 가장 높았다. 염분의 변동범위는 24.04~34.39 psu이었으며, 7월에 일시적으로 낮았으며, 11월 이후에 회복되었다. DO는 변동범위는 4.17~12.38 mg/L이었으며, 저층에서는 5월부터 원문만과 북신만 주변에서 4 mg/L 이하의 낮은 농도가 관측되었다. NO₂-N, NO₃-N, PO₄-P 농도는 3월부터는 아주 낮았으며, 10월 이후부터는 높아졌다. 투명도의 평균치는 6 m 정도였으며, 원문만에서 특이하게 높았다. COD 농도는 수온이 높은 여름에 높았으며, Chl. α 농도는 7~10월에 높았다. 수질인자를 이용하여 군집을 분석하였으며, 크게 3개 그룹으로 나누졌다. 이들 3개 해역의 특성을 요약하면 원문만 해역(Ⅰ) 표층은 담수가 많이 유입되고, DO, Chl. a 농도 및 투명도가 높고, 저층에서는 DO 농도가 낮으며, NH₄-N의 농도가 높은 해역이다. 외해(Ⅲ)는 염분, NO₃-N 농도가 높고, Chl. α 농도가 낮은 해역으로 구분된다. 그리고 통영주변 해역(Ⅱ)은 Ⅰ 해역과 Ⅲ 해역의 중간 특징을 가지는 것으로 보인다. 그리고 이번 조사 해역을 가막만, 광양만과 비교해보면 굴이 먹이를 많이 섭취하는 여름철에 이번 조사의 해역 모두가 가막만과 광양만보다 NO₃-N 농도가 상당히 낮고 먹이생물의 양을 나타내는 클로로필 농도도 낮았다. 또 우렁쉥이가 먹이를 많이 섭취하는 수온이 낮은 시기에도 가막만, 광양만보다 클로로필 농도가 낮은 특성을 보였다.

Stepwise seasonal restratification and the evolution of salinity minimum in the Gulf of Aqaba (Gulf of Eilat)

[1] The Gulf of Aqaba (Gulf of Eilat) is a terminal elongated basin that exchanges water with the northern Red Sea via the Straits of Tiran. The gulf's hydrography exhibits strong seasonal variability, with deep mixing in February–March and stable stratification afterward. Recently, using an oceanic model that simulated the seasonal conditions in the gulf, we demonstrated that a relatively large advected heat and water influx through the straits are responsible for most of the observed rises in temperature and increase in volume of the surface layer during the restratification phase (April–August). Here we investigate the restratification process in the surface layer by using the same oceanic model with the aid of passive tracers that allow tracking the water entering through the straits as it flows northward. We show that the time-varying surface hydrography in the northern Red Sea has a significant influence on the seasonal hydrographic conditions in the gulf. The northern Red Sea water warms monotonically during the restratification phase. As a result, new water that enters the gulf during this phase is warmer than the water that entered previously and therefore the stratification is built up gradually layer by layer. The phase difference between minimal salinity (May) and maximal temperature (September) in the northern Red Sea is responsible for the evolution of subsurface salinity minimum level along the gulf. We also explain the transition to a four-layer exchange flow between August and November.

Multispecies Mortality Patterns of Commercial Bivalves in Relation to Estuarine Salinity Fluctuation

Fluctuations in salinity may cause huge economic losses in estuaries with exploited commercial bivalves owing to their effect on mortality of these species. However, the same decrease in salinity does not affect all species in the same way, so it is interesting to study the effect of salinity from a multispecies standpoint. In the management of exploited bivalve beds, it is important to know the tolerance thresholds of the species, not only in cases of extremely low salinities but also over prolonged periods when salinities are low but not extreme. An analysis of mortality episodes of commercial bivalves in the Ulla River estuary (Galicia, NW Spain) from 1977 to 2009 revealed two mortality patterns related to how greatly the different species were affected. A mathematical model was designed to estimate salinity in the estuary based on weather conditions and tidal amplitude. By applying this model, it was possible to deduce the intensity and duration of the salinity decrease in the days prior to each mortality episode with the goal of relating these factors to mortality patterns. The two parameters found to be sufficient to explain the mortality observed were the minimum salinity at high tide and the number of consecutive days below a specific salinity threshold.

Downwelling then upwelling again of the upwelled Kuroshio water in the southern East China Sea

As has been well known for several decades, the subsurface Kuroshio waters upwell onto the East China Sea when the Kuroshio impinges on the continental shelf northeast of Taiwan. Based on hydrological and geochemical data, our previous study demonstrated that the upwelled Kuroshio waters downwell then upwell again northwest of Taiwan in August. A subsequent effort attributed this complex phenomenon to varying vorticity or the Rossby number at the study area, which encompasses two strong currents, i.e., the Kuroshio and the Taiwan Warm Current. Moreover, downwelling‐favorable winds coincided with the observation period. This study demonstrates that the above phenomenon does not occur in the northern Taiwan Strait, but appears to surface outside of the strait during all seasons. In general, downwelling of previously upwelled Kuroshio waters from the east brings down waters from the surface, explaining why the recipient bottom waters show a horizontal maximum temperature but a minimum salinity, σt and NO3 + NO2. The downwelled waters subsequently upwell again. Since the recipient near‐surface waters arise from the depth, there exists a horizontal minimum in temperature but a maximum salinity, σt and NO3 + NO2 is found. However, whether wind patterns play a critical role in generating these vertical water movements remains unclear.

Antarctic Intermediate Water influence on Mediterranean Sea Water outflow

This study of the mixing of Mediterranean Sea Water (MW) with the surrounding waters was made possible by the Semane 2002 cruise (Sortie des Eaux Meditérranéennes dans l'Atlantique Nord-Est) that took place in the Gulf of Cadiz in July 2002. Potential temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients and CFC data are used to describe the water masses present in the Gulf. In the southern part of the basin, a water mass characterised by low oxygen, high nutrient and low CFC concentrations occurs along the African continental slope. This water has been identified as the modified Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). It has been previously observed south of this section, at the latitude of the Canary Islands, as a northward flow between the African shelf and the islands. The modified AAIW found in the Gulf of Cadiz is situated at a density of 27.5 kg m −3. Above, at 27.3 kg m −3, the lower limb of the North Atlantic Central Water is observed as a salinity minimum. The modified AAIW enters the Gulf of Cadiz along the south-western part of the continental shelf. It flows cyclonically and exits north-westward. In the northern part of the gulf, due to the presence of the Mediterranean Undercurrent (MU), the AAIW flows off the coast. An optimum multiparameter analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of the AAIW on the MW northwest of the basin. We show that the AAIW is present in the lower core of the MU at a proportion of 12.9±8.2% and is absent in the upper core.

Three long-lived anticyclonic eddies in the northern South China Sea

[1] In August 2007, three long-lived anticyclonic eddies (ACE1, ACE2, and ACE3) were detected by both satellite sea level anomaly (SLA) map and in situ measurements in the northern South China Sea (SCS). ACE3 had a two-core (ACE3(1) and ACE3(2)) structure. In situ stations along 18 degrees N almost cut through the centers of ACE2 and ACE3 (2). Near the centers of ACE2 and ACE3(2), mean temperature and sound velocity are similar to 0.65 degrees C and similar to 2 m s(-1) larger than those in their surrounding areas, respectively, while mean salinity and density are similar to 0.02 psu and similar to 0.15 m(3) s (1) smaller than those in their surrounding areas due to downwelling near the eddy cores. The depths of maximum and minimum salinity near the eddy cores are similar to 65 m and similar to 35 m larger than those in their surrounding areas. The vertical depth with current speed larger than 0.05 m s (1) can reach similar to 900 m. Their detailed evolutionary processes were depicted based on the variation of geostrophic currents and the trajectories of five drifting buoys. ACE1 lasted 147 days, while ACE2 and ACE3 lasted 168 days and 210 days, respectively. ACE1 had a smaller mean SLA (18.8 cm) in its lifetime than ACE2 (21.8 cm) and ACE3 (25.3 cm) but had a larger negative mean vorticity (-7.7 x 10(-6) s(-1)) than ACE2 (-7.0 x 10(-6) s(-1)) and ACE3 (-7.0 x 10(-6) s(-1)). One short-lived anticyclonic eddy that split from ACE2 and another one that merged with ACE3 both had a smaller SLA, negative vorticity, and diameter than ACE2 and ACE3, respectively.

SUBTROPICAL WATER MASSES IN HALMAHERA WATERS

Research of water masses by using conductivity temperature depth (CTD), are conducted in the eastern path of the Indonesia Throughflow (ITF) in the Halmahera, Seram and Banda seas during March-April 2007 under the Expedition of Widya Nusantara (EWIN). The objective of this research is to see maximum salinity spread of South Pacific Subtropical Water (SPSW) water masses enter the eastern Indonesia Waters. The temperature and salinity profiles show the presence of the presence of SPSW have been very much confined to the Halmahera Sea only. Little of this water masses have been detected in the eastern Seram Sea, but none in Banda Sea. Early data of Arlindo Mixing (ARMIX) experiment in southeast monsoon 1993 indicated that this water masses SPSW may entered the southern most part of the Moluccas Sea. Type of South Pacific Subtropical Water (SPSW) water masses appears in the Halmahera Sea at an average depth of 200m and the dominant flows between Halmahera and Obi Islands (Moluccas Sea continues to the east). Type of South Pacific Intermediate Water (SPIW) water mass appeared on average Halmahera Sea at a depth of 750m and the dominant flows between Halmahera and Obi Islands (Moluccas Sea continues to the east). Type of North Pacific Subtropical Water (NPSW) water masses at an average depth of ~ 150m found in the northern part of Halmahera, the dominant flow to the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait, Flores Sea and partly flows into Lombok Straits. Type of minimum salinity water mass of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) obtained at an average depth of ~ 400m dominant flow towards the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait and Flores Sea.Keywords: maximum salinity, SPSW, Halmahera, Seram, and Banda Seas

SUBTROPICAL WATER MASSES IN HALMAHERA WATERS

<p>Research of water masses by using conductivity temperature depth (CTD), are conducted in the eastern path of the Indonesia Throughflow (ITF) in the Halmahera, Seram and Banda seas during March-April 2007 under the Expedition of Widya Nusantara (EWIN). The objective of this research is to see maximum salinity spread of South Pacific Subtropical Water (SPSW) water masses enter the eastern Indonesia Waters. The temperature and salinity profiles show the presence of the presence of SPSW have been very much confined to the Halmahera Sea only. Little of this water masses have been detected in the eastern Seram Sea, but none in Banda Sea. Early data of Arlindo Mixing (ARMIX) experiment in southeast monsoon 1993 indicated that this water masses SPSW may entered the southern most part of the Moluccas Sea. Type of South Pacific Subtropical Water (SPSW) water masses appears in the Halmahera Sea at an average depth of 200m and the dominant flows between Halmahera and Obi Islands (Moluccas Sea continues to the east). Type of South Pacific Intermediate Water (SPIW) water mass appeared on average Halmahera Sea at a depth of 750m and the dominant flows between Halmahera and Obi Islands (Moluccas Sea continues to the east). Type of North Pacific Subtropical Water (NPSW) water masses at an average depth of ~ 150m found in the northern part of Halmahera, the dominant flow to the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait, Flores Sea and partly flows into Lombok Straits. Type of minimum salinity water mass of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) obtained at an average depth of ~ 400m dominant flow towards the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait and Flores Sea.</p><p>Keywords: maximum salinity, SPSW, Halmahera, Seram, and Banda Seas</p>

Changes in the global hydrological‐cycle inferred from ocean salinity

Using global datasets of in situ observations, we calculate salinity changes on ocean‐density surfaces between 1970 and 2005. This reveals a global pattern of increased salinities near the upper‐ocean salinity‐maximum layer (average depth of ∼100 m) and decreased salinities near the intermediate salinity minimum (average depth of ∼700 m). The salinity changes imply a 3 ± 2% decrease in precipitation‐minus evaporation (P‐E) over the mid and low latitude oceans in both hemispheres, a 7 ± 4% increase in the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, and a 16 ± 6% increase in the Southern Ocean since 1970. This pattern of increased precipitation at high latitudes and decreased precipitation in the subtropics is reflected in both land records and in the short satellite records. The quantification of the atmospheric signal of climate change on ocean salinity supports model projections, and extends the growing evidence for an acceleration of the Earth's water cycle.

Effect of salinity and temperature on salinity tolerance of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus juveniles acclimated to different environmental conditions (23, 25, and 27°C combined with 25, 30, and 35 psu) were assessed for tolerance to increasing and decreasing levels of salinity at a rate of 2 psu h−1. They were also tested for the LS50 (median lethal salinity) when transferred directly into a series of higher salinity (32–46 psu) and lower salinity (9–25 psu). The CSMax (critical salinity maximum), CSMin (critical salinity minimum), USTL (upper salinity tolerance limit), and LSTL (lower salinity tolerance limit) were positively correlated to the acclimated salinity level but negatively correlated to temperature. The CSMax of A. japonicus was 6.2–10.0 psu higher than the USTL, and the CSMin was 5.5–8.5 psu lower than the LSTL, indicating that gradual changes in salinity resulted in the wide range of salinity tolerance that was observed, but that abrupt changes in salinity resulted in the narrow range of tolerance. Two-way analysis of variance revealed that salinity and temperature had a significant effect on 50% CSMax, 50% CSMin, USTL, and LSTL (P < 0.001). The information obtained in this study will be valuable for the further development of the sea cucumber aquaculture industry in China.