Plume Layer Research Articles

Pitfalls with the use of enhancement ratios or normalized excess mixing ratios measured in plumes to characterize pollution sources and aging

Abstract. Normalized excess mixing ratios (NEMRs), also known as enhancement ratios, are a common way to characterize plumes of pollution in atmospheric research. As single-source pollutant plumes disperse in the atmosphere, they are diluted by mixing with the adjacent background air. Changes in the composition of this background air can cause large changes to the NEMR that is subsequently measured by remote-sensing, airborne, or ground-based instruments. This scenario is common when boundary layer plumes enter the free troposphere and could also impact long-range transport or plumes near the top of the troposphere. We provide a context for these issues and an example showing that neglect of this effect could lead to serious errors in data interpretation.

Interaction between coherent structures and surface temperature and its effect on ground heat flux in an unstably stratified boundary layer

Surface layer plumes, thermals, downdrafts and roll vortices are the most prominent coherent structures in an unstably stratified boundary layer. They contribute most of the temperature and vertical velocity variance, and their time scales increase with height. The effects of these multi-scale structures (surface layer plumes scale with surface layer depth, thermals scale with boundary layer height and the resulting roll vortices scale with convective time scale) on the surface temperature and ground heat flux were studied using turbulence measurements throughout the atmospheric boundary layer and the surface temperature measurements from an infrared camera. Plumes and thermals imprint on the surface temperature as warm structures and downdrafts imprint as cold structures. The air temperature trace shows a ramp-like pattern, with small ramps overlaid on a large ramp very close to the surface; on the other hand, surface temperature gradually increases and decreases. Turbulent heat flux and ground heat flux show similar patterns, with the former lagging the latter. The maximum values of turbulent heat flux and ground heat flux are 4 and 1.2 times the respective mean values during the ejection event. Surface temperature fluctuations follow a similar power-law exponent relationship with stability as suggested by surface layer similarity theory.

Assessment of the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Bulk Hydrocarbon Respiration Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Following the Deepwater Horizon blowout, the respiration of hydrocarbons dissolved and trapped in the deep and intermediate waters of the Gulf of Mexico imparted a significant reduction in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and stimulated a bloom of bacteria biomass. The investigation of 1316 DO profiles measured from 11 May until 20 September 2010 revealed the spatial and temporal variability of bulk hydrocarbon respiration in these deep and intermediate plumes. These analyses suggest that while there were occasional reversals in direction, the general movement of these plumes was toward the southwest and that the cumulative loss of DO peaked from 14 August through 18 September at a value of 18.9 ± 3.8 Gmol. These oxygen-based analyses were extended to determine a first-order estimate of the total release of hydrocarbon mass to the environment that must be less than or equal to the true release based on the inherent assumptions; these analyses estimate a total environmental release of 0.47 ± 0.09 Tg of hydrocarbons. These analyses estimate a total mass of 0.18 ± 0.05 Tg hydrocarbons in the plume layers fully respired to CO(2), 0.10 ± 0.08 Tg hydrocarbons incorporated into biomass, and the biomass/hydrocarbon conversion efficiency of 0.36 ± 0.11 mg biomass/mg hydrocarbon. These analyses also suggest that methane was the dominant hydrocarbon controlling the bulk respiration rates, that the rates peaked around 11 July, and that the addition of dispersants to the wellhead effectively accelerated hydrocarbon respiration.

Biological and physical forcing of carbonate chemistry in an upwelling filament off northwest Africa: Results from a Lagrangian study

The Mauritanian upwelling system is one of the most biologically productive regions of the world's oceans. Coastal upwelling transfers nutrients to the sun‐lit surface ocean, thereby stimulating phytoplankton growth. Upwelling of deep waters also supplies dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), high levels of which lead to low calcium carbonate saturation states in surface waters, with potentially adverse effects on marine calcifiers. In this study an upwelled filament off the coast of northwest Africa was followed using drifting buoys and sulphur hexafluoride to determine how the carbonate chemistry changed over time as a result of biological, physical and chemical processes. The initial pHtot in the mixed layer of the upwelled plume was 7.94 and the saturation states of calcite and aragonite were 3.4 and 2.2, respectively. As the plume moved offshore over a period of 9 days, biological uptake of DIC (37 μmol kg−1) reduced pCO2 concentrations from 540 to 410 μatm, thereby increasing pHtot to 8.05 and calcite and aragonite saturation states to 4.0 and 2.7 respectively. The increase (25 μmol kg−1) in total alkalinity over the 9 day study period can be accounted for solely by the combined effects of nitrate uptake and processes that alter salinity (i.e., evaporation and mixing with other water masses). We found no evidence of significant alkalinity accumulation as a result of exudation of organic bases by primary producers. The ongoing expansion of oxygen minimum zones through global warming will likely further reduce the CaCO3 saturation of upwelled waters, amplifying any adverse consequences of ocean acidification on the ecosystem of the Mauritanian upwelling system.

Dynamics of solitary waves observed over the North Indian Ocean during the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) 1999

During the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) experiment (January-March 1999), mesoscale solitary waves have been observed and tracked over the North Indian Ocean on a series of Meteosat-5 satellite images. These solitary waves have a horizontal wavelength of 10-15 km and propagate westward at low level at a speed of 10-18 m/s. Unlike similar wave phenomena observed mainly over land, they have a long lifetime, which can exceed 48 h. A key element explaining the existence and longevity of the solitary waves is the presence of an inversion layer, acting as a waveguide and separating the boundary layer into two sublayers: a lower layer over the ocean (marine boundary layer) and an upper layer originating from the Indian subcontinent (land plume layer). Profiles from radiosondes launched from the Ron Brown and from dropsondes from the Hercules C-130 airplane helped to determine this waveguide structure. A suggested mechanism leading to the generation of solitary waves is a collision between the sea breeze in the vicinity of the West Indian coast and the easterly/northeasterly winter monsoon winds, with a possible contribution of convection reinforced by topography (Western Ghats range), during the local afternoon. Another phenomenon related to sea breeze and local convection in this coastal area, the injection of of moisture into the drier upper boundary layer, has also been identified on European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyses. These bubbles form daily during the afternoon and drift westward over the North Indian Ocean at latitudes around 12N and progressively subside and dissipate or become integrated into larger air masses. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Rapid dispersal of a hydrothermal plume by turbulent mixing

The water column imprint of the hydrothermal plume observed at the Nibelungen field (8°18 ′S 13°30 ′W) is highly variable in space and time. The off-axis location of the site, along the southern boundary of a non-transform ridge offset at the joint between two segments of the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is characterized by complex, rugged topography, and thus favorable for the generation of internal tides, subsequent internal wave breaking, and associated vertical mixing in the water column. We have used towed transects and vertical profiles of stratification, turbidity, and direct current measurements to investigate the strength of turbulent mixing in the vicinity of the vent site and the adjacent rift valley, and its temporal and spatial variability in relation to the plume dispersal. Turbulent diffusivities K ρ were calculated from temperature inversions via Thorpe scales. Heightened mixing (compared to open ocean values) was observed in the whole rift valley within an order of K ρ around 10 −3 m 2 s −1. The mixing close to the vent site was even more elevated, with an average of K ρ = 4 × 10 − 2 m 2 s − 1 . The mixing, as well as the flow field, exhibited a strong tidal cycle, with strong currents and mixing at the non-buoyant plume level during ebb flow. Periods of strong mixing were associated with increased internal wave activity and frequent occurrence of turbulent overturns. Additional effects of mixing on plume dispersal include bifurcation of the particle plume, likely as a result of the interplay between the modulated mixing strength and current speed, as well as high frequency internal waves in the effluent plume layer, possibly triggered by the buoyant plume via nonlinear interaction with the elevated background turbulence or penetrative convection.

Latest time-lapse seismic data from Sleipner yield new insights into CO2 plume development

Since its inception in 1996, the CO2 injection operation at Sleipner has been monitored by 3D time-lapse seismic surveys. Striking images of the CO2 plume have been obtained, showing a multi-tier feature of high reflectivity, interpreted as arising from a number of thin layers of CO2 trapped beneath thin, intra-reservoir mudstones. The topmost layer of the CO2 plume can be characterized most accurately, and its rate of growth quantified. From this the CO2 flux arriving at the reservoir top can be estimated. This is mostly controlled by pathway flow through the intra-reservoir mudstones. Flow has increased steadily with time suggesting that pathway transmissivities are increasing with time, and/or the pathways are becoming more numerous. Detailed 3D history-matching of the topmost layer cannot easily reproduce the observed rate of lateral spreading. Very high reservoir permeabilities seem likely, possibly with a degree of anisotropy. Other modelling variables under investigation include topseal topography, the number of feeder pathways and CO2 properties. Detailed studies such as this will provide important constraints on longer-term predictive models of plume evolution. © 2009 Natural Environment Research Council.

Evaluation of a coastal ocean circulation model for the Columbia River plume in summer 2004

Realistic hindcast of the Columbia River estuarine‐plume‐shelf circulation in summer 2004 using the Regional Ocean Modeling System nested within the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) is quantitatively evaluated with an extensive set of observations. The model has about equal skill at tidal and subtidal properties. Tidal circulation and water properties are best simulated in the estuary, which is strongly forced and damped, but worst on the shelf. Subtidal currents are again best in the estuary. However, subtidal temperature and salinity are best simulated in the surface waters on the shelf, even inside the river plume. A comprehensive skill assessment method is proposed to evaluate the cross‐scale modeling system with a focus on the plume. The model domain is divided into five dynamical regions: estuary, near‐ and far‐field plume, near surface and deep layers. A skill score is obtained for each region by averaging the skills of different physical variables, and an overall skill is obtained by averaging the skills across the five regions. This weighting metric results in more skill weight per unit volume in the near surface layer where the plume is trapped and in the estuary. It is also demonstrated, through model/data comparison and skill assessment, that by nesting within NCOM, some important remote forcing, e.g., coastal trapped waves, are added to our model; on the other hand, some biases are also received. With a finer grid and more realistic forcing, our regional model improves skill over a larger‐scale model in modeling the shelf‐plume circulation.

Analysis of the thermal plumes in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection based on well-resolved numerical simulations

In this study, direct numerical simulations and high-resolved large eddy simulations of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection were conducted with a fluid of Prandtl number Pr = 0.7 in a long rectangular cell of aspect ratio unity in the cross-section and periodic boundaries in a horizontal longitudinal direction. The analysis of the thermal and kinetic energy spectra suggests that temperature and velocity fields are correlated within the thermal boundary layers and tend to be uncorrelated in the core region of the flow. A tendency of decorrelation of the temperature and velocity fields is also observed for increasing Ra when the flow has become fully turbulent, which is thought to characterize this regime. This argument is also supported by the analysis of the correlation of the turbulent fluctuations |u|′ and θ′. The plume and mixing layer dominated region is found to be separated from the thermal dissipation rates of the bulk and conductive sublayer by the inflection points of the probability density function (PDF). In order to analyse the contributions of bulk, boundary layers and plumes to the mean heat transfer, the thermal dissipation rate PDFs of four different Ra are integrated over these three regions. Hence, it is shown that the core region is dominated by the turbulent fluctuations of the thermal dissipation rate throughout the range of simulated Ra, whereas the contributions from the conductive sublayer due to turbulent fluctuations increase rapidly with Ra. The latter contradicts results by He, Tong & Xia (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 98, 2007). The results also show that the plumes and mixing layers are increasingly dominated by the mean gradient contributions. The PDFs of the core region are compared to an analytical scaling law for passive scalar turbulence which is found to be in good agreement with the results of the present study. It is noted that the core region scaling seems to approach the behaviour of a passive scalar as Ra increases, i.e. it changes from pure exponential to a stretched exponential scaling.

Remote sensing of aerosol plumes: a semianalytical model

A semianalytical model, named APOM (aerosol plume optical model) and predicting the radiative effects of aerosol plumes in the spectral range [0.4,2.5 microm], is presented in the case of nadir viewing. It is devoted to the analysis of plumes arising from single strong emission events (high optical depths) such as fires or industrial discharges. The scene is represented by a standard atmosphere (molecules and natural aerosols) on which a plume layer is added at the bottom. The estimated at-sensor reflectance depends on the atmosphere without plume, the solar zenith angle, the plume optical properties (optical depth, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry parameter), the ground reflectance, and the wavelength. Its mathematical expression as well as its numerical coefficients are derived from MODTRAN4 radiative transfer simulations. The DISORT option is used with 16 fluxes to provide a sufficiently accurate calculation of multiple scattering effects that are important for dense smokes. Model accuracy is assessed by using a set of simulations performed in the case of biomass burning and industrial plumes. APOM proves to be accurate and robust for solar zenith angles between 0 degrees and 60 degrees whatever the sensor altitude, the standard atmosphere, for plume phase functions defined from urban and rural models, and for plume locations that extend from the ground to a height below 3 km. The modeling errors in the at-sensor reflectance are on average below 0.002. They can reach values of 0.01 but correspond to low relative errors then (below 3% on average). This model can be used for forward modeling (quick simulations of multi/hyperspectral images and help in sensor design) as well as for the retrieval of the plume optical properties from remotely sensed images.

On the spatial scales of a river plume

We report observations of the structure of the front that surrounds the plume of the Connecticut River in Long Island Sound (LIS). Salinity, temperature, and velocity in the near‐surface waters were measured by both towed and ship‐mounted sensors and an autonomous underwater vehicle. We find that the plume front extends south from the mouth of the river, normal to the direction of the tidal flow in LIS and then curves to the east to parallel the tidal current. The layer depth at the front and the cross‐front jumps in salinity and near‐surface velocity all tend to decrease as distance from the source increases. This is qualitatively consistent with the prediction of layer models. In the across‐front direction, the plume layer depth increases from zero to the asymptotic value within a few times the plume depth (∼5 m). Vertical motion is generated in this zone, and there is evidence of overturning. Farther from the front, the high‐frequency salinity standard deviation decays exponentially with a length scale of 30 m. Assuming that the salinity fluctuations are a consequence of turbulence, we find that the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation decreases exponentially in the across‐front direction with a decay scale LG ≈ 15 m. Estimates based on AUV‐mounted shear probes are consistent with this estimate. We present an explanation of the physics that determines LG and provide a simple formula to guide the choice of resolution in models that are designed to resolve the frontal structure.

Measuring the thicknesses of the freshwater-layer plume and sea ice in the land-fast ice region of the Mackenzie Delta using helicopter-borne sensors

Helicopter-borne sensors have been used since the early 1990s to monitor ice properties in support of winter marine transportation along the east coast of Canada. The observations are used in ice chart production and to validate ice hazard identification algorithms using satellite advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) imagery. In this study we evaluated the sensors' additional capability to monitor the freshwater plume characteristic beneath land-fast ice. During the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES) data were collected over the Mackenzie Delta in the southern Beaufort Sea where a buoyant river plume exists. Results showed that the electromagnetic–laser system could describe not only the ice properties but also the horizontal distribution of the freshwater plume depths that decreased in depth stepwise offshore as the flow of the buoyant plume was restricted by a series of ridge-rubble fields running parallel to the coast. Relative to the 2 m mean ice thickness, the plume layer depth varied from zero under mobile offshore pack ice to 3 m inshore of the third set of ridge-rubble fields.

Crust and upper mantle velocity structure of the Yellowstone hot spot and surroundings

The Yellowstone hot spot has recently been shown to be a plume that extends into the transition zone. At roughly 60–120 km depth, the plume material rising beneath Yellowstone Park is sheared SW by North America Plate motion, producing a profound low velocity layer emplaced beneath the thin lithosphere. To constrain the absolute seismic velocity of the plate‐sheared plume layer, fundamental mode Rayleigh wave observations have been inverted for phase velocity using the two plane wave technique. The resulting phase velocity models are inverted with Moho‐converted P to S arrival times to better constrain crustal thickness and absolute S wave velocity structure to ∼120 km depth. A regionalized S wave velocity model has an extremely low velocity minimum of 3.8 ± 0.1 km/s at 80 km depth beneath the hot spot track. Nonregionalized 3‐D velocity models find a velocity minimum of 3.9 km/s beneath the hot spot track. Below 120 km depth, our resolution diminishes such that the lateral spreading of the plume track is not resolved. The volume of the low velocity plume layer is small and the estimated buoyancy flux for the Yellowstone plume is <0.1 Mg/s which contrasts with the ∼9 Mg/s value for Hawaii. In addition, a notable region of thick crust and high lower crustal velocities is found around Billings, Montana, consistent with previous refraction and receiver function studies that interpret this as evidence for a massive Precambrian underplating event.

Temperature of the plume layer beneath the Yellowstone hotspot

Recent studies show that the Yellowstone hotspot is associated with a plume-like lowvelocity pipe that ascends from the transition zone to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, where the plume is sheared to the southwest by North American plate motion. Rayleigh wave tomography shows this plate-sheared plume layer has an extremely low S wave velocity of 3.8 ± 0.1 km/s at 80 km depth, ~0.15–0.3 km/s lower than the velocity observed beneath normal mid-ocean ridges. To constrain the temperature of the plume layer, a grid search with respect to grain size and temperature is performed to fi observed Rayleigh wave phase velocities. This search fi nds that the excess temperature of the plume layer is >55–80 °C at 95% confi dence for two different temperature-velocity and two different melt-velocity models , confi rming that a thermal mantle plume exists.

Compressible thermochemical convection and application to lower mantle structures

A new finite element code for compressible thermochemical convection is developed to study the stability of a chemical layer at the base of the mantle. Using composition‐dependent compressibility and a density difference between compositions at a reference pressure, a composition‐dependent density profile is derived. Together with depth‐dependent thermal expansion, this combination of parameters yields a wide range of dynamic evolutions for the chemical layer. The chemical structures are classified into five major categories (classical plumes, mushroom‐shaped plume, domes, ridges, and continuous layers) and a few abnormal cases, such as hourglass‐shaped plumes and columnar plumes. Several models have a chemical structure morphologically similar to the African low VS structure in the lower mantle, at least at a single time. Guided by our models, several dynamic scenarios are proposed for the dynamic nature of the lower mantle low‐velocity structures (a.k.a. superplumes), including plumes at an early stage, plume clusters, ridges, passive piles, sluggish domes, and high‐bulk‐modulus domes. We predict seismic velocity anomalies from these dynamic models. The thermoelastic parameters used in the conversion are additional constraints. We compare the density structure with normal mode inversion, the predicted seismic signature observations, and the required thermoelastic parameters with mineral physics data. Among the proposed scenarios, only the scenario of high‐bulk‐modulus domes satisfies all constraints simultaneously. The implication on the geochemistry and mineralogy of lower mantle chemical structures is discussed.

Are splash plumes the origin of minor hotspots?

It has been claimed that focused hot cylindrical upwelling plumes cause many of the surface volcanic hotspots on Earth. It has also been argued that they must originate from thermal boundary layers. In this paper, we present spherical simulations of mantle circulation at close to Earth-like vigor with significant internal heating. These show, in addition to thermal boundary layer plumes, a new class of plumes that are not rooted in thermal boundary layers. These plumes develop as instabilities from the edge of bowls of hot mantle, which are produced by cold downwelling material deforming hot sheets of mantle. The resulting bowl and plume structure can look a bit like the “splash� of a water droplet. These splash plumes might provide an explanation for some hotspots that are not underlain by thermal boundary layer–sourced plumes and not initiated by large igneous provinces. We suggest that in Earth's mantle, lithospheric instabilities or small pieces of subducting slab could play the role of the model downwelling material in initiating splash plumes. Splash plumes would have implications for interpreting ocean-island basalt geochemistry, plume fixity, excess plume temperature, and estimating core heat flux. Improved seismic imaging will ultimately test this hypothesis.

Flow and melting of a heterogeneous mantle: 1. Method and importance to the geochemistry of ocean island and mid-ocean ridge basalts

Understanding the partial melting process is key to our ability to relate geochemical characteristics of hotspot and mid-ocean ridge lavas to the dynamics and chemical structure of the mantle. We present a method of computing the trace-element and isotopic compositions of magmas generated by melting a heterogeneous source in mantle plumes and beneath mid-ocean ridges. The method simulates fractional melting with thermodynamically consistent melting functions of three mantle lithologies, each with a distinct trace-element and isotopic composition. A key assumption is that enriched mantle peridotite (EM) and pyroxenite (PX) both begin melting deeper than depleted mantle peridotite (DM). Model calculations can explain many features observed in a compilation of ocean island basalt (OIB) and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) data. In particular, La/Sm and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios are most variable and extend to compositions most distinct from average MORB compositions in islands formed on relatively old seafloor (>∼16 m.y.). The compositions of hotspot islands erupting on younger seafloor are less variable and overlap more appreciably with common MORB compositions. Models predict these observations to result from the effect of lithospheric thickness in limiting the extent of partial melting. Beneath old seafloor where the lithosphere is thick, models predict the overall extent of partial melting and the extent of DM melting to be small; therefore, magma compositions are most sensitive to changes in the relative proportions of EM and PX, as well as to mantle temperature. Beneath young seafloor where the lithosphere is thin, models predict more extensive melting of all lithologies. Progressive extraction of the different components during melting can also explain the general topology of isotopic arrays defined by OIBs globally. Our models not only predict testable variations in trace-element and isotopic ratios with mean extent of partial melting, but also show that pyroxenite can complicate such correlations because it can melt to very high extents, in many cases, completely. If the thickness of the mantle plume layer beneath the lithosphere exceeds that of the DM melting zone, an increase in the mantle flow rate with depth, which is predicted for mantle plumes, can enhance the flux of incompatible elements and isotopes derived from PX and EM, relative to the case of the more uniform flow profile expected beneath mid-ocean ridges. Thus, differences in both mantle flow and lithospheric thickness between mid-ocean ridges and hotspots can lead to important distinctions in the isotopic and trace-element characteristics of MORBs and OIBs, independent of any compositional differences between their respective mantle sources. In addition, variations in mantle flow alone can contribute to geographic variations in hotspot geochemistry observed both in intraplate settings and where hotspots interact with mid-ocean ridges.

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) source characterization in the Louisiana Bight

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the Mississippi plume region may have several distinct sources: riverine (terrestrial soils), wetland (terrestrial plants), biological production (phytoplankton, zooplankton, microbial), and sediments. Complex mixing, photodegradation, and biological processes make differentiation of the specific sources of CDOM difficult. Using a combination of high resolution in situ observations on an undulating vehicle, the ECOShuttle, a pumping system mounted on the vehicle, and detailed chemical and biological analyses of discrete samples allowed us to characterize two specific sources of CDOM in the Louisiana Bight: the river water constrained in the upper 12 m of the Mississippi River plume and several subsurface layers of CDOM below the plume. The subsurface CDOM maxima were coincident with steep pycnoclines and sometimes with maxima in chlorophyll a fluorescence. Both sources were actively supplying CDOM to the same location by entirely different processes. The subsurface CDOM was more biologically labile and photochemically refractory than the surface CDOM. Optical properties were also different with a relatively higher protein fluorescence and a lower spectral slope coefficient in the subsurface CDOM. The geographical extent of the two sources was determined by three-dimensional mapping of the area, and due to the relatively calm conditions in the summer of 2000, thin layers of CDOM produced in the subsurface were observed throughout the region. While riverine inputs dominated the distribution of CDOM in surface waters <12 m in depth, biological production of CDOM, probably due to the bacterial degradation of phytoplankton produced DOM dominated the subsurface waters.

SO2 depletion in tropospheric volcanic plumes

Ground based remote sensing techniques are used to measure volcanic SO2 fluxes in efforts to characterise volcanic activity. As these measurements are made several km from source there is the potential for in‐plume chemical transformation of SO2 to sulphate aerosol (conversion rates are dependent on meteorological conditions), complicating interpretation of observed SO2 flux trends. In contrast to anthropogenic plumes, SO2 lifetimes are poorly constrained for tropospheric volcanic plumes, where the few previous loss rate estimates vary widely (from ≪1 to &gt;99% per hour). We report experiments conducted on the boundary layer plume of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua during the dry season. We found that SO2 fluxes showed negligible variation with plume age or diurnal variations in temperature, relative humidity and insolation, providing confirmation that remote SO2 flux measurements (typically of ≈500–2000 s old plumes) are reliable proxies for source emissions for ash free tropospheric plumes not emitted into cloud or fog.

Two bacteria phylotypes are predominant in the Suiyo seamount hydrothermal plume.

Microbial diversity and populations in a hydrothermal plume that was present inside the caldera of the Suiyo Seamount, a submarine volcano on the Izu-Bonin Arc, were investigated by performing a phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Corresponding to transmissivity, an indicator of turbidity, the vertical total cell count as determined by 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining varied from 5.6 x 10(4) to 1.1 x 10(5) cells ml(-1), and the apparent plume layer was assessed to be at a depth of 1,050 to 1,200 m inside the caldera and to contain 1.0 x 10(5) to 1.1 x 10(5) cells ml(-1). From microbial samples collected in the plume by an in situ filtration system, the following two major phylogenetic groups, which were closely related to sulfur-oxidizing microbes, were obtained: the SUP05 group belonging to the gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria (13 of 20 clones) and the SUP01 group belonging to the epsilon subclass of the Proteobacteria (5 of 20 clones). Specific oligonucleotide probes for these groups (SUP05-187 and SUP01-63) were designed and were used with various water samples obtained from the Suiyo Seamount. In the apparent plume layer, up to 66% of the total counts of microbial cells were estimated to be Bacteria cells that hybridized to EUB338, and few cells were identified by the archaeal probe ARCH915. Almost all Bacteria cells were hard to identify with the known group-specific probes, such as ALF19, GAM42a, and CF319, while 88 to 90% of the Bacteria cells hybridized with SUP05-187 and >98% of them were considered members of the SUP05 and SUP01 populations. In a low-temperature vent fluid emitted from a bivalve-colonized mound, the SUP05 cells accounted for >99% of the Bacteria cells, suggesting that a portion of the plume cells originated on the surface of the seafloor at a depth of about 1,380 m. From further analysis of cell morphology (i.e., cell size and cell elongation index) we inferred that the SUP05 cells were active in the plume layer at a depth of 1,050 to 1,200 m compared to the activity in a near-bottom layer, while many elongated cells were found between these layers. These findings suggest that the morphology and distribution of SUP05 cells have complex relationships with hydrothermal activities and water circulation. Although growth and production rates remain to be defined, we concluded that this Suiyo Seamount caldera has functioned as a natural continuous incubator for these two phylotypes of Bacteria in an aphotic deep-sea environment.