Strong Summer Stratification Research Articles

Hypoxia in Peter the Great Bay

Studies on hypoxia in Peter the Great Bay (Japan Sea) are reviewed. Seasonal hypoxia is observed in warm season at the bottom of three areas: Amur Bay, Ussuri Bay, and the southwestern part of Peter the Great Bay occupied by the Far-Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve (FEMBR). Processes of the hypoxia forming are similar in all these areas. The main reason is the dissolved oxygen consumption by microbial degradation of organic matter within topographic depressions in conditions of limited ventilation because of strong summer stratification. The bottom depressions prevent horizontal water exchange and provide accumulation of organic and inorganic suspension, that is another factor important for development of hypoxia. The Amur Bay is the most subjected to hypoxia, being a semiclosed estuarine basin eutrophed by nutrients input from the Razdolnaya River and waste waters of Vladivostok city. The Ussuri Bay has better water exchange and less eutrophication, therefore there are scarce data about hypoxia in this area. FEMBR area has good water exchange and is only episodically influenced by nutrients discharge from the Tumen River, so hypoxia is observed there occasionally. Another consequence of microbial degradation of organic matter in these areas is acidification: pH decreased in 0.5 unit in the bottom water of the Amur Bay in eight decades from 1932 to 2013. Synchronism between regional and global processes of eutrophication, deoxygenation, and acidification of bottom waters is discussed.

Ocean Mesoscale Variability: A Case Study on the Mediterranean Sea From a Re-Analysis Perspective

The mesoscale variability in the Mediterranean Sea is investigated through eddy detection techniques. The analysis is performed over 24 years (1993–2016) considering the three-dimensional (3D) fields from an ocean re-analysis of the Mediterranean Sea (MED-REA). The objective is to achieve a fit-for-purpose assessment of the 3D mesoscale eddy field. In particular, we focus on the contribution of eddy-driven anomalies to ocean dynamics and thermodynamics. The accuracy of the method used to disclose the 3D eddy contributions is assessed against pointwise in-situ measurements and observation-based data sets. Eddy lifetimes ≥ 2 weeks are representative of the 3D mesoscale field in the basin, showing a high probability (> 60%) of occurrence in the areas of the main quasi-stationary mesoscale features. The results show a dependence of the eddy size and thickness on polarity and lifetime: anticyclonic eddies (ACE) are significantly deeper than cyclonic eddies (CE), and their size tends to increase in long-lived structures which also show a seasonal variability. Mesoscale eddies result to be a significant contribution to the ocean dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea, as they account for a large portion of the sea-surface height variability at temporal scales longer than 1 month and for the kinetic energy (50–60%) both at the surface and at depth. Looking at the contributions to ocean thermodynamics, the results exhibit the existence of typical warm (cold) cores associated with ACEs (CEs) with exceptions in the Levantine basin (e.g., Shikmona gyre) where a structure close to a mode-water ACE eddy persists with a positive salinity anomaly. In this area, eddy-induced temperature anomalies can be affected by a strong summer stratification in the surface water, displaying an opposite sign of the anomaly whether looking at the surface or at depth. The results show also that temperature anomalies driven by long-lived eddies (≥ 4 weeks) can affect up to 15–25% of the monthly variability of the upper ocean heat content in the Mediterranean basin.

Observations and Modeling of a Hydrothermal Plume in Yellowstone Lake

AbstractAcoustic Doppler current profiler and conductivity‐temperature‐depth data acquired in Yellowstone Lake reveal the presence of a buoyant plume above the “Deep Hole” hydrothermal system, located southeast of Stevenson Island. Distributed venting in the ~200 × 200‐m hydrothermal field creates a plume with vertical velocities of ~10 cm/s in the mid‐water column. Salinity profiles indicate that during the period of strong summer stratification the plume rises to a neutral buoyancy horizon at ~45‐m depth, corresponding to a ~70‐m rise height, where it generates an anomaly of ~5% (−0.0014 psu) relative to background lake water. We simulate the plume with a numerical model and find that a heat flux of 28 MW reproduces the salinity and vertical velocity observations, corresponding to a mass flux of 1.4 × 103 kg/s. When observational uncertainties are considered, the heat flux could range between 20 to 50 MW.

Effects of seasonal fluctuations of surface heat flux and wind stress on mixing and vertical diffusivity of water column in deep lakes

Abstract Accurate vertical diffusivity estimates at different stratification conditions are essential to correctly model vertical mixing of discharges into lakes. This study presents calculated variations in vertical mixing at different depths in Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, a deep reservoir over a four-year period using hourly weather data and 6-hourly measured temperature, conductivity, and DO profiles. Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) and mixing intensities within Boulder Basin, calculated based on surface heat flux and wind speed were compared to water column stability and diffusivity over the study period. Analysis of surface heat fluxes showed that evaporation and longwave radiation were the main heat loss mechanisms in summer and winter, respectively. The lake showed strong summer stratification with stability numbers N2 > 10−4 s−2, followed by increased water column instability during fall and eventually winter overturn, resulting in gradient Richardson numbers

Impact of Arctic shelf summer stratification on Holocene climate variability

Understanding the dynamic of freshwater and sea-ice export from the Arctic is crucial to better comprehend the potential near-future climate change consequences. Here, we report nitrogen isotope data of a core from the Laptev Sea to shed light on the impact of the Holocene Siberian transgression on the summer stratification of the Laptev Sea. Our data suggest that the oceanographic setting was less favourable to sea-ice formation in the Laptev Sea during the early to mid-Holocene. It is only after the sea level reached a standstill at around 4 ka that the water column structure in the Laptev Sea became more stable. Modern-day conditions, often described as “sea-ice factory”, were reached about 2 ka ago, after the development of a strong summer stratification. These results are consistent with sea-ice reconstruction along the Transpolar Drift, highlighting the potential contribution of the Laptev Sea to the export of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean.

Repetitive baselines of phytoplankton succession in an unstably stratified temperate lake (Lake Erken, Sweden): a long-term analysis

The seasonal development of phytoplankton is a sequence of consecutive events with waxes and wanes of biomass and compositional shifts. This study analyzed 16 years data in Lake Erken, Sweden and revealed four baselines of phytoplankton succession with their underlying drivers. Results showed that there were two diatom-dominated phases annually. The vernal community was dominated by centric diatoms larger than 15 µm (functional groups B and C) which were fast-growing diatoms being highly efficient in the use of nutrients. The autumn community was comprised mainly meroplanktonic mixing-dependent Aulacoseira granulata and Fragilaria sp. (MP and P) or/and large centric diatoms (B). Between the two mixing-phases with diatoms, a Gloeotrichia echinulata (H 2) bloom occurred due to its preference for a stratified water column with elevated water temperatures and high light availability. The summer stratification in Lake Erken was weak and short, thus, favoring meroplanktonic diatoms to peak once the lake turned over in early autumn. Lake Erken represents an intermediate case between a highly mixed polymictic lake and a lake with strong summer stratification, where the observed stratification patterns allowed the development of an autumn diatom phase similar, by extent, to the vernal one and mainly dominated by meroplanktonic diatoms.

Gulf Stream – subtropical gyre properties across two Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles

Salinity increase in the subtropical gyre system may have pre-conditioned the North Atlantic Ocean for a rapid return to stronger overturning circulation and high-latitude warming following meltwater events during the Last Glacial period. Here we investigate the Gulf Stream – subtropical gyre system properties over Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) cycles 14 to 12, including Heinrich ice-rafting event 5. During the Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum a positive gradient in surface dwelling planktonic foraminifera δ18O (Globigerinoides ruber) can be observed between the Gulf Stream and subtropical gyre, due to decreasing temperature, increasing salinity, and a change from summer to year-round occurrence of G. ruber. We assess whether this gradient was a common feature during stadial-interstadial climate oscillations of Marine Isotope Stage 3, by comparing existing G. ruber δ18O from ODP Site 1060 (subtropical gyre location) and new data from ODP Site 1056 (Gulf Stream location) between 54 and 46 ka. Our results suggest that this gradient was largely absent during the period studied. During the major warm DO interstadials 14 and 12 we infer a more zonal and wider Gulf Stream, influencing both ODP Sites 1056 and 1060. A Gulf Stream presence during these major interstadials is also suggested by the large vertical δ18O gradient between shallow dwelling planktonic foraminifera species, especially G. ruber, and the deep dwelling species Globorotalia inflata at site 1056, which we associate with strong summer stratification and Gulf Stream presence. A major reduction in this vertical δ18O gradient from 51 ka until the end of Heinrich event 5 at 48.5 ka suggests site 1056 was situated within the subtropical gyre in this mainly cold period, from which we infer a migration of the Gulf Stream to a position nearer to the continental shelf, indicative of a narrower Gulf Stream with possibly reduced transport.

Dynamics of the summer shelf circulation and transient upwelling off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

The shelf circulation off Ningaloo Reef near the North West Cape of Western Australia is driven by complex interactions between the southward flowing Leeuwin Current and wind‐driven currents that episodically reverse the coastal flow toward the north. The presence of these northward (equatorward) wind‐driven currents is thought to make this section of coast one of the few locations along Western Australia to experience periodic coastal upwelling. We used a combination of field observations and numerical modeling to investigate the summer circulation and upwelling dynamics along Ningaloo Reef. We analyzed current and temperature profiles from moorings at four sites across the shelf and used two Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) sub‐models: (1) a coarser model of northwestern Australia forced by a global ocean model and (2) a nested fine‐scale model of the Ningaloo region. This nesting significantly improved model skill as it included the offshore mesoscale dynamics that strongly influenced the shelf circulation off Ningaloo. The field observations revealed several northward flow reversals, accompanied by cooling of the coastal waters adjacent to Ningaloo, which were associated with strong northward wind events. Analysis of the coastal heat budget revealed that cooling events were primarily driven by upwelling, whereas warming of coastal waters during relaxation events resulted mostly from along‐shelf advection of warm water from the north. Due to the combined effects of its relatively steep (~1/50 slope) shelf and strong summer stratification, upwelled water was sourced from the interior of the water column, likely influencing the sources and fluxes of nutrients to Ningaloo Reef.

The influence of late summer typhoons and high river discharge on water quality in Hong Kong waters

A typhoon produces a rapid mixing and flushing event and it can be added to the list of other factors such as shallow water depth, spring tidal mixing, the Pearl River discharge, summer upwelling that make Hong Kong waters relatively resistant to eutrophication impacts. Two typhoons passed over Hong Kong waters and provided an opportunity to document the changes in water quality in late summer 2003. Before the typhoon (Aug 19–20) and during a neap tide, a large algal bloom (>10 μg Chl-a L−1) occurred in the stratified southern waters influenced by the Pearl River estuarine waters with high NO3. However, PO4 and SiO4 were drawn down to near limiting concentrations by the large bloom. After the typhoons, Chl-a decreased to 2 μg L−1 due to vertical mixing and advection. The heavy rainfall and increased river discharge quickly re-set the water column to the usual strong summer stratification in only a few days. As a result, high nutrients in the river discharge stimulated another large algal bloom a few days after the next neap tide when tidal mixing was reduced. In the southern waters, the deeper station showed stronger stratification and lower bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) than the shallower station suggesting that the low DO in the bottom water may have come from offshore transport.

Holocene seasonal variability inferred from multiple proxy records from Crevice Lake, Yellowstone National Park, USA

A 9400-yr-old record from Crevice Lake, a semi-closed alkaline lake in northern Yellowstone National Park, was analyzed for pollen, charcoal, geochemistry, mineralogy, diatoms, and stable isotopes to develop a nuanced understanding of Holocene environmental history in a region of northern Rocky Mountains that receives both summer and winter precipitation. The limited surface area, conical bathymetry, and deep water (>31m) of Crevice Lake create oxygen-deficient conditions in the hypolimnion and preserve annually laminated sediment (varves) for much of the record. Pollen data indicate that the watershed supported a closed Pinus-dominated forest and low fire frequency prior to 8200calyr BP, followed by open parkland until 2600calyr BP, and open mixed-conifer forest thereafter. Fire activity shifted from infrequent stand-replacing fires initially to frequent surface fires in the middle Holocene and stand-replacing events in recent centuries. Low values of δ18O suggest high winter precipitation in the early Holocene, followed by steadily drier conditions after 8500calyr BP. Carbonate-rich sediments before 5000calyr BP imply warmer summer conditions than after 5000calyr BP. High values of molybdenum (Mo), uranium (U), and sulfur (S) indicate anoxic bottom-waters before 8000calyr BP, between 4400 and 3900calyr BP, and after 2400calyr BP. The diatom record indicates extensive water-column mixing in spring and early summer through much of the Holocene, but a period between 2200 and 800calyr BP had strong summer stratification, phosphate limitation, and oxygen-deficient bottom waters. Together, the proxy data suggest wet winters, protracted springs, and warm effectively wet summers in the early Holocene and less snowpack, cool springs, warm dry summers in the middle Holocene. In the late Holocene, the region and lake experienced extreme changes in winter, spring, and summer conditions, with particularly short springs and dry summers and winters during the Roman Warm Period (~2000calyr BP) and Medieval Climate Anomaly (1200–800calyr BP). Long springs and mild summers occurred during the Little Ice Age, and these conditions persist to the present. Although the proxy data indicate effectively wet summer conditions in the early Holocene and drier conditions in the middle and late Holocene, none point specifically to changes in summer precipitation as the cause. Instead, summer conditions were governed by multi-seasonal controls on effective moisture that operated over multiple time scales.

여름철 황해 동부 연안을 따라 흐르는 연안 경계류: 수치 모델 실험

여름철 황해 동부 연안 저층에 형성되는 수온전선을 따라 북쪽으로 흐르는 연안 경계류의 크기와 위치에 영향을 주는 요소들을 3차원 수치모형인 ROMS를 이용하여 살펴보았다. 여름에 수심이 깊은 외해에서는 태양 가열로 강한 성층에 존재하지만 수심이 얕은 연안에서는 조류가 일으키는 저층 혼합으로 해수물성이 연직으로 잘 혼합된다. 이 과정에서 성층화된 외해와 연직 혼합이 잘되고 수온이 높은 연안 사이에서 수온전선이 형성되며, 수온전선을 가로 지르는 방향의 밀도 구배에 의해 수온전선을 따라 북쪽으로 흐르는 연안 경계류가 발생함을 확인하였다. 해류계를 이용한 현장 관측에서도 약 10 cm/s로 북상하는 연안 경계류가 관측되었다. 이러한 수온전선을 따라 북쪽으로 흐르는 연안 경계류는 주로 조류와 바람의 영향을 크게 받는다. 조류에 의한 저층 혼합과 바람에 의한 표층 혼합이 여름철 황해 동부 경계류에 가장 큰 영향을 주는 요소다. 바람에 의한 표층 혼합은 북쪽으로 흐르는 황해 동부 연안 경계류의 폭을 더 넓게 하여 수송량을 증가시킨다. 강물의 유입과 일사량의 변화는 연안 경계류의 세기와 위치 변화에 큰 영향을 주지 않는다. 성층이 강하게 이루어지는 여름철 황해 동부 연안 <TEX>$36^{\circ}N$</TEX>에서는 대조기(소조기) 동안 강한(약한) 조류가 북쪽으로 흐르는 해류의 수송량을 증가(감소)시키지만, 동안 경계류의 위치를 크게 변화시키지는 않는다. 연안 경계류의 평균적인 위치는 바람의 세기 변화에 따라 변화하였다. Coastal boundary current flows along the eastern boundary of the Yellow Sea and its speed was about 0.l m/s during the summer 2007. In order to find major factors that affect the coastal boundary current in the eastern Yellow Sea, three-dimensional numerical model experiments were performed. The model simulation results were validated against hydrographic and current meter data in the eastern Yellow Sea. The eastern boundary current flows along the bottom front over the upper part of slopping bottom. Strength and position of the current were affected by tides, winds, local river discharge, and solar radiation. Tidal stirring and surface wind mixing were major factors that control the summertime boundary currents along the bottom front. Tidal stirring was essential to generate the bottom temperature front and boundary current. Wind mixing made the boundary current wider and augmented its north-ward transport. Buoyancy forcing from the freshwater input and solar radiation also affected the boundary current but their contributions were minor. Strong (weak) tidal mixing during spring (neap) tides made the northward transport larger (smaller) in the numerical simulations. But offshore position of the eastern boundary current's major axis was not apparently changed by the spring-neap cycle in the mid-eastern Yellow Sea due to strong summer stratification. The mean position of coastal boundary current varied due to variations in the level of wind mixing.

A 900-yr diatom and chrysophyte record of spring mixing and summer stratification from varved Lake Mina, west-central Minnesota, USA

A high-resolution, independent pollen-inferred paleoclimate record and direct algal seasonality data from the actual time of sediment deposition are used to interpret the high-resolution diatom and chrysophyte record of varved Lake Mina, west-central Minnesota, USA during AD 1116—2002. This direct algal seasonality information was obtained by splitting varves into constituent winter-spring and summer lamina, and separately analyzing the siliceous algae in each layer. Analyses of integrated, continuous four-year diatom and chrysophyte samples from a sedimentary sequence show that the time period AD 1116—1478 (ie, the Atlantic-centered `Medieval Climate Anomaly' (MCA)) was characterized by periods of vigorous and prolonged spring mixing, suggesting that ice-out occurred early. However, the warm summer temperatures in the MCA, particularly in a massive drought spanning AD 1300—1400, frequently caused the lake to stratify strongly, leading to nutrient depletion. During AD 1478—1870 (ie, the Atlantic-centered `Little Ice Age' (LIA)), Lake Mina was characterized by weak spring circulation and increasing nutrient depletion, suggesting late ice-out conditions. Strong summer stratification and/or nutrient depletion in both time periods is shown by the occurrence of the nutrient-poor oligotrophic taxon Cyclotella pseudostelligera. The diatom and chrysophyte assemblages of the period of Euro-American settlement AD 1870—2002 show higher nutrient availability and increased spring mixing intensity, as a result of forest clearance and increasingly earlier ice-out (documented in regional historical records).

The seasonal nitrogen cycle in Wilkinson Basin, Gulf of Maine, as estimated by 1-D biological model optimization

The objective of this study was to fit a simple ecosystem model to climatological nitrogen cycle data in the Gulf of Maine, in order to calibrate the biological model for use in future 3-D modelling studies. First depth-dependent monthly climatologies of nitrate, ammonium, chlorophyll, zooplankton, detritus and primary production data from Wilkinson Basin, Gulf of Maine, were created. A 6-box nitrogen-based ecosystem model was objectively fitted to the data through parameter optimization. Optimization was based on weighted least squares with model-data misfits nondimensionalized by assigned uncertainties in the monthly climatological estimates. These uncertainties were estimated as the standard deviations of the raw data from the 6-meter and monthly bin averages. On average the model fits the monthly means almost within their assigned uncertainties. Several statistics are examined to assess model-data misfit. Pattern statistics such as the correlation coefficient lack practical significance when data errors are large relative to the signal, as in this application. Thus Taylor diagrams were not found to be useful. The RMSE and model bias normalized by the data error were found to be the most useful skill metrics as they indicate whether the model fits the data within its estimated error. The optimal simulated nitrogen cycle budgets are presented, as an estimate of the seasonal nitrogen cycle in Wilkinson Basin, and discussed in context of the available data. Wilkinson Basin has spring and fall phytoplankton blooms, and strong summer stratification with a deep chlorophyll maximum near 21 m, just above the nitracline. The mean euphotic zone depth is estimated to be 25 m, relatively constant with season. The model estimates annual primary production as 176 g C m − 2 yr − 1 , annual new production as 71 g C m − 2 yr − 1 and sinking PON fluxes of 9.7 and 4.7 g N m − 2 yr − 1 at 24 and 198 m respectively. Areas for improvement in the biological model, the model optimization method, and significant data gaps are identified.

Seasonal and interannual variation of physical and biological processes during 1994–2001 in the Sea of Japan/East Sea: A three-dimensional physical–biogeochemical modeling study

A Pacific basin-wide physical–biogeochemical model has been used to investigate the seasonal and interannual variation of physical and biological fields with analyses focusing on the Sea of Japan/East Sea (JES). The physical model is based on the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS), and the biogeochemical model is based on the Carb on, Si(OH) 4, Nitrogen Ecosystem (CoSiNE) model. The coupled ROMS–CoSiNE model is forced with the daily air–sea fluxes derived from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis for the period of 1994 to 2001, and the model results are used to evaluate climate impact on nutrient transport in Mixed Layer Depth (MLD) and phytoplankton spring bloom dynamics in the JES. The model reproduces several key features of sea surface temperature (SST) and surface currents, which are consistent with the previous modeling and observational results in the JES. The calculated volume transports through the three major straits show that the Korea Strait (KS) dominates the inflow to the JES with 2.46 Sv annually, and the Tsugaru Strait (TS) and the Soya Strait (SS) are major outflows with 1.85 Sv and 0.64 Sv, respectively. Domain-averaged phytoplankton biomass in the JES reaches its spring peak 1.8 mmol N m − 3 in May and shows a relatively weak autumn increase in November. Strong summer stratification and intense consumption of nitrate by phytoplankton during the spring result in very low nitrate concentration at the upper layer, which limits phytoplankton growth in the JES during the summer. On the other hand, the higher grazer abundance likely contributes to the strong suppression of phytoplankton biomass after the spring bloom in the JES. The model results show strong interannual variability of SST, nutrients, and phytoplankton biomass with sudden changes in 1998, which correspond to large-scale changes of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Regional comparisons of interannual variations in springtime were made for the southern and northern JES. Variations of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass related to the PDO warm/cold phase changes were detected in both the southern and northern JES, and there were regional differences with respect to the mechanisms and timing. During the warm PDO, the nutrients integrated in the MLD increased in the south and decreased in the north in winter. Conversely, during the cold PDO, the nutrients integrated in the MLD decreased in the south and increased in the north. Wind divergence/convergence likely drives the differences in the southern and northern regions when northerly and northwesterly monsoon dominates in winter in the JES. Subjected to the nutrient change, the growth of phytoplankton biomass appears to be limited neither by nutrient nor by light consistently both in the southern and northern regions. Namely, the JES is at the transition zone of the lower trophic-level ecosystem between light-limited and nutrient-limited zones.

Lipid biomarkers and bacterial lipase activities as indicators of organic matter and bacterial dynamics in contrasted regimes at the DYFAMED site, NW Mediterranean

This study investigated the relationships between dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and bacterial dynamics on short time scale during spring mesotrophic (March 2003) and summer oligotrophic (June 2003) regimes, in a 0–500 m depth water column with almost no advection, at the DYFAMED site, NW Mediterranean. DOM was characterized by analyzing dissolved organic carbon (DOC), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and lipid class biotracers. Bacterial dynamic was assessed through the measurement of in situ bacterial lipase activity, abundance, production and bacterial community structure. We made the assumption that by coupling the ambient concentration of hydrolysable acyl-lipids with the measurement of their in situ bacterial hydrolysis rates (i.e. the free fatty acids release rate) would provide new insights about bacterial response to change in environmental conditions. The seasonal transition from spring to summer was accompanied by a significant accumulation of excess DOC (+5 μM) (ANOVA, p <0.05, n =8) in the upper layer (0–50 m). In this layer, the free fatty acids release rate to the bacterial carbon demand (BCD) ratio increased from 0.6±0.3 in March to 1.3±1.0 in June (ANOVA, p <0.05, n =8) showing that more uncoupling between the hydrolysis of the acyl-lipids and the BCD occurred during the evolution of the season, and that free fatty acids contributed to the excess DOC. The increase of lipolysis index and CDOM absorbance (from 0.24±0.17 to 0.39±0.13 and from 0.076±0.039 to 0.144±0.068; ANOVA, p <0.05, n= 8, respectively), and the higher contribution of triglycerides, wax esters and phospholipids (from <5% to 12–31%) to the lipid pool reflected the change in the DOM quality. In addition to a strong increase of bacterial lipase activity per cell (51.4±29.4–418.3±290.6 Ag C cell −1 h −1 ), a significant percentage of ribotypes (39%) was different between spring and summer in the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layer in particular, suggesting a shift in the bacterial community structure due to the different trophic conditions. At both seasons, in the chlorophyll layers, diel variations of DOM and bacterial parameters reflected a better bioavailability and/or DOM utilization by bacteria at night (the ratio of free fatty acids release rate to bacterial carbon demand decreased), most likely related to the zooplankton trophic behaviour. In mesotrophic conditions, such day/night pattern was driving changes in the bacterial community structure. In more oligotrophic period, diel variations in bacterial community structure were depth dependent in relation to the strong summer stratification.

Inertial oscillations in the Korea Strait

Inertial oscillations (IO) are examined in the Korea Strait based on measurements from 13 acoustic Doppler current profilers covering the time period May 1999 through March 2000. Strong IO responses to wind stress occur during summer. A simple linear model predicts that winter wind stress is expected to generate inertial responses of the same order of magnitude as those in summer. However, the observed winter IO response is much weaker than predicted. During summer, the currents within the mixed layer and below the mixed layer are of comparable amplitude but in opposite directions. The depth at which the currents reverse directions varies throughout the year as the mixed layer deepens from about 40 m during summer to the bottom of the water column in November. During winter, the velocity structure is more uniform in depth with currents in the same direction throughout the water column. One possible explanation for these phenomena is related to the combined effect of the strait boundaries and the strong summer stratification. The stratification prevents the wind stress momentum flux from mixing downward below the thermocline and thus allows the development of a bottom current separate from the surface current. Such a velocity structure is necessary to satisfy the no‐flow condition through the land boundaries.

The role of biogeochemical cycling for the formation and preservation of varved sediments in Soppensee (Switzerland)

We analyzed seasonally aggregated observations of temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic carbon from Soppensee (District of Lucerne, Switzerland) for the yrs 1980 to 1993. Holomictic Soppensee is characterized by a strong summer stratification with a thin epilimnion separated from an anoxic hypolimnion by a strong pycnocline formed by thermal and chemical gradients. A vertical one-dimensional model was developed to simulate the observed seasonal cycles of carbon and oxygen. The processes of net community production, mineralization of organic matter, precipitation and dissolution of calcite, gas exchange, in- and outflow, sedimentation and vertical eddy diffusion are included. According to the model, the annual net community production is estimated to about 110 g C m-2 yr-1 and the annual net primary production to about 330 to 440 g C m-2 yr-1, which is a typical value for eutrophic lakes. A mass balance of the carbon cycle indicates that most of the inflow comes from groundwater which is super-saturated with respect to atmospheric CO2. Therefore the surface waters exhibit a large capacity for calcite precipitation. The results of the model are used to constrain the conditions that favor the formation of varved sediments in Soppensee during thousands of yrs. Model calculations show that the deep waters would still turn anoxic even if the sedimentation rate of organic matter were decreased to 25%. Several physical factors such as biogenic stabilization of the deep waters due to calcite dissolution and low input of wind energy are responsible for the long term anoxia in Soppensee.

Seasonal Dynamics and Potential Fate of Size-fractionated Phytoplankton in a Temperate Nearshore Environment (Western Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada)

Environmental conditions and seasonal dynamics of the <5 and >5μm phytoplankton were monitored in a temperate nearshore environment (Baie des Chaleurs, western Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada). Following the spring bloom, there was a sharp decrease in the contribution of >5μm phytoplankton to the chlorophylla biomass and primary production, so that the <5μm fraction accounted for up to 80–90% of both biomass and production throughout the summer. Strong summer stratification prevented wind-driven mixing and nutrient replenishment by transient upwelling events. The compensation depth for phytoplankton growth was close to the ≤25m bottom, so that only cells growing near the bottom could have been limited by light. In spite of the high production of <5μm phytoplankton (>0·5g C m−2d−1), their biomass remained relatively constant, which is indicative of a tight balance between production and export, involving active microbial grazing. Production per unit biomass of >5μm phytoplankton [8–126mg C (mg Chlorophylla d)−1] was generally higher than that of the small size fraction [13–56mg C (mg Chlorophyllad)−1], suggesting active photosynthesis by the former. Seasonal changes in size-fractionated production and biomass indicate that >5μm phytoplankton experienced intense export. This is consistent with the accumulation of large cells with low photosynthetic efficiency near the bottom during the period of strong stratification, probably resulting from the sinking of intact phytoplankton. In addition, there is indirect evidence of mesozooplankton grazing on large phytoplankton during summer. The coexistence of microbial and herbivorous feeding modes during summer corresponds to a multivorous food web.

Vertical mixing in �berlingersee (Lake Constance) traced by SF6 and heat

Vertical mixing in Uberlingersee is studied by releasing sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as a tracer at a central hypolimnic depth of 60 m and measuring its subsequent vertical dispersion over a period of three months. The experiment started with a streaky tracer injection of 1 liter gaseous SF6 (STP) in August 1990. At that time the lake showed a typical strong summer stratification which in a weakened form lasts until November. From the SF6 profiles of fifteen surveys at three sampling sites vertical diffusivitiesKz are calculated compensating internal seiche displacement and horizontal tracer loss. Except of the bottom region no sampling site or time period is marked by significant differences in the hypolimnicKz profile. So vertical mixing in the whole Uberlingersee is described by mean diffusivities decreasing from 1.7 cm2/s at 120 m depth to 0.4 cm2/s in 30 m. The minimal value of 0.3 cm2/s in the thermocline region at 20 m depth is only based on observations in autumn. For a strong summer stratification it is certainly lower. The gradient-flux-method for heat was applied to compute a meanKz (T) profile from continuously measured temperature profiles. Significant differences resulting from the two tracers showed, that theKz (T) values are underestimated by up to a factor of 5 if cooling by lateral exchange is neglected. Particularly, internal seiche pumping of colder water from the adjacent Lake Obersee over the separating sill of Mainau into the deep Uberlingersee basin is observed in 1990 from August onward, obviously controlling the heat budget below the sill level.

Environmental considerations for design of the Athens sea outfall, Saronikos Gulf, greece

The pollution problems in Saronikos Gulf arise mainly from the discharge of about 600,000 m3/day of untreated wastewater into the northern part of this gulf. To alleviate the situation, a new major treatment and sea disposal system is under construction. Its design included various physical oceanographic and marine geological surveys. This article summarizes their results and assesses their impact on the unique design features of the outfall and diffusers. During summer, the stratification at the site of discharge is sufficiently strong to prevent the submerged sewage field from surfacing. This strong summer stratification coupled with the virtual absence of upwelling and the presence of a well-organized current field at the level of effluent trapping (about 40 m) ensures the offshore advection of the diluted submerged wastefield, via either the dominant cyclonic or the rarer anticyclonic circulatory patterns. The sea floor morphology is smooth (except near the Psyttalia coastline where poorly sorted coarse biogenic sands are steeply inclined), and the bottom is covered by an unconsolidated sedimentary layer with a thickness ranging from 10 to 167 cm and consisting in the western part of silty sand and in the eastern part of sandy silt. The seismic data indicated the absence of active faults, valleys, and channels. Below the surficial sediment cover, two seismic units were discerned, which may be correlated with the Quaternary and the Triassic outcrops on the island. The marine geological results indicated that rather minor technical work will be needed for the emplacement of the outfall system.