Western Subarctic Gyre Research Articles

Bomb‐14C Peak in the North Pacific Recorded in Long‐Lived Bivalve Shells (Mercenaria stimpsoni)

AbstractThe excess radiocarbon produced by nuclear bomb testing in the atmosphere in the 1950s–1960s (bomb‐14C) is used as a tracer in the surface ocean, extending our understanding of geophysics and biogeochemical cycles. However, there is no bomb‐14C record for the high‐latitude western North Pacific Ocean because of the paucity of long‐lived marine calcifying organisms equivalent to reef‐building corals. The shells of Stimpson's hard clam, Mercenaria stimpsoni, potentially provide such a record because the clam's lifespan is very long (>100 years). We analyzed 14C in six live‐caught M. stimpsoni shells from the western North Pacific (39.4°N, 142°E) and report, for the first time, the bomb‐14C record with robust calendar ages based on annual growth increments. The value was constant in 1934–1952 (Δ14C = −66‰), with a sudden increase in 1959, a peak in 1974 (107‰), which was 60‰ lower than that of the Kuroshio Current, a gradual decline after 1974, and a current value of 16–18‰, which is ∼10‰ higher than the atmospheric value. The bomb‐14C values are between the Kuroshio Current (the northwestern subtropical gyre) and Oyashio Current (the Western Subarctic Gyre) values, suggesting that the Tsugaru Current, downstream from the Kuroshio Current, mixes with the Oyashio Current after passing through Tsugaru Strait.

The abyssal and deep circulation of the Northeast Pacific Basin

Three-dimensional abyssal and deep circulation of the region to the east and north of the Emperor Seamount Chain/Hawaiian Ridge is determined from a compilation of CTD and Argo float data, using a new overdetermined inverse technique for the geostrophic reference velocity and diapycnal/lateral mixing coefficients. The Northeast Pacific Basin is primarily sourced from its northern boundary, at a rate of 3.5 Sv across 47°N below 3000 m. Bottom water in the western subarctic gyre recirculates cyclonically between the Emperor Seamount Chain and 155°W. Bottom water east of 155°W takes a more direct path southward along the flank of a broad topographic slope. In the deep water, a ridge of potential vorticity lying along the Mendocino Fracture Zone separates circulation systems north and south of ∼40°N. The region has very weak diapycnal and lateral mixing, and an aspect ratio for the overturning circulation that is correspondingly flat, with bottom water parcels rising less than 1 km during their long transit from the Aleutian Trench to the latitude of Hawaii.

Slow acidification of the winter mixed layer in the subarctic western North Pacific

AbstractWe used carbon dioxide (CO2) system data collected during 1999–2015 to investigate ocean acidification at time series sites in the western subarctic region of the North Pacific Ocean. The annual mean pH at station K2 decreased at a rate of 0.0025 ± 0.0010 year−1 mostly in response to oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2. The Revelle factor increased rapidly (0.046 ± 0.022 year−1), an indication that the buffering capacity of this region of the ocean has declined faster than at other time series sites. In the western subarctic region, the pH during the winter decline at a slower rate of 0.0008 ± 0.0004 year−1. This was attributed to a reduced rate of increase of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and an increase of total alkalinity (TA). The reduction of DIC increase was caused by the decline of surface water density associated with the pycnocline depression and the reduction of vertical diffusion flux from the upper pycnocline. These physical changes were probably caused by northward shrinkage of the western subarctic gyre and global warming. Meanwhile, the contribution of the density decline to the TA increase is canceled out by that of the reduced vertical diffusive flux. We speculated that the winter TA increase is caused mainly by the accumulation of TA due to the weakened calcification by organisms during the winter.

Geographic Distribution of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea along the Kuril Islands in the Western Subarctic Pacific.

Community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in the ocean were affected by different physicochemical conditions, but their responses to physical barriers (such as a chain of islands) were largely unknown. In our study, geographic distribution of the AOA from the surface photic zone to the deep bathypelagic waters in the western subarctic Pacific adjacent to the Kuril Islands was investigated using pyrosequencing based on the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene. Genotypes of clusters A and B dominated in the upper euphotic zone and the deep waters, respectively. Quantitative PCR assays revealed that the occurrence and ammonia-oxidizing activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) reached their maxima at the depth of 200 m, where a higher diversity and abundance of actively transcribed AOA was observed at the station located in the marginal sea exposed to more terrestrial input. Similar community composition of AOA observed at the two stations adjacent to the Kuril Islands maybe due to water exchange across the Bussol Strait. They distinct from the station located in the western subarctic gyre, where sub-cluster WCAII had a specific distribution in the surface water, and this sub-cluster seemed having a confined distribution in the western Pacific. Habitat-specific groupings of different WCB sub-clusters were observed reflecting the isolated microevolution existed in cluster WCB. The effect of the Kuril Islands on the phylogenetic composition of AOA between the Sea of Okhotsk and the western subarctic Pacific is not obvious, possibly because our sampling stations are near to the Bussol Strait, the main gateway through which water is exchanged between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific. The vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of AOA communities among stations along the Kuril Islands were essentially determined by the in situ prevailing physicochemical gradients along the two dimensions.

Importance of E kman transport and gyre circulation change on seasonal variation of surface dissolved iron in the western subarctic N orth P acific

Iron (Fe) is an essential nutrient for marine phytoplankton and it constitutes an important element in the marine carbon cycle in the ocean. This study examined the mechanisms controlling seasonal variation of dissolved Fe (dFe) in the western subarctic North Pacific (WSNP), using an ocean general circulation model coupled with a simple biogeochemical model incorporating a dFe cycle fed by two major sources (atmospheric dust and continental shelf sediment). The model reproduced the seasonal cycle of observed concentrations of dFe and macro nutrients at the surface in the Oyashio region with maxima in winter (February–March) and minima in summer (July–September), although the simulated seasonal amplitudes are a half of the observed values. Analysis of the mixed-layer dFe budget indicated that both local vertical entrainment and lateral advection are primary contributors to the wintertime increase in dFe concentration. In early winter, strengthened northwesterly winds excite southward Ekman transport and Ekman upwelling over the western subarctic gyre, transporting dFe-rich water southward. In mid- to late winter, the southward western boundary current of the subarctic gyre and the outflow from the Sea of Okhotsk also bring dFe-rich water to the Oyashio region. The contribution of atmospheric dust to the dFe budget is several times smaller than these ocean transport processes in winter. These results suggest that the westerly wind-induced Ekman transport and gyre circulation systematically influence the seasonal cycle of WSNP surface dFe concentration.

Dissolved iron distribution in the western and central subarctic Pacific: HNLC water formation and biogeochemical processes

AbstractIt is well known that phytoplankton growth is broadly limited by iron (Fe) availability in the subarctic Pacific. To investigate which Fe sources control the amplitude of seasonal variation in biogeochemical parameters in the subarctic Pacific, we examined the spatial variation in the west‐to‐east distribution of dissolved Fe (DFe) across the western and central subarctic Pacific through the Japanese GEOTRACES program. The vertical section profile of the western subarctic Pacific gyre showed high dissolved Fe concentrations from the bottom of the surface mixed layer to as deep as approximately 3000 m, suggesting that Fe‐rich intermediate water is transported laterally and distributed across the western subarctic gyre, over 2000 km. The section data also indicate that the influence of the western Fe‐rich intermediate water does not reach the Alaskan gyre. Fe* index (= [DFe] (observed) – [PO4] (observed) × RFe : P) distribution clearly indicates that the western Fe‐rich intermediate water is well explained by external sedimentary Fe sources and water transport systems from a subpolar marginal sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the continental margin. The spatial pattern of Fe to nutrient stoichiometry supplied from the intermediate water to the surface, in comparison with reported Fe and nutrient demand in surface phytoplankton, quantitatively explains the differences in surface macronutrient consumption between the western and eastern gyre as well as the formation of the high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in the whole subarctic Pacific.

Historic and Industrial Lead within the Northwest Pacific Ocean Evidenced by Lead Isotopes in Seawater

We report the continued lead (Pb) contamination of the Northwest Pacific Ocean in 2002 and present the first comprehensive Pb isotope data set for that region. In the upper ocean, a Pb concentration maxima (64-113 pmol kg-1) extended throughout the entire North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). We determined most of the Pb in this feature was from industrial emissions by many nations in the 1980s and 1990s, with the largest contributions from leaded gasoline emissions. In contrast, the deep water (>1000 m) Pb concentrations were lower (6-37 pmol kg-1), and constituted a mix of background (natural) Pb and anthropogenic Pb inputs from preceding decades. Deep water below the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSAG) contained more industrial Pb than below the NPSG, which was attributed to a calculated 60-fold greater flux of particulate Pb to abyssal waters near the Asian continent. Assuming Pb isotope compositions in the North Pacific Ocean were homogeneous prior to large-scale 20th century anthropogenic inputs, this evidence suggests a relatively faster change in Pb isotope ratios of North Pacific deep water below the WSAG versus the NPSG.

Seasonal variations in the nitrogen isotopic composition of settling particles at station K2 in the western subarctic North Pacific

Intensive observations using hydrographical cruises and moored sediment trap deployments during 2010 and 2012 at station K2 in the North Pacific Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) revealed seasonal changes in δ 15N of both suspended and settling particles. Suspended particles (SUS) were collected from depths between the surface and 200 m; settling particles by drifting sediment traps (DST; 100–200 m) and moored sediment traps (MST; 200 and 500 m). All particles showed higher δ 15N values in winter and lower in summer, contrary to the expected by isotopic fractionation during phytoplankton nitrate consumption. We suggest that these observed isotopic patterns are due to ammonium consumption via light-controlled nitrification, which could induce variations in δ 15N(SUS) of 0.4–3.1 ‰ in the euphotic zone (EZ). The δ 15N(SUS) signature was reflected by δ 15N(DST) despite modifications during biogenic transformation from suspended particles in the EZ. δ 15N enrichment (average: 3.6 ‰) and the increase in C:N ratio (by 1.6) in settling particles suggests year-round contributions of metabolites from herbivorous zooplankton as well as TEPs produced by diatoms. Accordingly, seasonal δ 15N(DST) variations of 2.4–7.0 ‰ showed a significant correlation with primary productivity (PP) at K2. By applying the observed δ 15N(DST) vs. PP regression to δ 15N(MST) of 1.9–8.0 ‰, we constructed the first annual time-series of PP changes in the WSG. This new approach to estimate productivity can be a powerful tool for further understanding of the biological pump in the WSG, even though its validity needs to be examined carefully.

Subsurface hydrographic structures and the temporal variations of Aleutian eddies

Aleutian eddies are mesoscale anticyclonic eddies formed within the Alaskan Stream region between 180° meridian and 170° E south of the Aleutian Islands. They propagate southwestward after the isolation from the Alaskan Stream and pass through the Western Subarctic Gyre. We compared hydrographic structures of three Aleutian eddies observed during summer, west of 170° E (Eddy A) and east of 170° E (Eddies B and C). In each eddy, a subsurface dichothermal water (3.0–4.0 °C) was observed above a subsurface mesothermal water (4.0–4.5 °C). The minimum temperature in the dichothermal water at around a depth of 100 m was colder in Eddy A (2.8 °C) than in Eddies B and C (3.0–3.2 °C). This difference could be ascribed to wintertime cooling and influence of surrounding waters during spring warming period. The wintertime cooling makes the dichothermal water colder for eddies isolated from the Alaskan Stream region for a longer time. Particle-tracking experiments using re-analysis products from a data-assimilative eddy resolving ocean model suggested that the dichothermal water within Eddy A was cooled by the entrainment of surrounding colder water even during the spring warming period. The mesothermal waters at depth around 250 m demonstrated similarity among the observed eddies, and the maximum temperature in the mesothermal water within Eddy A (4.3 °C) was close to that of Eddies B and C (4.2 °C) in the in situ observations. These results indicated that the dichothermal water of Aleutian eddies modifies over time, whereas the mesothermal water maintains the original feature as they propagate southwestward from the Alaskan Stream region to the Western Subarctic Gyre.

Contrasting distributions of dissolved gaseous mercury concentration and evasion in the North Pacific Subarctic Gyre and the Subarctic Front

The distribution of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) and the oxidation–reduction processes of mercury (Hg) in the surface and subsurface ocean are currently understudied despite their importance in ocean–atmosphere interactions. We investigated the Hg(0) evasion and the DGM distribution at water depths of 2–500m in the Subarctic Front, Western Subarctic Gyre, and Bering Sea of the Northwestern Pacific. The mean DGM concentration in the surface mixed water (<10m) and the mean Hg(0) evasion flux were significantly higher in the Subarctic Front (125±5.0fM and 15pmolm−2h−1, respectively), which typically has lower nutrient levels and higher primary production, than in the Western Subarctic Gyre and the Bering Sea (74±18fM and 3.2±1.2pmolm−2h−1, respectively). The variation in the chlorophyll-a concentration and extracellular protease activity predicted 54% and 48% of the DGM variation, respectively, in the euphotic zone (2–50m). The DGM concentration in aphotic intermediate water (415±286fM) was positively correlated to the apparent oxygen utilization (AOU; r2=0.94 and p<0.001 for the Western Subarctic Gyre and the Bering Sea; r2=0.61 and p=0.01 for the Subarctic Front), emphasizing the importance of microbial oxidation of organic matter. The DGM-to-AOU ratio in aphotic water was significantly (p<0.05, ANCOVA) higher at the Western Subarctic Gyre and Bering Sea sites (2.5±0.14) than the ratio at the Subarctic Front sites (0.89±0.27) that mainly consisted of newly formed North Pacific Intermediate Water. The overall results imply that variation of DGM and Hg(0) evasion is closely linked to primary production in euphotic water and organic remineralization in aphotic intermediate water. The oceanic alterations in these factors may induce significant modification in Hg redox speciation in the Northwestern Pacific.

Dichothermal layer deepening in relation with halocline depth change associated with northward shrinkage of North Pacific western subarctic gyre in early 2000s

In the western subarctic North Pacific, a wind-driven cyclonic circulation, called the western subarctic gyre (WSAG), exists. We examined year-to-year changes of the gyre and hydrographic structures, applying the altimetry-based gravest empirical mode (AGEM) method to hydrographic and altimetric sea surface height (SSH) data, and relation to the in situ variation of the temperature minimum layer, i.e., the dichothermal layer, depth at station K2 (47∘ N, 160∘ E). The AGEM-based geostrophic volume transport and the streamfunction of the WSAG in the top 1000-dbar layer show that the gyre changes substantially. From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, the gyre shrunk northward. Due to the shrinkage, the halocline bottom, which is equivalent to the top of the main pycnocline, deepens at K2 outside the central part of the gyre. The downward displacement of the dichothermal layer at K2 was found to be significantly related to that of the underlying halocline due to the northward shrinkage of the WSAG.

Origin and fluxes of nitrous oxide along a latitudinal transect in western North Pacific: Controls and regional significance

AbstractNitrous oxide (N2O) is an atmospheric trace gas playing an important role in both radiative forcing and stratospheric ozone depletion. The oceans are the second most important natural source of N2O. The magnitude of the flux of this source is poorly constrained. Moreover, the relative importance of the microbial processes leading to the formation or the consumption of N2O in oceans remains unclear. We present here fluxes and isotope and isotopomer signatures of N2O measured at three stations located along a latitudinal transect in subtropical and subarctic western North Pacific. These results indicate that about 30% to 55% of the oceanic flux of N2O to the atmosphere originates from the deep euphotic and shallow aphotic zones. The sea‐to‐air fluxes of N2O calculated using an isotope mass balance model indicate that the emission rate of N2O in subarctic waters is about 2 times higher than in oligotrophic subtropical waters suggesting that nutrient‐rich water coming from the western subarctic gyre stimulates the N2O production. Moreover, isotopomer analysis has revealed that in shallow water N2O originates from nitrification and nitrifier denitrification processes, and its distribution in the water column is partly controlled by the incident solar radiation. The results of this study contribute to better constrain the global N2O budget and provide important information to better predict the future evolution of the oceanic emissions of N2O.

Remotely propagating salinity anomaly varies the source of North Pacific ventilation

The dense shelf water (DSW) produced in the Sea of Okhotsk causes the deepest ventilation in the North Pacific and plays a key role in overturning to the depth of intermediate layers. Salinity determines the density of DSW in cold seas such as this. However, the variability of DSW salinity has yet to be quantified and its causes remain unknown because of the paucity of available observation data. Here, we describe the variability of DSW salinity in the period from 1950 to 2005 through the analysis of a newly compiled hydrographic dataset, expanded with Russian measurements in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. DSW salinity exhibits a decreasing trend of −0.0024±0.0015y−1 over 1950–2005, in addition to decadal-scale variability with a typical magnitude of ∼0.1. We have found that DSW variability is controlled largely by surface salinity anomalies that propagate along pathways associated with ocean currents from the Bering Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk. These salt pathways can be traced farther upstream to the Alaskan Stream and western subarctic gyre. We suggest that this is a possible pathway which consists of a previously undefined upper branch of the North Pacific overturning cell. Along this pathway, the effects of the nodal tide that has an 18.6-year period may also propagate from the Kuril Straits and the Aleutian Passes. Our results indicate that long-term atmospheric variations and enhanced hydrological cycles over the North Pacific, which are associated with global climate changes, are conducted to the intermediate layer through surface salt pathways and subsequent DSW ventilation and lead to variability in material circulation and biogeochemical cycles.

Seasonal cycle of phytoplankton community structure and photophysiological state in the western subarctic gyre of the North Pacific

We investigated the seasonal variability of the phytoplankton community in the western subarctic gyre (WSG) of the northwestern North Pacific with respect to structure (abundance, size, and taxonomic composition) and photophysiological state from 2006 to 2012 by using the chemotaxonomy program CHEMTAX, microscopy, and fast‐repetition‐rate fluorometry. Chlorophyll a standing stock (∫Chl a) varied seasonally from 20 to 52 mg m−2 and increased frequently to &gt; 40 mg m−2 in June and July. Diatoms (20–35%) and prymnesiophytes (13–23%) comprised major portions of the ∫Chl a during the bloom period. Diatoms decreased to &lt; 23% during the postbloom period, and prymnesiophytes became the most abundant group (24–35%). Mean Fv : Fm ratios (potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem II) in the mixed layer were relatively high (0.41–0.47) in winter and early spring, decreased rapidly to 0.32–0.39 concomitant with bloom development, and remained at low levels in the summer and autumn, although macronutrients [NO−3, PO3−4, and Si(OH)4] in the mixed layer were not depleted at any time. In June 2012, onboard‐ship iron (Fe)‐enrichment experiments stimulated increases of Chl a concentrations (from 0.64 to 7.15 mg m−3) and Fv : Fm (from 0.33 to 0.44). Seasonal variability of the phytoplankton community in the WSG is controlled mainly by Fe, with light and temperature limitation occurring in winter and early spring. Our study also suggests that the magnitude and duration of blooms in the WSG are strongly affected by Fe availability.

Coupled wind-forced controls of the Bering–Chukchi shelf circulation and the Bering Strait throughflow: Ekman transport, continental shelf waves, and variations of the Pacific–Arctic sea surface height gradient

We develop a conceptual model of the closely co-dependent Bering shelf, Bering Strait, and Chukchi shelf circulation fields by evaluating the effects of wind stress over the North Pacific and western Arctic using atmospheric reanalyses, current meter observations, satellite-based sea surface height (SSH) measurements, hydrographic profiles, and numerical model integrations. This conceptual model suggests Bering Strait transport anomalies are primarily set by the longitudinal location of the Aleutian Low, which drives oppositely signed anomalies at synoptic and annual time scales. Synoptic time scale variations in shelf currents result from local wind forcing and remotely generated continental shelf waves, whereas annual variations are driven by basin scale adjustments to wind stress that alter the magnitude of the along-strait (meridional) pressure gradient. In particular, we show that storms centered over the Bering Sea excite continental shelf waves on the eastern Bering shelf that carry northward velocity anomalies northward through Bering Strait and along the Chukchi coast. The integrated effect of these storms tends to decrease the northward Bering Strait transport at annual to decadal time scales by imposing cyclonic wind stress curl over the Aleutian Basin and the Western Subarctic Gyre. Ekman suction then increases the water column density through isopycnal uplift, thereby decreasing the dynamic height, sea surface height, and along-strait pressure gradient. Storms displaced eastward over the Gulf of Alaska generate an opposite set of Bering shelf and Aleutian Basin responses. While Ekman pumping controls Canada Basin dynamic heights (Proshutinsky et al., 2002), we do not find evidence for a strong relation between Beaufort Gyre sea surface height variations and the annually averaged Bering Strait throughflow. Over the western Chukchi and East Siberian seas easterly winds promote coastal divergence, which also increases the along-strait pressure head, as well as generates shelf waves that impinge upon Bering Strait from the northwest.

Regeneration of a warm anticyclonic ring by cold water masses within the western subarctic gyre of the North Pacific

Regeneration of a warm anticyclonic ring as a result of interaction with cold water masses was observed within the western subarctic gyre of the North Pacific. Satellite, profiling float, and shipboard observations revealed that a warm-core ring originated from the Kuroshio Extension, propagating northeastwards, entrained cold and fresh water masses from the coastal area of Hokkaido, which are typically recognized within the ring as water that is colder than 2.5 °C. The potential temperature and planetary contribution of potential vorticity of the cold water in the coastal area of Hokkaido were <2 °C and 15 × 10−11 m−1s−1, respectively, suggesting that it originated from the Sea of Okhotsk. After the intrusion, the warm core of the ring cooled, freshened, and contracted, while the outer and lower parts became occupied by the cold and fresh water; however, even after the cooling, the positive surface elevation and downward depression of the main pycnocline, typical of an anticyclonic ring, were still evident. The ring continued to propagate northeastwards, with the main part of its structure occupied by the cold water, but changed its direction of travel from northwest to west-southwest 8 months after the cold-water event, and was finally absorbed into another warm-core ring. It is suggested that these anticyclonic rings, which transported and mixed warm and cold water masses, play important roles in the cross-gyre exchange of subtropical and subarctic waters in the North Pacific.

Light utilization efficiency of phytoplankton in the Western Subarctic Gyre of the North Pacific during summer

We investigated the water-column light utilization efficiency (Ψ) of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) of the North Pacific during summer 2008. The Ψ values (0.64–1.86 g C [g Chl a]−1 [mol photon]−1 m2) obtained were observed to increase significantly with decreasing daily photosynthetic available radiation (PAR) and were generally higher than those of previous studies, not only from the subarctic Pacific but also from the world’s oceans. To examine the effect of iron availability on Ψ in the WSG, Ψ values were estimated from the data of two in situ iron fertilization experiments: the Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study I (SEEDS-I) and II (SEEDS-II). We found that iron availability did not affect Ψ values. Overall, this study revealed that Ψ values changed remarkably in the WSG during the summer, and that higher values were found at the stations where moderate PAR levels (ca. 10–30 mol photons m−2 day−1) were observed and where autotrophic flagellates predominated in the phytoplankton assemblages.

Ocean acidification from 1997 to 2011 in the subarctic western North Pacific Ocean

Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO2 contents have led to greater CO2 uptake by the oceans, lowering both pH due to increasing hydrogen ions and CaCO3 saturation states due to declining carbonate ion (CO32−). Here we used previously compiled data sets and new data collected in 2010 and 2011 to investigate ocean acidification of the North Pacific western subarctic gyre. In winter, the western subarctic gyre is a source of CO2 to the atmosphere because of convective mixing of deep waters rich in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). We calculated pH in winter mixed layer from DIC and total alkalinity (TA), and found that it decreased at the rate of −0.0011 ± 0.0004 yr−1 from 1997 to 2011. This decrease rate is slower than that expected under the condition of seawater/atmosphere equilibration, and it is also slower than the rate in the subtropical regions (−0.002 yr−1). The slow rate is caused by a reduction of CO2 emission in winter due to an increase in TA. Below the mixed layer, the calcite saturation horizon (~ 185 m depth) shoaled at the rate of 2.9 ± 0.9 m yr−1 as the result of the declining CO32− concentration (−0.03 ± 0.01 μmol kg−1 yr−1). Between 200 m and 300 m depth, pH decline during the study period (−0.0051 ± 0.0010 yr−1) was larger than ever reported in the open North Pacific. This enhanced acidification rate below the calcite saturation horizon reflected not only the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 but also the increase in the decomposition of organic matter evaluated from the increase in AOU, which suggests that the dissolution of CaCO3 particles increased.

Effects of CO2 and iron availability on phytoplankton and eubacterial community compositions in the northwest subarctic Pacific

On-deck CO2-Fe-manipulated incubation experiments were conducted using surface seawater collected from the Western Subarctic Gyre of the NW Pacific in the summer of 2008 to elucidate the impacts of ocean acidification and Fe enrichment on the abundance and community composition of phytoplankton and eubacteria in the study area. During the incubation, excluding the initial period, the mean partial pressures of CO2 in non-Fe-added bottles were 230, 419, 843, and 1124μatm, whereas those in Fe-added treatments were 152, 394, 791, and 1008μatm. Changes in the abundance and community composition of phytoplankton were estimated using HPLC pigment signatures with the program CHEMTAX and flow cytometry. A DGGE fingerprint technique targeting 16S rRNA gene fragments was also used to estimate changes in eubacterial phylotypes during incubation. The Fe addition induced diatom blooms, and subsequently stimulated the growth of heterotrophic bacteria such as Roseobacter, Phaeobacter, and Alteromonas in the post-bloom phase. In both the Fe-limited and Fe-replete treatments, concentrations of 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, a haptophyte marker, and the cell abundance of coccolithophores decreased at higher CO2 levels (750 and 1000ppm), whereas diatoms exhibited little response to the changes in CO2 availability. The abundances of Synechococcus and small eukaryotic phytoplankton (<10μm) increased at the higher CO2 levels. DGGE band positions revealed that Methylobacterium of Alphaproteobacteria occurred solely at lower CO2 levels (180 and 380ppm) during the post-bloom phase. These results suggest that increases in CO2 level could affect not only the community composition of phytoplankton but also that of eubacteria. As these microorganisms play critical roles in the biological carbon pump and microbial loop, our results indicate that the progression of ocean acidification can alter the biogeochemical processes in the study area.

On the oceanic communication between the Western Subarctic Gyre and the deep Bering Sea

Sparse information is available on the communication between the northern North Pacific and the southern Bering Sea. We present results from a multi-decadal simulation of a high-resolution, pan-Arctic ice-ocean model to address the long-term mean and variability and synthesize limited observations in the Alaskan Stream, Western Subarctic Gyre, and southern Bering Sea. While the mean circulation in the Bering Sea basin is cyclonic, during the 26-year simulation meanders and eddies are continuously present throughout the region, which is consistent with observations from Cokelet and Stabeno (1997). Prediction (instead of prescription) of the Alaskan Stream and Aleutian throughflow allows reproduction of meanders and eddies in the Alaskan Stream and Kamchatka Current similar to those that have been observed previously (e.g. Crawford et al., 2000; Rogachev and Carmack, 2002; Rogachev and Gorin, 2004). Interannual variability in mass transport and property fluxes is particularly strong across the western Aleutian Island Passes, including Buldir Pass, Near Strait, and Kamchatka Strait. Much of this variability can be attributed to the presence of meanders and eddies found both north and south of the passes, which are found to directly cause periodic flow reversals and maxima in the western passes. Given that modeled flow reversals and maxima last for time periods ranging between three months and two years, short-term observations (months to few years) may not be representative of the actual mean flow. These extremes in the communication across the Aleutian Island Passes have a large impact on the oceanic environmental conditions in the southern Bering Sea and could directly impact biological species there and further downstream. Therefore, we identify a need for continuous monitoring of the flow through Buldir Pass, Near, and Kamchatka straits.