2011 Vol. 30, No. 3

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Articles
Different roles of Ekman pumping in the west and east segments of the South China Sea Warm Current
WANG Qiang, WANG Yinxia, BO Hong, ZHOU Weidong, WANG Dongxiao
2011, (3): 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0113-8
Abstract:
A three-dimensional model is used to investigate the mechanism of the South China Sea (SCS) winter counter-current (also known as the SCS Warm Current, or the SCSWC), which flows against the wind. The model can reproduce the structure of the band-like currents over the northern shelf of the SCS, including the westward coastal current and slop current, and the SCSWC sandwiched in between. Sensitivity experiments are designed to understand the different roles of Ekman pumping of the SCSWC at different longitude. The results show that the Ekman pumping drives the SCSWC in the west segment. In the east, it is not the Ekman pumping but the intrusion of the Kuroshio that drives the SCSWC.
Low-frequency variability of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation in the past 40 years from SODA
MENG Qingjia, WANG Fan, LIU Na
2011, (3): 14-19. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0114-7
Abstract:
The low-frequency variability of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) bifurcation during 1958 to 2001 was investigated with the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) 2.0.2 dataset. In agreement with recent observations, the NEC bifurcation latitude (NBL) shifted northward as depth increases, from about 12.7°N near the surface to about 17.1°N at depths around 500 m for the annual average. This study reveals that the interannual variations of NBL, with five years period, mainly focused on the upper 500 m with amplitude increasing as depth increased. The NBL shifted southward in the past 40 years, which was more significant in the subsurface at more than -0.02°/a. The NBL manifests itself in the transports of NMK (NEC-Mindanao Current (MC)-Kuroshio) system in strong relationship with MC (0.7) and Kuroshio (-0.7). The EOF analysis of meridional velocity off the Philippine coast shows that the first mode, explaining 62% of variance and 5 years period, was highly correlated with the southward shift of NBL with coefficient at about 0.75. The southward shift of NBL consists with the weakening of MC and strengthening of Kuroshio, which exhibited linear trends at -0.24Sv/a and 0.11Sv/a. Both interannual variation and trend of NBL were closely related to the variation of NMK system.
The effect of wave-induced radiation stress on storm surge during Typhoon Saomai (2006)
FENG Xingru, YIN Baoshu, YANG Dezhou, WILLIAM Perrie
2011, (3): 20-26. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0115-6
Abstract:
The effects of wave-induced radiation stress on storm surge were simulated during Typhoon Saomai using a wave-current coupled model based on ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) ocean model and SWAN (Simulating Waves Nearshore) wave model. The results show that radiation stress can cause both set-up and set-down in the storm surge. Wave-induced set-up near the coast can be explained by decreasing significant wave heights as the waves propagate shoreward in an approximately uniform direction; wave-induced set-down far from the coast can be explained by the waves propagating in an approximately uniform direction with increasing significant wave heights. The shoreward radiation stress is the essential reason for the wave-induced set-up along the coast. The occurrence of set-down can be also explained by the divergence of the radiation stress. The maximum wave-induced set-up occurs on the right side of the Typhoon path, whereas the maximum wave induced set-down occurs on the left side.
A possible generation mechanism of the strong current over the northwestern shelf of the South China Sea
WANG Gang, QIAO Fangli, DAI Dejun, HOU Yijun
2011, (3): 27-32. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0116-5
Abstract:
Continuous observation in late April 2005 on the northwestern shelf of the South China Sea reveals vigorous strong currents, the maximum velocity of which exceeds 3.8 m/s. The strong currents occurred around spring tide period, when the internal tide waves were also expected to be vigorous. Analysis shows that the major peaks of the current power spectrum are in low frequency band. Using a numerical method applied to the actual ocean stratification, we find that the amplitude profiles of the strong current are similar to that of the currents induced by some low-mode internal waves (at diurnal or semi-diurnal frequency). It indicates that the temporal and spatial features of strong currents were possibly induced by low frequency internal waves.
The three-dimensional structure and seasonal variation of the North Pacific meridional overturning circulation
LIU Hongwei, ZHANG Qilong, DUAN Yongliang, HOU Yijun
2011, (3): 33-42. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0117-4
Abstract:
The three-dimensional structure and the seasonal variation of the North Pacific meridional overturning circulation (NPMOC) are analyzed based on the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation data and Argo profiling float data. The NPMOC displays a multi-cell structure with four cells in the North Pacific altogether. The TC and the STC are a strong clockwise meridional cell in the low latitude ocean and a weaker clockwise meridional cell between 7°N and 18°N, respectively, while the DTC and the subpolar cell are a weaker anticlockwise meridional cell between 3°N and 15°N and a weakest anticlockwise meridional cell between 35°N and 50°N, respectively.
The DTC, the TC and the STC are all of very strong seasonal variations. As to the DTC, the southward transport is strongest in fall and weakest in spring. For the TC, the northward transport is strongest in winter and weakest in spring, while the southward transport is strongest in fall and weakest in spring, which is associated with the strong southward flow of the DTC in fall. As the STC, the northward transport is strongest in winter and weakest in summer, while the southward transport is strongest in summer and weakest in spring. This seasonal difference may be associated with the DTC. The zonal wind stress and the east-west slope of sea level play important roles in the seasonal variations of the TC, the STC and the DTC.
Carbon distribution and fluxes of 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea in summer
XIA Bin, ZHANG Longjun
2011, (3): 43-54. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0118-3
Abstract:
Riverine carbon input is closely related to the inshore aquatic environment, the marine carbon pool and climate change. Samples were synchronously obtained from 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea (China) in 1-5 July 2005. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of the 16 rivers were mainly controlled by anthropogenic activities. The particulate organic carbon (POC) of the Haihe, Luanhe, Ziyaxinhe, Chaobaixinhe, Xiaoqinghe, Xiaolinghe, Duliujianhe, Jiyunhe, and Majiahe Rivers mainly originated from pollutants discharged by human, while that of the Huanghe River (Yellow River), Daliaohe, Shuangtaizihe, Tuhaihe, Dalinghe, Daqinghe, and Liuguhe Rivers were generated mainly by soil erosion. Higher dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations in the 16 rivers were detected, which were influenced by the large amounts of carbonate and industrial pollution. The estimated DOC, POC and DIC fluxes from the 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea in summer, 2005 were 0.91×105, 1.23×105 and 6.31×105t, respectively.
234Th/238U disequilibrium and particulate organic carbon export in the northwestern South China Sea
MA Hao, ZENG Zhi, YU Wen, HE Jianhua, CHEN Liqi, CHENG Jianping, YIN Mingduan, ZENG Shi
2011, (3): 55-62. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0119-2
Abstract:
234Th was utilized as a tracer of particulate organic carbon (POC) export in the northwestern South China Sea (SCS) on the basis of the data collected at four stations during a spring cruise. Depth profiles of dissolved and particulate 234Th activities were measured in the upper 60 m, showing a significant deficit relative to 238U over the investigated stations. A stratified structure of 234Th-238 U disequilibrium was in general observed in the upper 60 m water column, indicating that the euphotic zone of the northwestern SCS in this reason can be divided into two layers, an upper and lower layer, with different export rates. POC export fluxes were estimated from a one-dimensional steady state model of 234Th fluxes in combination with the measurement of POC/234Th ratios on suspended particles. The POC export in this region ranged from 8.2 to 20.0 mmol/(m2·d), with an average of 16.0 mmol/(m2·d), and was slightly higher than those previously reported in the southern SCS.
Distribution characteristics of seamount cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and the determination of the size of areas for exploration and exploitation
HE Gaowen, MA Weilin, SONG Chengbing, YANG Shengxiong, ZHU Benduo, YAO Huiqiang, JIANG Xunxiong, CHENG Yongshou
2011, (3): 63-75. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0120-9
Abstract:
In 2001, the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) initiated the consideration relating to the Regulations for Prospecting and Exploration for Hydrothermal Polymetallic Sulphides and Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts in the Area at its 7th session. Since then, the consideration of the Regulations has been mainly focused on the size of areas to be allocated for exploration and exploitation of the crusts. This paper, based on the investigation data and the analysis of the distribution characteristics of the crusts, suggests a model for determining the size of areas for exploration and exploitation of the crusts, taking into account various factors such as production scale, crust thickness and grade, mineable area proportion, recovery efficiency, exploration venture, and so on. Through the modeling, the paper suggests that the exploration area (the area covered by each application for approval of a plan of work for exploration of cobalt-rich crusts) shall be 4 856 km2 and the exploitation area (the mine site area) shall be 1 214 km2, for 20 years of 1 million wet tonnes annual production.
Genetic variability of half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis populations using microsatellite markers
LIU Yunguo, GUO Yinghui, LIU Shuaishuai, LI Junfeng, YE Naihao
2011, (3): 76-83. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0121-8
Abstract:
Ten highly variable microsatellite loci were performed in order to evaluate the genetic variability of wild and hatchery samples of half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis. A group of 200 genotypes belonging to four wild samples, Laizhou (LZ), Weihai (WH), Qingdao (QD), Rizhao (RZ) and one hatchery sample, Mingbo (MB), were screened. All of the ten microsatellite loci screened in this study showed marked polymorphism. A total of 70 different alleles were observed over all loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4.2 to 10.6. The average of expected and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.67 to 0.82, and from 0.77 to 0.87, respectively. A total of 10, 16, 10, 11 and 5 unique alleles each were found in LZ, WH, QD, RZ and MB populations. The effective number of alleles varied from 2.87 for HSTS_7 to 6.83 for HSTS-h. The number of average genotypes ranged from 6.0 for HSTS_a to 15.4 for HSTS_h. As compared with the wild populations, the hatchery population, MB, showed significant genetic changes such as fewer alleles per locus (P <0.05), a smaller number of low frequency alleles (P <0.05), a small number of unique alleles and a small number of genotypes (P <0.05), all indicative of a reduction in genetic diversity.
Peaked abundance of Calanus sinicus earlier shifted in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary: a comparable study between 1959, 2002 and 2005
XU Zhaoli, MA Zengling, WU Yumei
2011, (3): 84-91. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0122-7
Abstract:
The sea surface temperature (SST) of the East China Sea (ECS) increased in the past decades, which may have a great impact on the ecosystem of the ECS, including the changes in planktonpopulation structure. In this paper, the changes in peaked abundance of Calanus sinicus in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary were compared between 1959 and 2002, based on the data collected from the seasonally oceanographic cruises and those performed in spring of 2005. It was much higher in spring compared with that in other seasons both in 1959 and 2002. Furthermore, in spring 2005, the time for occurrence and decrease of the peaked C. sinicus abundance advanced about one month, accompanying the increase in the sea surface water temperature (SST). It peaked in June and decreased in July in 1959, however, in 2005, it peaked in May and attenuated sharply in early June. The earlier decrease of peaked C. sinicus abundance may further deteriorate the ecosystem in the Changjiang River Estuary and north nearshore of the ECS.
Distribution of ammonia-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria community in surface sediment off the Changjiang River Estuary in summer
LI Jialin, BAI Jie, GAO Huiwang, LIU Guangxing
2011, (3): 92-99. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0123-6
Abstract:
The spatial distribution of ammonia-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria (βAOB) was investigated by FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) techniques in the sediment off the Changjiang River Estuary. Sediment samples were collected from eight stations in June before the formation of hypoxia zone in 2006. The abundance of βAOB ranged from 1.87×105 to 3.53×105 cells/g of sediment. βAOB abundance did not present a negative correlation with salinity, whereas salinity was implicated as the primary factor affecting nitrification rates. The DGGE profiles of PCR-amplified amoA gene fragments revealed that the βAOB community structure of sample S2 separated from other samples at the level of 40% similarity. The variations in composition of βAOB were significantly correlated with the salinity, temperature, absorption ability of sediments and TOC. The statistical analysis indicates that the βAOB abundance was a main factor to influence nitrification rates with an influence ratio of 87.7% at the level of 40% biodiversity similarity. Considering the good correlation between βAOB abundance and nitrification estimates, the abundance and diversity of βAOB community could be expected as an indirect index of nitrification activity at the study sea area in summer.
Effects of UV-B radiation and different light repair conditions on the early development of the tetraspores of Chondrus ocellatus Holm
JU Qing, TANG Xuexi, ZHAO Xiaowei, REN Xiuquan, LI Yunfei
2011, (3): 100-111. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0124-5
Abstract:
The effects of exposure to UV-B radiation, 280-315 nm, and dark or dark repair conditions on the early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm collected from Qingdao coast were studied under the laboratory condition. After being exposed to different doses[0, 36, 72, 108, 144 and 180 J/(m2·d)] of UV-B radiation, one treatment of tetraspores were put back to normal culture condition (PAR), the other treatment were put into dark condition to repair for 2 h. During the cultivation, the diameter of the tetraspores were recorded every 4 d till the 50th day when vertical branches formed in all treatments. Then at the 50th day, CPDs, phycoerythrin, chlorophyll a and MAAs (Palythine and asterina-330) were measured. The results showed that low doses UV-B radiation could significantly accelerate the growth rate of the tetraspores of C. ocellatus and the growth rate reduced gradually with UV-B radiation keep on increasing. The variation trend of both the phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a concentration reduced significantly (P <0.05) once given the UVB radiation. Under UV-B stress, the CPDs were induced, and the concentrations of CPDs were significant low in dark repair groups. The data of MAAs analyzed by LC/MS in the tetraspores of C. ocellatus suggested that there were two MAAs formed (palythine and asterina-330) after UV-B radiation induced, and low dose of UV-B irradiation could significantly induced the concentration of MAAs. From the growth and development state of the tetraspores, negative effects of UV-B radiation on the dark repair groups were more serious than PAR.
Development of EST-SSR primers and their practicability test for Laminaria
WANG Guoliang, TAN Xiaolong, SHEN Junling, LI Jian, ZHANG Lei, SUN Jianwei, WANG Bin, WENG Manli, LIU Tao
2011, (3): 112-117. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0125-4
Abstract:
Laminaria (Saccharina) is one of the economic important seaweeds. Through sequence analysis of 4 099 ESTs from Laminaria (971 were generated from our own cDNA laboratories and 3 128 were downloaded from updated EST databases) with SSRIT software, two hundred and fifty-four SSRs in 206 ESTs were found. From the 254 SSRs, sixty-three SSR primer-pairs were designed. In order to test their practicability, the 63 primer-pairs were tested in commonly used SSR reaction conditions using 12 Laminara DNA samples as templates. The results show that 23 SSR primer-pairs gave good amplification patterns on most (more than 80%) of the 12 Laminara DNA templates. Genetic diversity study of 12 Laminaria lines, which were widely used in breeding and economic cultivation in China, was performed based on the obtained SSR data.
Research Notes
Effect of salinity on the growth, biological activity and secondary metabolites of some marine fungi
HUANG Jingjing, LU Chunhua, QIAN Xiaoming, HUANG Yaojian, ZHENG Zhonghui, SHEN Yuemao
2011, (3): 118-123. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0126-3
Abstract:
The study investigated the effects of salinity on growth, antimicrobial activities and secondary metabolites of 47 marine filamentous fungi isolated from the East China Sea near the western shore of the Taiwan Straits. The results indicate that NaCl promoted the growth up to 91.5% of test strains. However, only 14.9% of them showed a significant increase of antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans. When incubated in different concentrations of NaCl, the colony growth, antimicrobial activities and composition of secondary metabolites of the strain Ty01b-8 of Penicillium sp. varied. Treatment with KCl also showed a similar effect. An alkaloid isolated from the fermentation broth of Ty01b-8 was identified as chrysogine, inhibition activity of which against Hela cells was 15.05% at 20 μg/ml, and yield was 4.4 and 4.9 times higher in 3 percent and 6 percent NaCl treatments, respectively, compared with the non-salt culture condition. These findings prove that salinity is an important factor influencing growth and secondary metabolites of some marine fungi, which can be used to screen for new metabolites from marine fungi, and to enhance their metabolites production in industrial fermentation.
Effects of temperature and organic and inorganic nutrients on the growth of Chattonella marina (Raphidophyceae) from the Daya Bay, South China Sea
WANG Zhaohui, YUAN Meiling, LIANG Yu, LU Songhui
2011, (3): 124-131. doi: 10.1007/s13131-011-0127-2
Abstract:
The effects of temperature and different forms of nutrients on Chattonella marina growth have been investigated in strains isolated from the Daya Bay, the South China Sea. The strain of C. marina preferred high temperatures, with an optimal temperature of 25℃, and 18℃ was the minimum for its survival. Higher cell number and growth rate were obtained in high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations (500 μg/L, 74 μg/L) than under nutrient limitation. Nitrogen influenced the growth most, as the specific growth rate and maximum cell density were lower in nitrogenlimited cultures than noted under phosphorus limitation or under limitation from both. C. marina was capable of using many kinds of organic nitrogen sources including L-serine (L-Ser), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), L-threonine (L-Thr), glutamic acid (Glu) and urea, but could not utilize uric acid. Various forms of organic phosphorus compound such as glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), sodium glycerophosphate (GYP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), cytidine monophosphate (CMP), guanosine monophosphate (GMP), uridine monophosphate (UMP), 4-nitrophenylphosphate (NPP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) supported the growth as well. Algal cells had the ability to sustain growth under nitrogen-and/or phosphorus-free conditions particularly under phosphorus depleted condition. These results led to the hypothesis that high loading of nitrogen has played an important role in frequent C. marina blooms in the past decade, and its capability for utilization of diverse forms of organic nutrients and growth in low nutrient conditions make this species a likely recurrent dominant in the Daya Bay phytoplankton assemblages, visible as more frequent blooms.