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15 pages; International audience; Mollusc shells are composed of more than 95% calcium carbonate and less than 5% organic matrix consisting mostly of proteins, glycoproteins and polysaccharides. In this study, we investigated the effects of matrix macromolecular components extracted from the shells of two edible molluscs of economic interest, i.e., the blue mussel Mytilus edulis and the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. The potential biological activities of these organic molecules were analysed on human dermal fibroblasts in primary culture. Our results demonstrate that shell extracts of the two studied molluscs modulate the metabolic activities of the cells. In addition, the extracts caused a decrease of type I collagen and a concomitant increase of active MMP-1, both at the mRNA and the protein levels. Therefore, our results suggest that shell extracts from M. edulis and C. gigas contain molecules that promote the catabolic pathway of human dermal fibroblasts. This work emphasises the potential use of these shell matrices in the context of anti-fibrotic strategies, particularly against scleroderma. More generally, it stresses the usefulness to valorise bivalve shells that are coproducts of shellfish farming activity.

International audience; An experimental study was conducted to assess the physical and biological impacts of muddy fine sand 3 dredged material dumped on a medium sand site MACHU offshore the Seine Estuary. Complementary 4 trophic web modelling tools were applied to the MACHU ecosystem to analyse the effects of dumping 5 operations. Results show that, after the dumping operations, the biomass of fish increased while 6 invertebrate biomass remained relatively stable through time. Nevertheless, the biomasses of benthic 7 invertebrates, omnivores/scavengers and predators showed some increases, while non-selective 8 deposit feeders and filter feeders decreased. At the ecosystem level, results show that the total 9 ecosystem activity, the ascendency and the overall omnivorous character of the food-web structure 10 increased after dumping operations, whereas recycling subsequently decreased. Finally, the fine and 11 medium sand habitat offshore from the Seine estuary, which undergoes regular natural physical 12 perturbations, shows a high resilience after a short dumping phase. 13

The RSV Aurora Australis survey allowed the first comprehensive study of the demersal ichthyofaunal environment and of the diversity of the Dumont d’Urville Sea. We observed a high dominance of the Notothenioidei in both the number of species and in integrated abundances. The Nototheniidae was the most abundant family with 44.7% of the total integrated abundance, followed by Bathydraconidae (18.8%). Trematomus eulepidotus was the dominant species with 19.9% of the total individuals catch. Nevertheless, 43 of the 53 species caught could be considered as very rare. The Bathydraconidae was the most diversified family with 11 species caught. The highest integrated abundances of fish were found from 400 to 800 m. Well-structured species communities were observed, with high species richness from 570 to 681 m. The richest zones were located along the basins and along their upper-sides. Statistical analyses indicated large-scale spatial patterns in species composition, with clear differences in fish communities from the continental slopes, the basins and on the shelf. At a finer spatial scale, the current in the George V Basin and iceberg scouring on the banks and their sides tended to create locally heterogeneous small-scale habitats. We suggest that the glacial history and the structured habitats allowed successive colonisations of the seabed by demersal fish.

International audience; Mortality of eels Anguilla anguilla in a large shallow lake in France due to predation by the cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo was found to be moderate when compared to fishery catches over a 9 year period. The results show that, contrary to previous extrapolations made at the pan-European scale, P. carbo predation in shallow lakes is not invariably a major contributor to A. anguilla mortality, even in the presence of large colonies.

The NCAR CCSM numerical coupled model is used to understand the tropical-extra-tropical pathways of thermocline waters in the Atlantic Ocean. Climatological annual mean simulation results from three numerical experiments are analyzed. Two are fully coupled runs with different spatial resolution (T42 and T85) for the atmospheric component. The third numerical experiment is an ocean-only run forced by NCEP winds and fluxes. Results show that the different atmospheric resolutions have a significant impact on the subduction pathways in the Atlantic because of how the wind field is represented. These simulation results also show that the water subducted at the subtropics reaching the EUC is entirely from the South Atlantic. The coupled model ability to simulate the STCs is discussed.

This paper presents initial results from new velocity observations in the eastern part of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean from a moored current-meter array. During the “EQUALANT” program (1999–2000), a mooring array was deployed around the equator near 10°W that recorded one year of measurements at various depths. Horizontal velocities were obtained in the upper 60 m from an upward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and at 13 deeper levels from current meters between 745 and 1525 m. To analyze the quasiperiodic variability observed in these records, a wavelet-based technique was used. Quasiperiodic oscillations having periods between 5 and 100 days were separated into four bands: 5–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–100 days. The variability shows (i) a strong seasonality (the first half of the series is dominated by larger periods than the second one) and (ii) a strong dependence with depth (some oscillations are present in the entire water column while others are only present at certain depths). For the oscillations that are present in the entire water column the origin of the forcing can be traced to the surface, while for the others the question of their origin remains open. Phase shifts at different depths generate vertical shears in the horizontal velocity component with relatively short vertical scales. This is especially visible in long-duration events (>100 days) of the zonal velocity component. Comparison with a simultaneous lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) section suggests that some of these flows may be identified with equatorial deep jets. A striking feature is a strong vertical shear lasting about 7 months between 745 and 1000 m. These deep current-meter observations would then imply a few months of duration for the jets in this region.

We present a modelling study of the circulation of the North Western Mediterranean Sea done with a high-resolution regional model (1/16°) embedded in a general circulation model of the Mediterranean Sea of lower resolution (1/8°). Focus is given on coastal and near coastal processes, which are the most sensitive for operational oceanography. The models were forced by 6 h atmospheric fluxes. The regional model was validated over the three-month winter period December 1999–February 2000 by comparing its results with literature, in situ and satellite observations. The hydrology and various features of the circulation on the North Western Mediterranean Sea were reproduced acceptably. This experiment highlights that the downscaling system we dealt with can be used to study a large variety of oceanic features occurring in specific oceanic area. However, the quality of the regional model results are strongly dependent on the quality of the initial state and consequently on the general circulation model.

The cold tongue in the tropical Pacific extends too far west in most current ocean–atmosphere coupled GCMs (CGCMs). This bias also exists in the relatively high-resolution SINTEX-F CGCM despite its remarkable performance of simulating ENSO variations. In terms of the importance of air–sea interactions to the climatology formation in the tropical Pacific, several sensitivity experiments with improved coupling physics have been performed in order to reduce the cold-tongue bias in CGCMs. By allowing for momentum transfer of the ocean surface current to the atmosphere [full coupled simulation (FCPL)] or merely reducing the wind stress by taking the surface current into account in the bulk formula [semicoupled simulation (semi-CPL)], the warm-pool/cold-tongue structure in the equatorial Pacific is simulated better than that of the control simulation (CTL) in which the movement of the ocean surface is ignored for wind stress calculation. The reduced surface zonal current and vertical entrainment owing to the reduced easterly wind stress tend to produce a warmer sea surface temperature (SST) in the western equatorial Pacific. Consequently, the dry bias there is much reduced. The warming tendency of the SST in the eastern Pacific, however, is largely suppressed by isopycnal diffusion and meridional advection of colder SST from south of the equator due to enhanced coastal upwelling near Peru. The ENSO signal in the western Pacific and its global teleconnection in the North Pacific are simulated more realistically. The approach as adopted in the FCPL run is able to generate a correct zonal SST slope and efficiently reduce the cold-tongue bias in the equatorial Pacific. The surface easterly wind itself in the FCPL run is weakened, reducing the easterly wind stress further. This is related with a weakened zonal Walker cell in the atmospheric boundary layer over the eastern Pacific and a new global angular momentum balance of the atmosphere associated with reduced westerly wind stress over the southern oceans.

This paper presents a neurovariational method for inverting satellite ocean-color signals. The method is based on a combination of neural networks and classical variational inversion. The radiative transfer equations are modeled by neural networks whose inputs are the oceanic and atmospheric parameters, and outputs the top of the atmosphere reflectance at several wavelengths. The procedure consists in minimizing a quadratic cost function that is the distance between the satellite-observed reflectance and the computed neural-network reflectance, the control parameters being the oceanic and atmospheric parameters. First, a feasibility experiment using synthetic data is presented to show that chlorophyll-a can be retrieved with an error of 19.7% when the atmospheric parameters are known exactly. Then both atmospheric and oceanic parameters are relaxed. A first guess for the atmospheric parameters was provided by a direct inverse neural network whose inputs are at near-infrared wavelengths. Sensitivity experiments showed that these parameters can be retrieved with an adequate accuracy. An inversion of a composite SeaWiFS image is presented. Optical thickness and chlorophyll-a both give coherent spatial structures when a background term is added to the cost function. Finally, chlorophyll-a retrievals are compared with SeaWiFS product through in situ data. It shows a better estimation of the chlorophyll-a with the neurovariational inversion for the oligotrophic regions.

The Parana-Plata basin is the second largest hydrological basin in South America and is of great importance for the countries of the region (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). The present study focuses on the long-term trends in basin-scale precipitation with special emphasis on the role of distribution changes in extreme large-scale precipitation events and on the characteristics and evolution of ENSO teleconnections over the last 50 years. First, we defined a Parana-Plata basin total precipitation index (PTPI) as the precipitations spatially averaged over the hydrological basin. On interannual time scales, such an index is mainly representative of anomalous monsoon precipitations in the northern part of the basin and large convective precipitation anomalies in the center of the basin (Paraguay-southern Brazil-Uruguay-northern Argentina) typical of the canonical ENSO teleconnection pattern. Our major findings clearly highlight a positive trend in yearly averaged PTPI mainly from the late 1960s to the early 1980s with a strong dependence from month-to-month. The largest precipitation increase is observed from November to May in southern Brazil and Argentina. A close examination of PTPI distributions during the two halves of the period 1950–2001 shows that the changes in the mean state from 1950–1975 to 1976–2001 result from significant changes in each calendar month mean state and in the tails of the PTPI anomaly distributions in May with lesser and weaker large-scale dry events and stronger large-scale wet events. Further studies will be needed to assess whether the observed trend in large-scale extreme precipitation conditions can be related to natural climate variability or anthropogenic activities and whether it is associated to changes in local/regional extreme events. The stronger wet conditions in different months seem to be associated to changes in ENSO characteristics (amplitude, propagation, spatial structure, ...) since the 1982–1983 El Nino. Indeed, spatial ENSO teleconnections (stronger in November and April–May) have greatly evolved from 1950–1975 to 1976–2001. Moreover, we demonstrate that there is a strong modulation and displacement of the teleconnection patterns from one event to another, impeding the definition of robust statistical relationship between ENSO and precipitation in the Parana-Plata basin (except maybe over a very limited area near the common border between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil). Finally, the non-antisymmetrical patterns of precipitation between El Nino and La Nina conditions and the non-linear relationship between precipitation and either Nino3.4 or Nino1+2 sea surface temperature indices show that linear statistical forecast systems are actually of very limited use for impact predictions on society on a local or regional scale.

Several studies have illustrated how the univariate assimilation of temperature data can have a detrimental effect on the ocean-state variables (salinity, currents, etc.) not directly constrained by the data. In this paper, the authors describe how the salinity adjustment method proposed by Troccoli and Haines can be included as a multivariate temperature–salinity (T–S) constraint within a background-error covariance model for variational data assimilation. The method is applied to a three-dimensional variational assimilation (3DVAR) system for a tropical Pacific version of the Océan Parallélisé (OPA) ocean general circulation model. An identical twin experiment is presented first to illustrate how the method is effective in reconstructing a density profile using only temperature observations from that profile. The 3DVAR system is then cycled over the period 1993–98 using in situ temperature data from the Global Temperature and Salinity Pilot Programme. Relative to a univariate (T) 3DVAR, the multivariate (T, S) 3DVAR significantly improves the salinity mean state. A comparison with salinity data that are not assimilated is also presented. The fit to these observations is improved when the T–S constraint is applied. The salinity correction leads to a better preservation of the salinity structure and avoids the development of spurious geostrophic currents that were evident in the univariate analysis. The currents at the surface and below the core of the undercurrent are also improved. Examination of the heat budget highlights how the temperature increment must compensate for a perpetual degradation of the temperature field by abnormally strong advection in the univariate experiment. When the T–S constraint is applied, this spurious advection is reduced and the mean temperature increment is decreased. Examination of the salt budget shows that spurious advection is also the main cause of the upper-ocean freshening. When the T–S constraint is applied, the salinity structure is improved allowing for a better representation of the advection term and better preservation of the salt content in the upper ocean. The T–S constraint does not correct for all problems linked to data assimilation: vertical mixing is still too strong, and the surface salinity state and currents still have substantial errors. Improvements can be expected by including additional constraints in the background error covariances and by assimilating salinity data.

Biogeography of deep-sea comatulid crinoids is poorly understood owing partly to the lack of detailed taxonomic studies. Recent cruises off Peru dredged up two new, well-preserved specimens of Thalassometra bispinosa, a deep-sea comatulid species which was heretofore only known from the Southern Ocean. These new records enabled re-evaluation of intra-specific variation for both quantitative and qualitative morphological characters. We thus provide a new description of the species, including these new specimens, and discuss the affinities with closely related species. As a consequence, we re-evaluate the systematic position of material previously assigned to T. bispinosa dredged from the Campbell Plateau, Southern Ocean. Discrete morphological characters, measurements and SEM photographs justify reassignment of these specimens to Thalassometra villosa. This species, another poorly known deep-sea comatulid crinoid previously known only from the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific, is also redescribed. The biogeography of these two deep-sea comatulid species is discussed and hypotheses of their geographical distribution are proposed.

Recent field observations have identified the widespread occurrence of fluid seepage through the eastern Mediterranean Sea floor in association with mud volcanism or along deep faults. Gas hydrates and methane seeps are frequently found in cold seep areas and were anticipated targets of the MEDINAUT/MEDINETH initiatives. The study presented herein has utilized a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating observations and sampling of visually selected sites by the manned submersible Nautile and by ship-based sediment coring and geophysical surveys. The study focuses on the biogeochemical and ecological processes and conditions related to methane seepage, especially the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), associated with ascending fluids on Kazan mud volcano in the eastern Mediterranean. Sampling of adjacent box cores for studies on the microbiology, biomarkers, pore water and solid phase geochemistry allowed us to integrate different biogeochemical data within a spatially highly heterogeneous system. Geophysical results clearly indicate the spatial heterogeneity of mud volcano environments. Results from pore water geochemistry and modeling efforts indicate that the rate of AOM is similar to 6 mol m(-2) year(-1), which is lower than at active seep sites associated with conditions of focused flow, but greater than diffusion-dominated sites. Furthermore, under the non-focused flow conditions at Kazan mud volcano advective flow velocities are of the order of a few centimeters per year and gas hydrate formation is predicted to occur at a sediment depth of about 2 m and below. The methane flux through these sediments supports a large and diverse community of micro- and macrobiota, as demonstrated by carbon isotopic measurements on bulk organic matter, authigenic carbonates, specific biomarker compounds, and macrofaunal tissues. Because the AOM community appears to be able to completely oxidize methane at the rate it is seeping through the sediments, ultimate sinks for methane in this environment are authigenic carbonates and biomass. Significant differences in organic geochemical data between this site and those of other cold seep environments, even within the eastern Mediterranean mud volcanoes, indicate that the microbiological communities carrying out AOM varies depending on specific conditions such as methane flux and salinity. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The surface heat flux feedback is estimated in the Atlantic and the extra-tropical Indo-Pacific, using monthly heat flux and sea surface temperature anomaly data from control simulations with five global climate models, and it is compared to estimates derived from COADS and the NCEP reanalysis. In all data sets, the heat flux feedback is negative nearly everywhere and damps the sea surface temperature anomalies. At extratropical latitudes, it is strongly dominated by the turbulent fluxes. The radiative feedback can be positive or negative, depending on location and season, but it remains small, except in some models in the tropical Atlantic. The negative heat flux feedback is strong in the mid-latitude storm tracks, exceeding 40 W m-2 K-1 at place, but in the Northern Hemisphere it is substantially underestimated in several models. The negative feedback weakens at high latitudes, although the models do not reproduce the weak positive feedback found in NCEP in the northern North Atlantic. The main differences are found in the tropical Atlantic where the heat flux feedback is weakly negative in some models , as in the observations, and strongly negative in others where it can exceed 30 W m-2 K-1 at large scales, in part because of a strong contribution of the radiative fluxes, in particular during spring. A comparison between models with similar atmospheric or oceanic components suggests that the atmospheric model is primarily responsible for the heat flux feedback differences at extra-tropical latitudes. In the tropical Atlantic, the ocean behavior plays an equal role. The differences in heat flux feedback in the tropical Atlantic are reflected in the sea surface temperature anomaly persistence, which is too small in models where the heat flux damping is large. A good representation of the heat flux feedback is thus required to simulate climate variability realistically. acceptedVersion

Continuous underway measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 in surface water were performed on a monthly basis from February 1998 to February 2000 along a transect between Nice and the Dyfamed site located in the open central zone of the Ligurian–Provencal basin of the Northwestern Mediterranean. Hourly measurements of pCO2 were also performed with Carioca buoys moored at the Dyfamed site from February to May 1999 and in October 1999. The shipboard measurements allowed the spatial variability of pCO2 from the coastal area to the central part of the basin over diel and annual time scales to be evaluated. The variability over scales of a few hours or a few kilometers was highest in winter in the central part of the basin, when the surface temperature was close to 13 °C. During this period, the pCO2 variations were correlated to salinity and variations in pCO2 of up to 70 μatm over a period of 16 h were observed. This winter variability can be explained by vertical mixing. The annual variations in pCO2 range from 300 to 420 μatm at the Dyfamed site and from 315 to 450 μatm in the Ligurian current. They are mostly due to temperature variations (13 to 26 °C), but the effect of temperature is counterbalanced mainly by biological production in spring and by vertical mixing in autumn. The results obtained at the Dyfamed site confirm those obtained by Hood and Merlivat [J. Mar. Res. 59 (2001) 113] with a Carioca buoy, but show interannual variability. Over short time scales, the variations of pCO2 normalized to 13 °C are linked to the wind speed variations or to the chlorophyll fluorescence during periods of high biological productivity. As well in the central part of the basin as in the coastal Ligurian current, this region of the Mediterranean Sea is a medium sink for the atmospheric CO2.

The dynamics of the Sicily Strait are investigated in a comprehensive study using recent in situ observations, Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) simulations and process model results. In particular, results of a very high-resolution Mediterranean model (MED16) developed in the context of the Mercator project are described. The circulation in the Sicily Strait can be described as a two-layer exchange of Atlantic Water (AW) and Eastern Mediterranean Outflow Water (EOW). The Algerian Current brings AW (the upper layer) eastwards and splits into two branches at the entrance to the Sicily Strait, one flowing to the Tyrrhenian Sea, the other into the Sicily Strait. The later is composed of two streams, referred to as the Atlantic Ionian Stream (AIS) and the Atlantic Tunisian Current (ATC). In winter, the ATC signature is more pronounced. In summer, the AIS is associated with a number of well-known semi-permanent features including the intermittent northward extension of the AIS (called NAIS) at the Ionian shelf break, which seems to be driven by the surface density contrast between waters of the Sicilian and the Ionian basins. New intermittent patterns are shown by the MED16 simulations, for example an anticyclonic eddy (called MCA) south of the Malta Channel and an anticyclonic gyre associated to the NAIS (called NAISA). Upwelling is well developed in August, with temperature lower than 24°C along the western and southern coasts of Sicily. The seasonal transport of the AW through the strait has a maximum value (1.4 Sv ) in winter, and a minimum value at the end of summer (0.8 Sv ) . In the lower layer, at the exit of the Sicily Strait, the EOW, mainly composed of Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW), outflows into the Tyrrhenian Sea and veers to the right. Then, as well known, the LIW flows along the northern coast of Sicily before reaching the Sardinia Channel. A new LIW path from the Sicily Strait towards the Sardinia Channel is shown by the MED16 model, and is due to intermediate eddy shedding at the exit of the Sicily Strait. The topography of the sill in the Sicily Strait plays a major role in the circulation. A combination of barotropic/baroclinic double Kelvin waves on both side of the sill provides a mechanism, for splitting the Algerian Current.

Tropical instability waves (TIWs) appear as monthly oscillations of the currents, sea level, and sea surface temperature of the eastern equatorial Pacific. They are understood as unstable waves feeding on the kinetic and potential energy of the mean currents. A general circulation model is shown to reproduce the main features associated with TIWs. It is then used to investigate the dynamical regime of TIWs, by assessing their sensitivity to oceanic initial conditions. Locally in space and time, small perturbations can grow enough to modify significantly the phase of the TIW field, suggesting some chaotic behavior. When considered over the whole active TIW region, however, the phases of the perturbed and unperturbed experiments remain in agreement. This suggests that TIW activity in this model is more consistent with a limit cycle behavior than with fully developed turbulence and that irregular behavior of TIWs mostly stems from external forcing by the wind. A stronger result is that TIWs in exper...

To understand the role played by microorganisms in the formation of cold seep carbonates, we conducted an integrated microbial, mineralogical and organic geochemical study of methane-related authigenic carbonate crusts formed on eastern Mediterranean mud volcanoes. We show that supersaturation with respect to carbonate minerals is induced by microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane. Combined lipid biomarker analysis and 16S rRNA gene surveys identified a highly diversified methane-consuming archaeal community possibly comprising novel species, implying that the anaerobic oxidation of methane is phylogenetically widespread and directly implicating these organisms in the process of crust precipitation. Moreover, pore-water sulphate gradients produced by co-occurring methane-based sulphate reduction exert the main control on aragonite versus magnesian calcite precipitation. We propose that this may be the dominant mode of carbonate crust formation at cold seeps world-wide, in agreement with aquatic chemistry predictions and explaining carbonate mineralogy. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

SUMMARYUsing a newly developed data logger to measure acceleration, we demonstrate that free-ranging king and Adélie penguins only beat their flippers substantially during the first part of descent or when they were presumed to be chasing prey at the bottom of dives. Flipper beating stopped during the latter part of ascent: at 29±9 % (mean ± S.D.) of dive depth(mean dive depth=136.8±145.1 m, N=425 dives) in king penguins,and at 52±20 % of dive depth (mean dive depth=72.9±70.5 m, N=664 dives) in Adélie penguins. Propulsive swim speeds of both species were approximately 2 m s-1 during dives; however, a marked increase in speed, up to approximately 2.9 m s-1, sometimes occurred in king penguins during the passive ascending periods. During the prolonged ascending, oblique ascent angle and slowdown near the surface may represent one way to avoid the potential risk of decompression sickness. Biomechanical calculations for data from free-ranging king and Adélie penguins indicate that the air volume of the birds (respiratory system and plumage) can provide enough buoyancy for the passive ascent. When comparing the passive ascents for shallow and deep dives, there is a positive correlation between air volume and the depth of the dive. This suggests that penguins regulate their air volume to optimize the costs and benefits of buoyancy.

International audience; We compared the 13 models participating in the Ocean Carbon Model Intercomparison Project (OCMIP) with regards to their skill in matching observed distributions of CFC-11. This analysis characterizes the abilities of these models to ventilate the ocean on timescales relevant for anthropogenic CO2 uptake. We found a large range in the modeled global inventory (±30%), mainly due to differences in ventilation from the high latitudes. In the Southern Ocean, models differ particularly in the longitudinal distribution of the CFC uptake in the intermediate water, whereas the latitudinal distribution is mainly controlled by the subgrid-scale parameterization. Models with isopycnal diffusion and eddy-induced velocity parameterization produce more realistic intermediate water ventilation. Deep and bottom water ventilation also varies substantially between the models. Models coupled to a sea-ice model systematically provide more realistic AABW formation source region; however these same models also largely overestimate AABW ventilation if no specific parameterization of brine rejection during sea-ice formation is included. In the North Pacific Ocean, all models exhibit a systematic large underestimation of the CFC uptake in the thermocline of the subtropical gyre, while no systematic difference toward the observations is found in the subpolar gyre. In the North Atlantic Ocean, the CFC uptake is globally underestimated in subsurface. In the deep ocean, all but the adjoint model, failed to produce the two recently ventilated branches observed in the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Furthermore, simulated transport in the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is too sluggish in all but the isopycnal model, where it is too rapid.

The impact of the strong 1997-1998 E1Nifio event on nitrate distribution and new production in the equatorial Pacific is investigated, using a combination of satellite and in situ observations, and an ocean circulation-biogeochemical model. The general circulation model is forced with realistic wind stresses deduced from ERS-1 and ERS-2 scatterometers over the 1993-1998 period. Its outputs are used to drive a biogeochemical model where biology is parameterized as a nitrate sink. We first show that the models capture the essential circulation and biogeochemical equatorial features along with their temporal evolution during the 1997-1998 event, although the modeled variability seems underestimated. In particular, the model fails to reproduce unusual bloom conditions. This is attributed to the simplicity of the biological model. An analysis of the physical mechanisms responsible for the dramatic decrease of the biological equatorial production during E1 Nifio is then proposed. During the growth phase (November 1996 through June 1997), nitrate-poor waters of the western Pacific are advected eastward, and the vertical supply of nitrate is reduced due to nitracline deepening. These processes result in the invasion of the equatorial Pacific by nitrate-poor waters during the mature phase (November 1997 through January 1998). At that time, the central Pacific is nitrate limited and experiences warm pool oligotrophic conditions. As a result, the modeled new production over the equatorial Pacific drops by 40% compared to the mean 1993-1996 values. Then, while E1Nifio conditions are still present at the surface, the nitracline shallows over most of the basin in early 1998. Therefore the strengthening of the trade winds in May 1998 efficiently switches on the nitrate vertical supply over a large part of the equatorial Pacific, leading to a rapid return of high biological production conditions. Strong La Nifia conditions then develop, resulting in a biologically rich tongue extending as far west as 160°E for several months.

Five advection schemes are compared and evaluated in the context of biogeochemical modeling. Using three schemes of comparable quality that have been used in recent biogeochemical models, we found that new production estimates vary by as much as 30%. Test experiments are presented that explain the large discrepancies in terms of the different types of numerical errors inherent to each scheme. One scheme is suggested for eddy-resolving models and another one for coarse resolution models.

We analyse mixing in three weakly turbulent stably stratified flows, namely low amplitude breaking internal gravity waves, stably stratified homogeneous decaying turbulence and a stably stratified unstable shear layer. We use the method proposed by Winter et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 289 (1995) 115], which provides an exact expression of the diffusive flux of density responsible for mixing. When the three flows have stabilized and organized into quasi-horizontal layers, we show that the diffusion coefficient behaves linearly as a function of a dynamical parameter that characterizes the largest scales of the flow (a Froude number squared or the inverse of a Richardson number) and we provide a simple expression of this linear law.

An objective and quantitative estimate of all mean annual interocean mass transfers together with a picture of the associated mean pathways is presented. The global ocean circulation transfers mass, heat, and salinity between the various ocean subbasins on timescales that are likely to interact with the evolution of climate regimes. As an effort to consolidate our knowledge of the present global ocean climatological state, the output of a complex and realistic ocean model is analyzed with newly developed Lagrangian techniques to produce a global circulation scheme that helps and completes our physical understanding of the three-dimensional ocean circulation.

International audience; During a Lagrangian deliberate tracer study in the North Atlantic, the 1998 Gas Exchange Experiment, hourly measurements of wind speed, sea surface temperature, fCO2, and fluorescence were made from two carbon interface ocean atmosphere (CARIOCA) drifting buoys in a warm-core eddy near 46°N and 21.5°W over a period of approximately 20 days. Shipboard measurements of fCO2 near the buoys were used to verify the buoy operation, calibrate the buoy measurements, and assess the performance of the fCO2 sensor. The strong air-sea fCO2 gradient in the eddy and intense atmospheric forcing during the experiment provided ideal conditions for demonstrating the potential of autonomous drift buoy measurements for studies of surface ocean biogeochemistry, where changes of fCO2 were rapid and large. During the experiment a storm occurred with wind speeds reaching as high as 16-17 m s-1, leading to a sharp decrease in sea surface temperature and an increase in fCO2 of ~30 μatm. The magnitude of this sudden change in fCO2 is equal to approximately half of the annual range of fCO2 in this area. The air-sea flux estimate for the ~20 day experiment using the Wanninkhof [1992] gas transfer velocity formulation was -0.012 mol m-2 d-1 and using the Liss and Merlivat [1986] formulation was -0.007 mol m-2 d-1. The storm event, lasting 3-4 days, accounted for ~38% of the flux over this period. Approximately 16 hours after the onset of the storm, there was an increase in surface fluorescence coincident with the initial increase in fCO2. Nitrate measurements made from the ship in the eddy show a sharp peak in surface concentrations ~24 hours after the increase in winds and ~6-8 hours after the increase in surface fluorescence. After the upwelling of the NO3 the fluorescence increases more sharply while the fCO2 decreases, consistent with biological productivity. The surface fluorescence measurements remain higher than prestorm conditions for ~5 days after the NO3 has disappeared.

A global general circulation model analyzed with a Lagrangian methodology is used to describe and quantify the paths, transports, and characteristics of the “warm” waters forming the upper branch of the conveyor belt in the North Atlantic Ocean. The total transport for this branch turns out to be 17.8 Sv in the North Atlantic at 20°N: 11.8 Sv are composed of waters coming from the two classical origins, the Drake Passage and the Indonesian Throughflow, which contribute with 6.5 and 5.3 Sv respectively. The remaining 6 Sv find their origins partly in the passage between Antarctica and the Australian Continent (with 3.1 Sv) and partly in the Indo-Atlantic sector itself (i.e., with 2.9 Sv). The geographical structure of the different routes emphasizes the role of the Southern Ocean and large-scale current systems in water mass transformation and distribution.

The distribution and behaviour of foraging seabirds depend on the physical features of the ocean at different time and space scales, but little is known for penguins. We investigated the for- aging behaviour of king penguins in relation to oceanographic features over the birds' complete annual cycle. A total of 44 birds was followed between 1994 and 1997 at the Crozet Islands to moni- tor foraging habitat, diving behaviour, and sea temperature of the water column, using satellite- tracking and time-temperature-depth recorders (TDR) carried by the birds. The study included breeding in summer, the winter period of chick raising, and the post-moult period in spring. King penguins foraged in 2 specific regions in response to the seasonal changes in local prey availability. In summer, satellite-tracked birds during the incubating and brooding stages (n = 14) preferentially exploited the polar front located 340 to 450 km to the south of their breeding site. TDR-equipped birds (n = 12) also foraged at the polar front in summer as indicated by the vertical temperature pro- files. In autumn and winter, satellite tracks (n = 8) and sea temperature measurements of TDR- equipped birds (n = 8) showed that birds with creching chicks instead foraged in antarctic waters, with 70% of individuals reaching the latitude of the pack-ice limit (1600 km from the colony). This suggests better prey availability than in the polar frontal zone at that time. When the birds were at the latitude of the polar front, the thickness of the surface mixed layer (SML) ranged from 80 m in summer to 140 m in winter, the SML temperature was ~4°C and the thermocline had a mean maxi- mum gradient of -0.5°C for each 10 m depth. When the birds were at their most southerly position, the depth of the SML ranged from 100 m in autumn to ~150 m in winter, while its temperature ranged from -0.8 to 2°C. The temperature gradient of the thermocline showed an inversion in autumn, and this gradient was positive in winter (mean maximum gradient of 0.3°C for each 10 m depth). Except for spring birds (n = 4) and for 1 winter bird, where the SML exceeded the diving range, all TDR- equipped penguins (n = 19) dived preferentially in and below the depth of the thermocline, thereby minimising diving in the SML. Therefore, their prey may have been predictably concentrated below the SML through oceanographic processes. In king penguins, the strategy of going south could then have evolved in relation to the thinning of the SML towards the south at any time of the year.

International audience; In order to access the statistical properties of the mesoscale dynamics in the Western Mediterranean, and its associated transport and heat fluxes during the postconvection period, the authors have applied data combination methods for analyzing a wide range of in situ measurements collected during the Thetis 1 and Convhiv experiments. CTD and XBT profiles were merged with times series at a fixed or moving point and also with integral time series obtained from acoustic tomography data. Estimates of temperature and currents within a box of approximately one degree square, over a time period of 35 days during the postconvection period, were produced. During this winter, convection has been only partial, rarely penetrating deeper than 1200 m. The analysis concentrates on the upper 1000 m, where most changes occur. Geostrophy is used as a dynamical constraint relating the parameters. The time evolution is controlled by a Kalman filter using simple persistence. The contribution of the different datasets to the estimation indicates their complementarity in the time and space dimensions. Hydrography and Eulerian measurements provide a major contribution to the estimation of the baroclinic modes. Tomography data complement the estimate at all horizontal scales. Float data bring some information on the barotropic mode but the major contribution on this mode comes from the reciprocal tomography data, particularly at the largest scales. The period analyzed mostly covers the postconvection. Estimation of the kinetic energy indicates that the barotropic contribution represents 85% of the total energy. Horizontal advection transfers heat toward the central area at a mean rate of 50 W m−2 compensating for the heat losses through the surface. The mesoscale flow field observed is characterized by strongly barotropic coherent vortices with a size O(30–40 km). These barotropic eddies are present during all phases of convection.

International audience; In order to clarify the link between ocean salt content (OSC) conservation and the freshwater flux formulation in ocean general circulation models (OGCMs), a varying level thickness, nonlinear free surface version of the OPA is presented. Linear/nonlinear free surface equations are solved using an original approach based on an explicit damping of fast external gravity waves. The method leaves both the potential vorticity equation and the equilibrium state unchanged. Its numerics and cost are quite similar to those of implicit schemes. When nonlinearities are kept, a variable first level thickness is required. Its discretization is determined by volume and energy constraints. The OSC conservation depends on the surface kinematic equation used. Four formulations are presented: (1) virtual salt flux (fixed ocean volume and no volume flux), (2) natural (fixed ocean volume and volume flux), (3) linear free surface (fixed volume and volume flux computed from a linear free surface equation), and (4) assumption free (variable volume computed from a nonlinear free surface equation). Their impact is illustrated in 25 year low-resolution global OGCM simulations. In all cases the first-order ocean response is quite similar, as the concentration-dilution effect always exists. Formulations 4 and 2 ensure a strict conservation of the OSC. Nevertheless, the difference in formulation 3 is not strong enough to play a significant role: the conservation is almost perfect. Only formulation 1 neglects fresh water-driven surface pumping. This mainly modifies the sea surface salinity of the ocean basin where river runoffs are strong. No significant difference is found between the other formulations as a large time step dampens high-frequency free surface motion. The best compromise for climate is the linear free surface formulation. It allows a nearly exact OSC conservation, introduces the fresh water-driven pumping, and runs faster than all the other formulations.

We examine the seasonal cycle of near-surface air temperature simulated by 17 coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). Nine of the models use ad hoc “flux adjustment” at the ocean surface to bring model simulations close to observations of the present-day climate. We group flux-adjusted and non-flux-adjusted models separately and examine the behavior of each class. When averaged over all of the flux-adjusted model simulations, near-surface air temperature falls within 2 K of observed values over the oceans. The corresponding average over non-flux-adjusted models shows errors up to ∼6 K in extensive ocean areas. Flux adjustments are not directly applied over land, and near-surface land temperature errors are substantial in the average over flux-adjusted models, which systematically underestimates (by ∼5 K) temperature in areas of elevated terrain. The corresponding average over non-flux-adjusted models forms a similar error pattern (with somewhat increased amplitude) over land. We use the temperature difference between July and January to measure seasonal cycle amplitude. Zonal means of this quantity from the individual flux-adjusted models form a fairly tight cluster (all within ∼30% of the mean) centered on the observed values. The non-flux-adjusted models perform nearly as well at most latitudes. In Southern Ocean mid-latitudes, however, the non-flux-adjusted models overestimate the magnitude of January-minus-July temperature differences by ∼5 K due to an overestimate of summer (January) near-surface temperature. This error is common to five of the eight non-flux-adjusted models. Also, over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude land areas, zonal mean differences between July and January temperatures simulated by the non-flux-adjusted models show a greater spread (positive and negative) about observed values than results from the flux-adjusted models. Elsewhere, differences between the two classes of models are less obvious. At no latitude is the zonal mean difference between averages over the two classes of models greater than the standard deviation over models. The ability of coupled GCMs to simulate a reasonable seasonal cycle is a necessary condition for confidence in their prediction of long-term climatic changes (such as global warming), but it is not a sufficient condition unless the seasonal cycle and long-term changes involve similar climatic processes. To test this possible connection, we compare seasonal cycle amplitude with equilibrium warming under doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide for the models in our data base. A small but positive correlation exists between these two quantities. This result is predicted by a simple conceptual model of the climate system, and it is consistent with other modeling experience, which indicates that the seasonal cycle depends only weakly on climate sensitivity.

30 pages, 1 table, 20 figures, A quasi-meridional hydrographic section located offshore from South America from 50°S to 10°N, and three shorter transverse lines to the continental slope, are used for a descriptive study of the water masses along the western boundary of the South and Equatorial Atlantic. At the upper and intermediate levels, the tracer analysis provides geographical limits of the wind-driven circulation regimes, and a comparison of the tracer values at the continental slope and along the meridional section shows where the boundary currents originate. At depths shallower than about 200 m, the subdivision of the subtropical gyre into two cells separated by the Subtropical Countercurrent near 28°S, that was pointed out in a previous study, is corroborated. South of this front, a warm variety (∼18°C) of Subtropical Mode Water in the inner recirculation of the Brazil Current appears, despite its limited extent, as a southern counterpart of the North Atlantic 18°C water. At the deep levels, the Upper Circumpolar Water and Upper North Atlantic Deep Water enter the South Atlantic in a significantly overlapping density range. The ensuing lateral encounter of both water masses occurs at 26°S near the western boundary, where most of the boundary flow of the latter water is stopped and deflected seaward by the base of the subtropical gyre. Other tracer anomalies signal significant eastward escapes of North Atlantic Deep Water: within two jets at about two degrees of latitude on either side of the equator, in another narrow current at 10°S, and at 34°S. The latter latitude marks the confluence, and eastward deflection, of the opposite boundary currents of Lower North Atlantic Deep Water and Lower Circumpolar Water. Near the bottom of the Argentine Basin, the Weddell Sea Deep Water that flows westward north of the Zapiola Ridge is more recently ventilated than the water carried by the boundary current near the Falkland Escarpment. While a part of it flows anticyclonically around the ridge, another part turns equatorward and enhances the southern property signatures of the water farther north, This investigation was supported by IFREMER (Grant 210161), INSU (Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers) and the CNRS (Centre de la Recherche Scientifique), in the framework of the Programme National d'Etude de la Dynamique du Climat (PNEDC) and its WOCE/France subprogramme. X.A. Alvarez-Salgado, C.G. Castro, and A.F. Rios acknowledge financial support from the Spanish CICYT (Contract No ANT93-1156-E)

The annual and interannual variability in the subthermocline equatorial Pacific is studied in a simulation of the tropical Pacific for the 1985–94 decade using a primitive equation high-resolution model. The study focuses on temperature variability and vertical energy fluxes. Similar to the observations made by W. S. Kessler and J. P. McCreary, the annual harmonic of vertical isotherm displacements presents phase lines sloping downward from east to west with off-equatorial maxima. Estimates of zonal and vertical phase speeds, the location of the maxima of isotherm displacements, and an analysis of ernergy fluxes suggest the presence of l = 1 Rossby waves. The simulated field is somewhat more trapped toward the equator than the observations. A linear simulation is carried out for the vertical standing modes with characteristics derived from the OGCM simulation. In the linear simulation, high-order meridional mode Rossby waves are more prominent than in the OGCM simulation. However, the (l = 1) Ros...

International audience; We investigate the variability of upper ocean temperature and surface salinity between Iceland and Newfoundland along World Ocean Circulation Experiment line AX2 in 1993-1998. North of 54°N, as well as close to Newfoundland, deviations from the seasonal cycle indicate upper ocean warming from 1994 to 1998, with largest anomalous warming during late 1995/early 1996 and during the winter 1997/1998. North of 54°N, surface salinity increases after mid-1996. The winter of 1995/1996 is the first winter of weak westerlies after more than 20 years of strong westerly conditions in the subarctic gyre, and the ocean loses less heat during that winter than during a normal year. The magnitude of upper ocean heat content change is at least twice as large as what results from the change in air-sea fluxes, which indicates a complementary contribution to heat content change by advection. Altimetric sea level data indicate also an increase of sea level of the order of 6.5 cm during that year, out of which more than 4 cm is contributed by the steric change associated with the temperature increase. A principal component analysis of the sea level data suggests that the increase sensed along line AX2 west of the Reykjanes ridge is found in most of the subpolar gyre, although to a lesser extent in most other areas.

International audience; A 6 month, high-frequency (hourly) time series of fCO2 and sea surface temperature measured by CARIOCA drift buoys in the Greenland Sea gyre is presented. The fCO2 shows the effects of photosynthetic activity in the summer, with fCO2 values as low as 260 μatm, followed by an increase to approximately 310 μatm in the late fall and winter due to mixing with CO2-rich deep water from below, remineralization, and gas exchange. The time series shows that fCO2 in the Greenland Sea gyre is undersaturated with respect to the atmosphere year-round, having an average ΔfCO2 of -71 μatm. Linear correlations between the measured fCO2 normalized to a constant temperature of -1°C and sea surface temperature (SST) are used to construct high-resolution fCO2 and air-sea CO2 flux maps for the Greenland Sea gyre area using SST and wind speed data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting and ice information from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager on a 0.5°×0.5° grid. The CO2 flux for the Greenland Sea gyre calculated for 1996-1997 considering the effects of blockage of gas exchange by sea ice is estimated to be -2.4 to -4.2 × 1012 g C yr-1 depending on the gas exchange parameterization used.

The separation of a coastal current into two branches when encountering a strait, one entering the strait and the other crossing the strait and continuing to flow along the coast, is examined. Analytical solution shows that the strait topography plays a major role in the separation. When the depth of the sill of the strait is shallower than the ocean, double Kelvin waves propagate along the sill discontinuity line and are able to transport energy across the strait. The shallower the sill, the smaller the transport of the surface current entering the strait at the upstream corner and the larger the transport of the current transmitted across the strait. Sensitivity experiments done with a high-resolution primitive equation model confirm this behavior. These considerations explain the separation of the Algerian current into two branches at the Strait of Sicily: one entering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the other flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

This paper investigates the influence of sea surface thermohaline fluxes and wind stress on the circulation of the Western Mediterranean Sea using a high-resolution 3D primitive equation model. An 18-year experiment was forced with the daily output of a fine grid mesh numerical weather prediction model. The major characteristics of the circulation are well reproduced. The basin surface circulation is cyclonic over all of the basin. The two anticyclonic Alboran gyres are present. The instabilities of the Algerian Current generate large anticyclonic eddies that invade the whole Algerian Basin. The Liguro–Provencal–Catalan Current is well marked. Deep water convection down to the bottom only occurs during the first 3 years, then winter intermediate water is produced. The north–south gradient of the atmospheric thermohaline fluxes induces a northward surface transport of water from the Algerian Basin into the Liguro–Provencal Basin. This pattern can be associated with the Balearic front. Sensitivity ...

The climatology of the OPA/ARPEGE-T21 coupled general circulation model (GCM) is presented. The atmosphere GCM has a T21 spectral truncation and the ocean GCM has a 2°×1.5° average resolution. A 50-year climatic simulation is performed using the OASIS coupler, without flux correction techniques. The mean state and seasonal cycle for the last 10 years of the experiment are described and compared to the corresponding uncoupled experiments and to climatology when available. The model reasonably simulates most of the basic features of the observed climate. Energy budgets and transports in the coupled system, of importance for climate studies, are assessed and prove to be within available estimates. After an adjustment phase of a few years, the model stabilizes around a mean state where the tropics are warm and resemble a permanent ENSO, the Southern Ocean warms and almost no sea-ice is left in the Southern Hemisphere. The atmospheric circulation becomes more zonal and symmetric with respect to the equator. Once those systematic errors are established, the model shows little secular drift, the small remaining trends being mainly associated to horizontal physics in the ocean GCM. The stability of the model is shown to be related to qualities already present in the uncoupled GCMs used, namely a balanced radiation budget at the top-of-the-atmosphere and a tight ocean thermocline.

International audience

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that in vitro controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of fish and shellfish proteins leads to bioactive peptides. Ultrafiltration (UF) and/or nanofiltration (NF) can be used to refine hydrolysates and also to fractionate them in order to obtain a peptide population enriched in selected sizes. This study was designed to highlight the impact of controlled UF and NF on the stability of biological activities of an industrial fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) and to understand whether fractionation could improve its content in bioactive peptides. RESULTS: The starting fish protein hydrolysate exhibited a balanced amino acid composition, a reproducible molecular weight (MW) profile, and a low sodium chloride content, allowing the study of its biological activity. Successive fractionation on UF and NF membranes allowed concentration of peptides of selected sizes, without, however, carrying out sharp separations, some MW classesbeingfoundinseveral fractions. Peptides containing Pro, Hyp, Aspand Gluwere concentrated in the UF and NFretentates compared to the unfractionated hydrolysate and UF permeate, respectively. Gastrin/cholecystokinin-likepeptideswerepresent in the starting FPH, UF and NF fractions, but fractionation did not increase their concentration. In contrast, quantification of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-like peptides demonstrated an increase in CGRP-like activities in the UF permeate, relative to the starting FPH. The starting hydrolysate also showed a potent antioxidant and radical scavenging activity, and a moderate angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-1 inhibitory activity, which were not increased by UF and NF fractionation. CONCLUSION: Fractionation of an FPH using membrane separation, with a molecular weight cut-off adapted to the peptide composition, may provide an effective means to concentrate CGRP-like peptides and peptides enriched in selected amino acids. The peptide size distribution observed after UF and NF fractionation demonstrates that it is misleading to characterize the fractions obtained by membrane filtration according to the MW cut-off of the membrane only, as is currently done in the literature. © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

International audience; Endogenous cortisol excess and glucocorticoid (GC) therapy are a major cause for secondary osteoporosis in humans. Intense bone resorption can also be observed in other vertebrates such as migratory teleost fish at the time of reproductive migration and during fasting when large amounts of calcium and phosphate are required. Using a primitive teleost, the European eel, as a model, we investigated whether cortisol could play an ancestral role in the induction of vertebral skeleton demineralisation. Different histological and histomorphometric methods were performed on vertebral samples of control and cortisol-treated eels. We demonstrated that cortisol induced a significant bone demineralisation of eel vertebrae, as shown by significant decreases of the mineral ratio measured by incineration, and of the mineralisation degree measured by quantitative microradiography of vertebral sections. Histology and image analysis of ultrathin microradiographs showed the induction by cortisol of different mechanisms of bone resorption, including periosteocytic osteolysis and osteoclastic resorption. Specificity of cortisol action was investigated by comparison with the effects of sex steroids. Whereas testosterone had no effect, estradiol induced vertebral skeleton demineralisation, an effect related to the stimulated synthesis of vitellogenin, an oviparous specific phospho-calcio-lipoprotein. In contrast, cortisol demineralisation effect was not related to any stimulation of vitellogenin. This study demonstrates GC-induced bone demineralisation in an adult non-mammalian vertebrate, which undergoes natural bone resorption during its life cycle. Our data suggest that the stimulatory action of cortisol on bone loss may represent an ancestral and conserved endocrine regulation in vertebrates.

The Harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus brevicornis belongs to the meiofauna of intertidal rock pools and is distributed widely along European coasts. Sixteen sites were sampled from the Irish Sea to the coasts of Spain. We used the ITS1 marker to analyse the relationship between the populations because it shows low intrapopulational variation (mean pairwise difference: 1.00 ± 0.8) and high interpopulational divergence (mean pairwise difference: 16.38 ± 7.39). A total of 57 bp out of 433 bp were recognised as informative nucleotides among the 61 individuals analysed. The analysis of the genetic relationships highlighted a north-south split in the distribution of the natural populations and showed a genetic break point around the Gironde estuary, which is probably due to differences in the geomorphologic characteristics of the coastal area on the two different sides of this estuary. Various populations were isolated and the ITS1 sequences indicated that there are specific genetic signatures in these populations. The northern set of populations, which was sampled along a large rocky coastline, had a metapopulation structure with genetic exchanges between geographically close populations and also between geographically far ones. The southern set of populations, which was sampled in small rocky pools on large sandy beaches, showed isolated populations as a consequence of the geomorphology of the area. Los copépodos harpacticoides Tigriopus brevicornis pertenecen a la meiofauna intermareal y están ampliamente distribuídos a lo largo de las costas europeas. Dieciséis lugares fueron muestreados desde el Mar de Irlanda hasta las costas de España. Nosotros usamos el marcador ITSI para analizar la relación entre poblaciones porque se mostró una variación interpoblacional baja (promedio diferencia de pares: 1.00 ± 0.8) y una divergencia interpoblacional alta (promedio diferencia de pares: 16.38 ± 7.39). Un total de 57 bp entre 433 bp fueron reconocidos como nucleótidos informativos entre los 61 individuos analizados. El análisis de relación genética resalta una partición Norte-Sur en la distribución de las poblaciones naturales y mostraba un punto de rotura genético alrededor del estuario de Gironde, probablemente debido a las diferencias en las características geomorfológicas de esta área costera en ambos lados del estuario. Algunas poblaciones fueron aisladas: las secuencias ITSI indicaban que había unas señales genéticas específicas en estas poblaciones. La población de la parte norte, que fue muestreada a lo largo de una línea rocosa de costa, evidencia la estructura de una metapoblación con intercambios genéticos entre poblaciones geográficamente próximas, pero también entre poblaciones geográficamente lejanas. La población de la parte sur, que fue muestreada en pequeños charcos de marea sobre vastas playas arenosas, mostraban poblaciones aisladas, destacando las consecuencias de la geomorfología del área.

Isotherm vertical displacements within the thermocline and surface currents were investigated in the tropical Atlantic Ocean from 12°N to 12°S in 1982–1984, the period of the FOCAL-SEQUAL experiment. The study is based on a numerical simulation of an oceanic general circulation model tuned for the study of the equatorial regions, and on the analysis of the large scale thermocline displacements and currents using observed temperature profiles. Ground truth is provided by temperature and currents from moorings, records from inverted echo sounders and tide gauges as well as from drifting buoys. Comparison of the analysis with the ground truth shows that some important aspects of the low frequency variability are “captured” by the analysis when the data base is large enough. On large scales, the simulation generally resembles the analysis. Along the equator, the upwelling signal propagates eastward. The seasonal set-up of the westerly winds is associated with large westward currents, and a following overshoot of the zonal dynamic topography. Otherwise, the zonal dynamic topography is in near-equilibrium with the winds. The North Equatorial Countercurrent is portrayed comparably in the analysis and the simulation, where, after starting as a narrow eastward flow near 5°N, it extends northward through the northern summer. Interannual variations are found both in the analysis and the simulation. In particular, the thermocline flattened early in 1984. However, the simulation differs in significant respects from the real world: the equatorial undercurrent is too weak in the east and the model produces too much variability south of the equator. The 20°C isotherm is too shallow above the core of the thermocline, and the surface layer is too stratified. Because the surface layer is where the wind stress, main forcing of the model is applied, major effort will have to be devoted to parameterizing the near-surface downward mixing of momentum, heat and fresh water.

An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2004 American Geophysical Union. A suite of standard ocean hydrographic and circulation metrics are applied to the equilibrium physical solutions from 13 global carbon models participating in phase 2 of the Ocean Carbon-cycle Model Intercomparison Project (OCMIP-2). Model-data comparisons are presented for sea surface temperature and salinity, seasonal mixed layer depth, meridional heat and freshwater transport, 3-D hydrographic fields, and meridional overturning. Considerable variation exists among the OCMIP-2 simulations, with some of the solutions falling noticeably outside available observational constraints. For some cases, model-model and model-data differences can be related to variations in surface forcing, subgrid-scale parameterizations, and model architecture. These errors in the physical metrics point to significant problems in the underlying model representations of ocean transport and dynamics, problems that directly affect the OCMIP predicted ocean tracer and carbon cycle variables (e.g., air-sea CO2 flux, chlorofluorocarbon and anthropogenic CO2 uptake, and export production). A substantial fraction of the large model-model ranges in OCMIP-2 biogeochemical fields (±25–40%) represents the propagation of known errors in model physics. Therefore the model-model spread likely overstates the uncertainty in our current understanding of the ocean carbon system, particularly for transport-dominated fields such as the historical uptake of anthropogenic CO2. A full error assessment, however, would need to account for additional sources of uncertainty such as more complex biological-chemical-physical interactions, biases arising from poorly resolved or neglected physical processes, and climate change.

International audience; We investigate the tropical Atlantic vertical structure variability (1981-2000) based on the CLIPPER ocean general circulation model (OGCM). We aim at determining to what extent the observed interannual variability can be explained by the low-frequency wave dynamics. The linear vertical modes of the OGCM climatological stratification are estimated along the equator. The baroclinic mode contributions to surface zonal current and sea level anomalies are calculated and analyzed at interannual timescales. The second baroclinic mode is the most energetic. The first (third) mode exhibits a variability peak in the west (east). The summed-up contribution of the high-order baroclinic modes (4-6) is as energetic as the gravest modes and is largest in the east. Wave components are then derived by projection onto the associated meridional structures. The effect of longitudinal boundaries near the equator is taken into consideration. Equatorial Kelvin and Rossby waves propagations, with phases speed close to the theory, are identified for the first three baroclinic modes. The comparison with a multimode linear simulation corroborates the propagating properties of the OGCM waves coefficients. An estimation of the meridional boundary reflection efficiency indicates that wave reflections take place at both boundaries. A 65% reflection efficiency is found at the eastern boundary. Our study suggests that low-frequency wave dynamics is to a large extent at work in the tropical Atlantic. On the basis of what is known on the Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation mode this may provide a guidance for investigating ocean-atmosphere mechanisms that can lead to the Atlantic zonal equatorial mode.

[1] A new 2° resolution global climatology of the mixed layer depth (MLD) based on individual profiles is constructed. Previous global climatologies have been based on temperature or density-gridded climatologies. The criterion selected is a threshold value of temperature or density from a near-surface value at 10 m depth (ΔT = 0.2°C or Δσθ = 0.03 kg m−3). A validation of the temperature criterion on moored time series data shows that the method is successful at following the base of the mixed layer. In particular, the first spring restratification is better captured than with a more commonly used larger criteria. In addition, we show that for a given 0.2°C criterion, the MLD estimated from averaged profiles results in a shallow bias of 25% compared to the MLD estimated from individual profiles. A new global seasonal estimation of barrier layer thickness is also provided. An interesting result is the prevalence in mid- and high-latitude winter hemispheres of vertically density-compensated layers, creating an isopycnal but not mixed layer. Consequently, we propose an optimal estimate of MLD based on both temperature and density data. An independent validation of the maximum annual MLD with oxygen data shows that this oxygen estimate may be biased in regions of Ekman pumping or strong biological activity. Significant differences are shown compared to previous climatologies. The timing of the seasonal cycle of the mixed layer is shifted earlier in the year, and the maximum MLD captures finer structures and is shallower. These results are discussed in light of the different approaches and the choice of criterion.

[1] Concomitance at the mesoscale between doming isopycnals and phytoplankton maxima is often observed. A different situation is sometimes revealed by satellite images, where chlorophyll varies at the submesoscale. These two situations are rationalized using numerical simulations of interactive oceanic eddies, in the standard situation where they result from baroclinic instability. The driving parameter is found to be the nutrient distribution in the region where the eddies are formed. It is shown that the existence of a large-scale horizontal gradient is a sufficient condition for observing phytoplankton maxima within the eddies. The proposed mechanism is based on the direct horizontal cascade and involves horizontal transport. This mechanism is different from eddy pumping, which involves vertical transport, but leads to similar distributions of nutrients, phytoplankton, and density at the eddy scale. When vertical gradients are dominant, the regime is that of small-scale nutrient injection. In this regime, eddy-induced upwelling and associated nutrient transport occur on a scale one order of magnitude below the eddy scale. In both regimes, new production resembles vorticity and displays energetic small-scale features. On the contrary, phytoplankton distribution shows different characteristics depending on the regime. In the absence of horizontal gradients, submesoscale upwelling and subsequent stirring lead to enhanced phytoplankton in vorticity filaments. Otherwise, when horizontal gradients prevail, phytoplankton is primarily driven by the horizontal cascade and resembles the mesoscale temperature field. Another important result is that small-scale subduction can contribute to the export and decrease new production.

Laboratoire d'Oc?anographie et de Dynamique du Climat. France. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.

International audience; We present a statistical analysis of a large set of absorption spectra of phytoplankton, measured in natural samples collected from ocean water, in conjunction with detailed pigment concentrations. We processed the absorption spectra with a sophisticated neural network method suitable for classifying complex phenomena, the so-called self-organizing maps (SOM) proposed by Kohonen [Kohonen, Self Organizing Maps (Springer-Verlag, 1984)]. The aim was to compress the information embedded in the data set into a reduced number of classes characterizing the data set, which facilitates the analysis. By processing the absorption spectra, we were able to retrieve well-known relationships among pigment concentrations and to display them on maps to facilitate their interpretation. We then showed that the SOM enabled us to extract pertinent information about pigment concentrations normalized to chlorophyll a. We were able to propose new relationships between the fucoxanthin/Tchl-a ratio and the derivative of the absorption spectrum at 510 nm and between the Tchl-b/Tchl-a ratio and the derivative at 640 nm. Finally, we demonstrate the possibility of inverting the absorption spectrum to retrieve the pigment concentrations with better accuracy than a regression analysis using the Tchl-a concentration derived from the absorption at 440 nm. We also discuss the data coding used to build the self-organizing map. This methodology is very general and can be used to analyze a large class of complex data. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Buoy drifts and current meter records between January 1987 and April 1992 are used to investigate the seasonal variability of the equatorial Pacific Ocean currents at a depth of 15 m. The buoy drifts and current meter data are well correlated, and their differences are small, although slightly larger currents may be given by the buoy drifts. The seasonal cycle in the currents is analyzed between 20°N and 20°S on a 1°×5° grid using a function-fitting algorithm which somewhat smoothes the zonal structure but retains the meridional structure. The analysis captures a large, zonally coherent seasonal variability of the currents within 15° of the equator, which significantly exceeds the estimated errors that originate from the limited sampling of the interannual, intraseasonal, and higher-frequency fluctuations of the currents. Many features of the new climatology are shared with other analyses of the surface currents in the equatorial Pacific, particularly the timing of the seasonal cycle of the main currents. There are, however, differences in the current velocities that are illustrated by a comparison with the ship drift data, which are analyzed here with the same spatial resolution. The analysis of the ship drifts presents larger meridional scales which are probably the result of the spatial smoothing involved in estimating a ship drift. The ship drifts are noticeably downwind of the 15-m currents. At the equator, they are also more westward than in the analysis of the 15-m currents between November and March near the date line and in January and July in the eastern Pacific which at least partially results from differences in the climatic conditions sampled in the two data sets.