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Abstract The North Pacific is known with iron limitation for phytoplankton growth in the subarctic region and nitrogen limitation in the subtropical gyre. Although the growth rate of phytoplankton is determined by the concentration of limiting nutrient, the supply ratio of iron to nitrogen is suggested to be essential to this biogeographic pattern. However, the underlying dynamics determining the ratio remain largely unknown. We investigated mechanisms of dissolved iron (dFe) and nitrate (NO3−) transport to the euphotic zone of the North Pacific using an eddy‐resolvable biogeochemical model. We show that lateral advection and atmospheric deposition are dominant drivers for dFe transport, resulting in high Fe:N supply ratio in both subarctic and subtropical regions. Conversely, significant vertical supplies of NO3− through upwelling and diffusion processes markedly reduce the supply ratio in the subarctic region. These dynamics combined lead to high Fe:N supply ratio in the gyre and low ratio in the subarctic, ultimately driving high nitrogen fixation condition in the gyre and the iron‐limited phytoplankton growth condition in the subarctic region.

There are many potential approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), of which ocean iron fertilization (OIF) has the longest history of study. However, OIF studies to date were not primarily designed to quantify the durability of carbon (C) storage, nor how wise OIF might be as an mCDR approach. To quantify C sequestration, we introduce a metric called the “centennial tonne,” defined as 1,000 kg of C isolated from atmospheric contact for on average at least 100 years. We present the activities needed to assess OIF from a scientific and technological perspective, and additionally, how it might be responsibly studied and potentially deployed. The five activities include: field studies in the Northeast Pacific; improved modeling for field studies, data assimilation and predictions at larger scales; improvements in monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) for C, and also MRV for tracking ecological and environmental impacts; and developing new iron sources and their delivery, to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. The fifth activity is to understand whether public and community support exists for OIF, and what governance structures might support further research and possible deployment of OIF. This article is written by a multidisciplinary experts group called Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS) that is organized around a responsible code of conduct. Of the mCDR approaches, OIF has the potential to be low cost, scalable, and rapidly deployable. Reducing CO2 emissions must lead the way, but there is also an urgency to decide under what conditions and whether OIF might be deployed or not.

Abstract Oceanic submesoscale processes are ubiquitous in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where the biological carbon pump is generally ineffective. Due to difficulties in collecting continuous observations, however, it remains uncertain whether episodic submesoscale processes can drive significant changes in particulate organic carbon (POC) export into the mesopelagic ocean. Here we present observations from high-frequency Biogeochemical-Argo floats in the NPSG, which captured the enhanced POC export fluxes during the intensifying stages of a submesoscale front and a cyclonic eddy compared to their other life stages. A higher percentage of POC export flux was found to be transferred to the base of mesopelagic layer at the front compared to that at the intensifying eddy and the mean of previous studies (37% vs. ~10%), suggesting that the POC export efficiency was significantly strengthened by submesoscale dynamics. Such findings highlight the importance of submesoscale fronts for carbon export and sequestration in subtropical gyres.

Abstract Mesoscale and submesoscale processes have crucial impacts on ocean biogeochemistry, importantly enhancing the primary production in nutrient‐deficient ocean regions. Yet, the intricate biophysical interplay still holds mysteries. Using targeted high‐resolution in situ observations in the South China Sea, we reveal that isopycnal submesoscale stirring serves as the primary driver of vertical nutrient transport to sustain the dome‐shaped subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) within a long‐lived cyclonic mesoscale eddy. Density surface doming at the eddy core increased light exposure for phytoplankton production, while along‐isopycnal submesoscale stirring disrupted the mesoscale coherence and drove significant vertical exchange of tracers. These physical processes play a crucial role in maintaining the elevated phytoplankton biomass in the eddy core. Our findings shed light on the universal mechanism of how mesoscale and submesoscale coupling enhances primary production in ocean cyclonic eddies, highlighting the pivotal role of submesoscale stirring in structuring marine ecosystems.

Abstract The mid-depth ocean circulation is critically linked to actual changes in the long-term global climate system. However, in the past few decades, predictions based on ocean circulation models highlight the lack of data, knowledge, and long-term implications in climate change assessment. Here, using 842,421 observations produced by Argo floats from 2001-2020, and Lagrangian simulations, we show that only 3.8% of the mid-depth oceans, including part of the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, can be regarded as accurately modelled, while other regions exhibit significant underestimations in mean current velocity. Knowledge of ocean circulation is generally more complete in the low-latitude oceans but is especially poor in high latitude regions. Accordingly, we propose improvements in forecasting, model representation of stochasticity, and enhancement of observations of ocean currents. The study demonstrates that knowledge and model representations of global circulation are substantially compromised by inaccuracies of significant magnitude and direction, with important implications for modelled predictions of currents, temperature, carbon dioxide sequestration, and sea-level rise trends.

Aiming at the problem of deterioration of the properties of beta titanium alloy welded joints due to many porosity defects and coarse grains, multi-vibrator ultrasonic-assisted laser welding (M—ULW) technology was used to improve the structure and properties of beta titanium alloy welded joints. The microstructure evolution, tensile strength, elongation, and fracture behavior of the weld joint were studied through scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scatter diffraction, and a universal testing machine. The results show that ultrasonic vibration has no effect on the phase composition of titanium alloy welds during ultrasonic-assisted laser welding. However, it caused all grains in the weld to be transformed into equiaxed grains, and the higher the amplitude, the finer and more uniformly distributed were the equiaxed grains. When the ultrasonic amplitude reached 20 μm, the fine equiaxed crystals were uniformly distributed throughout the weld, and the average grain size of the weld was 56.15 um, which is only one-third of that of the unultrasonicated laser welded joint. Ultrasonic refinement makes the joint grain size decrease, weakens the beta titanium alloy {200} direction weaving, increases the dislocation density within the weld; and increases the tensile strength of the welded joint. The tensile strength of the welded joints exceeded that of the base material by 907 MPa, and the elongation was significantly increased by a factor of 1.8 compared with that of the un-ultrasonicated laser welded joints, resulting in a shift of the fracture location from the center of the weld to the heat-affected zone.

Abstract The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) plays a crucial role in shaping local and global environments, yet its effects on interannual variability of the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone (ASOMZ) remains poorly understood. Here, we used a coupled physical‐biogeochemical model to investigate the dynamical response of the ASOMZ to extreme negative (2016) and positive (2019) IOD events. Our findings revealed that the suboxic area of the ASOMZ reduced (expanded) by ∼27% (∼28%) after the negative (positive) IOD event. Compared to the 2019 pIOD event, approximately 2.5 times more oxygen‐rich water was delivered into the Arabian Sea during the 2016 nIOD event, replenishing dissolved oxygen (DO) consumed by intensified upwelling‐induced enhanced remineralization of particulate organic matter (POM), thereby increasing the DO concentration in the Gulf of Aden. Conversely, more POM from the western Arabian Sea was transported to the central Arabian Sea, leading to a subsequent decrease in DO concentration there.

Abstract Wind power input to oceanic near‐inertial oscillations (NIOs) plays a crucial role in sustaining the global ocean conveyor belt. However, the impact of tropical cyclones (TCs) on wind power input to NIOs, despite being the most vigorous atmospheric dynamics capable of exciting NIOs, is often overlooked in global estimations due to their transient nature and a lack of observations. Utilizing hourly wind and ocean current records, we quantified the wind power on NIOs induced by TCs from 1990 to 2019. Our findings reveal that the wind power on NIOs due to TCs is estimated to be between 0.028 and 0.065 TW, which accounts for a significant proportion, that is, 8%–17%, of that over the globe. This study highlights the importance of incorporating the wind power induced by TCs when estimating the global wind power on NIOs, as its impact is non‐negligible. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the global energy balance by improving the estimation of wind power on NIOs.

Abstract The mechanism that determines the dynamics of subsurface chlorophyll maximum depth (zSCM) has long been debated. Although a coupling between zSCM and the top of nitracline (znit) has been widely observed in the open ocean, a co‐location of zSCM and an isolume depth (ziso) has often been reported in oligotrophic waters. In this study, based on continuous observations of ten BGC‐Argo floats, we found that the seasonal displacement of zSCM in all subtropical gyres was driven mainly by light, but zSCM displayed a nutrient‐driven pattern occasionally when znit became shallower than ziso. We therefore proposed a “two‐group competition framework”: zSCM in subtropical gyres is determined by the competition of two phytoplankton groups, nutrient‐sensitive picoeukaryotes and light‐sensitive Prochlorococcus. When znit (ziso) is shallower than ziso (znit), picoeukaryotes (Prochlorococcus) dominate the chlorophyll biomass at the SCM, and thus zSCM follows znit (ziso). This paradigm reconciles the inconsistent conclusions drawn from earlier studies.

Abstract An unprecedented warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly event, namely, the Blob, occurred in the northeast Pacific during the winter (October–January) of 2013/2014, causing substantial economic and ecological impacts. Here, we explore the driving forces of the Blob from both atmospheric and oceanic perspectives and show that the Blob primarily resulted from weak wintertime cooling due to the reduced air-sea heat flux transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere and the reduced horizontal advection of cold water in the upper ocean. Both mechanisms were attributed to an anomalous high-pressure system over the study region. Specifically, the anomalous air-sea heat flux, which was dominated by turbulent heat flux anomalies, was mainly induced by the increased air temperature (i.e., with a contribution of approximately 70%) and the weakened wind speed associated with the high-pressure system. The reduced horizontal heat advection was mainly due to the weakened winds acting on the ocean temperature meridional gradient. Using a regional ocean numerical model with different experimental runs, we evaluated the contributions of air temperature and wind drivers to the Blob at both the surface and subsurface of the ocean. The Blob was absent when the model was forced by climatology-air-temperature. Both the SST and integrated ocean heat content (OHC, 0–150 m) decreased, and the mixed layer depth (MLD) was deeper than that in the control run forced by real atmospheric conditions. In the climatology-winds experiment, obvious warm anomalies still existed, which were similar to but weaker than the control run. The SST (OHC) and MLD values in the climatology-winds run were between those of the climatology-air-temperature run and the control run. Compared to former studies that attribute the formation of the Blob to an anomalous air-sea heat flux and horizontal advection mainly induced by reduced winds, our study demonstrates that anomalous warm air temperatures played a more important role in its formation.

Coastal eutrophication and hypoxia remain a persistent environmental crisis despite the great efforts to reduce nutrient loading and mitigate associated environmental damages. Symptoms of this crisis have appeared to spread rapidly, reaching developing countries in Asia with emergences in Southern America and Africa. The pace of changes and the underlying drivers remain not so clear. To address the gap, we review the up-to-date status and mechanisms of eutrophication and hypoxia in global coastal oceans, upon which we examine the trajectories of changes over the 40 years or longer in six model coastal systems with varying socio-economic development statuses and different levels and histories of eutrophication. Although these coastal systems share common features of eutrophication, site-specific characteristics are also substantial, depending on the regional environmental setting and level of social-economic development along with policy implementation and management. Nevertheless, ecosystem recovery generally needs greater reduction in pressures compared to that initiated degradation and becomes less feasible to achieve past norms with a longer time anthropogenic pressures on the ecosystems. While the qualitative causality between drivers and consequences is well established, quantitative attribution of these drivers to eutrophication and hypoxia remains difficult especially when we consider the social economic drivers because the changes in coastal ecosystems are subject to multiple influences and the cause–effect relationship is often non-linear. Such relationships are further complicated by climate changes that have been accelerating over the past few decades. The knowledge gaps that limit our quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the human-coastal ocean nexus are identified, which is essential for science-based policy making. Recognizing lessons from past management practices, we advocate for a better, more efficient indexing system of coastal eutrophication and an advanced regional earth system modeling framework with optimal modules of human dimensions to facilitate the development and evaluation of effective policy and restoration actions.

Eddies are ubiquitous mesoscale dynamics in oceans worldwide that prominently influence the upper ocean. Specifically, the presence of preexisting eddies can modulate oceanic responses to passing typhoons, for which the underlying mechanism requires further investigation. In 2013, Typhoon Soulik traveled over 2,000 km in the western North Pacific, encountering multiple eddies, offering a suitable opportunity for investigating the impact of eddies on typhoon-induced upper ocean responses. A coupled ocean-atmosphere model was developed for this event, and the simulations were validated with multiple observations. The surface cold wake after Typhoon Soulik was successfully reproduced by the coupled model, showing a multicore structure, which was due to the preexisting mesoscale cyclonic eddies along the typhoon path. An experimental case excluding eddies was also tested in the numerical model. The comparison between the control and experimental cases revealed that sea surface cooling was enhanced by eddies via the vertical mixing and horizontal advection of eddy-related currents. In particular, vertical mixing enhanced sea surface cooling beneath the typhoon center due to the stronger vertical stratification within the preexisting cyclonic oceanic eddies. The eddy-related current with a horizontal temperature gradient contributed to advection, enhancing sea surface cooling at the cooling center and leading to a rightward-shifted pattern of enhanced sea surface cooling. This study enriches the understanding of the complex upper ocean dynamics under the combined effects of typhoons and eddies.

The oxygen minimum zone has a significant effect on primary production, marine biodiversity, food web structure, and marine biogeochemical cycle. The Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone (ASOMZ) is one of the largest and most extreme oxygen minimum zones in the world, with a positional decoupling from the region of phytoplankton blooms. The core of the ASOMZ is located to the east of the high primary production region in the western Arabian Sea. In this study, a coupled physical–biogeochemical numerical model was used to quantify the impact of ocean circulation and settling of particulate organic matters (POMs) on the decoupling of the ASOMZ. Model results demonstrate that the increased (decreased) dissolved oxygen replenishment in the western (central) Arabian Sea is responsible for decoupling. The oxygen-rich intermediate water (200–1,000 m) from the southern Arabian Sea enters the Arabian Sea along the west coast and hardly reaches the central Arabian Sea, resulting in a significant oxygen replenishment in the western Arabian Sea high-productivity region (Gulf of Aden) but only a minor contribution in the central Arabian Sea. Besides that, the POMs that are remineralized to consume central Arabian Sea dissolved oxygen comprises not only local productivity in winter bloom but also the transport from the western Arabian Sea high-productivity region (Oman coast) in summer bloom. More dissolved oxygen replenishment in the western Arabian Sea, and higher dissolved oxygen consumption and fewer dissolved oxygen replenishment in the central Arabian Sea could contribute to the decoupling of the ASOMZ and phytoplankton productive zone.

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-mediated senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) pathway has recently been identified in the suppression and promotion of cancers. However, its practical role in carcinogenesis remains to be comprehensively elucidated. Here, we describe an investigation analysing SASP activity and its correlations with DNA damage response (DDR), genomic mutations, and cell proliferation in gastric carcinogenesis among 30 cases with available endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens of early neoplastic lesions (including low-grade dysplasia [LGD], high-grade dysplasia [HGD], and intramucosal carcinoma). The positive cells of senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and cGAS, STING, interferon-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) expression levels using immunostaining were elevated in HGD and in cancers. Similarly, increased expression of the Fanconi anemia group D2 (FANCD2) protein, tumour suppressor p53 binding protein 1 (TP53BP1), and replication protein A (RPA2) (i.e., primary DDR factors) was detected in HGD and in cancers; these increased expression levels were closely correlated with high expression of Ki67 and minichromosome maintenance complex component 7 (MCM7) proteins. Moreover, genomic mutations in TP53 gene were detected in 56.67% of the evaluated cases (17/30) using next-generation sequencing, and positive staining was verified in HGD and in cancers. Statistical analysis revealed that cell proliferation closely correlated with the expression of DDR factors, of which TP53BP1 was positively associated with SASP factors and IRF3 was positively correlated with cell proliferation. In addition, an analysis evaluating clinical features demonstrated that STAT6-positive cases showed a longer progression-free survival time than STAT6-negative cases. Our evaluation, conducted using a limited number of specimens, suggests SASP may be prevalent in early gastric neoplastic lesions and could be activated by accelerated cell proliferation-induced DDR. The clinical significance of SASP still needs to be determined.

Based on the optical properties of water constituents, the vertical variation of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) can be well modeled with hyperspectral resolution; the intensive computing load, however, demands simplified modeling that can be easily embedded in marine physical and biogeochemical models. While the vertical PAR profile in homogeneous waters can now be accurately modeled with simple parameterization, it is still a big challenge to model the PAR profile in stratified waters with limited variables. In this study, based on empirical equations and simulations, we propose a dual-band model to characterize the vertical distribution of PAR using the chlorophyll concentration (Chl). With an inclusive dataset including cruise data collected in the Southeast Pacific and BGC-Argo data in the global ocean, the model was thoroughly evaluated for its general applicability in three aspects: 1) estimating the entire PAR profile from sea-surface PAR and the Chl profile, 2) estimating the euphotic layer depth from the Chl profile, and 3) estimating PAR just below the sea surface from in situ radiometry measurements. It is demonstrated that the proposed dual-band model is capable of generating similar estimates as that from a hyperspectral model, thus offering an effective module that can be incorporated in large-scale ecosystem and/or circulation models for efficient calculations.

Fast repetition rate fluorometry (FRRf) allows for rapid non-destructive assessment of phytoplankton photophysiology in situ yet has rarely been applied to Trichodesmium. This gap reflects long-standing concerns that Trichodesmium (and other cyanobacteria) contain pigments that are less effective at absorbing blue light which is often used as the sole excitation source in FRR fluorometers—potentially leading to underestimation of key fluorescence parameters. In this study, we use a multi-excitation FRR fluorometer (equipped with blue, green, and orange LEDs) to investigate photophysiological variability in Trichodesmium assemblages from two sites. Using a multi-LED measurement protocol (447+519+634 nm combined), we assessed maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), functional absorption cross section of PSII (σPSII), and electron transport rates (ETRs) for Trichodesmium assemblages in both the Northwest Pacific (NWP) and North Indian Ocean in the vicinity of Sri Lanka (NIO-SL). Evaluating fluorometer performance, we showed that use of a multi-LED measuring protocol yields a significant increase of Fv/Fm for Trichodesmium compared to blue-only excitation. We found distinct photophysiological differences for Trichodesmium at both locations with higher average Fv/Fm as well as lower σPSII and non-photochemical quenching (NPQNSV) observed in the NWP compared to the NIO-SL (Kruskal–Wallis t-test df = 1, p < 0.05). Fluorescence light response curves (FLCs) further revealed differences in ETR response with a lower initial slope (αETR) and higher maximum electron turnover rate (ETRPSIImax) observed for Trichodesmium in the NWP compared to the NIO-SL, translating to a higher averaged light saturation EK (= ETRPSIImax/αETR) for cells at this location. Spatial variations in physiological parameters were both observed between and within regions, likely linked to nutrient supply and physiological stress. Finally, we applied an algorithm to estimate primary productivity of Trichodesmium using FRRf-derived fluorescence parameters, yielding an estimated carbon-fixation rate ranging from 7.8 to 21.1 mgC mg Chl-a–1 h–1 across this dataset. Overall, our findings demonstrate that capacity of multi-excitation FRRf to advance the application of Chl-a fluorescence techniques in phytoplankton assemblages dominated by cyanobacteria and reveals novel insight into environmental regulation of photoacclimation in natural Trichodesmium populations.

In this paper, we outline the need for a coordinated international effort toward the building of an open-access Global Ocean Oxygen Database and ATlas (GO2DAT) complying with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). GO2DAT will combine data from the coastal and open ocean, as measured by the chemical Winkler titration method or by sensors (e.g., optodes, electrodes) from Eulerian and Lagrangian platforms (e.g., ships, moorings, profiling floats, gliders, ships of opportunities, marine mammals, cabled observatories). GO2DAT will further adopt a community-agreed, fully documented metadata format and a consistent quality control (QC) procedure and quality flagging (QF) system. GO2DAT will serve to support the development of advanced data analysis and biogeochemical models for improving our mapping, understanding and forecasting capabilities for ocean O2 changes and deoxygenation trends. It will offer the opportunity to develop quality-controlled data synthesis products with unprecedented spatial (vertical and horizontal) and temporal (sub-seasonal to multi-decadal) resolution. These products will support model assessment, improvement and evaluation as well as the development of climate and ocean health indicators. They will further support the decision-making processes associated with the emerging blue economy, the conservation of marine resources and their associated ecosystem services and the development of management tools required by a diverse community of users (e.g., environmental agencies, aquaculture, and fishing sectors). A better knowledge base of the spatial and temporal variations of marine O2 will improve our understanding of the ocean O2 budget, and allow better quantification of the Earth’s carbon and heat budgets. With the ever-increasing need to protect and sustainably manage ocean services, GO2DAT will allow scientists to fully harness the increasing volumes of O2 data already delivered by the expanding global ocean observing system and enable smooth incorporation of much higher quantities of data from autonomous platforms in the open ocean and coastal areas into comprehensive data products in the years to come. This paper aims at engaging the community (e.g., scientists, data managers, policy makers, service users) toward the development of GO2DAT within the framework of the UN Global Ocean Oxygen Decade (GOOD) program recently endorsed by IOC-UNESCO. A roadmap toward GO2DAT is proposed highlighting the efforts needed (e.g., in terms of human resources).

In addition to nutrients and light, temperature plays a crucial role in marine biogeochemical processes. In this study, the sensitivity of the growth rate of phytoplankton to temperature was systematically studied by using a two-level nested physical–biogeochemical coupled model for the Yangtze River estuary of the East China Sea. The physical component of the coupled model is configured from the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with the highest horizontal resolution of 3 km. The biogeochemical component of the coupled model is based on the carbon, silicon and nitrogen ecosystem model (CoSiNE). Five specific growth rate of phytoplankton equations with different relation to temperature were tested with the objective of reproducing the temporal evolution of chlorophyll concentration as observed by SeaWiFS. Our results indicate that the specific growth rate of phytoplankton equation which is from Geider’s work, reaches a maximum at 22 °C and remains constant with higher temperature, can reproduce the seasonal variation of chlorophyll very well, and may be suitable for application in the physical–biogeochemical coupled model (ROMS-CoSiNE) of the Yangtze River estuary.

The subarctic Pacific is one of the major high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions where marine productivity is greatly limited by the supply of iron (Fe) in the region. There is a distinct seasonal difference in the chlorophyll concentrations of the east and west sides of the subarctic Pacific because of the differences in their driving mechanisms. In the western subarctic Pacific, two chlorophyll concentration peaks occur: the peak in spring and early summer is dominated by diatoms, while the peak in late summer and autumn is dominated by small phytoplankton. In the eastern subarctic Pacific, a single chlorophyll concentration peak occurs in late summer, while small phytoplankton dominate throughout the year. In this study, two one-dimensional (1D) physical–biological models with Fe cycles were applied to Ocean Station K2 (Stn. K2) in the western subarctic Pacific and Ocean Station Papa (Stn. Papa) in the eastern subarctic Pacific. These models were used to study the role of Fe limitation in regulating the seasonal differences in phytoplankton populations by reproducing the seasonal variability in ocean properties in each region. The results were reasonably comparable with observational data, i.e., cruise and Biogeochemical-Argo data, showing that the difference in bioavailable Fe (BFe) between Stn. K2 and Stn. Papa played a dominant role in controlling the respective seasonal variabilities of diatom and small phytoplankton growth. At Stn. Papa, there was less BFe, and the Fe limitation of diatom growth was two times as strong as that at Stn. K2; however, the difference in the Fe limitation of small phytoplankton growth between these two regions was relatively small. At Stn. K2, the decrease in BFe during summer reduced the growth rate of diatoms, which led to a rapid reduction in diatom biomass. Simultaneously, the decrease in BFe had little impact on small phytoplankton growth, which helped maintain the relatively high small phytoplankton biomass until autumn. The experiments that stimulated a further increase in atmospheric Fe deposition also showed that the responses of phytoplankton primary production in the eastern subarctic Pacific were stronger than those in the western subarctic Pacific but contributed little to primary production, as the Fe limitation of phytoplankton growth was replaced by macronutrient limitation.

The limitation of iron (Fe) makes the North Pacific a typically high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) region in comparison with other oceanic regions of the world. Iron inputs from land via river discharge and atmospheric dust deposition are the primary processes introducing Fe into the ocean. Also, subsequent physical processes are crucial in transporting biologically available Fe into the upper ocean. As anthropogenic dust increases, the Fe from anthropogenic activities is expected to become more important in terms of impacting marine ecosystems. To investigate the Fe cycle and its impact on ecosystems, a project entitled ‘The sources and transport of Fe in the North Pacific and its impact on marine ecosystems’ has been funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The project will focus on three major scientific questions: (1) What are the major sources of Fe in the North Pacific? (2) What is the influence of the Fe-binding ligand cycle on marine ecosystems? (3) What is the likely influence of global change in the future? The distribution of Fe and its corresponding impact on the marine ecosystem in current and future environmental conditions will be investigated. The results of the project are expected to improve our understanding of the marine ecosystem in the North Pacific.

In San Francisco Bay (SFB), light availability is largely determined by the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the water column. SPM exhibits substantial variation with time, depth, and location. To study how SPM influences light and phytoplankton growth, we coupled a sediment transport model with a hydrodynamic model and a biogeochemical model. The coupled models were used to simulate conditions for the year of 2011 with a focus on northern SFB. For comparison, two simulations were conducted with ecosystem processes driven by SPM concentrations supplied by the sediment transport model and by applying a constant SPM concentration of 20 mg l–1. The sediment transport model successfully reproduced the general pattern of SPM variation in northern SFB, which improved the chlorophyll-a simulation resulting from the biogeochemical model, with vertically integrated primary productivity varying greatly, from 40 g[C] m–2 year–1 over shoals to 160 g[C] m–2 year–1 in the deep channel. Primary productivity in northern SFB is influenced by euphotic zone depth (Ze). Our results show that Ze in shallow water regions (

Super typhoon Rammasun (2014) traveled across the South China Sea on July 16–18. Its far-field impacts on phytoplankton dynamics in the upper ocean were documented by a Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) float located 200 km to the left of its track. Both surface chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) and particulate backscattering coefficient (bbp) were observed to increase substantially within two distinct stages. The initial increase occurred during the passage of the typhoon, and the subsequent increase happened 5 days after the typhoon. In contrast, depth-integrated Chla and bbp in the upper 150 m underwent negligible changes throughout the entire period. The key lies in the fact that surface phytoplankton increases in the far-field region resulted from the physically driven vertical redistribution of particles, rather than from biological alternations. The first increase was attributed to the typhoon-induced strong turbulence which deepened the surface mixed layer, and thus entrained subsurface particles to the surface; the second was due to the post-typhoon adiabatic quasi-geostrophic adjustment of the upper ocean that gradually raised the isopycnals (and thus subsurface particles). These results challenge the prevailing wisdom on typhoon impacts, and thus shed new lights on the nature of the upper ocean responses to typhoons from both physical and biological perspectives.

Despite the well-recognized importance in understanding the long term impact of anthropogenic release of atmospheric CO2 (its partial pressure named as pCO2air) on surface seawater pCO2 (pCO2sw), it has been difficult to quantify the trends or changing rates of pCO2sw driven by increasing atmospheric CO2 forcing (pCO2swatm_forced) due to its combination with the natural variability of pCO2sw (pCO2swnat_forced) and the requirement of long time series data records. Here, using a novel satellite-based pCO2sw model with inputs of ocean color and other ancillary data between 2002 and 2019, we address this challenge for a mooring station at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Specifically, using the developed pCO2sw model, we differentiated and separately quantified the interannual-decadal trends of pCO2swnat_forced and pCO2swatm_forced. Between 2002 and 2019, both pCO2sw and pCO2air show significant increases at rates of 1.7 ± 0.1 μatm yr–1 and 2.2 ± 0.1 μatm yr–1, respectively. Correspondingly, the changing rate in pCO2swnat_forced is mainly driven by large scale forcing such as Pacific Decadal Oscillation, with a negative rate (-0.5 ± 0.2 μatm yr–1) and a positive rate (0.6 ± 0.3 μatm yr–1) before and after 2013. The pCO2swatm_forced shows a smaller increasing rate of 1.4 ± 0.1 μatm yr–1 than that of the modeled pCO2sw, varying in different time intervals in response to the variations in atmospheric pCO2. The findings of decoupled trends in pCO2swatm_forced and pCO2swnat_forced highlight the necessity to differentiate the two toward a better understanding of the long term oceanic absorption of anthropogenic CO2 and the anthropogenic impact on the changing surface ocean carbonic chemistry.

In addition to ocean acidification, a significant recent warming trend in Chinese coastal waters has received much attention. However, studies of the combined effects of warming and acidification on natural coastal phytoplankton assemblages here are scarce. We conducted a continuous incubation experiment with a natural spring phytoplankton assemblage collected from the Bohai Sea near Tianjin. Experimental treatments used a full factorial combination of temperature (7 and 11°C) and pCO2 (400 and 800 ppm) treatments. Results suggest that changes in pCO2 and temperature had both individual and interactive effects on phytoplankton species composition and elemental stoichiometry. Warming mainly favored the accumulation of picoplankton and dinoflagellate biomass. Increased pCO2 significantly increased particulate organic carbon to particulate organic phosphorus (C:P) and particulate organic carbon to biogenic silica (C:BSi) ratios, and decreased total diatom abundance; in the meanwhile, higher pCO2 significantly increased the ratio of centric to pennate diatom abundance. Warming and increased pCO2 both greatly decreased the proportion of diatoms to dinoflagellates. The highest chlorophyll a biomass was observed in the high pCO2, high temperature phytoplankton assemblage, which also had the slowest sinking rate of all treatments. Overall, there were significant interactive effects of increased pCO2 and warming on dinoflagellate abundance, pennate diatom abundance, diatom vs. dinoflagellates ratio and the centric vs. pennate ratio. These findings suggest that future ocean acidification and warming trends may individually and cumulatively affect coastal biogeochemistry and carbon fluxes through shifts in phytoplankton species composition and sinking rates.

The global increase in coastal hypoxia over the past decades has resulted from a considerable rise in anthropogenically-derived nutrient loading. The spatial relationship between surface phytoplankton production and subsurface hypoxic zones often can be explained by considering the oceanographic conditions associated with basin size, shape, or bathymetry, but that is not the case where nutrient-enriched estuarine waters merge into complex coastal circulation systems. We investigated the physical and biogeochemical processes that create high-biomass phytoplankton production and hypoxia off the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary in the East China Sea (ECS). Extensive in situ datasets were linked with a coupled Regional Ocean Modeling Systems (ROMS) and carbon, silicate, and nitrogen ecosystem (CoSiNE) model to explain the temporary decoupling of phytoplankton production and hypoxia. The CoSiNE model contains two functional groupings of phytoplankton—diatoms and “other”—and the model results show that diatoms were the major contributors of carbon export and subsurface hypoxia. Both observations and simulations show that, although surface phytoplankton concentrations generally were much higher above hypoxic zones, high-biomass distributions during the summer–fall period did not closely align with that of the bottom hypoxic zones. Model results show that this decoupling was largely due to non-uniform offshore advection and detachment of subsurface segments of water underlying the Changjiang River plume. The near-bottom water carried organic-rich matter northeast and east of the major hypoxic region. The remineralization of this particle organic matter during transit created offshore patches of hypoxia spatially and temporally separated from the nearshore high-biomass phytoplankton production. The absence of high phytoplankton biomass offshore, and the 1–8 weeks’ time lag between the surface diatom production and bottom hypoxia, made it otherwise difficult to explain the expanded core hypoxic patch and detached offshore hypoxic patches. The findings here highlight the value of developing integrated physical and biogeochemical models to aid in forecasting coastal hypoxia under both contemporary and future coastal ocean conditions.

Increasing attention has recently been drawn to oxygen depletion and ocean acidification in coastal seas and their impacts on the marine ecosystem. Intensive organic matter degradation combined with weak water exchange is considered to be mainly responsible for bottom water oxygen depletion and acidification. Hypoxia and acidification in the bottom water of Bohai Sea have been frequently observed in summer seasons over the past decade. In this study, monthly surveys were conducted along an inshore-offshore transect in the north Bohai Sea from May to August in 2017 and 2018. The physical structure of the water column in the study area was characterized by a well-mixed surface layer and an essentially homogeneous deep layer that were separated by a strong pycnocline over the period from mid-Jun to late August in both years. Dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the water column were also split into two layers by the pycnocline and varied little in each layer. No significant interannual variations were observed for the temporal progressions of DO, pH and DIC in the bottom water. Average DO concentration and pH in the bottom water linearly decreased with time from May to August while DIC presented an opposite trend. DO became increasingly unsaturated from mid-June to late August when DO decreased to 96 μmol L–1 and pH to 7.74. The molar ratio of net oxygen consumption to DIC production was 1.42, similar to the Redfield ratio (1.30). Pelagic respiration (>60%) linked to degradation of fresh organic matter prevailed over sediment respiration (

Abstract A potential consequence of climate change is global decrease in dissolved oxygen at depth in the oceans due to changes in the balance of ventilation, mixing, respiration, and photosynthesis. We present hydrographic cruise observations of declining dissolved oxygen collected along CalCOFI Line 66.7 (Line 67) off of Monterey Bay, in the Central California Current region, and investigate likely mechanisms. Between 1998 and 2013, dissolved oxygen decreased at the mean rate of 1.92 µmol kg−1 year−1 on σθ 26.6–26.8 kg m−3 isopycnals (250–400 m), translating to a 40% decline from initial concentrations. Two cores of elevated dissolved oxygen decline at 130 and 240 km from shore, which we suggest are a California Undercurrent and a California Current signal respectively, occurred on σθ ranges of 26.0–26.8 kg m−3 (100–400 m). A box model suggests that small annual changes in dissolved oxygen in source regions are sufficient to be the primary driver of the mid-depth declines. Variation in dissolved oxygen at the bottom of the surface mixed layer suggests that there is also a signal of increased local remineralization.

The Argo Program has been implemented and sustained for almost two decades, as a global array of about 4000 profiling floats. Argo provides continuous observations of ocean temperature and salinity versus pressure, from the sea surface to 2000 dbar. The successful installation of the Argo array and its innovative data management system arose opportunistically from the combination of great scientific need and technological innovation. Through the data system, Argo provides fundamental physical observations with broad societally-valuable applications, built on the cost-efficient and robust technologies of autonomous profiling floats. Following recent advances in platform and sensor technologies, even greater opportunity exists now than 20 years ago to (i) improve Argo’s global coverage and value beyond the original design, (ii) extend Argo to span the full ocean depth, (iii) add biogeochemical sensors for improved understanding of oceanic cycles of carbon, nutrients, and ecosystems, and (iv) consider experimental sensors that might be included in the future, for example to document the spatial and temporal patterns of ocean mixing. For Core Argo and each of these enhancements, the past, present, and future progression along a path from experimental deployments to regional pilot arrays to global implementation is described. The objective is to create a fully global, top-to-bottom, dynamically complete, and multidisciplinary Argo Program that will integrate seamlessly with satellite and with other in situ elements of the Global Ocean Observing System (Legler et al., 2015). The integrated system will deliver operational reanalysis and forecasting capability, and assessment of the state and variability of the climate system with respect to physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystems parameters. It will enable basic research of unprecedented breadth and magnitude, and a wealth of ocean-education and outreach opportunities.

A successful integrated ocean acidification (OA) observing network must include (1) scientists and technicians from a range of disciplines from physics to chemistry to biology to technology development; (2) government, private, and intergovernmental support; (3) regional cohorts working together on regionally specific issues; (4) publicly accessible data from the open ocean to coastal to estuarine systems; (5) close integration with other networks focusing on related measurements or issues including the social and economic consequences of OA; and (6) observation-based informational products useful for decision making such as management of fisheries and aquaculture. The Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), a key player in this vision, seeks to expand and enhance geographic extent and availability of coastal and open ocean observing data to ultimately inform adaptive measures and policy action, especially in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. GOA-ON works to empower and support regional collaborative networks such as the Latin American Ocean Acidification Network, supports new scientists entering the field with training, mentorship, and equipment, refines approaches for tracking biological impacts, and stimulates development of lower-cost methodology and technologies allowing for wider participation of scientists. GOA-ON seeks to collaborate with and complement work done by other observing networks such as those focused on carbon flux into the ocean, tracking of carbon and oxygen in the ocean, observing biological diversity, and determining short- and long-term variability in these and other ocean parameters through space and time.

The vertical distribution of irradiance in the ocean is a key input to quantify processes spanning from radiative warming, photosynthesis to photo-oxidation. Here we use a novel dataset of thousands local-noon downwelling irradiance at 490 nm (Ed(490)) and photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) profiles captured by 103 BGC-Argo floats spanning three years (from October 2012 to January 2016) in the world’s ocean, to evaluate several published algorithms and satellite products related to diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd). Our results show: (1) MODIS-Aqua Kd(490) products derived from a blue-to-green algorithm and two semi-analytical algorithms show good consistency with the float-observed values, but the Chla-based one has overestimation in oligotrophic waters; (2) The Kd(PAR) model based on the Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) performs well not only at sea-surface but also at depth, except for the oligotrophic waters where Kd(PAR) is underestimated below two penetration depth (2zpd), due to the model’s assumption of a homogeneous distribution of IOPs in the water column which is not true in most oligotrophic waters with deep chlorophyll-a maxima; (3) In addition, published algorithms for the 1% euphotic-layer depth and the depth of 0.415 mol photons m−2 d−1 isolume are evaluated. Algorithms based on Chla generally work well while IOPs-based ones exhibit an overestimation issue in stratified and oligotrophic waters, due to the underestimation of Kd(PAR) at depth.

In this study, we isolated seven strains (termed BY1–7) from polluted soil at an oil station and evaluated their abilities to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). Following 16 rRNA sequence analysis, the strains were identified as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Sphingobium, Rhodococcus, and Pseudomonas, respectively. Growth characterization studies indicated that the optimal growth conditions for the majority of the strains was at 30 °C, with a pH value of approximately 7. Under these conditions, the strains showed a high TPH removal efficiency (50%) after incubation in beef extract peptone medium for seven days. Additionally, we investigated the effect of different growth media on growth impact factors that could potentially affect the strains’ biodegradation rates. Our results suggest a potential application for these strains to facilitate the biodegradation of TPH-contaminated soil.

The mesoscale eddies off the coast of Chile significantly impact the distribution of local chlorophyll and the development of marine ecosystem. Multiple processes, including eddy trapping, pumping, advection, Ekman-pumping, and submesoscale dynamics, exert their impacts simultaneously on transport of water masses at different distances with respect to the eddy center. The cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddies are generally characterized by upwelling (downwelling) within the eddy, which elevates (depresses) chlorophyll inside the eddy. Outside the eddy periphery, multiple processes are involved simultaneously, but their corresponding influences on chlorophyll are not well identified. In this study, the amplitudes of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies are distinguished as positive and negative values, respectively. A linear regression method is applied to seek the connection between eddy's amplitude and chlorophyll distribution at different locations w.r.t. the eddy center. The regression slope between eddy amplitude and chlorophyll anomaly is found to be negative in the eddy interior and along the periphery, which gradually changes to positive away from the periphery. The location where the response of chlorophyll to an eddy switches its sign is defined as the transition zone. The location of the transition zone varies with offshore distance and is impacted by topography, such as the presence of islands, which can change the dynamics of eddies. Thus, the distance from eddy center and offshore distance from coast should be taken into consideration when investigating their influences on nutrient transport and chlorophyll distribution.

Calcium alginate (CA) beads as a green sorbent were easily fabricated in this study using sodium alginate crosslinking with CaCl2, and the crosslinking pathway was the exchange between the sodium ion of α-L-guluronic acid and Ca(II). The experimental study was conducted on Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) as the model heavy metals and the concentration was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The characterization and sorption behavior of the CA beads were analyzed in detail via using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The adsorption experiments demonstrated that the CA beads exhibited a high removal efficiency for the selective adsorption of Cu(II) from the tetra metallic mixture solution and an excellent adsorption capacity of the heavy metals separately. According to the isotherm studies, the maximum uptake of Cu(II) could reach 107.53 mg/g, which was significantly higher than the other three heavy metal ions in the tetra metallic mixture solution. Additionally, after five cycles of adsorption and desorption, the uptake rate of Cu(II) on CA beads was maintained at 92%. According to the properties mentioned above, this material was assumed to be applied to reduce heavy metal pollution or recover valuable metals from waste water.

How animals navigate the constantly moving and visually uniform pelagic realm, often along straight paths between distant sites, is an enduring mystery. The mechanisms enabling pelagic navigation in cartilaginous fishes are particularly understudied. We used shoreward navigation by leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) as a model system to test whether olfaction contributes to pelagic navigation. Leopard sharks were captured alongshore, transported 9 km offshore, released, and acoustically tracked for approximately 4 h each until the transmitter released. Eleven sharks were rendered anosmic (nares occluded with cotton wool soaked in petroleum jelly); fifteen were sham controls. Mean swimming depth was 28.7 m. On average, tracks of control sharks ended 62.6% closer to shore, following relatively straight paths that were significantly directed over spatial scales exceeding 1600 m. In contrast, tracks of anosmic sharks ended 37.2% closer to shore, following significantly more tortuous paths that approximated correlated random walks. These results held after swimming paths were adjusted for current drift. This is the first study to demonstrate experimentally that olfaction contributes to pelagic navigation in sharks, likely mediated by chemical gradients as has been hypothesized for birds. Given the similarities between the fluid three-dimensional chemical atmosphere and ocean, further research comparing swimming and flying animals may lead to a unifying paradigm explaining their extraordinary navigational abilities.

The green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), which is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California to the Bering Sea, tends to be highly migratory, moving long distances among estuaries, spawning rivers, and distant coastal regions. Factors that determine the oceanic distribution of green sturgeon are unclear, but broad-scale physical conditions interacting with migration behavior may play an important role. We estimated the distribution of green sturgeon by modeling species-environment relationships using oceanographic and migration behavior covariates with maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt) of species geographic distributions. The primary concentration of green sturgeon was estimated from approximately 41-51.5° N latitude in the coastal waters of Washington, Oregon, and Vancouver Island and in the vicinity of San Francisco and Monterey Bays from 36-37° N latitude. Unsuitably cold water temperatures in the far north and energetic efficiencies associated with prevailing water currents may provide the best explanation for the range-wide marine distribution of green sturgeon. Independent trawl records, fisheries observer records, and tagging studies corroborated our findings. However, our model also delineated patchily distributed habitat south of Monterey Bay, though there are few records of green sturgeon from this region. Green sturgeon are likely influenced by countervailing pressures governing their dispersal. They are behaviorally directed to revisit natal freshwater spawning rivers and persistent overwintering grounds in coastal marine habitats, yet they are likely physiologically bounded by abiotic and biotic environmental features. Impacts of human activities on green sturgeon or their habitat in coastal waters, such as bottom-disturbing trawl fisheries, may be minimized through marine spatial planning that makes use of high-quality species distribution information.

Seasonal variations in the upper water column of the western North Pacific are simulated with the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS). The model is driven by surface fluxes of heat, momentum and freshwater without prescribing sea surface temperature or salinity. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to explore the sensitivity of the upper ocean thermal structure to the parameterized solar penetration scheme and two common practices to control model climate through a flux correction term and a nudging term. The absorption of solar radiation by the water column beneath the sea surface destabilizes the upper layers to cause a stronger mixing and deeper mixed layer in the warm season (from April to September). Therefore, removing solar penetration from the model results in an exceptionally stable surface layer, and tends to produce an overly shallow mixed layer in the warm season. The experiment with a prescribed net surface heat flux shows that the model is unable to maintain a heat balance in the upper water column, producing a cooling trend. Experiments with a flux correction term are able to keep the simulated sea surface temperature (SST) from a long term drift by adjusting the amount of the net surface heat flux. However, unrealistic net surface heat flux is produced in the experiment, when the model assumes no solar penetration. The implementation of a weak temperature nudging (1/50 days) toward a long term mean climatology prevents the model from simulating a cold bias during long term integration. The experiment with solar penetration and a weak nudging produces reasonable interannual variability during the period of 1995 - 2006 without flux corrections. The nudging terms steer advective heat fluxes towards the climatological mean state so as to avoid long-term drift in upper water column heat content. A detailed understanding of the function of nudging terms in controlling the hydrodynamics of the water column remains to be investigated.

As the demand for increased resolution and complexity in unstructured sea ice models is growing, a more advanced sea ice transport scheme is needed. In this study, we couple the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydro-science Integrated System Model (SCHISM) with Icepack, the column physics package of the sea ice model CICE; a key step is to implement a total variation diminishing (TVD) transport scheme for the multi-class sea ice module in the coupled model. Compared with the upwind scheme and a central difference scheme, the TVD transport scheme is found to have better performance for both idealized and realistic cases, and meets the requirements for conservation, accuracy, efficiency (even with very high resolution), and strict monotonicity. The coupled model for the Arctic Ocean successfully reproduces the long-term changes in the sea ice extent, the sea ice boundary and concentration observation from the satellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global ocean oxygen levels have declined in the past decades, posing threats to marine life and human society. High-quality and bias-free observations are crucial to understanding the ocean oxygen changes and assessing their impact. Here, we propose a new automated quality control procedure for ocean profile oxygen data. This procedure consists of a suite of nine quality checks, with outlier rejection thresholds being defined based on underlying statistics of the data. The procedure is applied to three main instrumentation types: bottle casts, CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) casts, and Argo profiling floats. Application of the quality control procedure to several manually quality-controlled datasets of good quality suggests the ability of the scheme to successfully identify outliers in the data. Collocated quality-controlled oxygen profiles obtained utilizing the Winkler titration method are used as unbiased references to estimate possible residual biases in the oxygen sensor data. The residual bias is negligible for electrochemical sensors typically used on CTD casts. We explain this as the consequence of adjusting to the concurrent sample Winkler data. However, our analysis finds a prevailing negative residual bias for the delayed-mode qualitycontrolled adjusted Argo profiling floats varying from -4 to -1 µmol kg-1 among the data adjusted by different Argo data assembly centers (DACs). The respective overall DAC-specific corrections are suggested. Applying the new QC procedure and bias adjustment resulted in a new global ocean oxygen dataset from 1920 to 2022 with consistent data quality across bottle samples, CTD casts, and Argo floats. The adjusted Argo profile data is available at the Marine Science Data Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Gouretski et al., 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.12157/IOCAS.20231208.001) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]