Signatures of Rossby waves that are evident in satellite ocean colour data in the southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) are more prominent during the winter than the summer monsoon. During the winter, the sea level is high, and the conditions are less conducive for the injection of nutrients through the eddy-pumping mechanism. In this study, we use satellite observations and a physical-ecosystem model to

The Taiwan Strait (TWS), connecting the South China Sea and the East China Sea, is affected by complex land-sea interactions as well as by human activities on both sides of the Strait. In such a subtropical strait ecosystem, phytoplankton communities exhibit spatiotemporal variations that are complex and dynamic compared with those of classical coastal-oceanic systems. Long-term measurements and reliable

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) produces global marine environment conditions that can cause changes in abundance and distribution of distant fish populations worldwide. Understanding mechanisms acting locally on fish population dynamics is crucial to develop forecast skill useful for fisheries management. The present work addresses the role played by ENSO on the round sardinella population

Using a validated, three-dimensional, coupled physical-biogeochemical model, this study examines the dynamics of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the South China Sea (SCS). The model identifies characteristic differences in DIC concentrations between the SCS and adjacent West Philippine Sea (WPS), showing an increase in DIC of up to 140 μmol kg−1 in the upper 2000 m layer from the WPS to the vicinity

Natural cycles in the seawater partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Gulf of Maine, which vary in surface waters from ∼250-550 µatm seasonally, provide an opportunity to observe how the life cycle and phenology of the shelled pteropod Limacina retroversa responds to changing food, temperature and carbonate chemistry conditions. Distributional, hydrographic, and physiological sampling suggest

We compared the isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) signals in particulate organic matter (POM), small sized copepods, exogenous feeding larvae, and anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) eggs and adults, in relation to oceanographic characteristics during this species’ reproductive season (late winter – spring, 2016 and 2017) in two spawning zones along the Humboldt Current: northern (Iquique, 20°S) and central Chile (Talcahuano

Both bioavailable iron (Fe) and water stability have been proposed to regulate primary production in large parts of the Southern Ocean. Freshwater is not only an important factor regulating water stability, but is also an important source of dissolved iron (DFe) for phytoplankton growth. In this study, stable oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) and salinity were used to distinguish meteoric water (glacial

Inter-annual and seasonal variations in zooplankton community structure in the Yellow Sea, China were studied in relation to climatic events and local environment from 2014 to 2018. Three zooplankton assemblages were identified based on cluster analysis, which were associated with seasonal temperature changes. Group 1 composed spring stations with moderate water column temperatures. The spring zooplankton

Acoustic scattering layers (SL) at various depths are common phenomena in most oceans, but the organisms that make up these layers vary and so does their density, and hence the backscattered energy. During two crossings of the deep Fram Strait between the shelves at Svalbard and Northeast Greenland at latitudes 77°N and 79°N, we registered epipelagic and mesopelagic SL across the entire Fram Strait

Oceanographic measurements carried out in the middle Adriatic during summer 2017 revealed anomalous conditions in both physical and microbial properties. High salinities were observed throughout the entire water column, with an ‘inverse’ salinity profile in August and a maximum in the surface layer, recorded for the first time in the middle Adriatic. Surface salinity of 39.02 recorded in August was

The ability of consumers to convert ingested carbon into growth is critical for secondary production and trophic transfer. We conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the effect of different prey and concentration on the ingestion rate (IR), egg production rate (EPR) and egg production efficiency (EPE) of the ubiquitous copepod, Acartia tonsa. Experiments were run at several prey concentrations

This paper analyses spatial and seasonal patterns for near-surface abundances of four Calanus species in the Northeast Atlantic based on monthly Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey data collected during 2008–2016. C. finmarchicus, C. helgolandicus, C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis represent different ecosystems, and water masses with differing oceanographic properties and origins. Hence, these

Five upper ocean mixed layer models driven by ERA-Interim surface forcing are compared with a year of hydrographic observations of the upper 1000 m, taken at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain observatory site using profiling gliders. All the models reproduce sea surface temperature (SST) fairly well, with annual mean warm biases of 0.11°C (PWP model), 0.24°C (GLS), 0.31°C (TKE), 0.91°C (KPP) and 0.36°C (OSMOSIS)

Seawater rare earth element (REE) concentrations and Nd isotopic composition (εNd) are increasingly applied as valuable tracers of oceanographic processes such as water mass mixing and lithogenic inputs to seawater. However, their measurements are basically lacking in the Mediterranean Sea water column. This study analyzes 9 seawater stations around the central Mediterranean Sea to clarify the relative

The Southern Ocean near the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is strongly affected by climate change resulting in warmer air temperature, accompanied with reduced sea ice coverage, increased sea water temperature and potential changes in the abundances of two key grazer species Salpa thompsoni (salp) and Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill). While salp abundance is hypothesized to increase, krill abundance

Submarine canyons are associated with increased biodiversity, including cold-water coral (CWC) colonies and reefs which are features of high conservation value that are under increasing anthropogenic pressure. Effective spatial management and conservation of these features requires accurate distribution maps and a deeper understanding of the processes that generate the observed distribution patterns

Oceanographic observations collected at Station P (145°W, 50°N) in the northeast Pacific extend for over six decades, representing one of the longest uninterrupted records of subsurface ocean properties. As such, this record is well suited to examine secular trends in properties of the subarctic waters of the North Pacific. In this paper, previously published trends are reviewed and updated, based

A coupled physical-biogeochemical model (ROMS-PISCES) forced by climatological fields is used to examine the role of upwelling filaments in the offshore exchange of particulate (POC) and dissolved (DOC) organic carbon in the Canary Current eastern boundary upwelling system (CanC EBUS). In this region, mesoscale filaments at Capes Ghir (∼30.5 °N) and Juby (∼27.5 °N) have been frequently described using

Sediment biogeochemical processes impact pelagic ecosystems when the sediment receives particulate organic matter (POM) deposited from the water column above, consumes dissolved oxygen, and returns inorganic nutrients to the bottom water. However, an easy-to-apply sediment model is still lacking for pelagic biogeochemical modeling. In this study, we proposed a mass conservative, process-based and easy-to-apply

This paper describes methods of obtaining improved estimates of long-term sea level trends for the British Isles. This is achieved by lengthening the sea level records where possible, then removing known sources of variability, and then further adjusting for datum errors that are revealed by the previous processes after verification using metadata from archived sources. Local sea level variability

Pachygrapsus marmoratus is a common coastal crab occurring in rocky shores of the northeastern Atlantic. The species presents a planktonic larval phase, constituting an interesting subject for dispersal studies, given the larval release in intertidal areas, followed by the exportation to shelf waters where larval development takes place. Onshore migration to the adult habitats is thought to be performed

A 12-year time series (2005-2016) was examined to explore relationships between European anchovy density, growth, reproduction and habitat dynamics in an upwelling system. Specifically, data used for a daily egg production method were combined with oceanographic data, prey availability, as well as acoustic surveys of the anchovy stock in the Strait of Sicily, in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Variables

Deep-ocean islands have long been associated with the generation of oceanic eddies in their wakes. However, their interaction with incoming eddies has seldom been considered. This study focuses on the characterization of background and locally generated mesoscale eddies in the Cabo Verde archipelago between 2003 and 2014. Special attention is given to the interaction of incoming eddies with the bathymetry

Recent research has focused on the changing ability of oceans to absorb atmospheric CO2 and the consequences for ocean acidification, with Arctic shelf seas being among the most sensitive regions. Hudson Bay is a large shelf sea in northern Canada whose location at the margin of the cryosphere places it in the vanguard of global climate change. Here, we develop a four-compartment box-model and carbon

The spatio-temporal distribution of seven abundant morphospecies (i.e. taxa identified based on morphological traits) and the diversity of the benthic megafaunal community at the Barkley Canyon hydrates site (870 m, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada) were assessed in 18 linear imaging transects (each transect ∼ 30 m long), conducted with an Internet Operated Deep-sea Crawler in November 2016. Faunal counts

Temporal and spatial dynamics of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the Barents Sea have been investigated during the last three decades using remote sensing and in situ observations. Satellite-derived sea surface temperatures increased in the period 1998–2017 by 1.0 °C as an average for the Barents Sea. We found significant positive relationships between ice-free conditions (open water area and duration)

Sinking particulate flux out of the upper ocean is a key observation of the ocean’s biological carbon cycle. Particle flux in the upper mesopelagic is often determined using sediment traps but there is no absolute standard for the measurement. Prior to this study, differing neutrally-buoyant sediment trap designs have not been deployed simultaneously, which precludes meaningful comparisons between

The impact of large atmospheric disturbances on deep benthic communities is not well known quantitatively. Observations are scarce but may reveal specific processes leading to turbulent disturbances. Here, we present high-resolution deep-ocean observations to study potential turbulent mixing by a large atmospheric disturbance. We deployed an array of 100-Hz sampling-rate geophysical broadband Ocean

We investigate the role of oceanic heat flux convergence in the summertime retreat of sea ice in the presence of a mean background flow. Prior studies indicated that eddies generated along the marginal ice zone front carry substantial quantities of heat laterally beneath the ice, but the direct importance of these fluxes to the summertime retreat of sea ice was not well established. We use the Regional

Drawing on a 50-member ocean ensemble hindcast, the magnitude and characteristic temporal and spatial scales of intrinsic and forced sea surface height (SSH) variability are evaluated over a 37-year period. The intrinsic and forced contributions derived from the ensemble are found to have similar temporal spectra, but different characteristic spatial scales. These results suggest that, with an appropriate

Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates and vertical diffusivities in the Indonesian seas are inferred from historical CTD measurements gathering for the first time data from Indonesian and international cruises. Dissipation rates are inferred from the CTD using an improved Thorpe scale method, which is validated against microstructure measurements. Elevated dissipation rates ∼ [10-6-10-7] m2s-3

One interesting question in the study of marine microbial ecology is how ocean currents affect the geographic distributions of microorganisms. The Zhe-Min Coastal Current (ZMCC) is strong in winter and could influence the plankton communities in Hong Kong coastal waters by bringing species from far north. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of microbial eukaryotic communities (MEC)

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal seas in the world, yet the processes that drive its nutrient distribution are not well understood. Using the three-dimensional China Sea Multiscale Ocean Modeling System (CMOMS) embedded with a nitrogen-phosphorus-phytoplankton-zooplankton-detritus ecosystem model, we investigated nutrient transport and dynamics in the SCS. The model was well

Marine ecosystem forecasting is an area of active research and rapid development. Promise has been shown for skillful prediction of physical, biogeochemical, and ecological variables on a range of timescales, suggesting potential for forecasts to aid in the management of living marine resources and coastal communities. However, the mechanisms underlying forecast skill in marine ecosystems are often

Over recent years the summer feeding distribution of Northeast Atlantic mackerel (NEAM, Scomber scombrus) has expanded from its traditional core in the Norwegian Sea, northwards towards Svalbard, and westward as far as Greenland. Food availability, temperature and an increase in spawning stock biomass (SSB) are reported to be possible drivers of the distribution, but quantifying the relative contributions

Copepod community structure was investigated every 6 h during a 24-h cycle at a fixed station in the open Ligurian Sea during a BioLig cruise (May 2013), using a BIONESS multiple-net sampler. The vertical distribution and diel vertical migration in the 0-1300 m water column are described for the main copepod species. Cluster analysis identified three distinct layers within the water column, with each

Changes in the composition and biomass distribution of deep-living zooplankton over wide gradients of depth (0-1300 m) have been analyzed in the Central Ligurian Basin (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea), seeking the environmental variables responsible for these changes. Spring vertical distribution (early May 2013) and diel vertical migration (DVM) of some key species of macroplankton and micronekton

The deep NW Pacific has been intensively analyzed in the last decade, during an international collaboration between German and Russian scientists, which has resulted in a vast, unique collection of material from previously unexplored areas. Until now, the environmental forces that could be driving species richness patterns in the deep NW Pacific have not been explored widely. Therefore, in this paper

We investigated the transformation processes of aerosol Fe in the surface water of the Northwestern Pacific Oceanic region by comprehensively collecting and measuring aerosols, seawater, size-fractionated suspended particles, and sinking particles during seasonally representative low and high aerosol deposition months. With one order of magnitude higher aerosol Fe contributed to the surface ocean in

The genus Eurythenes S. I. Smith in Scudder, 1882, has been the focus of integrated molecular and morphological taxonomy studies in recent years, resulting in the number of species in the genus increasing from three to eight. Samples of Eurythenes spp. collected using free-fall baited traps from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP), North East Atlantic Ocean, at 4850 m were examined in this study to investigate

As part of the OSMOSIS project, a fleet of gliders surveyed the Porcupine Abyssal Plain site (Northeast Atlantic) from September 2012 to September 2013. Salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured in the top 1000 m of the water column. Net community production (N) over an annual cycle using an oxygen-budget approach was compared to variations of

The benthos of the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench (KKT) was sampled during the KuramBio II expedition on board the RV Sonne in 2016. Macrobenthos was, for the first time, collected in the KKT hadal zone using an epibenthic sledge. Isopod crustaceans were one of the dominant taxa, and Munnopsidae was the most abundant and diverse asellotan family, comprising 49% of all Isopoda. During the expedition, a total

On the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), fjords make up most of the in- terface between the ocean and the cryosphere, and they are hotspots of biological productivity and biodiversity. Changes in the summer upper ocean (50 m) heat content, H, of a fjord could directly affect primary productivity and melting of icebergs and glacial fronts. Using the adjoint of a high-resolution Regional Ocean Model

A combination of morphological and genetic data (subunit I of the cytochrome c oxidase: COX1) was used to study the diversity and distribution of pseudotanaids in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and adjacent abyssal plain. Our results uncovered the presence of an undescribed species of Mystriocentrus (M. hollandae) and five new species of Pseudotanais (P. chanelae, P. monroeae, P. curieae, P. szymborskae

The Mediterranean Sea is now acknowledged to be a hot spot for marine litter. However, little is known about Floating Macro Litter (FML) concentration at the scale of the entire basin; predictions regarding this would greatly help guide policymaking to fight this scourge. While previous studies have shown high spatio-temporal variability in FML distribution, the aim of this study was to accurately

The vastness and difficult accessibility of the deep sea, together with the previous thought that it harboured no life, has hampered research in this environment until the nineteenth century, when the exponential discovery of new species was rapidly combined with the development of new gears to explore the deep-sea fauna. Nevertheless, apparatuses developed in the twentieth century are still used to

This study synthesizes spatial and temporal variations in surface seawater pCO2 (partial pressure of CO2) and associated air-sea CO2 fluxes in the largest marginal sea of the North Pacific, the South China Sea (SCS), based on a large dataset collected from 47 surveys during 2000-2018. We categorized the SCS into five domains featuring different physical and biogeochemical characteristics to better

Deep-sea fishes were collected by the R/V Sonne from the Kurile-Kamchatka Trench during the summer of 2016. A total 17 specimens were collected by Agassiz trawl and Multi-plankton nets. We identified them and provided a species list that includes 2 bristlemouths (Cyclothone atraria and Sigmops gracilis), 2 lanternfishes (Stenobrachius leucopsarus and S. nannochir) and 2 grenadiers (Coryphaenoides acrolepis

In the Bay of Biscay, mean body length and weight of sardines (Sardina pilchardus) have been decreasing since the early 2000s and could severely impact the fishing and seafood industry sector. These trends have no apparent link with fishing pressure, although the latter has been increasing since the late 2000s. As part of an effort to develop suitable assessment and management tools for this stock

Starting in 2011, coastal areas of the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean began to experience extraordinary yearly accumulations of pelagic Sargassum brown alga. Historical reports place large quantities of Sargassum only in the North Atlantic (mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and the Sargasso Sea). Accumulations of Sargassum in the tropical Atlantic have continued. We used a numerical particle-tracking

The Southern Ocean is a globally important carbon sink region. However, the austral coastal zones are usually not considered in global estimations due to their general undersampling and large regional dynamics. Thus, estimations of carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean may differ considerably from current values, i.e., without accounting for coastal regions. Here, we conducted a case study in the Gerlache

The two species Thysanoessa raschii and Meganyctiphanes norvegica dominate the krill biomass of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL) ecosystem. The EGSL is the southernmost limit of seasonal sea-ice cover in the North Atlantic and constitutes a dynamic frontier between Arctic and Atlantic water masses. In order to better understand the complex mechanisms underpinning the spatio-temporal dynamics

Midwater zooplankton are major agents of biogeochemical transformation in the open ocean; however their characteristics and activity remain poorly known. Here we evaluate midwater zooplankton biomass, amino acid (AA)-specific stable isotope composition (δ15N values) using compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA), trophic position, and elemental composition in the North Pacific Subtropical

The article provides an overview of the diversity of the genus Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Galatheidea: Munidopsidae) along the Russian Northern Pacific coastline, based on recently collected and museum specimens. Six different species are recorded in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (NW Pacific), including three new species, Munidopsis kurilensis sp. nov., Munidopsis asiatica

Measurements of echo intensities were acquired in shelf waters of the western Beaufort Sea near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska by upward-looking 307 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers during a 2008-2015 series of late-summer mooring deployments. These echo signals were analyzed for characteristic patterns of krill diel vertical migration (DVM) from which daily and seasonally-averaged DVM indices

Understanding sources of variability in larval supply and transport is integral to the dynamics, structure and effective management of marine populations and communities. Yet, a barrier to this understanding is the high variability in the supply and transport of marine larvae, especially in upwelling regions where wind forcing causes dynamic circulation. Since larvae of many species complete development

The ecology of leptocephali remains poorly known but they appear to feed on marine snow that can vary spatially and temporally according to the food web dynamics. This study provided new information about the position of leptocephali within the functional structure of microbial plankton and other food web components of the western South Pacific (WSP) region at a large geographic scale including the

We quantify the annual-mean structure, transport budget and coupling between surface and deep currents along the southern Australian shelves, that we propose be collectively known as the Southern Australia Current System. The system contains eastward Shelf Break Currents (SBC) including the Leeuwin Current Extension, the South Australian Current and the Zeehan Current; and a counter-flowing westward