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Prospect of artificial intelligence in oceanography
DONG Changming, WANG Ziyun, XIE Huarong, XU Guangjun, HAN Guoqing, ZHOU Shuyi, XIE Wenhong, SHEN Xiangyu, HAN Lei
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (3): 2-27.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.03.001
Abstract2058)   HTML1312)    PDF (4260KB)(2639)      

Artificial intelligence in oceanography has demonstrated a great potential with the explosive growth of ocean observation data and numerical model products. This article first reviews the history of ocean big data development, and then introduces in detail the current status of artificial intelligence in oceanography applications including identifying ocean phenomenon, forecasting ocean variables and phenomenon, estimating dynamic parameters, correcting forecast errors, and solving dynamic equations. Specifically, this article elaborates the research on the intelligent identification of ocean eddies, internal waves and sea ice, the intelligent prediction of sea surface temperatures, El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation, storm surges, waves and currents, the intelligent estimation of ocean turbulence parameterization for numerical models, and the intelligent correction of waves and current forecast errors. In addition, it discusses the recent progress of applying physical mechanism fusion and Fourier neural operator for solving ocean dynamic equations. This article is based on the current status of artificial intelligence in oceanography and aims to provide a comprehensive demonstration of the advantages and potential of applying artificial intelligence methods in the field of oceanography. With the two emerging research hotspots: digital twin oceans and artificial intelligence large models, the future development direction of artificial intelligence provides enlightenment and reference for interested scientists and researchers.

Interactions between vegetation and sediment carbon pools within coastal blue carbon ecosystems: A review and perspective
CHEN Yining, CHEN Luzhen
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 3-13.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.001
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Mangroves, coastal salt marshes and seagrass beds, as the typical coastal blue carbon ecosystems, have been widely recognized for their remarkable capacity in carbon storage. Vegetation carbon pool and sediment (or soil) carbon pool were considered to be the major carbon pools within the coastal blue ecosystems and their variations determined the overall carbon sequestration of the ecosystems. From a perspective of carbon pool interactions, this study summarized the previous research work based on literature review, including the interactions within various vegetation carbon pools and within various sediment carbon pools, as well as the interactions between vegetation and sediment carbon pools. Interspecific competition, allochthonous carbon input and biogeomorphology were found to be the key to understand the carbon pool interactions. Finally, a perspective on the current state-of-the-art of blue carbon pool study is offered, with challenges and suggestions for future directions.

Numerical investigation of the super typhoon Mangkhut based on the coupled air-sea model
LÜ Zhao, WU Zhiyuan, JIANG Changbo, ZHANG Haojian, GAO Kai, YAN Ren
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (4): 21-31.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.04.003
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Based on the mesoscale atmospheric model WRF and the regional ocean model ROMS, a two-way coupled WRF-ROMS air-sea model was constructed to simulate the super typhoon Mangkhut in 2018. The results showed that the simulation results of the coupled air-sea model were better than those of the only atmospheric or ocean model, and the error of the typhoon track obtained from the coupled model was within 60 km, which was in good agreement with the best track. Compared with the observation results, the simulation results of wind speed and sea level pressure in the coupled model were better than others model. Based on the simulation results of the coupled air-sea model, the spatial and temporal distribution of the wind field, pressure field, sea surface flow field, and storm surge under the super typhoon Mangkhut were further analyzed. The results showed that: (1) In terms of spatial distribution, after the typhoon entered the South China Sea, the radius of the seven-level wind circle was larger behind the right side of the typhoon; the cyclonic flow field showed a significant Ekman effect with the typhoon wind field, and the flow direction was 45° from the wind direction. The wind field, pressure field, wind-generated flow field and water gain distribution all had obvious asymmetry, and the typhoon intensity, flow velocity and water gain were greater on the right side of the typhoon path than on the left side. (2) In terms of time distribution, the distribution of the wind field and the pressure field were similar and synchronized with the typhoon center, while the wind-driven flow field and storm surge were three hours behind the typhoon track.

Seasonal variation in coastal saltmarsh carbon stocks, south bank of Hangzhou Bay
CHEN Yining, ZHANG Ziyan, CHEN Luzhen, ZHANG Jialin, LIU Bing, XIA Xiaoming, WANG Xinkai, CAI Tinglu
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 55-67.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.005
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Carbon stock variation observation forms the basis for coastal saltmarsh blue carbon sink accounting. In order to accurately estimate the carbon sequestration rate of coastal saltmarshes over a short-term scale (seasonal to annual), this study carried out field observations and sample collections within a coastal saltmarsh on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay, covering different seasons of 2022. This study was primarily based on high-resolution surface monitoring by Surface Elevation Table (SET) systems. The results revealed a seasonal plant growth pattern between March and September for both the native species Scirpus mariqueter and the exotic species Spartina alterniflora. In terms of belowground biotic carbon stock changes, over the growing season, the carbon stock increase for Scirpus mariqueter reached 11 g C·m-2 whilst this value was 56 g C·m-2 for Spartina alterniflora. The SET data indicated a sedimentation rate of 13.02 cm·a-1 within the Spartina alterniflora saltmarsh, higher than that of the Scirpus mariqueter saltmarsh, 12.30 cm·a-1. Calculating the sedimentation rate data with sediment bulk density and organic carbon content, the sediment carbon accumulation rate of Scirpus mariqueter saltmarsh was estimated to be 460 g C·m-2·a-1, lower than 588 g C·m-2·a-1 of the Spartina alterniflora saltmarsh. Combining the biotic carbon stock increase and sediment carbon stock increase, the carbon sequestration rate for the Spartina alterniflora saltmarsh was found to be 644 g C·m-2·a-1, higher than the value of Scirpus mariqueter saltmarsh, 471 g C·m-2·a-1. Thus, the difference in carbon sequestration abilities of native and exotic species should be considered for future coastal blue carbon management.

Carbon cycling in costal ocean and CO2 negative emissions
YU Lei, LI Sanzhong, SUO Yanhui, WANG Xiujuan
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 14-25.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.002
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Costal ocean receives a bunch of carbon materials and nutrients from terrestrial sources, relates a lot of carbon-involving interactions. Meanwhile, it is normal that sedimentary reservoir-cap systems with good trap conditions beneath coastal ocean, these entrapments have potentials to storage CO2. This review focuses on the coastal ocean as the research object, and introduces the carbon cycle processes in coastal ocean, their factors which could influence CO2 fluxes in the carbon cycle processes, and the potential carbon storage mechanisms of the coastal marine sedimentary basins. From the perspective of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”, the significance of coastal oceans for “Ocean Negative Carbon Emission (ONCE)”, its potential promotion paths, carbon storage potentials in sedimentary basins and the problems faced by coastal oceans are discussed. Overall, the costal ocean is one of the important blue carbon sink areas. In the coastal marine seawater system, improving the reaction efficiency of microbial carbon pump and carbonate carbon pump have positive significance for CO2 negative emissions; The suitable reservoir-cap systems for CO2 storage beneath coastal ocean can not only provide extra spaces, but also guarantee the safety for CO2 storage. In the future, the main research directions should be to inhibit the conversion process of carbon materials to CO2 in coastal oceans and ensure the safety of CO2 storage in sedimentary reservoirs, these could provide theoretical basis and technical guarantee for CO2 negative emissions.

Progress and challenges of artificial intelligence wave forecasting
LU Yuting, GUO Wenkang, DING Jun, WANG Linfeng, LI Xiaohui, WANG Jiuke
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (3): 28-37.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.03.002
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Waves are one of the most important phenomena in the ocean. The accurate and quick updated wave forecasting is of crucial significance for ensuring marine activities safety. The development of wave forecast is presented, including the traditional statistical wave forecasting methods, numerical wave prediction models, and the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) wave forecasting methods. Currently, AI wave forecast models have been demonstrated unique advantages in terms of computational efficiency and adaptive forecasting accuracy, and they are gradually being applied in practical wave forecasting operations, transitioning from the research stage. However, they also have limitations, including limited forecasting elements, underestimation of extreme wave conditions, and weak forecasting generalization ability. Based on the characteristics of AI wave prediction, key scientific and technological issues that need to be addressed in current AI wave forecasting are proposed. These include efficient utilization of observational data, incorporation of prior physical knowledge, and enhancement of AI model safety and generalization ability.

Explorations of marine gas hydrate deposits and the signatures of hydrocarbon venting using in situ techniques
LIU Liping, CHU Fengyou, GUO Lei, LI Xiaohu
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 26-44.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.003
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Marine gas hydrate deposits are significant temporal reservoirs for hydrocarbons migrating from deep sources. This is crucial to our understanding of ocean carbon cycling. The cold seep, a geological process regarding gas leakage from deep or shallow sources, is usually linked with gas hydrate decomposition. In this thesis, we reviewed the latest applications of in situ monitoring and detecting methods regarding the leakage plumes, migration pathways, and seafloor geomorphologies associated with gas hydrate and cold seep systems, primarily including vessel-and land-based gas plume measurements, surface ocean-lower atmosphere hydrocarbon emission detections, seafloor visualization techniques, and in situ observation networks. The integrated applications of these in situ observation methods provide a nuanced view of the temporal and spatial variability of hydrate and cold seep systems, facilitate understanding of the fate of hydrocarbons, and expand our knowledge of cold-seep biota in a watery desert.

Satellite retrieval algorithm of high spatial resolution sea surface partial pressure of CO2: Application of machine learning in Xiangshan Bay in autumn
LIU Tingyu, BAI Yan, ZHU Bozhong, LI Teng, GONG Fang
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 82-95.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.007
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Coastal bays are greatly affected by human activities and natural changes, and the influence mechanism of variation in seawater carbon source and sink patterns is extremely complex. Due to the small spatial scale of the bay, it is necessary to use wide-bands high-spatial resolution satellite remote sensing for monitoring the air-sea CO2 flux. Compared with the traditional kilometer-level ocean color satellite data, the retrieval of the sea surface partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), the key parameter to calculate air-sea CO2 flux, is extremely challenging in small-scale bays. Taking Xiangshan Bay in Zhejiang Province in autumn as an example, a satellite retrieval algorithm for sea surface pCO2 was proposed based on the in situ pCO2 data and Sentinel-2 satellite images in the past five years, using the machine learning method of support vector machine (SVM). The algorithm validation results showed a good performance with R2 of 0.92 and RMSE of 23.23 μatm, and the satellite-derived results were consistent with the in situ values. On this basis, the satellite products of pCO2 in Xiangshan Bay in autumn from 2017 to 2021 (September to November) were produced. The results revealed that the pCO2 of Xiangshan Bay showed a decreasing trend from the top of the bay to the mouth of the bay, with an average value of 514.56 μatm, of which the average pCO2 in the inner bay was 551.94 μatm and the average pCO2 in the outer bay was 477.19 μatm, which implied that Xiangshan Bay was a source of atmospheric CO2 as a whole. There was no significant trend change of pCO2 in autumn in the past five years. Combined with the analysis of in situ data of multiple parameters, it was found that the sea surface pCO2 of autumn in Xiangshan Bay in 2021 was jointly regulated by physical mixing and biological activities. Sea surface temperature (SST) had a good positive correlation with pCO2, which was mainly reflected by the thermodynamic equilibrium of carbonate system. In addition, the normalized pCO2(NpCO2) with average temperature had a good negative correlation with seawater salinity and dissolved oxygen saturation. The relationship between NpCO2 and salinity resulted from the exchange of sea water inside the bay and offshore coastal water under tidal effect. Long-time series satellite data analysis also confirmed that sea surface pCO2 had a relatively consistent trend with the average tide height inside and outside the bay, and this trend was stronger in the outside bay than that in the inner bay. In this study, a set of pCO2 remote sensing retrieval methods in the small-scale bay was constructed, which laid a good foundation for the subsequent long-time series satellite monitoring of sea-air CO2 fluxes.

Conservation gap analysis of coastal blue carbon ecosystems: Taking Guangdong and Guangxi as examples
DONG Di, HUANG Huamei, GAO Qing, CHEN Mianrun, YANG Xi
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (1): 110-120.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.01.009
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Mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds are known as the three major coastal blue carbon ecosystems (CBCEs), which play important roles in marine biodiversity maintenance, water purification, nutrient recycling, carbon sequestration and storage. Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China, where the CBCEs are widely distributed, were selected as the research areas, to investigate the spatial relationship between CBCEs and the marine ecological redlines (MERs). The CBCE conservation gap was analyzed, and the recommended priority conservation areas outside the MERs were proposed. The CBCE distribution data obtained from the satellite images in 2019, combined with field survey and UAV remote sensing data collected during 2020 and 2021 showed that the CBCEs in Guangdong totaled 14 481.39 hm2 (mangroves 11 928.87 hm2, salt marshes 1 258.00 hm2, seagrass beds 1 294.52 hm2), whereas the CBCEs in Guangxi totaled 11 751.30 hm2 (mangroves 10 171.70 hm2, salt marshes 1 450.36 hm2, seagrass beds 129.24 hm2). 62.13% of the CBCEs in Guangdong and 59.88% in Guangxi were covered by the MERs. The distribution areas and protection ratios of mangroves and seagrass beds in Guangdong were both larger than those in Guangxi, while the distribution area and protection ratio of salt marshes in Guangxi were larger than that in Guangdong. As to the 3 types of CBCEs in Guangdong, 62.13% of the mangroves, 38.16% of the salt marshes and 85.41% of the seagrass beds were under protection. For the CBCEs in Guangxi, 61.44% of the mangroves, 49.58% of the salt marshes and 52.99% of the seagrass beds were protected. This research suggests the coast from Rongmujiang Bay to Maowei Sea, the areas of Tieshan Bay, Leizhou Bay, Zhelin Bay and other related locations as the recommended priority conservation areas outside the MERs.

Geographical distribution pattern of deep-sea benthic polychaetes in the western Pacific
WANG Yueyun, YAN Runxuan, WANG Chunsheng
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (2): 104-113.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.02.009
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The diversity and geographical distribution pattern of deep-sea polychaete animals have been a research focus of deep-sea biodiversity science. Data from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) were used to analyze the characters of deep-sea benthic polychaetes diversity and distribution in the western Pacific. The results show that the collection data mainly distributed in the distinctive geographic units (e.g. seamounts and trench) near coastal countries. A total of 318 species from 51 families were recorded in the study area. Polynoidae has the highest species diversity and the largest depth distribution. The number of species decreases with depth, but increases at 2 500-3 000 m and 4 000-4 500 m. The deep-sea polychaetes exhibit high levels of endemism. Many species are endemic to hydrothermal vents. For deep-sea benthic polychaetes in the western Pacific, four biogeographical areas are recognized: Sea of Japan, biogeographic area near the continent represented by Sagami Bay, region characterized by hydrothermal vents (Okinawa Trough, Manus Basin, Fiji Basin) and regions characterized by trenches or plains (Japan Trench, Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, eastern Australia and New Zealand area).

Upper ocean response to super typhoon Rammasun(2014) based on Argo data in the South China Sea
YU Jie, ZHANG Han, CHEN Dake
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (2): 14-27.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.02.002
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Using Argo measured data combined with satellite remote sensing data and moored buoy data, the upper ocean temperature and salinity response caused by super typhoon Rammasun in 2014 was analyzed and studied. The result shows that super typhoon Rammasun resulted in cooling of sea surface temperature and deepening of mixing layer. Meanwhile, mixing length and vertical velocity induced by typhoon were calculated in this research, which explained the causes of temperature changes in the subsurface layer. Strong mixing and weak upwelling led to warming of the subsurface layer, whereas weak mixing and strong upwelling led to cooling of the subsurface layer. Compared with the change of temperature, the response of salinity was more complex. Precipitation first caused the decrease of surface salinity, and then vertical mixing led to a large increase of surface salinity. However, the effect of precipitation could greatly inhibit this process. After the typhoon departed, the vertical mixing was weakened, and the salinity was greatly reduced because of the heavy precipitation, it was even lower than that before the typhoon.

Mechanism of deep-water international submarine cables damage: submarine earthquakes
ZHANG Mengran, XIE Anyuan, HE Huizhong, LU Rong, TANG Minqiang
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (4): 100-113.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.04.009
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Submarine earthquake is one of the most major factors causing deep-water international submarine cables damage. Understanding the process of submarine cables damage and the mechanism of submarine cables damage caused by turbidity currents after earthquake are of great significance to the security maintenance of international submarine communications. Combined with the lastest research result of global seabed topography and using professional international submarine cables engineering software Makaiplan, the process of plenty of submarine cables damage after Grand Banks Earthquake and Hengchun Earthquake were studied, then the relationship between the pattern of submarine cable damage and the developing process of turbidity currents after earthquake was found, and the mechanism of submarine cables damage caused by turbidity currents after earthquake was summarized. Study result shows that submarine cables break points are located intentively in submarine canyons and trenches. The movement speed of turbidity currents in submarine canyon and submarine trench, which caused submarine cable damage, can reach several ten kilometers to several hundred kilometres per hour. Terrestrial rivers and continental shelf undersea river channels provide materials transportation for the development of turbidity currents. Submarine canyons and trenchs are the pathes of turbidity currents movement then damage plenty of submarine cables. The turbidity currents that developed from upper continental slope in passive continental margin after earthquake can damage submarine cables laid on continental slope, continental rise and abyssal plain. This kind of turbidity currents achieves maximum speed on continental slope, then self-accelerate on abyssal plain. Multiple turbidity currents can develop at different positions of continental slope at the same time in active continental margin, then strike submarine cables which laid on canyons and trenches for multiple times. This kind of turbidity currents achieves maximum speed and self-accelerates in submarine trenches. There are several earthquake-resistance measures: submarine cable routes trying to avoid crossing submarine canyons and trenches which connected to terrestrial rivers or continental shelf channels; using shallow water type submarine cable which has outer armor protection when crossing inevitably; laying submarine cables suspended slightly on the bottom of canyons or trenches with Uraduct protection on them; changing the cross-section shape of submarine cable.

Remote sensing research on temporal and spatial variations of ecological environments and response for Tonga volcanic eruptions in South Pacific island countries
GONG Fang, ZHU Bozhong, LI Teng, WANG Yuxin, LI Hongzhe, HE Xianqiang, ZHANG Qing
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (3): 101-114.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.03.010
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The unique geographical features of the island countries in South Pacific, which are surrounded by sea and small in size, make most of the island countries in this region "ecologically fragile areas". Based on this, multi-source satellite data were used to monitor the marine ecological environment of Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands. It was also focused on whether there have been significant changes in the ecological environment of various countries before and after the Tonga volcanic eruption, to help to understand the impact of the Tonga volcanic eruption. The results show that: (1) In terms of temporal and spatial distribution of climatic states, the sea surface temperature and transparency of the surrounding waters of the South Pacific island countries maintain a relatively high level, while chlorophyll and net primary productivity decrease rapidly with the increase of offshore distance. (2) Warming, acidification and sea level rising are common problems faced by the sea areas of the four island countries. (3) The eruption of the Tonga Volcano has no significant impact on the coastal TSM mass concentration and SST. (4) The phenomenon of abnormally rising surface temperature and changed suspended matter mass concentration of the island in the first half month of the volcanic eruption has implications for disaster warning and forecasting using remote sensing methods.

Research progress on decommission schemes and technical methods for offshore jacket platforms
ZHANG Zongfeng, CHEN Tongyan, ZHOU Jiaxing, ZHAO Xu, TANG Chao, NIE Yuanxun, LIU Jinkun, WU Bisheng
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (2): 113-124.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.02.011
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Due to its advantages of strong adaptability and high safety,the jacket platform has been widely used in offshore oil and gas development. As more and more jacket platforms will reach or exceed the design life, the platform decommissioning has become one of the important problems in the field of offshore oil and gas development. This paper systematically introduces domestic and international regulations on jacket platform decommissioning, focuses on the decommissioning constraints, application fields, similarities and differences between different international conventions, and summarizes the key points of regulations and requirements on jacket platform decommissioning among China, the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States, and analyzes four typical decommissioning projects worldwide. In view of this, the different decommissioning schemes, and scope of application of jacket platform are summarized and analyzed, as well as the operational difficulties and implementation details of the three key process technologies of dismantling, cutting and transportation during decommissioning. The review can provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the decommissioning plan and key technical methods of the offshore jacket platforms, and has important engineering significance for marine environmental protection, navigation and fishery production.

The spatial characteristics of marine heatwaves and their influencing factors in the South China Sea
PENG Xiaomeng, YU Yi, MA Wentao, YAN Yunwei
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (4): 21-33.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.04.003
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Using the data of high resolution satellite sea surface temperature (SST) from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2020, the spatial characteristics of marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the South China Sea were identified with a deep-first-search algorithm, and the characteristics of marine heatwaves at different spatial scales were further investigated. The results indicated that the small-scale marine heatwave events in the South China Sea (Type I MHWs, area<1.8×104 km2) occurred the most frequently, accounting for 94.20% of the total marine heatwave occurrences. Large-scale marine heatwaves with areas exceeding 1.2×105 km2 (Type III MHWs) occurred only 74 times during the 31-year period, with the largest event recorded in 2015. Further analysis revealed significant differences in the spatial distribution of intensity, duration, and frequency of marine heatwaves for different spatial scales. Compared to Type I MHWs, Type II MHWs (1.8×104~1.2×105 km2) exhibited a noticeable increase in the average coverage area with an intensity exceeding 1.5 ℃. Statistical analysis showed that the intensity, duration, and cumulative intensity of South China Sea MHWs increased with the spatial scale of the MHWs. The intensity of Type III MHWs was 1.4 times that of Type I MHWs and 1.2 times that of Type II MHWs. In addition, the response of South China Sea MHWs areas to the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was also investigated. The results showed a significant increase in the areas of Type I to III MHWs during El Ni?o periods, with a lag of 6 to 7 months. The duration of Type III MHWs during El Ni?o was longer by 2 days compared to La Ni?a periods. This study explored the fundamental characteristics of South China Sea MHWs areas and further analyzed the commonalities and differences of MHWs at different spatial scales, providing new insights into the characteristics and mechanisms of the formation and dissipation of South China Sea MHWs.

Numerical simulation study on influences of onshore wind on overtopping characteristics of solitary wave under coastal seawall
ZHANG Liangbin, QU Ke, HUANG Jingxuan, WANG Xu, GUO Lei
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (4): 32-45.   DOI: 10.3969-j.issn.1001-909X.2023.04.004
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Seawalls play an important role in protecting coastal towns from extreme waves damage. Based on two-dimensional incompressible two-phase flow numerical model, the influences of onshore wind on overtopping characteristics of solitary wave under coastal seawall were systematically studied in this paper. The reliability of the numerical model was verified by comparing the numerical results with experimental data, and the influencing factors such as onshore wind speed, incident wave height, crest freeboards of the coastal seawall, beach slope and seawall slope on the hydrodynamic process of solitary wave overtopping of coastal seawalls were discussed in detail. The research results show that with the increase of onshore wind speed, incident wave height and the decrease of crest freeboards of the coastal seawall, the maximum overtopping volume, maximum runup height and spatial distributions of the maximum water elevation gradually increase. With the increase of beach slope and seawall slope, the maximum overtopping volume increase and decrease, respectively, while the maximum runup height gradually increase. Onshore wind can affect the hydrodynamic characteristics of solitary wave overtopping of coastal seawall, increase the wave steepness and the wave crest propagation speed and cause the wave breaking earlier. Compared with the windless condition, the maximum wave overtopping volume, maximum runup height, maximum hydrodynamic forces and spatial distributions of the maximum water elevation are increased under onshore wind. The results of this study can provide a reference for the design of coastal engineering.

Quantification of nitracline depth in seawater
MENG Yu, CHEN Shuangling
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (3): 1-13.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.03.001
Abstract864)   HTML704)    PDF (2949KB)(1609)      

Nitrate is the main nitrogen form available for phytoplankton life activities in the ocean, and its nitracline depth (ZN) directly affects the vertical transport of nitrate and the ocean primary productivity, and then further influences the carbon cycle. With the advancement of ocean observation technologies, the profile data of nitrate have been collected in diversified ways, such as ship-based CTD observations and BGC-Argo automatic observations. The vertical sampling resolution of these techniques varies significantly (the vertical sampling resolution of CTD is lower than that of BGC-Argo). In view of different sampling data, it is urgent to conduct systematic and quantitative comparative analysis and study on the computing methods of ZN. In this study, three different methods: difference method, gradient method and threshold method, are adopted to compute the corresponding ZN by using the historical ship-based CTD data and BGC-Argo buoy data in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The results show that in the case of single nitrate profile, based on BGC-Argo data, the difference between observed ZN and the ZN calculated by difference method is only 0.2 m, followed by threshold method is 20.0 m and gradient method is 202.8 m at most. Based on CTD data, the difference between observed ZN and ZN calculated by difference method is 2.0 m, the threshold method is 49.0 m, and the gradient method is 155.0 m. Compared with the gradient method and threshold method, the difference between the ZN calculated by the difference method and the observed ZN is the smallest. According to the results of statistical error analysis, it is found that the ZN calculated by the three methods based on BGC-Argo data show a good correlation with the observed ZN. Among them, the error of difference method is the smallest (R2=0.77, RMSE=28.48 m). The R2 and RMSE of threshold method are 0.64 and 34.85 m, and the R2 and RMSE of gradient method are 0.52 and 53.80 m. For CTD data, due to its low vertical sampling resolution, the ZN calculated by the three methods is quite different from the observed ZN. However, compared with the gradient method and threshold method, the error of the difference method is still the smallest (R2=0.81, RMSE =16.13 m). The R2 and RMSE of threshold method are 0.47 and 27.65 m, and the R2 and RMSE of gradient method are 0.42 and 36.41 m. The applicability of each method is preliminarily explored through comparing and analyzing the characteristics and differences of them so as to provide some scientific reference for the in-depth research on the vertical distribution characteristics and upward transport process of nitrate.

Classification and genesis of deep-sea REY-rich sediments in the Pacific Ocean
WANG Tianyi, DONG Yanhui, CHU Fengyou, SHI Xuefa, LI Xiaohu, SU Rong, ZHANG Weiyan
Journal of Marine Sciences    2024, 42 (1): 23-35.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2024.01.003
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Deep-sea REY-rich sediments that are rich in lanthanides and yttrium (REY) extensively distributed in regions such as the Western Pacific, Eastern Pacific, Southeastern Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. This study analyzed the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of deep-sea REY-rich sediments from two sites in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) of the Eastern Pacific. Additionally, geochemical data on elements from 92 deep-sea REY-rich sediment sites across the Pacific were collected. Based on geochemical characteristics in conjunction with mineral composition, the Pacific deep-sea REY-rich sediments are categorized into three types: Al-rich, Fe-rich, and Ba-rich. The Al-rich type, prevalent in the Western Pacific region, primarily consists of zeolite clay, with an average whole-rock Al2O3 content reaching up to 14.9%. The Fe-rich type, found near the Eastern Pacific Rise in the Southeastern and Northeastern Pacific, exhibits a high average TFe2O3 content of 18.8%. Some samples within this type show a significant positive Eu anomaly, indicating that hydrothermal activity may contribute to the enrichment of REY and associated carrier minerals. The Ba-rich type, mainly located in the CCFZ of the Eastern Pacific, consists predominantly of (siliceous) clay, with an average Ba content of approximately 8 092×10-6. The elevated Ba levels suggest that the area of sediment formation may have experienced high primary productivity. This environmental condition likely resulted in extensive biogenic apatite deposition, which coupled with strong bottom currents in the CCFZ since the Oligocene, enhanced the accumulation of apatite, thereby promoting the enrichment of rare earth elements.

The seasonal blooming characteristics of phytoplankton and POC export flux in the waters around South Georgia Island: Based on BGC-Argo and satellite remote sensing observations
ZHAO Yueran, FAN Gaojing, WU Jiaqi, SUN Weiping, PAN Jianming, HAN Zhengbing
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (4): 1-11.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.04.001
Abstract817)   HTML523)    PDF (2882KB)(598)      

The waters surrounding South Georgia Island are one of the highest primary productivity regions in the Southern Ocean with enormous carbon sequestration potential. However, the strength of the biological pump efficiency in this area is still uncertain due to the lack of continuous upper ocean observation data.In this study, the hydrological and biogeochemical parameters obtained from the Biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) floats deployed in the South Georgia Island vicinity during the period of 2017-2020 were utilized to investigate the impacts of physical processes on biogeochemical processes and to estimate the carbon export flux in the Antarctic summer. Results indicated that both upstream (northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula) and downstream (Georgia Basin) regions of South Georgia Island exhibited strong seasonal characteristics in Chl-a, with the latter area having a 4-month sustained period of phytoplankton bloom, suggesting a stable and continuous supply of iron. Using the temporal variability of the seasonal particulate organic carbon (POC) export, the summer POC export fluxes of the upstream and downstream regions were estimated to be 7.12±3.90 mmol·m-2·d-1 and 45.29±5.40 mmol·m-2·d-1, respectively, indicating that the difference might be due to enhanced downward export of organic carbon after the deepening of the mixed layer. The study found that the region maintained a high biological pump efficiency, contrary to the previous conclusion that the Georgia Basin had “high productivity low export efficiency”, which might have been caused by the limited “real-time” representation of the entire seasonal characteristics during ship-based surveys. BGC-Argo provides high spatiotemporal resolution of multi-parameter observation data, and this study demonstrates that it can more accurately quantify and evaluate marine biogeochemical processes and carbon sequestration potential.

Characteristics and mechanism of ocean subsurface coherent eddies: Problems and progress
GE Yuyu, LIAO Guanghong
Journal of Marine Sciences    2023, 41 (2): 45-60.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2023.02.004
Abstract815)   HTML534)    PDF (4529KB)(2253)      

With the advancement of observation technology and the improvement of ocean numerical simulation capabilities, some stable subsurface coherent vortices have been widely observed in the ocean, which far from the formation source area. These vortices possess distinctive dynamic characteristics, such as a low potential vorticity center, lens-like structure of isopycnals, weak stratification, and anomalous temperature, salinity, or other tracer properties compared to the surrounding water mass. Their core flow is relatively stronger. These subsurface coherent vortices significantly impact ocean water mass transport, thermohaline circulation and marine biological environment. This paper comprehensively summarizes researches on subsurface coherent vortices in the ocean, including their structure, hydrological characteristics, identifying methods, global distribution, dynamic mechanisms and their important effects on ocean environment. Furthermore, the research perspectives are discussed, such as the difficulties in the research and the issues that need to be solved to comprehensively understand subsurface coherent vortices in the ocean.