A new method for determining the foot point of the continental slope (FOS) was proposed for the delineation of the continental shelf in a complex geological context. This method calculated the location of the foot of slope based on the mean gradient of water depth and optimized it by combining the contrary evidence and the principles of convexity, segmentation and continuity. Using the southern continental margin of Mozambique as the study area, the method was applied to extract the most critical basis—FOS for continental shelf delineation using high-precision multibeam topographic data measured in 2021, and the result was confirmed by comparison with those extracted by the Geocap software which is used by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental shelf, proving the effectiveness and accuracy of this method.
Erythrobacteraceae is widely distributed in marine environments and can synthesize various pigments such as carotenoids. Carotenoids have photoprotective and antioxidant abilities, and they can play a crucial role in the adaptation of Erythrobacteraceae to marine ecosystems. In this study, we obtained the genomes of 107 marine Erythrobacteriaceae strains, analyzed the distribution characteristics of carotenoid biosynthesis genes including crtEBIGYZW in their genomes, constructed phylogenetic trees based on the amino acid sequences of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes, and elucidated the presence and distribution of carotenoid biosynthesis genes in Erythrobacteriaceae from deep-sea and shallow-sea sources. The results suggested that all of marine Erythrobacteriaceae strains contained the crtEIGZ genes, 98.1% of strains contained the crtBY genes, and 43.9% of them contained the crtW gene, which differed among strains but no any specificities found among the deep-sea or shallow-sea sources. Additionally, in the comparison of the phylogenetic topology, it was found that the crtBYZW genes were vertically transferred from their ancestor, while the crtEIG genes were mainly horizontal gene transferred. Our study aids in the understanding of the carotenoid biosynthesis gene evolution in the family Erythrobacteriaceae and also serves as a scientific basis for the study of carotenoid synthesis pathways and genes in other marine bacteria, enables a thorough understanding of marine carotenoid-synthesizing strains.
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.
Near-inertial waves (NIWs) play an important role in the response of ocean to typhoon. Their frequency varies with the depth and is the main factor in determining the propagation rate of near-inertial energy to the ocean interior. Based on the observation data from mooring, the factors affecting the blue-shift frequency of NIWs excited by typhoon were investigated in northwestern South China Sea. By analyzing the vorticity effect and Doppler effect caused by background currents, this study suggests that the Doppler effect of background currents was the main factor in the blue-shift frequency of NIWs. As depth increased, inertial wave frequencies increased. Quantitative calculations further demonstrated that within the upper 200 meters, the Doppler effect of the background currents was negative, approaching zero in depth around 200 meters. However, in the depth range of 230 to 400 meters, the Doppler effect became positive. This depth range exhibited the maximum strength of the background currents, with their direction aligned with the propagation direction of inertial waves. Consequently, the positive Doppler shift induced by the background currents was most pronounced. The results of this study are important for improving the understanding of the ocean response to typhoons, especially the propagation of near-inertial waves in areas with complex background current structure (e.g., the western boundary current region).
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.
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.
Based on the high frequency data of sea-air interface buoys, the variation pattern and driving factors of sea-air partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) were analyzed and the sea-air CO2 flux in the coastal waters of Qingdao in spring was estimated. During the observation period, the sea area changed from a carbon sink of atmospheric CO2 to a carbon source, which was mainly caused by the continuous increase of sea surface pCO2. By analyzing the controlling factors of pCO2, it was found that temperature was the main driving factor of pCO2 growth, and biological processes played a certain inhibiting role. The sea surface pCO2 showed a diurnal variation. The effects of temperature and biological factors on the diurnal variation of pCO2 were related to solar radiation, but they had opposite effects. In addition, the analysis showed that different sampling frequencies of buoys affected the estimation of sea-air CO2 flux and shortening the sampling interval could effectively reduce the deviation of CO2 flux estimation and improve the accuracy of estimation.
The spatiotemporal variation of surface eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the South Australian Basin was studied using sea level anomaly during 1993-2019. The results show that in spatial scale there are two regions of high EKE: one to the west, and one to the east. On the seasonal scale, surface EKE is the strongest in austral winter with a maximum (57±9 cm2/s2) in July and the weakest in autumn with a minimum (40±5 cm2/s2) in March. On the interannual scale, surface EKE is related to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Partial correlation analysis indicates that surface EKE shows negative correlations with ENSO, lagging the Niño3.4 index by 9 months, and EKE is significantly weakened (strengthened) in the decaying year of El Niño (La Niña). Meanwhile, surface EKE shows positive correlations with SAM, lagging SAM index by 14 months, and EKE is significantly strengthened (weakened) in the next year of the positive (negative) SAM phases.
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.
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.
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.
The foot of the continental slope is an important topographical feature of the continental margin. Its the basis for coastal states to extend its continental shelf rights and to delimit the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. Its also an important technical parameter that the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf pays special attention to when considering the submissions of coastal states. The formulation of the continental shelf regime in Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea originates from the typical passive continental margin. However, due to the diversity and complexity of the global continental margin, especially the transformation and influence of late tectonic activities and sedimentation on the continental margin, the seabed topography is extremely complex and changeable, which makes it very difficult to identify the foot of the continental slope. In addition, in order to obtain the largest extent of the outer continental shelf, each coastal state has interpreted the relevant provisions of the foot of the continental slope in their own favor, making the foot of the continental slope a hot and controversial issue in the delimitation of the outer continental shelf. Based on the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the "Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf" on the foot of the continental slope, combined with the geological characteristics of different types of continental margins and the delimitation practice of various coastal states, the determination of the base of the continental slope, the selection of the point of greatest change and the application of the evidence to the contrary are discussed.