The Mercator global ocean operational analysis system: Assessment and validation of an 11-year reanalysis

This paper presents Prototype Système 2 Global (PSY2G), the first Mercator global Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) to assimilate along-track sea level anomaly (SLA) satellite data. Based on a coarse resolution ocean model, this system was developed mainly for climatic purposes and will provide, for example, initial oceanic states for coupled ocean-atmosphere seasonal predictions. It has been operational since 3 September 2003 and produces an analysis and a two-week forecast for the global ocean every week. The PSY2G system uses an incremental assimilation scheme based on the Cooper and Haines [Cooper, M., Haines, K., 1996. Data assimilation with water property conservation. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 1059-1077.] lifting–lowering of isopycnals. The SLA increment is obtained using an optimal interpolation method then the correction is partitioned into baroclinic and barotropic contributions. The baroclinic ocean state correction consists of temperature, salinity and geostrophic velocity increments and the barotropic correction is a barotropic velocity increment. A reanalysis (1993–2003) was carried out that enabled the PSY2G system to perform its first operational cycle. All available SLA data sets (TOPEX/Poséïdon, ERS2, Geosat-Follow-On, Jason1 and Envisat) were assimilated for the 1993–2003 period. The major objective of this study is to assess the reanalysis from both an assimilation and a thermodynamic point of view in order to evaluate its realism, especially in the tropical band which is a key region for climatic studies. Although the system is also able to deliver forecasts, we have mainly focused on analysis. These results are useful because they give an a priori estimation of the qualities and capabilities of the operational ocean analysis system that has been implemented. In particular, the reanalysis identifies some regional biases in sea level variability such as near the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, in the eastern Equatorial Pacific and in the Norwegian Sea (generally less than 1 cm) with a small seasonal cycle. This is attributed to changes in mean circulation and vertical stratification caused by the assimilation methodology. But the model's low resolution, inaccurate physical parameterisations (especially for ocean–ice interactions) and surface atmospheric forcing also contribute to the occurrence of the SLA biases. A detailed analysis of the thermohaline structure of the ocean reveals that the isopycnal lifting–lowering tends to diffuse vertically the main thermocline. The impact on temperature is that the surface layer (0–200 m) becomes cooler whereas in deeper waters (from 500 to 1500 m), the ocean becomes slightly warmer. This is particularly true in the tropics, between 30°N and 30°S. However it can be demonstrated that the assimilation improves the variability in both surface currents and sub-surface temperature in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean.     

Nutrient cycling and primary production in the marine systems of the Arctic and Antarctic

Primary production events in both the Arctic and the Antarctic are highly localized. Carbon-14 incubations that did not account for this caused antarctic primary production estimates to be revised too far downwards from the historic view of high productivity. The primary production regime in the Arctic is even more heterogeneous than in the Antarctic. Arctic primary production rates are in the process of being revised upwards because of a better spatial and temporal distribution of incubation experiments and a re-awakening of interest in estimating new production from the distribution of chemical variables. Similarly, recent examination of temporal changes in nitrate concentrations and recognition of the importance of ice-edge blooms has caused antarctic primary productivity to be revised upwards. In both the Arctic and the Antarctic, the ratio of “new” to total primary production is high, and neglect of this fact can lead to an underestimation of the potential that these regions have for influencing global cycles of bioactive chemicals. Some recent data on temporal changes in nitrate from Fram Strait emphasize the poor state of our knowledge by suggesting an unexpectedly high “new” production rate of 1 g C m⁻² d⁻¹ for a 35 day experiment that encountered an early Phaeocystis bloom. Chemical distributions suggest that new production over the shelf seas that border the Polar Basin is about 50 g Cm⁻² yr⁻¹.The shelves in the Arctic Ocean's marginal and adjacent seas comprise 25% of the total global continental shelf. These extensive shallow regions have much higher rates of primary production than the Polar Basin and may be globally significant sites of denitrification. Globally significant silica deposition could occur on these shelves or on the adjacent slopes.Because of the differences in geomorphology and stratification, global warming is likely to increase primary production in the Arctic and will probably decrease antarctic primary production.In addition to sharing high ratios of “new” to total primary production, high ammonium concentrations occur in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is possible that these accumulations arise from a strong repression of nitrification at low temperatures.     

Recovery of North-East Atlantic temperature fields from profiling floats: Determination of the optimal float number from sampling and instrumental error analysis

Argo is an international project that is deploying an array of temperature and salinity profiling floats over the global ocean. Here we use the error formulation derived from Optimal Statistical Interpolation to estimate statistical errors associated with the recovery of the temperature field in the North-East Atlantic ocean. Results indicate that with the present distribution of floats (119 in the considered domain), scales of wavelength larger than 500 km can be recovered with a relative uncertainty (rms error relative to the standard deviation of the field) of about 7% at 50 m, 8% at 200 m and 10% at 1000 m. This corresponds to mean absolute errors of 0.111 °C at 50 m, 0.104 °C at 200 m and 0.073 °C at 1000 m.The splitting of total errors into instrumental and sampling contributions reveals that, in the present scenario, errors are more due to the small number of floats than to instrumental errors, especially at upper levels. For scales larger than 500 km this will hold true until 200–250 floats are deployed (less than 200 for deep levels). In such a simulated scenario, the number of observations and the technology become approximately equally limiting factors for the accuracy of the temperature field mapping, with total relative errors of less than 2% at upper levels and about 3% at 1000 m.     

1/32° real-time global ocean prediction and value-added over 1/16° resolution

A 1/32° global ocean nowcast/forecast system has been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center. It started running at the Naval Oceanographic Office in near real-time on 1 Nov. 2003 and has been running daily in real-time since 1 Mar. 2005. It became an operational system on 6 March 2006, replacing the existing 1/16° system which ceased operation on 12 March 2006. Both systems use the NRL Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) with assimilation of sea surface height from satellite altimeters and sea surface temperature from multi-channel satellite infrared radiometers. Real-time and archived results are available online at http://www.ocean.nrlssc.navy.mil/global_nlom. The 1/32° system has improvements over the earlier system that can be grouped into two categories: (1) better resolution and representation of dynamical processes and (2) design modifications. The design modifications are the result of accrued knowledge since the development of the earlier 1/16° system. The improved horizontal resolution of the 1/32° system has significant dynamical benefits which increase the ability of the model to accurately nowcast and skillfully forecast. At the finer resolution, current pathways and their transports become more accurate, the sea surface height (SSH) variability increases and becomes more realistic and even the global ocean circulation experiences some changes (including inter-basin exchange). These improvements make the 1/32° system a better dynamical interpolator of assimilated satellite altimeter track data, using a one-day model forecast as the first guess. The result is quantitatively more accurate nowcasts, as is illustrated by several model-data comparisons. Based on comparisons with ocean color imagery in the northwestern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, the 1/32° system has even demonstrated the ability to map small eddies, 25–75 km in diameter, with 70% reliability and a median eddy center location error of 22.5 km, a surprising and unanticipated result from assimilation of altimeter track data. For all of the eddies (50% small eddies), the reliability was 80% and the median eddy center location error was 29 km. The 1/32° system also exhibits improved forecast skill in relation to the 1/16° system. This is due to (a) a more accurate initial condition for the forecast and (b) better resolution and representation of critical dynamical processes (such as upper ocean – topographic coupling via mesoscale flow instabilities) which allow the model to more accurately evolve these features in time while running in forecast mode (forecast atmospheric forcing for the first 5 days, then gradually reverting toward climatology for the remainder of the 30-day forecast period). At 1/32° resolution, forecast SSH generally compares better with unassimilated observations and the anomaly correlation of the forecast SSH exceeds that from persistence by a larger amount than found in the 1/16° system.     

Biochemical composition of marine sediment from the eastern Weddell Sea (Antarctica): High nutritive value in a high benthic-biomass environment

Within the SCAR's international EASIZ programme, as part of the benthic–pelagic coupling experiment, grain size and organic matter contents in marine surface sediment were measured. Samples were taken during the austral autumn of 2000 from 3 regions in the eastern Weddell Sea: Kapp Norvegia, Four Seasons Bank, and Austasen.In general, sediments were fine sand with a grain size fraction < 200 μm representing more than 40% of the total weight. The sediments from Four Seasons Bank (64 to 107 m depth) were coarser than those from Austasen and Kapp Norvegia (209 to 480 m depth), presumably due to winnowing of fine sediment at shallow depths. Organic carbon (OC) content ranged from 0.25% to 1.2% and constituted 10% to 97% of the total carbon. The samples from Kapp Norvegia presented the highest OC values. Overall, protein (PRT), lipid (LPD), and carbohydrate (CHO) contents were similar to those in sediment from cold regions (e.g., the North Atlantic and the Ross Sea) but higher than those in sediment from other Antarctic and more septentrional regions (e.g., the Ross Sea and the Mediterranean). The difference within the Antarctic is explained through the local conditions in Terra Nova Bay and Kapp Norvegia. In the Antarctic, PRT and LPD carbon were the main contributors to the biopolymeric carbon (BPC). In the eastern Weddell Sea shelf, the BPC accounted for more than 90% of the OC in most of the samples. More than 82% of the total PRT, LPD, and CHO were present in the fraction < 200 μm. This work remarks the existence of sediments with a high nutritional value persistent several weeks after the spring–summer pulse of fresh organic matter. It is also highlighted the high potential availability of these sediments (due to its grain size) for the benthic communities inhabiting this high-latitude continental shelf.     

Measurement of ocean temperatures using instruments carried by Antarctic fur seals

The study aimed to test the utility of instruments deployed on marine mammals for measuring physical oceanographic variation and, using this method, to examine temperature variation in the coastal waters around South Georgia. There was a significant correlation between temperature measurements made using a towed undulating oceanographic recorder (UOR) and concurrent measurements from time-depth recorders (TDRs) fitted to lactating Antarctic fur seals foraging from the coast of South Georgia. Congruence was found at horizontal spatial scales from 0.01°×0.01° to 0.5°×0.5° (degrees of latitude and longitude), and at a vertical scale of 10 m. However, there was no significant correlation between temperature measured by TDRs in the top 5 m and sea surface temperature (SST) measured by satellite remote sensing. TDR data provided information about temperature variation vertically through the water column, and through time. The UOR data were used to recalibrate the TDR data in order to correct for the slow response time of the TDR thermistor relative to the speed of seal movements through the water column. Seasonal temperature variation was apparent, and temperatures also varied between regions, and with bathymetry. These results were consistent with the current interpretation of the coastal oceanography around South Georgia. In particular, the relationship between on- and off-shelf waters showed larger amounts of warmer surface water in a region in which more run-off was to be expected. The study also showed that Antarctic fur seals concentrate their activity in regions of colder, and presumably oceanic, water. Such instrumented animals could provide near real time data for assimilation into ocean models.     

Assimilation of SeaWiFS ocean chlorophyll data into a three-dimensional global ocean model

Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll data were assimilated with an established three-dimensional global ocean model. The assimilation improved estimates of chlorophyll relative to a free-run (no assimilation) model. Compared to SeaWiFS, annual bias of the assimilation model was 5.5%, with an uncertainty of 10.1%. The free-run model had a bias of 21.0% and an uncertainty of 65.3%. In situ data were compared to the assimilation model over a 6-year time period from 1998 through 2003, indicating a bias of 0.1%, and an uncertainty of 33.4% for daily coincident, co-located data. SeaWiFS bias was slightly higher at − 1.3% and nearly identical uncertainty at 32.7%. The free-run bias and uncertainty at − 1.4% and 61.8%, respectively, indicated how much the assimilation improved model results. Annual primary production estimates for the 1998–2003 period produced a nearly 50% improvement by the assimilation model over the free-run model as compared to a widely used algorithm using SeaWiFS chlorophyll data. These results suggest the potential of assimilation of satellite ocean chlorophyll data for improving model results.     

Air–sea gas transfer velocity estimates from the Jason-1 and TOPEX altimeters: Prospects for a long-term global time series

Estimation of global and regional air–sea fluxes of climatically important gases is a key goal of current climate research programs. Gas transfer velocities needed to compute these fluxes can be estimated by combining altimeter-derived mean square slope with an empirical relation between transfer velocity and mean square slope derived from field measurements of gas fluxes and small-scale wave spectra [Frew, N.M., Bock, E.J., Schimpf, U., Hara, T., Hauβecker, H., Edson, J.B., McGillis, W.R., Nelson, R.K., McKenna, S.P., Uz, B.M., Jähne, B., 2004. Air–sea gas transfer: Its dependence on wind stress, small-scale roughness and surface films, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C08S17, doi: 10.1029/2003JC002131.]. We previously reported initial results from a dual-frequency (Ku- and C-band) altimeter algorithm [Glover, D.M., Frew, N.M., McCue, S.J., Bock, E.J., 2002. A Multi-year Time Series of Global Gas Transfer Velocity from the TOPEX Dual Frequency, Normalized Radar Backscatter Algorithm, In: Gas Transfer at Water Surfaces, editors: Donelan, M., Drennan, W., Saltzman, E., and Wanninkhof, R., Geophysical Monograph 127, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 325–331.] for estimating the air–sea gas transfer velocity (k) from the mean square slope of short wind waves (40–100 rad/m) and derived a 6-year time series of global transfer velocities based on TOPEX observations. Since the launch of the follow-on altimeter Jason-1 in December 2001 and commencement of the TOPEX/Jason-1 Tandem Mission, we have extended this time series to 12 years, with improvements to the model parameters used in our algorithm and using the latest corrected data releases. The prospect of deriving multi-year and interdecadal time series of gas transfer velocity from TOPEX, Jason-1 and follow-on altimeter missions depends on precise intercalibration of the normalized backscatter. During the Tandem Mission collinear phase, both satellites followed identical orbits with a mere 73-s time separation. The resulting collocated, near-coincident normalized radar backscatter (σ°) data from both altimeters present a unique opportunity to intercalibrate the two instruments, compare derived fields of transfer velocity and estimate the precision of the algorithm. Initial results suggest that the monthly gas transfer velocity fields generated from the two altimeters are very similar. Comparison of along-track Ku-band and C-band σ° during the collinear phase indicates that observed discrepancies are due primarily to small offsets between TOPEX and Jason-1 σ°. The Jason-1 k values have an apparent bias of + 4% relative to TOPEX, while the precision estimated from the two observation sets is 5–7% and scales with k. The resultant long-term, global, mean k is 16 cm/h.     

Multivariate assimilation in MERCATOR project: New statistical parameters from forecast error estimation

The new operational prototype of Mercator (french Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment contribution) is composed of a North Atlantic primitive equation ocean model OPA (Ocean Parallel Algorithm between 20°S and 70°N, [Madec, G., P. Delecluse, M. Imbard and C. Lévy (1998). OPA8.1 ocean general circulation model reference manuel. Notes du pôle de modélisation IPSL. n°11: 91p]) and of a multivariate and multidata assimilation scheme [De Mey, P. and M. Benkiran (2002). “A multivariate reduced-order optimal interpolation method and its application in Mediterranean basin-scale circulation.” Ocean Forecasting : Conceptual basis and application, Pinardi, N., Springer Verlag.] This system has already given some significant improvements from previous Mercator configurations (M. Benkiran, personal communication). However some biases on ocean state still remain in the tropics where the reduced-order optimal interpolation scheme is suspected to be ill-parameted in the model forecast error. Indeed the guess error covariance matrix is decomposed into an error variance value and a spatio-temporal correlation function which are assumed to have some “good” properties (spatial homogeneity of the correlation function, constant ratio between signal and error variance). This study shows how we can use ensemble methods to validate these assumptions. We can see that the correlation function can reach negative values locally, mostly in regions of high variability contradictory with the homogeneous hypothesis. The reduced space used in the operational configuration is based on the signal seasonal Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). An empirical relationship between signal and error variance has been set and the correlation function is the same on every dimension of the reduced space. By projection of the estimated guess error variance onto the reduced space, we find a repartition of this quantity quite different to what was set in the system. The error statistics is found to be inhomogeneous compared to hypothesis made in the assimilation scheme. These two new parameters tested separately in the assimilation scheme gives significant improvements of the forecast and analysis results. This is particularly obvious in the tropics. But relationship between signal and error statistics (as assumed in the optimal interpolation) is found to be complex.     

Assimilation of buoy and satellite data in wave forecasts with integral control variables

The quality of numerical wave forecasts can be improved significantly by assimilating wave observations prior to the forecast. In the present study a technique for such assimilation is developed that exploits (a) the efficiency of a limited number of integral control variables, and (b) the effectiveness of variational (model-consistent) assimilation. The formal procedure is independent of the type of control variables and of the wave model (moreover, no adjoint wave model is required). In the present study, integral control variables are chosen to represent large-scale errors in the driving wind fields and uncertainties in the wave model. The assimilation technique is validated with observations of the ERS-1 satellite altimeter and two waverider buoys in two consecutive storms in the Norwegian Sea. The assimilation of the observations reduced the errors in the forecasted significant wave height at the buoy locations typically from 25% to 12%. For low-frequency waves the effect of the assimilation is similarly significant at one buoy location but marginal at the other buoy location.     

Validation of a hybrid optimal interpolation and Kalman filter scheme for sea surface temperature assimilation

A hybrid data assimilation scheme designed for operational assimilation of satellite sea surface temperatures (SST) into an ocean model has been developed and validated against in-situ observations. The scheme consists of an optimal interpolation (OI) part and a greatly simplified Kalman filter (KF) part.The OI is performed only in the longitudinal and latitudinal directions. A climatological field is used as a background field for the interpolation. It is constructed by fitting daily averages of satellite SST to the annual mean, annual, and semiannual harmonics in a 20 km by 20 km grid. The background error covariance is approximated by a spatially varying two-dimensional exponential covariance model. The parameters of the covariance model are fitted to the deviations of the satellite data from the background field using data from a full year.The simplified KF uses ocean model forecasts as a background field. It is based on the assumption that it is possible to neglect horizontal SST covariances in the filter and that the typical time scale for vertical mixing in the mixed layer is much shorter than the average time between observations. We therefore assume that the error variance in a column of water is evenly spread out throughout the mixed layer. The result of these simplifications is a computationally very efficient KF.A one year validation of the scheme is performed for year 2001 using an operational eddy resolving ocean model covering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It is found that assimilation of sea surface temperature data reduces the model root mean square error from 1.13 °C to 0.70 °C. The hybrid scheme is found to reduce the root mean square error slightly more than the simplified KF without OI to 0.66 °C. The inclusion of spatially varying satellite error variances does not improve the performance of the scheme significantly.     

Improving assimilation of SeaWiFS data by the application of bias correction with a local SEIK filter

Ocean-biogeochemical models show typically significant errors in the representation of chlorophyll concentrations. The model state can be improved by the assimilation of satellite chlorophyll data with algorithms based on the Kalman filter. However, these algorithms do usually not account for the possibility that the model prediction contains systematic errors in the form of model bias. Accounting explicitly for model biases can improve the assimilation performance. To study the effect of bias estimation on the estimation of surface chlorophyll concentrations, chlorophyll data from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) are assimilated on a daily basis into the NASA Ocean Biogeochemical Model (NOBM). The assimilation is performed by the ensemble-based SEIK filter combined with an online bias correction scheme. The SEIK filter is simplified here by the use of a static error covariance matrix. The performance of the filter algorithm is assessed by comparison with independent in situ data over the 7-year period 1998–2004. The bias correction results in significant improvements of the surface chlorophyll concentrations compared to the assimilation without bias estimation. With bias estimation, the daily surface chlorophyll estimates from the assimilation show about 3.3% lower error than SeaWiFS data. In contrast, the error in the global surface chlorophyll estimate without bias estimation is 10.9% larger than the error of SeaWiFS data.     

Application of a SEEK filter to a 1D biogeochemical model of the Ligurian Sea: Twin experiments and real in-situ data assimilation

The Singular Evolutive Extended Kalman (SEEK) filter has been implemented to assimilate in-situ data in a 1D coupled physical-ecosystem model of the Ligurian Sea. The biogeochemical model describes the partly decoupled nitrogen and carbon cycles of the pelagic food web. The GHER hydrodynamic model (1D version) is used to represent the physical forcings. The data assimilation scheme (SEEK filter) parameterizes the error statistics by means of a set of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs). Twin experiments are first performed with the aim to choose the suitable experimental protocol (observation and estimation vectors, number of EOFs, frequency of the assimilation,…) and to assess the SEEK filter performances. This protocol is then applied to perform real data assimilation experiments using the DYFAMED data base. By assimilating phytoplankton observations, the method has allowed to improve not only the representation of the phytoplankton community, but also of other variables such as zooplankton and bacteria that evolve with model dynamics and that are not corrected by the data assimilation scheme. The validation of the assimilation method and the improvement of model results are studied by means of suitable error measurements.     

Observations of the Fawn Trough Current over the Kerguelen Plateau from instrumented elephant seals

Due to its great meridional extent and relatively shallow depths, the Kerguelen Plateau constitutes a major barrier to the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. While most of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport is deflected north of the Kerguelen Islands, the remainder ( 50 Sv, 1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s^− 1) must pass south of the islands, most probably through the Fawn and Princess Elizabeth Troughs. However, the paucity of finely resolved quasi-synoptic hydrographic data in this remote and infrequently sampled area has limited the progress in our knowledge of the regional circulation. Since 2004, a new approach using elephant seals from the Kerguelen Islands as autonomous oceanographic profilers has provided new information on the hydrography over the Kerguelen Plateau, covering the entire Antarctic Zone between the Polar Front and Antarctica, with a mean along-track resolution of about 25 km. These finely resolved bio-logged data revealed details of a strong northeastward current found across the Fawn Trough (sill depth: 2600 m; 56°S, 78°E). This so-called Fawn Trough Current transports cold Antarctic waters found mostly south of the Elan Bank, between the Ice Limit (58°S) and the Antarctic Divergence (64°S) in the eastern Enderby Basin, toward the Australian–Antarctic Basin. Our analysis also demonstrates that the Deep Western Boundary Current, which carries cold Antarctic water along the eastern flank of the southern Kerguelen Plateau collides with Fawn Trough Current at the outlet of the Fawn Trough sill. In other words, the Fawn Trough constitutes a veritable bottleneck, channelling the quasi-totality of the Antarctic Circumpolar flow found south of the Polar Front. Thanks to the unprecedented fine resolution of seal-borne data, a branch of flow centered at the Winter Water isotherm of 1 °C is also revealed along the northern escarpment of the Elan Bank, and then along the southern edge of Heard Island. Further analysis of different supplementary data reveals a complex circulation pattern in the entire Enderby Basin, with several distinctive branches of flow being strongly controlled by prominent topographic features such as the Southwest Indian Ridge, Conrad Rise, Elan Bank, and Kerguelen Plateau. This newly emerged frontal structure refines considerably previous large-scale circulation schematics of the area.     

Seasonal variability of fractionated phytoplankton, biomass and primary production in the Straits of Magellan

The results on the distribution of phytoplankton biomass (expressed as Chla) and primary production (¹⁴C assimilation), during three oceanographic cruises carried out during Austral spring and at the end of the summer and the autumn in the Straits of Magellan, suggest a strong variability of trophic levels for this ecosystem.Seasonal evolution of the biomass concentration goes from the spring maximum of 2.33 μg/l through a sharp decrease, 0.49 μg/l, observed at the end of summer, until the minimum of 0.24 μg/l measured during the autumn.The trophic conditions are dependent on hydrographic, meteo-climatic and geo-morphological characteristics: at the Atlantic entrance and between the two Angosturas the strong mixing of water column limit the development of phytoplankton; at the Western opening and along the Pacific arm the complex exchange mechanisms with the ocean, the glacio-fluvial contribution and the presence of a thermohaline front near the Isla Carlos III influence both biomass and primary production distributions. The maximum values are reached in the Central Zone (Paso Ancho) characterized by high stability of the water column.Primary production ranged from a minimum of 12.3 to a maximum of 125.9 mgC m⁻² h⁻¹. The overall trend seems to be a progressive and simultaneous increase from the Pacific and Atlantic openings to the Central Zone of Paso Ancho where the maximum value was reached. In general, biomass and primary production distributions correspond quite well except for the area of Isla Carlos III where biological and chemico-physical causes tend to limit ¹⁴C assimilation.Contribution of pico-phytoplankton (< 2 μm) to total biomass appears to be time dependent: in the blooms observed during spring a very modest incidence (< 6%) was observed whereas became more (> 50%) during the summer-autumn seasons when total biomass was decreasing.Within the Straits, at the end of summer, the contribution of pico-phytoplankton primary production is 59%, whereas nano and microplankton contribute 39% and 2%, respectively. At the oceanic external stations the photosynthetic activity of the bigger size-fraction (> 2 μm) is predominant (> 50%).These findings support the hypothesis that the pico-phytoplankton ( < 2 μm) is substantially constant, whereas temporal variations are due to the larger (> 10 μm) cells only.     

Appendicularian ecophysiology I: Food concentration dependent clearance rate, assimilation efficiency, growth and reproduction of Oikopleura dioica

Three aspects of the appendicularian O. dioica's ecophysiology were measured here: 1) morphological parameters over a wide range of appendicularian sizes, including mature animals in order to document the morphological characteristics inducing reproduction; 2) clearance rate and assimilation efficiency using feeding incubations with different algal concentrations and 3) the effect of food concentration on growth, mortality and reproduction.The relationship between the body carbon weight and the clearance rate follows a power function, with an exponent of 0.91 (± 0.07). The rate of particles retention increases with the food concentration following a Michaelis–Menten relationship (half-saturation constant = 151 ± 22 µg C l^− 1, maximum clearance rate = 12 ± 1 µg C µg C^− 1 d^− 1). The carbon assimilation efficiency decreases with the increasing food concentration. As a result, appendicularian growth which is limited in concentrations lower than 50 µg C l^− 1 is saturated above 100 µg C l^− 1.In immature animals the gonad represents less than 30% of the body volume whereas in mature individuals, its volume varies between 50% and 87% (mean 63%) suggesting that gonad/total volume ratio can be used as indicator of the maturation stages. The gonad weight in mature animals represents 70.3 (± 4.6)% of the total body carbon weight. Two major maturity stages can explain the changes in energy allocation: i) the somatic growth, when less energy is invested in gonad growth when compared to the rest of the body and ii) the maturation phase where most of the assimilated matter is invested in gonad maturation. This process is rapid, lasting only few hours. For this reason we measured completely mature organisms that are generally not measured during the experimental work with appendicularians. In food-limited conditions, the gonad maturation process starts with smaller individuals and ends with smaller reproductive animals having the same gonad to total volume ratio than in unlimited food conditions. The results obtained in this study were used to model the life cycle of O. dioica (see Lombard, F., Sciandra, A. and Gorsky, G., 2009-this volume. Appendicularian ecophysiology. II. Modeling nutrition, metabolism, growth and reproduction of the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica.).     

利用卫星微波遥感资料推算波浪极值

应用已取得的Ｔ／Ｐ卫星高度计资料和ＥＲＳ－１卫星散射记资料,计算和推算结果表明,推算的极值与实测的极值非常接近,差值小于０．４ｍ。利用卫星微波遥感资料推算多年一遇的波高极值,方案是可行的,方法是可靠的,精度是可信的。     

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass and species composition in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean during austral summer

During the late austral summer of 1994, Antarctic waters were characterized by low phytoplankton biomass. Along the 62°E meridian transect, between 49°S and 67°S, chlorophyll (Chl.) a concentration in the upper 150 m was on average 0.2 mg m⁻³. However, in the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ) chlorophyll a concentrations were higher, with a characteristic deep chlorophyll maximum. The highest value (0.6 mg Chl. a m⁻³) was measured at the Antarctic Divergence, 64°S, corresponding to the depth of the temperature minimum (100 m). This deep biomass maximum decreased from South to North, disappeared in the Permanently Open Ocean Zone (POOZ) and reappeared with less vigour in the vicinity of the Polar Front Zone (PFZ). In the SIZ, the upper mixed layer was shallow, biomass was higher and the >10 μm fraction was predominant. In this zone the >10 μm, 2–10 μm and <2 μm size fractions represented on the average 46%, 25.1% and 28.9% of the total integrated Chl. a stock in the upper 100 m, respectively. The phytoplankton assemblage was diverse, mainly composed of large diatoms and dinoflagellate cells which contributed 42.7% and 33.1% of the autotrophic carbon biomass, respectively. Moving northwards, in parallel with the decrease in biomass, the biomass of autotrophic pico- and nanoflagellates (mainly Cryptophytes) increased steadily. In the POOZ, the picoplanktonic size fraction contributed 47.4% of the total integrated Chl. a stock. A phytoplankton community structure with low biomass and picoplankton-dominated assemblage in the POOZ contrasted with the relatively rich, diverse and diatom-dominated assemblage in the SIZ. These differences reflect the spatial and temporal variations prevailing in the Southern Ocean pelagic ecosystem.     

Assimilation of sea surface temperature in the POL Coastal Ocean Modelling System

A one-dimensional scheme is used to assimilate satellite Sea Surface Temperature data into the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Coastal Ocean Modelling System, set up in the Irish Sea with a fine resolution ( 1.8 km). The capabilities of the assimilation scheme are investigated using two different sets of satellite data, of lower and similar resolution to that of the model respectively. Comparison of results with independent data show that assimilation improves the modelled Sea Surface Temperature, but does not address model representation of the temperature vertical structure. It is concluded that for the Irish Sea and at the scales resolved by the model, the assimilation problem cannot be approached in a one-dimensional framework. It is also pointed out that forecast error needs to account explicitly for errors in the representation of the vertical structure of the thermal field.Three-dimensional methods that are suited for coastal systems are then suggested.     

Improving the physics of a coupled physical–biogeochemical model of the North Atlantic through data assimilation: Impact on the ecosystem

Several studies on coupled physical–biogeochemical models have shown that major deficiencies in the biogeochemical fields arise from the deficiencies in the physical flow fields. This paper examines the improvement of the physics through data assimilation, and the subsequent impact on the ecosystem response in a coupled model of the North Atlantic. Sea surface temperature and sea surface height data are assimilated with a sequential method based on the SEEK filter adapted to the coupling needs. The model domain covers the Atlantic from 20°S to 70°N at eddy-permitting resolution. The biogeochemical model is a NPZD-DOM model based on the P3ZD formulation. The results of an annual assimilated simulation are compared with an annual free simulation.With assimilation, the representation of the mixed layer depth is significantly improved in mid latitudes, even though the mixed layer depth is generally overestimated compared to the observations. The representation of the mean and variance of the currents is also significantly improved.The nutrient input in the euphotic zone is used to assess the data assimilation impact on the ecosystem. Data assimilation results in a 50% reduction of the input due to vertical mixing in mid-latitudes, and in a four- to six-fold increase of the advective fluxes in mid-latitudes and subtropics. Averaged zonally, the net impact is a threefold increase for the subtropical gyre, and a moderate (20–30%) decrease at mid and high latitudes.Surface chlorophyll concentration increases along the subtropical gyre borders, but little changes are detected at mid and high latitudes. An increase of the primary production appears along the Gulf Stream path, but it represents only 12% on average for mid and high latitudes. In the subtropical gyre centre, primary production is augmented but stays underestimated (20% of observations). These experiments show the benefits of physical data assimilation in coupled physical–biogeochemical applications.