An approach to estimation of near-surface turbulence and CO2 transfer velocity from remote sensing data

The air–sea CO₂ exchange is primarily determined by the boundary-layer processes in the near-surface layer of the ocean since it is a water-side limited gas. As a consequence, the interfacial component of the CO₂ transfer velocity can be linked to parameters of turbulence in the near-surface layer of the ocean. The development of remote sensing techniques provides a possibility to quantify the dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy in the near-surface layer of the ocean and the air–sea CO₂ transfer velocity on a global scale. In this work, the dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy in the near-surface layer of the ocean and its patchiness has been linked to the air–sea CO₂ transfer velocity with a boundary-layer type model. Field observations of upper ocean turbulence, laboratory studies, and the direct CO₂ flux measurements are used to validate the model. The model is then forced with the TOPEX POSEIDON wind speed and significant wave height to demonstrate its applicability for estimating the distribution of the near-surface turbulence dissipation rate and gas transfer velocity for an extended (decadal) time period. A future version of this remote sensing algorithm will incorporate directional wind/wave data being available from QUIKSCAT, a now-cast wave model, and satellite heat fluxes. The inclusion of microwave imagery from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) will provide additional information on the fractional whitecap coverage and sea surface turbulence patchiness.     

One-dimensional modelling of the plankton ecosystem of the north-western Corsican coastal area in relation to meteorological constraints

In order to study the influence of wind mixing on the spring variability of the plankton production of the north western Corsican coastal area, a one-dimensional (1D), vertical, coupled hydrodynamic/biological model (ECOHYDROMV) is used. A hydrodynamic 1D model of the water column with a k–l turbulent closure is applied. The biological model comprises six state variables, representing the plankton ecosystem in the spring period: phytoplankton, copepods, nitrate, ammonium, particulate organic matter of phytoplanktonic origin and particulate organic matter of zooplanktonic origin. The system is influenced by turbulence (expressed by the vertical eddy diffusivity), temperature and irradiance. The model takes into account momentum and heat surface fluxes computed from meteorological data in order to simulate a typical spring atmospheric forcing for the considered area. Results show that primary production vertical structure is characterised by a subsurface maximum which deepens with time and is regulated by the opposite gradients of nitrate concentration and irradiance. Surface plankton productivity is mainly controlled by turbulent vertical transport of nutrients into the mixed layer. The short time scale variability of turbulent mixing generated by the wind appears to be responsible for the plurimodal shape of plankton blooms, observed in the considered area. Furthermore, the model is applied to the study of the spring evolution of the plankton communities off the bay of Calvi (Corsica) for the years 1986 and 1988. In order to initiate and validate the model, time series of hydrological, chemical and biological data have been used. The model reproduces accurately the spring evolution of the phytoplankton biomass measured in situ and illustrates that its strong variability in those years was in close relation to the variability of the wind intensity.     

Convection and the seeding of the North Atlantic bloom

Observations of vertical velocities in deep wintertime mixed layers using neutrally buoyant floats show that the convectively driven vertical velocities, roughly 1000 m per day, greatly exceed the sinking velocities of phytoplankton, 10 m or less per day. These velocities mix plankton effectively and uniformly across the convective layer and are therefore capable of returning those that have sunk to depth back into the euphotic zone. This mechanism cycles cells through the surface layer during the winter and provides a seed population for the spring bloom. A simple model of this mechanism applied to immortal phytoplankton in the subpolar Labrador Sea predicts that the seed population in early spring will be a few percent of the fall concentration if the plankton sink more slowly than the mean rate at which the surface well-mixed layer grows over the winter. Plankton that sink faster than this will mostly sink into the abyss with only a minute fraction remaining by spring. The shallower mixed layers of mid-latitudes are predicted to be much less effective at maintaining a seed population over the winter, limiting the ability of rapidly sinking cells to survive the winter.     

Simulation of the oil spill processes in the Sea of Japan with regional ocean circulation model

A simulation of the movement of spilled oil after the incident of the Russian tanker Nakhodka in the Sea of Japan, in January 1997, was performed by a particle tracking model incorporating advection by currents, random diffusion, the buoyancy effect, the parameterization of oil evaporation, biodegradation, and beaching. The currents advecting spilled oil were defined by surface wind drift superposed on the three-dimensional ocean currents obtained by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory modular ocean model (GFDL MOM), which was forced by the climatological monthly mean meteorological data, or by the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) daily meteorological data, and assimilated sea surface topography detected by satellite altimeter. A number of experiments with different parameters and situations showed that the wide geographical spread of oil observed is not explained by wind drift alone, and that including the simulated climatological currents gives better results. The combination of surface wind drift and daily ocean currents shows the best agreement between the model and observations except in some coastal areas. The daily meteorological effect on the ocean circulation model results in a stronger variability of currents that closely simulates some features of the nonlinear large-scale horizontal turbulent diffusion of oil. The effect of different parameterizations for the size distribution of model oil particles is discussed. Received for publication on July 26, 1999; accepted on Nov. 17, 1999     

Propagation and origin of warm anomalies in the Angola Benguela upwelling system in 2001

Warmer than average sea surface temperatures were observed by the Tropical Rainfall Mission Microwave Imager in the Angola Benguela Current system in late austral summer 2001 and persisted for about three months. These coastal anomalies extended offshore by 1 to 4° longitude and were not due to local ocean atmosphere interaction or relaxation of the upwelling favorable southerly winds. Instead, they were remotely forced by ocean atmosphere interaction in the Tropical Atlantic. Satellite remote sensing and a linear ocean model suggest that relaxation of trade winds along the equator triggered Kelvin waves that crossed the basin within a month in early 2001. Westerly wind anomalies were also observed in December 2000 and January 2001 over most of the Tropical Atlantic contributing to a warm preconditioning due to an enhancement of the oceanic annual cycle. This led to abnormal sea level heights near equatorial Africa that propagated southwards along the coast towards the Angola Benguela Frontal zone. This process increased the seasonal penetration of warm and salty water of tropical origin into the Angola Benguela upwelling system.     

半潜式钻井平台风载荷CFD预报

在平台设计过程中,海洋平台受到的风载荷是稳性分析与结构设计需要考虑的重要因素。本文采用CFD技术,对某型半潜式钻井平台在作业工况下受到的风载荷进行了预报,分析了湍流模型、风速剖面形式、湍流强度分布等因素对半潜式钻井平台风载荷的影响。结果表明：不同湍流模型对海洋平台风载荷的预报偏差在2%以内,可以忽略湍流模型的影响;风速剖面对风载荷有较大影响,随着风速梯度的增加而增大;湍流强度分布对海洋平台风载荷的影响在6%以内。研究结论可为建立高精度的海洋平台风载荷数值预报方法提供技术支持。     

Air–sea gas exchange at extreme wind speeds measured by autonomous oceanographic floats

Measurements of the air–sea fluxes of N₂ and O₂ were made in winds of 15–57 m s^− 1 beneath Hurricane Frances using two types of air-deployed neutrally buoyant and profiling underwater floats. Two “Lagrangian floats” measured O₂ and total gas tension (GT) in pre-storm and post-storm profiles and in the actively turbulent mixed layer during the storm. A single “EM-APEX float” profiled continuously from 30 to 200 m before, during and after the storm. All floats measured temperature and salinity. N₂ concentrations were computed from GT and O₂ after correcting for instrumental effects. Gas fluxes were computed by three methods. First, a one-dimensional mixed layer budget diagnosed the changes in mixed layer concentrations given the pre-storm profile and a time varying mixed layer depth. This model was calibrated using temperature and salinity data. The difference between the predicted mixed layer concentrations of O₂ and N₂ and those measured was attributed to air–sea gas fluxes F_BO and F_BN. Second, the covariance flux F_CO(z) = wO₂′(z) was computed, where w is the vertical motion of the water-following Lagrangian floats, O₂′ is a high-pass filtered O₂ concentration and (z) is an average over covariance pairs as a function of depth. The profile F_CO(z) was extrapolated to the surface to yield the surface O₂ flux F_CO(0). Third, a deficit of O₂ was found in the upper few meters of the ocean at the height of the storm. A flux F_SO, moving O₂ out of the ocean, was calculated by dividing this deficit by the residence time of the water in this layer, inferred from the Lagrangian floats. The three methods gave generally consistent results. At the highest winds, gas transfer is dominated by bubbles created by surface wave breaking, injected into the ocean by large-scale turbulent eddies and dissolving near 10-m depth. This conclusion is supported by observations of fluxes into the ocean despite its supersaturation; by the molar flux ratio F_BO/F_BN, which is closer to that of air rather than that appropriate for Schmidt number scaling; by O₂ increases at about 10-m depth along the water trajectories accompanied by a reduction in void fraction as measured by conductivity; and from the profile of F_CO(z), which peaks near 10 m instead of at the surface.At the highest winds O₂ and N₂ are injected into the ocean by bubbles dissolving at depth. This, plus entrainment of gas-rich water from below, supersaturates the mixed layer causing gas to flux out of the near-surface ocean. A net influx of gas results from the balance of these two competing processes. At lower speeds, the total gas fluxes, F_BO, F_BN and F_CO(0), are out of the ocean and downgradient.     

An eddy-permitting, coupled ecosystem-circulation model of the Arabian Sea: comparison with observations

A nitrogen-based, pelagic ecosystem model has been coupled with an eddy-permitting ocean general circulation model of the Arabian Sea, and the results are compared with observations. The seasonal variability simulated by the model is in good agreement with observations: during the southwest monsoon season, phytoplankton increases in the western Arabian Sea due to upwelling along the coast; during the northeast monsoon season, phytoplankton abundance is large in the northern Arabian Sea because of the enhanced nitrate entrained by relatively deep vertical mixing. Two major differences are, however, found in the basin-wide comparison between model results and observations: an unrealistic nitrate maximum in the subsurface layer of the northern Arabian Sea and too low primary production in oligotrophic regimes. The former may be attributed to the lack of denitrification in the model. Possible causes for the latter include the present model's underestimation of fast nutrient recycling, the neglect of carbon fixation decoupled from nitrogen uptake and of nitrogen fixation, and inadequate nitrate entrainment by mixed layer deepening. The rate at which simulated nitrate increases in the northern Arabian Sea is 11–24 TgN/year, and should correspond to the denitrification rate integrated over the northern Arabian Sea assuming that the loss of nitrogen through denitrification is balanced by advective input. The model does not reproduce the observed phytoplankton bloom in the late southwest monsoon season. Possible causes are that the mixed layer may be too shallow in summer and that the horizontal transport of nitrate from the coast of Oman may be too weak. Sensitivity experiments demonstrate a strong dependence of the simulated primary productivity on the vertical mixing scheme and on the inclusion of a fast recycling loop in the ecosystem model.     

Analysis of the hydrophysical structure of the Sea of Azov in the period of the bottom anoxia development

The hydrophysical and hydrochemical structure of the Sea of Azov, with developed bottom anoxia, was studied during the RV “Akvanavt” cruise from July 31 to August 03, 2001. The anoxic zone with a thickness from 0.5 to 4 m above the bottom was found in all deep regions of the Sea. Concentrations of hydrochemical parameters were similar to the pronounced anoxic conditions (about 90 mmol m^− 3 of hydrogen sulfide, 17 mmol m^− 3 of ammonia, 6 mmol m^− 3 of phosphate, 7 mmol m^− 3 of total manganese). The hydrophysical structure was characterized by the uniform distribution of temperature in the upper 6–7 m mixed layer (UML). Below this a thin (0.4–0.8 m) thermocline layer was observed, just above the anoxic waters. Formation of this phenomenon was connected with that summer weather conditions. Intensive rains led to increased influx of river waters in June. That resulted in large input of allochtonous organic matter (OM) and inorganic nutrients; the latter were consumed on the additional autochthonous organic matter production. In July the weather was characterized by a significant rise in the daily averaged air temperature and large oscillations of temperature during the day. In this period a wind of constant direction was absent, but wind bursts were observed. The completed analyses showed that the formation of such a structure could be connected with the following factors: (i) positive growth trends of the daily averaged temperature and the daily oscillations of temperature, (ii) presence of wind bursts. The joint action of these factors resulted in the formation of the UML. The amplitude of wind bursts determined the depth of UML, and the value of trend determined the value of the temperature change in the thermocline. An initial presence of bottom halocline (caused by the Black Sea water influx to the bottom of the Sea of Azov) prevented the heating of the bottom layer and therefore led to an increase of vertical gradient of temperature in the thermocline. The spatial distribution of the turbulent exchange coefficient confirmed the existence of a “stagnation” area located above the anoxia zone, which is also, apparently, the reason for its occurrence.     

Use of cyanobacterial pigments to characterize the ocean surface mixed layer in the western Pacific warm pool

We collected biological and physical oceanographic data simultaneously from shipboard observations and mooring buoys in the Pacific equatorial warm pool during the 2002–2003 El Niño event and found that the vertical profiles of cyanobacterial pigments reflected the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) better than did analyses of the mixed layer by temperature and salinity profiling. Zeaxanthin, an accessory pigment of cyanobacteria, was abundant and almost homogeneous in the warm pool within the surface mixed layer, although chlorophyll a concentrations were low. The intracellular content of chlorophyll a increases with increasing depth and decreasing light in a photoprotective response, but the zeaxanthin content does not change with depth. Hence, we hypothesized that the profile of the ratio of zeaxanthin to chlorophyll a would decrease with increasing depth if the water column were stable, without vertical mixing. On the contrary, vertically constant ratios would indicate vertical mixing. Our analysis using a numerical model showed a good agreement between profiles of these ratios and the profiles of TKE and supported the hypothesis. However, a comparative analysis of the zeaxanthin:chlorophyll a ratio profiles with mixed layer depth based on temperature and salinity data revealed two distinct patterns. In the first pattern, the ratio was uniform in the mixed layer when TKE was strong. In the second, the ratio decreased with increasing depth, even in the mixed layer, because of reduced TKE.     

Winter phytoplankton blooms in the shallow mixed layer of the South China Sea enhanced by upwelling

The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest marginal sea in the world. Previous studies, including recent intensive paleo-oceanographic studies, suggest that the SCS is sensitive to many types of physical forcing on the short-term (e.g., internal waves and tides, mesoscale eddies, typhoons, etc.), annual (e.g., monsoon), inter-annual (e.g., El Niño), and very long-term (e.g., climate change) time scales. To better understand how various types of physical forcing influence biogeochemical cycles in the water column, a time-series study was initiated. Bimonthly hydrographic surveys occupied stations in the subtropical–tropic SCS at 19°N, 118.5°E. Results suggest that the Southeast Asian monsoons, northeasterly from October to April and southwesterly from May to September, have important effects on biogeochemical cycles in the upper water column. Hydrographic data showed that the mixed layer depth was much shallower in winter than in other seasons. During the winter monsoon period, the nitricline became shallower and upwelling sustained an elevated phytoplankton standing stock. Mean chlorophyll concentrations (0.65 mg Chl m^− 3) in winter were 8 times higher than in summer, and the integrated primary productivity over the euphotic zone reached as high as ca. 684 mg C m^− 2 day^− 1 in winter. The upwelling is produced by convergence of currents in the cyclonic gyre near the Luzon Strait, where the Kuroshio intrudes. In summer the current reverses following the wind change. The nitricline is depressed as downwelling occurs off northwest Luzon, resulting in strong nutrient limitation and very low chlorophyll concentrations.     

Preoperational ocean forecasting in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea: Implementation and evaluation of the models and selection of the atmospheric forcing

Within the framework of several local and international programs, a quasi-operational ocean-forecasting system for the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea has been established and evaluated through a series of preoperational tests. The Princeton Ocean Model (POM) is used for simulating and predicting the hydrodynamics while the Wave Model (WAM) is used for predicting surface waves. Both models were set up to allow varying resolution and multiple nesting. In addition, POM was set up to be easily relocatable to allow rapid deployment of the model for any region of interest within the Mediterranean Sea. A common requirement for both models is the need for atmospheric forcing. Both models require time varying wind or wind stress. In addition, the hydrodynamic model requires initial conditions as well as time dependent surface heat fluxes, fresh water flux, and lateral boundary conditions at the open boundaries. Several sources of atmospheric forcing have been assessed based on their availability and their impact on the quality of the ocean models' forecasts. The various sources include operational forecast centers, other research centers, as well as running an in-house regional atmospheric model. For surface waves, higher spatial and temporal resolution of the winds plays a central role in improving the forecasts in terms of significant wave height and the timing of various high wave events. For the hydrodynamics, using the predicted wind stress and heat fluxes directly from an atmospheric model can potentially produce short range ocean forecasts that are nearly as good as hindcasts forced with gridded atmospheric analyses. Finally, a high-resolution, nested version of the model has shown to be stable under a variety of forcing conditions and time scales, thus indicating the robustness of the selected nesting strategy. For the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean, at forecast lead times of up to 4 days the high-resolution model shows improved skill over the coarser resolution driving model when compared to satellite derived sea surface temperatures. Most of the error appears to be due to the analysis error inherent in the initial conditions.     

Modelling physical processes of haline stratification in ROFIs with application to the Rhine outflow region

A physical and numerical study is made of the processes governing the stratification and circulation in ROFIs (Regions of Freshwater Influence) where there is an important impact of wind and tides. Observations in the Rhine ROFI showed that the salinity field consists of a mean and a tidally oscillating part. The physical processes are first analysed using the analytical solutions from a one-dimensional two-layer model. A justification is given for the neglection of non-linear advective terms in the equations of momentum and salinity. The dimensionless forms of the solutions can be expressed in terms of a series of dimensionless numbers. It is shown in particular that stratification and cross-shore circulation largely depend on the balance between rotation and turbulent diffusion, which depends in turn on parameters such as the Ekman number, the bottom friction coefficient, the eddy viscosity ratio and the depth of the layer interface. Surface winds either enhance or destroy stratification depending on the wind angle. The response to wind forcing is discussed using classical Ekman theory. To verify the analytical theory numerical tests are performed with a point model including an advanced turbulence closure scheme. Differences arise due to the non-linear interaction between turbulence on the one hand and current shear and stratification on the other hand. It is shown in particular that the amplitude of the tidal forcing and the off-shore horizontal salinity gradient strongly affect the semi-diurnal and semi-monthly variation of stratification. The effect of the wind is found to be in good agreement with the analysis of the two-layer model. Finally, the numerical model is compared with existing observational data in the Rhine ROFI for October 1990.     

A reduced-gravity model of the Catalan Sea

A reduced-gravity model is used to study the effects of the wind on the upper layer circulation in the Catalan Sea. The model parameters were set by observed features of the circulation in the basin. It is shown that the results are particularly sensitive to the open sea boundary conditions. Simulations were done using the following boundary fluxes: (i) mean values estimated by Bethoux (1980) and (ii) more recent geostrophic transports computed from hydrographic data by Font et al. (1988). The latter seem to lead to more realistic circulation patterns. The influence of seasonal winds (climatological data) on the dynamics is clear, especially during the winter.     

Hydrography and biogeochemistry of the north western Bay of Bengal and the north eastern Arabian Sea during winter monsoon

The north eastern Arabian Sea and the north western Bay of Bengal within the Indian exclusive economic zone were explored for their environmental characteristics during the winter monsoons of 2000 and 2001 respectively. The two regions were found to respond paradoxically to comparable intensities of the atmospheric forcing. There is an asymmetry in the net heat exchange of these two basins with atmosphere because of the varying thickness of barrier layer. During winter, the convective mixing in the Arabian Sea is driven by net heat loss from the ocean, whereas the Bay of Bengal does not contribute to such large heat loss to the atmosphere. It appears that the subduction of high saline Arabian Sea water mass is the mechanism behind the formation of a barrier layer in the northeast Arabian Sea; whereas that in the Bay of Bengal and the southeast Arabian Sea are already established as due to low saline water mass. The weak barrier layer in the Arabian Sea yields to the predominance of convective mixing to bring in nitrate-rich waters from the deeper layers to the surface, thereby supporting enhanced biological production. On the other hand, the river discharge into the Bay of Bengal during this period results in the formation of a thick and stable barrier layer, which insulates vertical mixing and provide oligotrophic condition in the Bay.     

On the fresh balance of the Adriatic Sea

The long-term mean fresh water balance of the Adriatic Sea is studied by ananalysing evaporation, precipitation and river runoff. Evaporation is computed from May latent heat flux and by means of bulk formula. In the latter case two wind speed data sets are used, namely those from the NMC and May. The sea surface temperature is taken from a historical Adriatic data set, and the air temperature and relative humidity come from the NMC data set. Two precipitation data sets are considered, namely the Legates and Willmott climatology and a data set consisting of data measured at 62 rain-gauge stations located on the Adriatic coasts. Runoff contribution to the fresh water balance is estimated from the long-term average flow rates of 39 rivers and the horizontal distribution of salinity in the upper mixed layer.The spatial distribution of the fresh water balance, as well as of its components, is analysed by means of monthly objective maps, from which averages and standard deviations are computed. The results obtained from the different computations are not always univocal, particularly in the evaluation of Summer evaporation, and are affected by relatively large statistical errors. Significant spatial and seasonal variability occurs, with a noticeable fresh water gain along the coastline of the northern and middle basins, while small areas of fresh water loss are found in the middle and southern basins. Nevertheless, on an annual basis, the difference between the fresh water losses by evaporation and the gains by precipitation and runoff is clearly negative, indicating that, unlike the whole Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea is generally a dilution basin.     

Modelling the ice-ocean-plankton interactions in the Souther Ocean

Our goal is the study of interactions between sea ice and ocean and of their influence on planktonic communities. We use a physical model which includes explicitly melting dynamics and mixed-layer physics. A one-dimensional model of the water column with a k-1 turbulent closure is applied. The sea-ice model is the one proposed by Semtner (1976); we add a parameterization of leads. We enlighten the importance, in this kind of model, of the sharing of the energy between lateral and basal meltings. The biological model comprises two state variables: phytoplankton and zooplankton biomasses. Melting induces a persistent shallow mixed layer and thus appropriate conditions for primary production. If ice melting is present, high biomasses are possible even with high losses. The absence of ice nearly forbids a massive bloom to form. Some sensitivity studies have shown that grazing pressure is a key factor governing the evolution of biomasses. The biomasses are also sensitive to little modifications of the photosynthetic production. The initial amount of phytoplankton or the presence of ice algae seems to be of lesser importance.     

Influence of the Mackenzie River plume on the sinking export of particulate material on the shelf

We examined the influence of the Mackenzie River plume on sinking fluxes of particulate organic and inorganic material on the Mackenzie Shelf, Canadian Arctic. Short-term particle interceptor traps were deployed under the halocline at 3 stations across the shelf during fall 2002 and at 3 stations along the shelf edge during summer 2004. During the two sampling periods, the horizontal patterns in sinking fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll a (chl a) paralleled those in chl a biomass within the plume. Highest sinking fluxes of particulate organic material occurred at stations strongly influenced by the river plume (maximum POC sinking fluxes at 25 m of 98 mg C m^− 2 d^− 1 and 197 mg C m^− 2 d^− 1 in 2002 and 2004, respectively). The biogeochemical composition of the sinking material varied seasonally with phytoplankton and fecal pellets contributing considerably to the sinking flux in summer, while amorphous detritus dominated in the fall. Also, the sinking phytoplankton assemblage showed a seasonal succession from a dominance of diatoms in summer to flagellates and dinoflagellates in the fall. The presence of the freshwater diatom Eunotia sp. in the sinking assemblage directly underneath the river plume indicates the contribution of a phytoplankton community carried by the plume to the sinking export of organic material. Yet, increasing chl a and BioSi sinking fluxes with depth indicated an export of phytoplankton from the water column below the river plume during summer and fall. Grazing activity, mostly by copepods, and to a lesser extent by appendicularians, appeared to occur in a well-defined stratum underneath the river plume, particularly during summer. These results show that the Mackenzie River influences the magnitude and composition of the sinking material on the shelf in summer and fall, but does not constitute the only source of material sinking to depth at stations influenced by the river plume.     

Parameterization of air–sea gas fluxes at extreme wind speeds

Air–sea flux measurements of O₂ and N₂ obtained during Hurricane Frances in September 2004 [D'Asaro, E. A. and McNeil, C. L., 2006. Measurements of air–sea gas exchange at extreme wind speeds. Journal Marine Systems, this edition.] using air-deployed neutrally buoyant floats reveal the first evidence of a new regime of air–sea gas transfer occurring at wind speeds in excess of 35 m s^− 1. In this regime, plumes of bubbles 1 mm and smaller in size are transported down from near the surface of the ocean to greater depths by vertical turbulent currents with speeds up to 20−30 cm s^− 1. These bubble plumes mostly dissolve before reaching a depth of approximately 20 m as a result of hydrostatic compression. Injection of air into the ocean by this mechanism results in the invasion of gases in proportion to their tropospheric molar gas ratios, and further supersaturation of less soluble gases. A new formulation for air–sea fluxes of weakly soluble gases as a function of wind speed is proposed to extend existing formulations [Woolf, D.K, 1997. Bubbles and their role in gas exchange. In: Liss, P.S., and Duce, R.A., (Eds.), The Sea Surface and Global Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 173–205.] to span the entire natural range of wind speeds over the open ocean, which includes hurricanes. The new formulation has separate contributions to air–sea gas flux from: 1) non-supersaturating near-surface equilibration processes, which include direct transfer associated with the air–sea interface and ventilation associated with surface wave breaking; 2) partial dissolution of bubbles smaller than 1 mm that mix into the ocean via turbulence; and 3) complete dissolution of bubbles of up to 1 mm in size via subduction of bubble plumes. The model can be simplified by combining “surface equilibration” terms that allow exchange of gases into and out of the ocean, and “gas injection” terms that only allow gas to enter the ocean. The model was tested against the Hurricane Frances data set. Although all the model parameters cannot be determined uniquely, some features are clear. The fluxes due to the surface equilibration terms, estimated both from data and from model inversions, increase rapidly at high wind speed but are still far below those predicted using the cubic parameterization of Wanninkhof and McGillis [Wannikhof, R. and McGillis, W.R., 1999. A cubic relationship between air–sea CO₂ exchange and wind speed. Geophysical Research Letters, 26:1889–1892.] at high wind speed. The fluxes due to gas injection terms increase with wind speed even more rapidly, causing bubble injection to dominate at the highest wind speeds.     

Modelling the silica pump in the Permanently Open Ocean Zone of the Southern Ocean

A coupled 1D physical–biogeochemical model has been built to simulate the cycles of silicon and of nitrogen in the Indian sector of the Permanently Open Ocean Zone of the Southern Ocean. Based on a simplified trophic network, that includes two size classes of phytoplankton and of zooplankton, and a microbial loop, it has been calibrated by reference to surface physical, chemical and biological data sets collected at the KERFIX time-series station (50°40′S–68°25′E). The model correctly reproduces the high nutrient low chlorophyll features typical of the studied area. In a region where the spring–summer mixed layer depth is usually deeper than 60 m, the maximum of chlorophyll never exceeds 1.5 mg m⁻³, and the annual primary production is only 68 g C m⁻² year⁻¹. In the surface layer nitrate is never exhausted (range 27–23.5 mmoles m⁻³) while silicic acid shows strong seasonal variations (range 5–20 mmoles m⁻³). On an annual basis 71% of the primary production sustained by nanophytoplankton is grazed by microzooplankton. Compared to North Atlantic, siliceous microphytoplankton is mainly prevented from blooming because of an unfavourable spring–summer light-mixing regime. Silicic acid limitation (high half saturation constant for Si uptake: 8 mmoles m⁻³) also plays a major role on diatom growth. Mesozooplankton grazing pressure excerpts its influence especially in late spring. The model illustrates the efficiency of the silica pump in the Southern Ocean: up to 63% of the biogenic silica that has been synthetized in the photic layer is exported towards the deep ocean, while only 11% of the particulate organic nitrogen escapes recycling in the surface layer.