Mesoscale Eddies Control the Timing of Spring Phytoplankton Blooms: A Case Study in the Japan Sea

Maúre, E. R.; Ishizaka, Joji; Sukigara, Chiho; Mino, Yoshihisa; Aiki, Hidenori; Matsuno, Takeshi; Tomita, Hiroyuki; Goés, Joaquim I.; Gomes, Helga do Rosário

doi:10.1002/2017gl074359

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The objective of this study is to investigate the importance of turbulent convective mixing on bloom initiation in AEs and CEs based on model simulation. Thus, we verify the hypothesis of Maúre et al () for bloom initiation in the eddies. We first simulate the ecosystem dynamics associated with mesoscale eddies using a 1‐D coupled turbulence physical‐biological model forced by climatological atmospheric conditions averaged in the interior of eddies.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Maúre et al () found that the MLDs in eddies are different and that they have different annual cycles. In AEs, maximum MLD was observed around March whereas in CEs the MLD shallows from January.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we extend the work of Maúre et al () and apply a one‐dimensional (1‐D) coupled turbulence physical‐biological model to study the spring bloom initiation associated with AEs and CEs. The 1‐D model does not consider the horizontal processes associated with the dynamics of eddies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Maúre et al () explored the role of physical processes, mesoscale anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs), in the spring bloom initiation. Taking the Japan Sea as a case study, they found that the onset mechanism for surface blooms was different in AEs and CEs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One‐Dimensional Turbulence‐Ecosystem Model Reveals the Triggers of the Spring Bloom in Mesoscale Eddies

et al. 2018

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A lower trophic ecosystem model coupled with a one-dimensional physical turbulence closure model was applied to study phytoplankton dynamics and spring bloom initiation in mesoscale anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs). The model simulated ecosystem dynamics between nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton-detritus in AEs and CEs, while the physical model provided the seasonal cycle of convective turbulent mixing. The study was motivated by earlier work based on satellite and ship observations, which showed earlier initiation of the spring blooms in CEs with shallow mixed-layer depths than in AEs with deeper mixed-layer depths. The model results supported the hypothesis that mixed-layer depths in eddies play an important role in the dynamics of the spring bloom initiation. Model results revealed that in AEs convective mixing causes light limitation for phytoplankton growth due to deep winter mixing, and the bloom initiation is delayed until relaxation of turbulent convective mixing. Conversely, in the shallow mixed-layer CEs, blooms initiate before the end of convective mixing due to early improvement in light conditions following the increase in solar radiation. Furthermore, the model showed that the relaxation in zooplankton grazing for the deep mixing contributed to weak winter phytoplankton accumulation in AE, while winter phytoplankton accumulation was faster in the shallow mixed-layer CE. Overall, the initiation mechanism and the dynamics of the spring phytoplankton blooms are different for AEs and CEs. Therefore, we suggest that, in many parts of the global ocean, eddies play an important role regulating the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms.Plain Language Summary Mesoscale eddies are energetic swirling features, on the order of 100 km and lifespans of weeks to months, found almost everywhere in the ocean with strong impact on biogeochemical processes and ecosystems dynamics. This study employed a physical-biological coupled model to understand the influence of mesoscale anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies on the initiation of spring phytoplankton blooms. The results showed distinct bloom initiation timings and grazing rates within the interior of the eddies. In the case of anticyclonic eddies with deeper mixed layers, blooms are triggered by suppression of turbulent mixing, which allows for increased phytoplankton light exposure. In contrast, cyclonic eddies with shallower mixed layers, blooms are triggered by increase in surface light that improves phytoplankton light exposure prior to the end of convective mixing. These findings are pertinent to understanding physical-biological interactions and their consequent role in ecosystem dynamics and the biological carbon pump in the ocean under climate change.MAÚRE ET AL.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One‐Dimensional Turbulence‐Ecosystem Model Reveals the Triggers of the Spring Bloom in Mesoscale Eddies

et al. 2018

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“…Conversely, the well‐mixed conditions due to frequent and enhanced storm events can explain the regional fall blooms when accompanied by sufficient light conditions and the relatively limited nutriments resulting from the spring bloom and subsiding levels of chlorophyll concentrations during the summer (e.g., Kim et al, ; Yoo & Park, ). In this region, the vertical stratification exhibits seasonal and its superharmonic variability ( SA 1 , SA 2 , and SA 3 ), which can amplify the blooms in spring and fall due to the local deepening of the MLD, which is slightly different from the bloom initiation due to the relaxation of turbulent mixing at the end of the winter (e.g., Huisman et al, ; Maúre et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional Variability and Turbulent Characteristics of the Satellite‐sensed Submesoscale Surface Chlorophyll Concentrations

Lee

Kim

2018

JGR Oceans

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The regional variability and turbulent characteristics of submesoscale surface chlorophyll concentrations are examined with hourly maps of geostationary ocean color imagery‐derived chlorophyll concentrations at a 0.5 km resolution for a period of 5 years (2011–2015) over the East/Japan Sea with concurrent mesoscale and submesoscale observations. Two seasonal blooms occur in the spring and fall within 250 km off the coast that are associated with constructive combinations of light exposure, nutrients, and vertical stratification. Another bloom occurs in the summer and is closely related to regional wind‐driven upwelling events. The spring and fall blooms are more significant near the coast (within 40 km from the coast) than offshore because of the more energetic submesoscale horizontal shear and vortical phenomena onshore as well as their propagation in the cross‐shore direction. In addition, the regional spring bloom starts offshore and migrate onshore with a time delay of 1 month, which may result from the onshore propagation of geostrophic currents, the deepening of the mixed layer, and favorable nutrient fluxes from the subsurface. The wavenumber‐domain energy spectra of chlorophyll concentrations exhibit anisotropy, which may be closely related to bathymetric effects and regional circulations. The spectral decay slopes change from k−5/3 to k−1 at the O(10) km scales and from k−1 to k≤−3 at the O(1) km scales and have weak seasonality. These results are consistent with the two‐dimensional quasi‐geostrophic turbulence theory and can be interpreted with the baroclinic instability energized from the moderate seasonal mixed layer under mesoscale regional circulations.

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Variations in the Ratio of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes of Particulate Organic Matter in the Southern Sea of Japan

Kodama

Nishimoto

Nakamura

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the Sea of Japan (SOJ) are rapidly changing. Here, we investigated the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of particulate organic matter (δ 13 C POM and δ 15 N POM , respectively) at a depth of [?] 100 m in the southern part of the SOJ from 2016 to 2021. Both δ 13 C POM and δ 15 N POM showed multimodal distributions and were divided into four classes (I-IV) using the Gaussian mixed model. Most of the samples were categorized into class II (n = 441), with the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of δ 13 C POM and δ 15 N POM being -23.7 ± 1.2 1.2 δ 15 N POM (-2.1 ± 0.8 class III by low δ 13 C POM (-27.1 ± 1.0 δ 13 C POM (-20.7 ± 0.8 34). Using the generalized linear model (GLM), temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration were found to positively impact δ 13 C POM in addition to sampling depth, latitude, salinity, and nitrate concentration, supporting the hypothesis that active photosynthesis and phytoplankton growth elevated δ 13 C POM . The mean δ 15 N POM value suggests that primary production mainly originates from nitrate in the SOJ. The δ 15 N POM variation, however, was explained by temperature and salinity but not by nitrate concentration in the GLM approach, which suggests that the Rayleigh distillation model was not observed in the SOJ. This suggests that primary production is supported by various nitrogenous sources from the Changjiang, Kuroshio, and atmospheric depositions in the SOJ.

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Mesoscale Eddies Control the Timing of Spring Phytoplankton Blooms: A Case Study in the Japan Sea

Cited by 19 publications

References 61 publications

One‐Dimensional Turbulence‐Ecosystem Model Reveals the Triggers of the Spring Bloom in Mesoscale Eddies

One‐Dimensional Turbulence‐Ecosystem Model Reveals the Triggers of the Spring Bloom in Mesoscale Eddies

Regional Variability and Turbulent Characteristics of the Satellite‐sensed Submesoscale Surface Chlorophyll Concentrations

Variations in the Ratio of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes of Particulate Organic Matter in the Southern Sea of Japan

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