Seasonal cycles of surface layer salinity in the Pacific Ocean

Bingham, Frederick M.; Foltz, Gregory R.; McPhaden, Michael J.

doi:10.5194/os-6-775-2010

Cited by 56 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Foltz and McPhaden (2008) looked at the seasonal variability of SSS in three regions in the Atlantic, one in the central North Atlantic with a weak seasonal cycle and two in the tropical Atlantic and western North Atlantic with stronger ones. Bingham et al (2010;henceforth BFM) examined the seasonal cycle of SLS in the Pacific Ocean between 40 • S and 60 • N. They found areas with large seasonal variation in the northern tropical Pacific, under the ITCZ, along the western and northern boundary of the North Pacific, and in the central South Pacific loosely centered around 10 • S. They compared these variations to the corresponding atmospheric fluxes of evaporation (E), precipitation (P ), and E − P . They also examined one of the advection terms and the entrainment term in the equation for SSS evolution and found them to be important in limited areas.…”

Section: F M Bingham Et Al: the Seasonal Cycle Of Surface Layer Samentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of the seasonal cycle of surface layer salinity in the global ocean

2012

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Abstract. The seasonal variability of surface layer salinity (SLS), evaporation (E), precipitation (P ), E − P , advection and vertical entrainment over the global ocean is examined using in situ salinity data, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Climate System Forecast Reanalysis and a number of other ancillary data. Seasonal amplitudes and phases are calculated using harmonic analysis and presented in all areas of the open ocean between 60 • S and 60 • N. Areas with large amplitude SLS seasonal variations include: the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans; western marginal seas of the Pacific; and the Arabian Sea. The median amplitude in areas that have statistically significant seasonal cycles of SLS is 0.19. Between about 60 • S and 60 • N, 37 % of the ocean surface has a statistically significant seasonal cycle of SLS and 75 % has a seasonal cycle of E −P . Phases of SLS have a bimodal distribution, with most areas in the Northern Hemisphere peaking in SLS in March/April and in the Southern Hemisphere in September/October.The seasonal cycle is also estimated for surface freshwater forcing using a mixed-layer depth climatology. With the exception of areas near the western boundaries of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, seasonal variability is dominated by precipitation. Surface freshwater forcing also has a bimodal distribution, with peaks in January and July, 1-2 months before the peaks of SLS. Seasonal amplitudes and phases calculated for horizontal advection show it to be important in the tropical oceans. Vertical entrainment, estimated from mixedlayer heaving, is largest in mid and high latitudes, with a seasonal cycle that peaks in late winter.The amplitudes and phases of SLS and surface fluxes compare well in a qualitative sense, suggesting that much of the variability in SLS is due to E − P . However, the amplitudes of SLS are somewhat different than would be expected and the peak of SLS comes typically about one month earlier than expected. The differences of the amplitudes of the two quantities is largest in such areas as the Amazon River plume, the Arabian Sea, the ITCZ and the eastern equatorial Pacific and Atlantic.

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Section: F M Bingham Et Al: the Seasonal Cycle Of Surface Layer Samentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of the seasonal cycle of surface layer salinity in the global ocean

2012

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“…Salinity anomalies tend to be more persistent than SST, and are more strongly influenced by oceanic advection/mixing [ Spall , 1993; Hall and Manabe , 1997; Mignot and Frankignoul , 2003, 2004]. The important role of the advection processes in governing the regional salinity has been documented by many studies [e.g., Delcroix and Hénin , 1991; Johnson et al , 2002; Rao and Sivakumar , 2003; Reverdin et al , 2007; Foltz and McPhaden , 2008; Ren and Riser , 2009; Bingham et al , 2010]. Yet, there are also numerous studies showing the dominance of E‐P on near‐surface salinity variations in the tropical oceans [e.g., Delcroix et al , 1996; Boyer and Levitus , 2002; Foltz and McPhaden , 2008; Bingham et al , 2010].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The important role of the advection processes in governing the regional salinity has been documented by many studies [e.g., Delcroix and Hénin , 1991; Johnson et al , 2002; Rao and Sivakumar , 2003; Reverdin et al , 2007; Foltz and McPhaden , 2008; Ren and Riser , 2009; Bingham et al , 2010]. Yet, there are also numerous studies showing the dominance of E‐P on near‐surface salinity variations in the tropical oceans [e.g., Delcroix et al , 1996; Boyer and Levitus , 2002; Foltz and McPhaden , 2008; Bingham et al , 2010]. For instance, Delcroix and Hénin [1991] analyzed the salinity measurements acquired along the tropical Pacific ship‐of‐opportunity tracks and showed that more than 40% of seasonal salinity variability in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) can be attributed to the E‐P forcing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global relationship between the ocean water cycle and near-surface salinity

2011

J. Geophys. Res.

207

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[1] Ocean evaporation (E) and precipitation (P) are the fundamental components of the global water cycle. They are also the freshwater flux forcing (i.e., E-P) for the open ocean salinity. The apparent connection between ocean salinity and the global water cycle leads to the proposition of using the oceans as a rain gauge. However, the exact relationship between E-P and salinity is governed by complex upper ocean dynamics, which may complicate the inference of the water cycle from salinity observations. To gain a better understanding of the ocean rain gauge concept, here we address a fundamental issue as to how E-P and salinity are related on the seasonal timescales. A global map that outlines the dominant process for the mixed-layer salinity (MLS) in different regions is thus derived, using a lower-order MLS dynamics that allows key balance terms (i.e., E-P, the Ekman and geostrophic advection, vertical entrainment, and horizontal diffusion) to be computed from satellite-derived data sets and a salinity climatology. Major E-P control on seasonal MLS variability is found in two regions: the tropical convergence zones featuring heavy rainfall and the western North Pacific and Atlantic under the influence of high evaporation. Within this regime, E-P accounts for 40-70% MLS variance with peak correlations occurring at 2-4 month lead time. Outside of the tropics, the MLS variations are governed predominantly by the Ekman advection, and then vertical entrainment. The study suggests that the E-P regime could serve as a window of opportunity for testing the ocean rain gauge concept once satellite salinity observations are available.

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“…Taurine is a nontoxic substance and osmolyte for cells, which can regulate internal amino acid levels to avoid any damage if faced with a change in osmolarity [32]. Bingham et al [5] indicated a seasonal variability of marine salinity around Japan with a large amplitude in winter. Thus, bottlenose dolphins could endure an immediate change in osmolarity and the high density of osmolarity that occurs during winter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Seasonal Fluctuation of Plasma Amino Acids in Aquarium-Maintained Bottlenose Dolphins (<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>)

Miyaji

Ohta

Nagao

et al. 2012

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

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ABSTRACT. Although there has been extensive research on plasma amino acid profiles of mammals, there is currently a lack of information on seasonal differences in the concentrations of plasma amino acids specifically in cetaceans. The present study examined the response of the plasma amino acids to seasonal changes in the culture environment after controlling for the effect of sex and age. Significant seasonal changes in plasma carnosine (P=0.012), cystine (P=0.0014), isoleucine (P=0.0042), methionine (P=0.002), ornithine (P=0.0096), and taurine (P=0.032) were observed. These amino acids were mainly related to capacity for exercise, ammonia detoxification, thermoregulation, and osmoregulation. We proposed that optimizing plasma amino acids levels by supplementation of amino acids should be of considerable benefit for aquarium-maintained bottlenose dolphins. This study constitutes a first step towards improving our understanding of the metabolism of aquarium-maintained bottlenose dolphins. We also revealed that the ratio of tryptophan to large neutral amino acids significantly declined (P=0.0076), suggesting reduction in serotonin synthesis in winter and autumn. Although further studies are needed, this finding implied that bottlenose dolphins could produce behavioral changes seasonally by the alteration of serotonin activity. To better understand the metabolic machinery for amino acids that facilitate the adaptation of marine mammals to their environments, it is essential to continue monitoring of and further investigations into relationships between plasma amino acids and specific environmental factors. Blood biochemistry profiles are well studied in marine mammals [7,12,27]. Hall et al. [12] analyzed season-, age-, and sex-related fluctuations of blood biochemistry values in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, living in Sarasota bay, Florida. The authors concluded that age and sex were important factors in the regulation of blood biochemistry profiles in bottlenose dolphins, and significant seasonal differences were also observed, particularly in parameters related to nutritional status and/or energy production for thermoregulation.Seasonal differences in the concentration of plasma amino acids have been detected in terrestrial mammals [6,13,16]. Hibernating mammals, such as the European brown bear, Ursus arctos, for example, showed significant changes in a number of plasma amino acids in response to season, indicating a physiological adaptation during the denning period relative to the other seasons [13]. Recently, we suggested that cetaceans have different metabolic dynamics of specific amino acids compared to terrestrial mammals [18], and therefore results from terrestrial mammals may not be directly relevant to cetaceans. The studies of plasma amino acids have provided basic metabolic and physiologic data [1,2,13,19,26], and application of this information during clinical examination will be put into practice in the immediate future [21]. The majority of these amino acid studies, however, have been c...

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Seasonal cycles of surface layer salinity in the Pacific Ocean

Abstract: Abstract. The seasonal variability of surface layer salinity (SLS) is examined in the Pacific Ocean between 40 • S and 60 •

Cited by 56 publications

References 36 publications

Characteristics of the seasonal cycle of surface layer salinity in the global ocean

Characteristics of the seasonal cycle of surface layer salinity in the global ocean

A global relationship between the ocean water cycle and near-surface salinity

The Seasonal Fluctuation of Plasma Amino Acids in Aquarium-Maintained Bottlenose Dolphins (<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>)

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