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Observations Of An Internal Resonance In A Fjord, J. R. Keeley Jan 1984

Observations Of An Internal Resonance In A Fjord, J. R. Keeley

Journal of Marine Research

Current meter, CTD and tide gauge data collected in a sill fjord in northern British Columbia are considered. Annual changes in stratification are such that the natural internal period of oscillation of the fjord matches that of the semidiurnal tide in both the spring and fall of the year. Evidence of a semidiurnal internal resonance is sought by calculating the ratio of energy and the relative phase of vertical current shear and the barotropic tide. It is possible to show a strong response in the fall coincides with a phase shift of 180° which is the signature of a resonance. …

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The Effect Of Summertime Shelf Break Upwelling On Nutrient Flux In Southeastern United States Continental Shelf Waters, Larry P. Atkinson, Patrick G. O'Malley, James A. Yoder, Gustav A. Paffenhöfer Jan 1984

The Effect Of Summertime Shelf Break Upwelling On Nutrient Flux In Southeastern United States Continental Shelf Waters, Larry P. Atkinson, Patrick G. O'Malley, James A. Yoder, Gustav A. Paffenhöfer

Journal of Marine Research

Gulf Stream-induced upwelling at the shelf break of the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) presents water which, in summer, can intrude onto the continental shelf. In July 1979, an XBT survey of the continental shelf revealed such an intrusion of cold water off St. Augustine, Florida. From weekly mappings, it was determined that Gulf Stream water <22.5°C covered 3280 km2 and occupied 38 km3 shoreward of the 42 m isobath. Using temperature and nitrate distributions and the T°C:NO3 relationship, we determined that 3200 metric tons of nitrate-nitrogen were advected into the study area. Net nitrate-nitrogen fluxes were 32 μmoles · m …

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Disturbance, Sediment Stability, And Trophic Structure Of Soft-Bottom Communities, P. K. Probert Jan 1984

Disturbance, Sediment Stability, And Trophic Structure Of Soft-Bottom Communities, P. K. Probert

Journal of Marine Research

Previous studies of marine soft-bottom communities have shown (1) that natural disturbances (especially biologically-mediated disturbances, which are usually localized and recur reasonably frequently) help maintain spatio-temporal heterogeneity of communities, and (2) that biogenic modification of sediment can affect sediment stability with respect to fluid forces and geotechnical properties and that this is an important factor in community organization, particularly in the trophic structure of the macrofauna. It is argued in this paper that natural disturbances, and the ensuing biogenic alterations to sediment stability, may be important in maintaining trophically-mixed communities where deposit feeders do not have an overriding influence on …

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Seasonal And Geographic Variation In The Shell Microstructure Of A Salt-Marsh Bivalve (Geukensia Demissa (Dillwyn)), Richard A. Lutz, George R. Clark Ii Jan 1984

Seasonal And Geographic Variation In The Shell Microstructure Of A Salt-Marsh Bivalve (Geukensia Demissa (Dillwyn)), Richard A. Lutz, George R. Clark Ii

Journal of Marine Research

The microstructure of the inner shell layer of Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn) varies with both the season of calcium carbonate deposition (or dissolution) and the latitude of sampled populations. Living specimens (n = 510) were sampled at monthly and, occasionally, biweekly intervals over a 3-year period from a natural intertidal population in Gulf of Maine estuarine waters. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the inner shell layer growth surface and fractured shell sections of the sampled specimens suggests that the observed structural changes reflect seasonal cycles of aragonite deposition and dissolution. Discrete nacreous tablets generally are deposited during the warmer months …

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Summer Phytoplankton Assemblages And Their Environmental Correlates In The Southern California Bight, D. Goodman, R. W. Eppley, F. M. H. Reid Jan 1984

Summer Phytoplankton Assemblages And Their Environmental Correlates In The Southern California Bight, D. Goodman, R. W. Eppley, F. M. H. Reid

Journal of Marine Research

Weekly observations of chemical and physical variables, and of phytoplankton abundances, were made over a 21-week period at three stations in the Southern California Bight. Principal component analysis was employed to resolve four phytoplankton assemblages among the 25 taxa with the highest variances for their log transformed abundances. Two of these components were described by the abundance of taxa characteristic of upwelling assemblages—both dominated by diatoms. A third assemblage was dominated by the "red tide" dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax polyedra, along with some small diatoms and a coccolithophorid.Canonical correlation analysis of the four phytoplankton components against 13 environmental variables revealed distinct sets …

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Particulate Amino Acids In The Sea: Effects Of Primary Productivity And Biological Decomposition, Cindy Lee, Carolyn Cronin Jan 1984

Particulate Amino Acids In The Sea: Effects Of Primary Productivity And Biological Decomposition, Cindy Lee, Carolyn Cronin

Journal of Marine Research

We measured the flux of amino acids associated with sinking particles collected by sediment traps at two Pacific Ocean sites. These results were compared with results from six other sites where we and others have measured amino acid fluxes. This comparison shows that the flux of amino acids on sinking particles is related to primary productivity. This relationship exists in spite of differences in the oceanic regimes sampled and in the sediment traps, bactericides, and amino acid analysis techniques used. The amount of particulate amino acids leaving the euphotic zone in areas of higher productivity is a higher proportion of …

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The Significance Of Subsurface Chlorophyll, Nitrite And Ammonium Maxima In Relation To Nitrogen For Phytoplankton Growth In Stratified Waters Of The Gulf Of Maine, P. M. Holligan, W. M. Balch, C. M. Yentsch Jan 1984

The Significance Of Subsurface Chlorophyll, Nitrite And Ammonium Maxima In Relation To Nitrogen For Phytoplankton Growth In Stratified Waters Of The Gulf Of Maine, P. M. Holligan, W. M. Balch, C. M. Yentsch

Journal of Marine Research

Data on the distributions in summer of phytoplankton and inorganic nutrients in the Gulf of Maine and across Georges Bank are presented. The chlorophyll maximum represents a phytoplankton biomass maximum and occurs at a depth where both light and nitrate availability allow net growth of the population. The dominant species were generally flagellates and included the toxic dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax tamarensis var. excavata, at some stations. The ammonium and nitrite profiles suggest that nitrification is occurring at the base of the pycnocline below the chlorophyll maximum, and this may be an important source of nitrate during the summer months. The highest …

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Bioturbation Processes In Continental Slope And Rise Sediments Delineated By Pb-210, Microfossil And Textural Indicators, J. N. Smith, C. T. Schafer Jan 1984

Bioturbation Processes In Continental Slope And Rise Sediments Delineated By Pb-210, Microfossil And Textural Indicators, J. N. Smith, C. T. Schafer

Journal of Marine Research

Measurements of Pb-210 activities, in conjunction with micropaleontological, geotechnical and sedimentological observations, on sediment cores have been used to characterize two distinctive bioturbation regimes on the continental slope and rise east of Newfoundland. On the rise (2600 m), excess Pb-210 is confined to the upper few centimeters of the coarser-grained sediments underlying the axis of the Western Boundary Undercurrent. The geological and geochemical evidence for a low rate of bioturbation in this high bottom current regime is consistent with a reduced population of deeper burrowing macrofauna, particularly the species Maldane sarsi. In contrast, a higher flux of organic-rich, fine-grained …

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Double Kelvin Waves In A Two-Layer Sea, S. A. W. Bondok, H. G. Pinsent Jan 1984

Double Kelvin Waves In A Two-Layer Sea, S. A. W. Bondok, H. G. Pinsent

Journal of Marine Research

It is shown that a depth change such as a fault line acts as a wave guide to long period waves in a two-layer rotating sea, in a similar way to the Double Kelvin waves of Longuet-Higgins (1968a, b) for a homogeneous sea. For a sea with a step discontinuity in depth, the effect of an extra layer leads to only small changes in the dispersion characteristics. For a continuous monotonic depth change taking place over a width l it is found that as l increases the Double Kelvin wave period increases, and the elevation at the interface decreases relative …

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An Unstable Uniform Slab Model Of The Mixed Layer As A Source Of Downward Propagating Near-Inertial Motion Part 2: Unsteady Mean Flow, John Kroll Jan 1984

An Unstable Uniform Slab Model Of The Mixed Layer As A Source Of Downward Propagating Near-Inertial Motion Part 2: Unsteady Mean Flow, John Kroll

Journal of Marine Research

The model of the uniform slab model of the mixed layer which was previously analyzed for stability (Kroll, 1982) is modified to include inertial oscillations in the mean flow. The results reflect the nature of the parallel flow instability produced by the steady component of the mean flow combined with the nature of a parametric instability produced by the oscillating component of the mean flow. This model is much more likely to produce unstable perturbations with a near-inertial frequency than the steady mean model which reinforces the contention that the instability can be a source of vertically propagating inertial oscillations. …

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Variations In Primary Production And Particulate Carbon Flux Through The Base Of The Euphotic Zone At The Site Of The Sediment Trap Intercomparison Experiment (Panama Basin), James K. B Bishop, John Marra Jan 1984

Variations In Primary Production And Particulate Carbon Flux Through The Base Of The Euphotic Zone At The Site Of The Sediment Trap Intercomparison Experiment (Panama Basin), James K. B Bishop, John Marra

Journal of Marine Research

C primary production data collected during the deployment and recovery cruises of STIE in 1979 showed a simple relationship with light and nutrient concentrations in the euophotic zone. A simple empirical relationship, calibrated using these data, was derived so that weekly averaged observations of fractional cloudiness, sea-surface temperature and mixed layer depth could be used to estimate primary production on a weekly basis for the years 1976–1979. 15N-uptake measurements, which estimate new production, were combined with the 14C data to estimate particulate carbon fluxes from the euphotic zone. Results of calculations showed that production may vary by a …

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An Estimate Of Bottom Frictional Dissipation By Gulf Stream Fluctuations, Georges L. Weatherly Jan 1984

An Estimate Of Bottom Frictional Dissipation By Gulf Stream Fluctuations, Georges L. Weatherly

Journal of Marine Research

Using published values of the kinetic energy per unit mass of fluctuating motions for the deep western North Atlantic an estimate is made of the energy dissipation rate from fluctuations by bottom friction for the Gulf Stream System. It appears that bottom friction may account for all the energy input by the wind, and that this dissipation occurs in only about 20% of the areal extent of this gyre.

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In Situ Effects Of Selected Preservatives On Total Carbon, Nitrogen And Metals Collected In Sediment Traps, George A. Knauer, David M. Karl, John H. Martin, Craig N. Hunter Jan 1984

In Situ Effects Of Selected Preservatives On Total Carbon, Nitrogen And Metals Collected In Sediment Traps, George A. Knauer, David M. Karl, John H. Martin, Craig N. Hunter

Journal of Marine Research

The concentration and chemical composition of preservative or poison to use in sediment trap studies continue to present an important unresolved question. Past laboratory/field experiments designed to answer this question are difficult to interpret, because so-called analogs have been used instead of actual trap materials, which are compositionally complex. This paper presents our results on the in situ effects of formalin, azide and mercuric ion on material collected in MULTITRAPS set at 100 and 300 m for a period of six days in a coastal environment, and at 150 m for a period of 20.6 days in an oligotrophic environment. …

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Geostrophic Transport In The Warm Water Sphere Of The Eastern Subtropical North Atlantic, Lothar Stramma Jan 1984

Geostrophic Transport In The Warm Water Sphere Of The Eastern Subtropical North Atlantic, Lothar Stramma

Journal of Marine Research

Geostrophic transports in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic computed from historic hydrographic data and recent CTD measurements show a mean transport in the subtropical gyre of 11 ± 1.5 × 106 m3 s–1 in the upper 1000 m between 35W and the African coast. The dynamic method was used in conjunction with a conservation of mass scheme (Fiadeiro and Veronis, 1982) to determine the level of no motion. This level lies in the 1200 m depth near the Azores and drops to 1500 m in the tropics. The main inflow enters south of the Azores as a …

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Episodic Nutrient Supply To A Kelp Forest Ecosystem In Southern California, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer Jan 1984

Episodic Nutrient Supply To A Kelp Forest Ecosystem In Southern California, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer

Journal of Marine Research

Temporal patterns of nutrient input into a Southern California kelp forest were measured using traditional hydrocast sampling coupled with high frequency temperature profiling. Patterns of nutrient input were related to growth rates of Macrocystis pyrifera located in an adjacent kelp forest. There were 2 distinct components to the pattern of nutrient availability. The long term, or seasonal, component was consistent with large-scale storm-induced mixing and horizontal advection during winter months. In addition, vertical motions of the thermocline, bringing nutrients into the kelp forest, occurred throughout the year with a frequency of about 2 per day and were strongest during the …

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Wave Propagation And Growth On A Surface Front In A Two-Layer Geostrophic Current, Peter D. Killworth, Nathan Paldor, Melvin E. Stern Jan 1984

Wave Propagation And Growth On A Surface Front In A Two-Layer Geostrophic Current, Peter D. Killworth, Nathan Paldor, Melvin E. Stern

Journal of Marine Research

We study analytically and numerically small amplitude perturbations of a geostrophically balanced semi-infinite layer of light water having a surface front and lying above a heavier layer of finite vertical thickness which is at rest in the mean. In contrast with previous studies where the latter layer was infinitely deep we find that the equilibrium is always unstable regardless of the distribution of potential vorticity, and the maximum growth rates are generally much larger than in the "one-layer" case. The amplifying ageostrophic wave transfers kinetic energy from the basic shear flow as well as potential energy. Good quantitative agreement is …

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Effects Of Predators And Food Resources On The Macrobenthos Of Salt Marsh Creeks, Wendy I. Wiltse, Kenneth H. Foreman, John M. Teal, Ivan Valiela Jan 1984

Effects Of Predators And Food Resources On The Macrobenthos Of Salt Marsh Creeks, Wendy I. Wiltse, Kenneth H. Foreman, John M. Teal, Ivan Valiela

Journal of Marine Research

We tested whether predation, disturbance and food resources controlled the density and taxonomic composition of benthic macrofauna in salt marsh tidal creeks by manipulating predator and food abundance. Cages that excluded fish, crabs, and shrimp were placed in two urea fertilized and two control creeks at Great Sippewissett Marsh, MA, in late May 1979 and were sampled over a 15-week period.Densities of macrofauna peaked in early summer, then decreased markedly in natural sediments and inside partial cages that provided access to predator/disturbers. Inside predator exclusion cages, macrofaunal densities increased and remained high throughout the experiment. Comparisons of densities in natural …

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The Role Of Bacterial Exopolymer And Suspended Bacteria In The Nutrition Of The Deposit-Feeding Clam, Macoma Balthica, Ronald W. Harvey, Samuel N. Luoma Jan 1984

The Role Of Bacterial Exopolymer And Suspended Bacteria In The Nutrition Of The Deposit-Feeding Clam, Macoma Balthica, Ronald W. Harvey, Samuel N. Luoma

Journal of Marine Research

Potential nutritional contributions of bacterial exopolymer and suspended bacteria to the detritus feeding estuarine clam, Macoma balthica, were examined separately in laboratory 14C labelling experiments. Significant removal and assimilation of suspended bacteria by M. balthica was observed within two days, although the low clearance rates suggested planktonic bacteria may not be among its major food sources. Sediment-bound and dissolved bacterial exopolymer did not appear to be directly metabolized by M. balthica, as evidenced by the 1–2 week lag in 14C uptake into clam tissue.

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Nitrification And Oxygen Consumption In Northwest Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediments, John P. Christensen, Gilbert T. Rowe Jan 1984

Nitrification And Oxygen Consumption In Northwest Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediments, John P. Christensen, Gilbert T. Rowe

Journal of Marine Research

The importance of nitrification in the oxygen consumption by deep-sea sediments was investigated by modelling pore water nitrate profiles from 6 northwest Atlantic cores. Total nitrification and denitrification rates were calculated from the thickness of the nitrification layer, the nitrification rate at the sediment surface (N), the coefficient of exponential decrease of the nitrification rate (B), and the first-order rate constant for denitrification. The four unknowns were determined by best fit of the model to the nitrate profiles. The nitrate profile from the furthest offshore station indicated no denitrification, so that only N and B were …

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Copper Complexation During Spring Phytoplankton Blooms In Coastal Waters, Donald M. Anderson, John S. Lively, Ralph F. Vaccaro Jan 1984

Copper Complexation During Spring Phytoplankton Blooms In Coastal Waters, Donald M. Anderson, John S. Lively, Ralph F. Vaccaro

Journal of Marine Research

Cupric ion bioassays were conducted throughout the spring phytoplankton bloom season at two stations-one estuarine, dominated by dinoflagellates, the other coastal, dominated by diatoms. Copper-complexing ligands were detected at both locations throughout this period. Ligand concentrations varied between 0.1 and 0.75 μM, with the estuarine concentrations typically 2–4 times higher than coastal values. Ligands from both locations were destroyed by UV-oxidation and had similar conditional stability constants (range 108.3 to 109.2) that were significantly correlated with pH, suggesting that the complexing materials are organic chelators with weak acid functional groups. All measured or calculated parameters (DOC, …

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Observations Of Current Rings In The Antarctic Zone At Drake Passage, R. D. Pillsbury, J. S. Bottero Jan 1984

Observations Of Current Rings In The Antarctic Zone At Drake Passage, R. D. Pillsbury, J. S. Bottero

Journal of Marine Research

Time series of current velocity and temperature from several depths at a site near the center of Drake Passage show features that can plausibly be interpreted as current rings. Between June 1975 and January 1976, five cyclonic rings from the Continental Water Boundary and one anticyclonic ring from the Polar Front passed over the site. The diameters of the rings varied from 30 km to 130 km, and all of them extended vertically to a depth of at least 2500 m. The rings exhibited maximum spin velocities of about 20 cm sec−1 at 1000 m depth and 10 cm …

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Dissipation And Diffusion By Internal Wave Breaking, Ann E. Gargett, Greg Holloway Jan 1984

Dissipation And Diffusion By Internal Wave Breaking, Ann E. Gargett, Greg Holloway

Journal of Marine Research

Recent direct observations of the rate of kinetic energy dissipation, ε, tend to vary systematically with buoyancy frequency, N. This note presents arguments leading to an expected relationship between these two parameters. We first suggest that the classical separation of velocity field into “turbulent” and “mean” (including internal waves) is inappropriate for a stratified system such as the ocean, in which nonlinear forces and buoyant restoring forces act over a wide range of space-time scales. Reconsidering the steady-state kinetic energy equation without this separation, we obtain ε ∝ N1.0 or ε ∝ N1.5, where the ambiguity …

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The Importance Of Predation By Horseshoe Crabs, Limulus Polyphemus, To An Intertidal Sand Flat Community, Mark L. Botton Jan 1984

The Importance Of Predation By Horseshoe Crabs, Limulus Polyphemus, To An Intertidal Sand Flat Community, Mark L. Botton

Journal of Marine Research

Horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus (L.), are abundant in the lower Delaware Bay during their spring spawning activity. The impact of predation on the benthic community of intertidal flats in the vicinity of breeding beaches was investigated using exclosures and enclosures. In 1978 and 1979, protected sediments contained significantly more individuals, biomass and species per core than unprotected sediments. In 1978, the bivalves Gemma gemma, Mulinia lateralis, and Mya arenaria were significantly more numerous within cages. At that time, unprotected sediments contained very few Mya or Mulinia over 4 mm, suggesting that predators “cropped off” these species as they attained …

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On The Mean Flow In The Tiran Strait In Winter, Stephen P. Murray, Artur Hecht, Arthur Babcock Jan 1984

On The Mean Flow In The Tiran Strait In Winter, Stephen P. Murray, Artur Hecht, Arthur Babcock

Journal of Marine Research

Direct observations with 12 moored current meters of the velocity field in the Tiran Strait has confirmed the presence of a well-developed two-layered gravitational convection circulation between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Measurements indicate a level of no motion at 100 m in the deep (270 m) Enterprise Passage, whereas the shallower Grafton Passage (80 m) is completely in the upper layer. Characteristic speeds are 30 cm/sec and 60 cm/sec in the upper and lower layers, respectively. Integration over the channel area indicates an average discharge in each layer of ∼29,000 m3/sec for February 1982. …

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A Continental Shelf Upwelling Event Off Vancouver Island As Revealed By Satellite Infrared Imagery, M. Ikeda, W. J. Emery Jan 1984

A Continental Shelf Upwelling Event Off Vancouver Island As Revealed By Satellite Infrared Imagery, M. Ikeda, W. J. Emery

Journal of Marine Research

A series of nine relatively cloud-free infrared satellite images, of the coastal ocean off Vancouver Island, reveals the evolution of sea-surface temperature patterns during a 16-day period of upwelling favorable winds in the summer of 1980. Early in the upwelling event, the cold water in the north was restricted to a narrow band, while in the south cold surface water extended out to the continental shelf break. This southern feature is believed to be an expression of a semipermanent, cold cyclonic eddy (Freeland and Denman, 1982). As upwelling continued, the cold water boundary propagated offshore at about 10 km/day eventually …

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Forced Double Kelvin Waves In A Stratified Ocean, Andrew J. Willmott Jan 1984

Forced Double Kelvin Waves In A Stratified Ocean, Andrew J. Willmott

Journal of Marine Research

This paper examines the linear response of a two-layer uniformly rotating ocean of infinite horizontal extent with a discontinuity in depth to a divergence-free transient wind stress. Initially the ocean is at rest and the wind stress is directed perpendicular to the escarpment. A rigid lid is employed to filter out the external double Kelvin wave and an analytic solution is derived, using transform techniques, for the forced internal double Kelvin wave which is trapped along the depth discontinuity. Parameter values are chosen which most accurately model the Mendocino escarpment oriented almost zonally off the northern California coast. Soon after …

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Vertical Eddy Diffusivity In The Ocean Interior, A. E. Gargett Jan 1984

Vertical Eddy Diffusivity In The Ocean Interior, A. E. Gargett

Journal of Marine Research

Vertical turbulent transport of density (mass) in a system of stable stratification ∂p/∂z < 0 (z positive upward) is often modelled by an “eddy” diffusivity Kv ≡ −ρω/(∂p/∂z), normally assumed to be constant. Recent evidence from stratified lakes, fjords and oceans suggests that Kv may be more accurately described as a decreasing function of buoyancy frequency N ≡ (–g(ρo)–1 (∂p/∂z))1/2. A main purpose of this paper is to review available estimates of Kv from a variety of stratified geophysical systems. Particular emphasis is placed upon the degree to which these estimates are dependent upon underlying …

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Equatorial Beams, Julian P. Mccreary Jr. Jan 1984

Equatorial Beams, Julian P. Mccreary Jr.

Journal of Marine Research

A linear stratified model is used to study the response of the equatorial ocean to forcing by the wind at periods from one month to one year. Solutions are represented as double sums of vertical modes (designated by the index n) and of the various types of waves associated with each mode (designated by the index l). Waves associated with a considerable number of vertical modes contribute to the solutions. They superpose in such a way that energy and phase propagate vertically as well as horizontally. It is useful to isolate the individual contributions of various pieces of …

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An Analytic Model Of Tidal Waves In The Yellow Sea, Yong Q. Kang Jan 1984

An Analytic Model Of Tidal Waves In The Yellow Sea, Yong Q. Kang

Journal of Marine Research

Co-oscillating tides in the Yellow Sea south of Shantung Peninsula are investigated analytically by a superposition of Kelvin and Poincaré waves. The Yellow Sea is approximated by a rectangular bay of uniform depth with an opening at the head, and a variable portion of tidal energy is allowed to penetrate through the opening. The analytical results basically agree with the available tidal charts. For the semi-diurnal tide the Poincaré waves play an important role throughout the whole basin of the Yellow Sea, but for the diurnal tide their influence is restricted to the vicinity of the bay head. The asymmetry …

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Construction Of Net Isopleth Plots In Cross-Sections Of Tidal Estuaries, Björn Kjerfve, Harvey E. Seim Jan 1984

Construction Of Net Isopleth Plots In Cross-Sections Of Tidal Estuaries, Björn Kjerfve, Harvey E. Seim

Journal of Marine Research

Construction of isopleth plots of net velocity, material concentration, or material flux in cross-sections of tidal estuaries is not a trivial matter. To construct a flux-preserving isopleth plot requires that each instantaneous measure is weighted by the subarea for which the measure is representative. This area-weighted averaging procedure is outlined. Without area-weighting, net isopleth plots typically yield misleading results in tidal estuaries. In our example, net fluxes of total nitrogen are over-estimated without area-weighting.

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