30 March 2022, Volume 33 Issue 1

    

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  Contents Vol. 33, No.1, 2022

  Editorial Office

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 0.

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  Foreword

  Articles

  1. Variability of size-fractionated phytoplankton standing stock in the Amundsen Sea during summer

      ZHANG Wei, HAO Qiang, HE Jianfeng & PAN Jianming

  2. Effects of sea ice melt water input on phytoplankton biomass and community structure in the eastern Amundsen Sea

      FENG Yubin, LI Dong, ZHAO Jun, PAN Jianming, ZHANG Haisheng, HAN Zhengbing & ZHU Qiuhong

  3. Horizontal distribution of tintinnids (Ciliophora) in surface waters of the Ross Sea and polynya in the Amundsen Sea (Antarctica) during summer 2019/2020

      WANG Chaofeng, XU Zhiqiang, LI Haibo, WANG Yongqiang & ZHANG Wuchang

  4. Distribution of transparent exopolymer particles and their response to phytoplankton community structure changes in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

      XUE Siyou, HU Ji, FENG Yubin, LI Dong, ZHANG Haifeng, ZHAO Jun, HAN Zhengbing, YU Peisong & PAN Jianming

  5. Relating the composition of continental margin surface sediments from the Ross Sea to the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, to modern environmental conditions

      WANG Jiakai, LI Tiegang, TANG Zheng, XIONG Zhifang, LIU Yanguang, CHEN Zhihua &  CHANG Fengming

  6. Particle dynamics revealed by ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb disequilibria around Prydz Bay, the Southern Ocean in summer

      CHEN Mengya, CHEN Min, ZHENG Minfang, QIU Yusheng, ZHU Jing & QIAN Qiankun

  7. Features and influencing mechanisms of gaseous elemental mercury over the equatorial Pacific and their differences with the Southern Ocean

      WANG Jiancheng YUE Fange, ZHAN Haicong, KANG Hui & XIE Zhouqing

  Letters

  8. Potential suitable sites for the calibration of Scientific Echo Sounder in the marginal seas around Antarctica

      CHEN Qingman, GUO Guijun, LUO Guangfu & HE Jianfeng

  9. Research on submesoscale eddy and front near the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) using seismic oceanography data

      YANG Shun, SONG Haibin & ZHANG Kun

  
  

Foreword
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  Foreword of Special Issue "Marine Ecosystem and Climate Change in the Southern Ocean"

  Jianfeng HE, Jianmin PAN, Rujian WANG, Jiuxin SHI

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 0.

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Articles
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  Variability of size-fractionated phytoplankton standing stock in the Amundsen Sea during summer

  Wei ZHANG, Qiang HAO, Jianfeng HE​, Jianming PAN​

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 1-13. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0035

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  The size-fractionated composition of phytoplankton greatly influences the transfer efficiency of biomass in pelagic food chains and the biological carbon flux from surface waters to the deep sea. To better understand phytoplankton abundance and composition in polynya, ice zone, and open ocean regions of the Amundsen Sea Sector of the Southern Ocean (110°W–150°W), its size-fractionated distribution and vertical structure are reported for January to February 2020. Vertical integrated (0–200 m) chlorophyll (Chl) a concentrations within Amundsen polynya regions are significantly higher than those within ice zone (t test, p < 0.01) and open ocean (t test, p < 0.01) regions, averaging 372.3 ± 189.0, 146.2 ± 152.1, and 49.0 ± 20.8 mg·m⁻², respectively. High Chl is associated with shallow mixed-layer depths and near-shelf regions, especially at the southern ends of 112°W and 145°W. Netplankton (> 20 μm) contribute 60% of the total Chl in Amundsen polynya and sea ice areas, and form subsurface chlorophyll maxima (SCM) above the pycnocline in the upper water column, probably because of diatom blooms. Net-, nano-, and picoplankton comprise 39%, 32%, and 29% of total Chl in open ocean stations, respectively. The open-ocean SCM migrates deeper and is below the pycnocline. The Amundsen Sea SCM is moderately, positively correlated with the euphotic zone depth and moderately, negatively correlated with column-integrated net- and nanoplankton Chl.
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  Effects of sea ice melt water input on phytoplankton biomass and community structure in the eastern Amundsen Sea

  Yubin FENG, Dong LI, Jun ZHAO, Jianming PAN, Haisheng ZHANG, Zhengbing HAN, Qiuhong ZHU

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 14-27. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0017

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  Sea ice melt water and circumpolar deep water (CDW) intrusion have important impacts on the ecosystem of the Amundsen Sea. In this study, samples of nutrients and phytoplankton pigments from nine stations in the eastern Amundsen Sea were collected during the austral summer. Based on in-situ hydrological observations, sea ice density data from satellite remote sensing, and chemical taxonomy calculations, the relationships between environmental factors and phytoplankton biomass and community structure were studied. The results showed that with increasing latitude, the contribution of sea ice melt water (MW%) and the stability of the water body increased, and the depth of the mixed layer (MLD) decreased. The integrated concentration of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) ranged from 21.4 mg•m⁻² to 148.4 mg•m⁻² (the average value was 35.7±53.4 mg•m⁻²). Diatoms (diatoms-A [Fragilariopsis spp., Chaetoceros spp., and Proboscia spp.] and diatoms-B [Pseudonitzschia spp.]) and Phaeocystis antarctica were the two most widely distributed phytoplankton groups and contributed 32%±16% and 28%±11%, respectively, of the total biomass. The contributions of Dinoflagellates, Chlorophytes, Cryptophytes, the high-iron group of P. antarctica, and Diatom group A were approximately 17%±8%, 15%±13%, 9%±6%, 5%±9%, and 3%±7%, respectively. The area with the highest phytoplankton biomass was located near the ice-edge region, with a short time lag (T_lag) between sampling and complete sea ice melt and a high MW%, while the area with the second-highest Chl-a concentration was located in the area affected by the upwelling of CDW, with thorough water mixing. Vertically, in the area with a short T_lag and a shallow MLD, the phytoplankton biomass and proportion of diatoms decreased rapidly with increasing water depth. In contrast, in the region with a long T_lag and limited CDW upwelling, the phytoplankton community was dominated by a relatively constant and high proportion of micro phytoplankton, and the phytoplankton biomass was low and relatively stable vertically. Generally, the phytoplankton community structure and biomass in the study area showed high spatial variation and were sensitive to environmental changes.
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  Horizontal distribution of tintinnids (Ciliophora) in surface waters of the Ross Sea and polynya in the Amundsen Sea (Antarctica) during summer 2019/2020

  Chaofeng WANG​, Zhiqiang XU, Haibo LI​, Yongqiang WANG, Wuchang ZHANG​

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 28-43. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0049

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  Information on tintinnid horizontal distribution in the Antarctic Continental Zone is scarce. During the summer of 2019/2020, tintinnid diversity and horizontal distribution in surface waters were investigated in the Ross Sea and Amundsen Sea polynya. Eight tintinnid species were found and the dominant species showed obvious horizontal distribution characteristics. In the Ross Sea, three tintinnid community groups were identified. Cymatocylis cristallina and Laackmanniella prolongata (group I) were dominant species and were mainly distributed in stations closer to the coast than were species in the other two groups. Codonellopsis gaussi (group II) and Cy. convallaria (group III) were mainly distributed in nearshore and offshore stations, respectively. In the Amundsen Sea polynya, the dominant species Cy. cristallina, L. prolongata and Salpingella faurei (group I) were mainly distributed in stations closer to the coast than were species in the other two groups. Cy. convallaria (group III) was mainly distributed in offshore stations. The distribution area where C. gaussi and C. cristallina were found in high abundance and abundance proportion of loricae with protoplasts was divided by the approximate boundary of the Antarctic Slope Front Current and Coastal Current in the Ross Sea. The highest abundance proportion in the Ross Sea was the 32–36 μm lorica oral diameter (LOD) size class (75.7%), and the 36–40 μm LOD size class (56.0%) was found in the Amundsen Sea polynya. Temperature– salinity–plankton diagrams of the two seas revealed that temperature may be the main reason for species distribution. Our results contribute to a better understanding of horizontal distribution of the microbial food web, and serve as a baseline for future studies of pelagic community change in the Antarctic Continental Zone.
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  Distribution of transparent exopolymer particles and their response to phytoplankton community structure changes in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

  Siyou XUE, Ji HU, Yubin FENG, Dong LI, Haifeng ZHANG, Jun ZHAO, Zhengbing HAN, Peisong YU, Jianming PAN

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 44-54. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0034

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  To understand the response of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) to the changes in phytoplankton communities caused by melting sea ice, we collected samples from the polynya and open ocean affected by the Antarctic circumpolar current in the Amundsen Sea. TEP, pigments, and other environmental factors were analyzed. The results showed that high TEP content was mainly found in the polynya, and was higher in the surface layer than in the deep layer. The main factor that affected TEP distribution was the phytoplankton community. In the polynya area, the phytoplankton were dominated by low-iron Haptophyta. In the Antarctic circumpolar current region affected by ice-melting water, the dominant species was diatom type II. Our results revealed that low-iron Haptophyta may be the main contributors to TEP content.
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  Relating the composition of continental margin surface sediments from the Ross Sea to the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, to modern environmental conditions

  Jiakai WANG, Tiegang LI​, Zheng TANG​, Zhifang XIONG​, Yanguang LIU​, Zhihua CHEN, Fengming CHANG

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 55-70. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0005

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  Investigating the multiple proxies involving productivity, organic geochemistry, and trace element (TE) enrichment in surface sediments could be used as paleoenvironment archives to gain insights into past and future environmental conditions changes. We present redox-sensitive TEs (Mn, Ni, Cu, U, P, Mo, Co, V, Zn, and Cd), productivity-related proxies (total organic carbon and opal), and total nitrogen and CaCO3 contents of bulk surface sediments of this area. The productivity proxies from the shelf and coastal regions of the Ross and the Amundsen seas showed that higher productivity was affiliated with an area of nutrient-rich deep water upwelling. The upwelling of weakly corrosive deep water may be beneficial for preserving CaCO3, while highly corrosive dense water, if it forms on the shelf near the coastal region (coastal polynya), could limit the preservation of CaCO3 in modern conditions. There were no oxic or anoxic conditions in the study area, as indicated by the enrichment factors of redox-sensitive TEs (Mn, Co, and U). The enrichment factor of Cd, which is redox-sensitive, indicated suboxic redox conditions in sediment environments because of high primary productivity and organic matter preservation/decomposition. The enrichment factors of other redox-sensitive TEs (P, Ni, Cu, V, and Zn) and the correlations between the element/Ti ratio with productivity and nutrient proxies indicated that the organic matter decomposed, and there was massive burial of phytoplankton biomass. There was variation in the enrichment, such that sediments were enriched in P, Mo, and Zn, but depleted in Ni, Cu, and V.
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  Particle dynamics revealed by 210Po/210Pb disequilibria around Prydz Bay, the Southern Ocean in summer

  Mengya CHEN, Min CHEN, Minfang ZHENG, Yusheng QIU, Jing ZHU, Qiankun QIAN

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 71-85. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0045

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  Seawater samples were collected around Prydz Bay in summer of 2014, dissolved and particulate ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were measured to reveal the disequilibrium characteristics and particle dynamics. Our results show that the distribution of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity ratio in the upper water is mainly affected by biological absorption or particle adsorption. An abnormal excess of ²¹⁰Po relative to ²¹⁰Pb was observed in the surface water at stations P1-2 and P2-2, which is likely to be the horizontal transport of water mass with high DPo/DPb)_A.R. and TPo/TPb)_A.R.. In this study, the removal of particulate ²¹⁰Po is mainly controlled by the scavenging of dissolved ²¹⁰Po and the two have a linear positive correlation with the salinity, a negative linear correlation with the content of dissolved oxygen and a reciprocal relationship with the content of POC. The export flux of POC at 100 m is estimated to be 1.8–4.4 mmol·m⁻²·d⁻¹ (avg. 2.9 mmol·m⁻²·d⁻¹) based on ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb disequilibria, with the highest value in the shelf, which is consistent with the distribution of biological productivity.
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  Features and influencing mechanisms of gaseous elemental mercury over the equatorial Pacific and their differences with the Southern Ocean 

  Jiancheng WANG​, Fange YUE, Haicong ZHAN​, Hui KANG, Zhouqing XIE​

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 86-101. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0055

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  Due to the harmful impacts on the ecosystem and even human health, mercury (Hg) compounds in the environment deserve serious concern. Atmospheric mobilization and exchange at the air-sea interface are important processes in biogeochemical cycling of Hg. Relying on the 30th (2013/2014), 31st (2014/2015), and 33rd (2016/2017) Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition aboard R/V Xuelong, we found significant rising gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations over the equatorial Central Indo-Pacific region. Excluding the contribution of anthropogenic, volcanic and biomass burning emissions, the enhanced GEM in marine boundary layer was likely due to the combined actions of two driving factors drove by the Inter-Tropical Conversion Zone (ITCZ): (1) intense wet deposition of Hg, followed by subsequent rapid photoreduction and vast evasion from the surface sea; and (2) the regional low-level convergence of airflow that caused the mass accumulation of GEM in air. In addition, apparently higher GEM concentration level in the equatorial Central Indo-Pacific than in the Southern Ocean was observed in one cruise. Further investigation suggests that apart from the ITCZ corresponded mechanisms, the effects of spatial differences in anthropogenic emissions and more significant GEM oxidation in Antarctic sea should play roles in this phenomenon.
Letters
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  Potential suitable sites for the calibration of Scientific Echo Sounder in the marginal seas around Antarctica

  Qingman CHEN​, Guijun GUO​, Guangfu LUO​, Jianfeng HE​

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 102-109. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0033

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  The in situ calibration of Scientific Echo Sounders (SESs) in the Southern Ocean is crucial for accurate assessments of Antarctic krill and fishery biomasses. Because of the occurrence of strong winds, waves, and sea ice coverage in most seasons, SES calibration is usually difficult to perform in the Southern Ocean. Accordingly, it is essential to identify potential sites suitable for SES calibration in the marginal seas around Antarctica to successfully calibrate SESs in the Southern Ocean. Using synthetic analyses of the wind, surface current, and sea ice concentration in the targeted seas, we found that the polynya in the southeast Prydz Bay, close to the Chinese Zhongshan Station, is an ideal location to calibrate SESs based on its weak wind and surface current and its ice-free coverage during Antarctic cruises. Calibrations of the SESs onboard the research vessels of Xuelong and Xuelong 2 during the 36th and 37th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions indicate that this location is a potential suitable site for conducting SES calibration with the vessel in a drifting mode.
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  Research on submesoscale eddy and front near the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) using seismic oceanography data

  Shun YANG​, Haibin SONG, Kun ZHANG​

  Advances in Polar Science. 2022, 33(1): 110-118. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2021.0004

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  The submesoscale processes, including submesoscale eddies and fronts, have a strong vertical velocity, can thus make important supplements to the nutrients in the upper ocean. Using legacy multichannel seismic data AP25 of cruise EW9101 acquired northeast of the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) in February 1991, we identified an oceanic submesoscale eddy with the horizontal scale of ~4 km and a steep shelf break front that has variable dip angles from 5o to 10o. The submesoscale eddy is an anticyclonic eddy, which carries warm core water, can accelerate ice shelves melting. The upwelling induced by shelf break front may play an important role in transporting nutrients to the sea surface. The seismic images with very high lateral resolution may provide a new insight to understand the submesoscale and even small-scale oceanic phenomena in the interior.