Kīlauea lava fuels phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Ocean

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 365 (6457) ◽  
pp. 1040-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel T. Wilson ◽  
Nicholas J. Hawco ◽  
E. Virginia Armbrust ◽  
Benedetto Barone ◽  
Karin M. Björkman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Phytoplankton Bloom ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ◽  
The North ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The North Pacific

From June to August 2018, the eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawai‘i injected millions of cubic meters of molten lava into the nutrient-poor waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The lava-impacted seawater was characterized by high concentrations of metals and nutrients that stimulated phytoplankton growth, resulting in an extensive plume of chlorophyll a that was detectable by satellite. Chemical and molecular evidence revealed that this biological response hinged on unexpectedly high concentrations of nitrate, despite the negligible quantities of nitrogen in basaltic lava. We hypothesize that the high nitrate was caused by buoyant plumes of nutrient-rich deep waters created by the substantial input of lava into the ocean. This large-scale ocean fertilization was therefore a unique perturbation event that revealed how marine ecosystems respond to exogenous inputs of nutrients.

scholarly journals An Atlantic-driven rapid circulation change in the North Pacific Ocean during the late 1990s

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chau-Ron Wu ◽  
Yong-Fu Lin ◽  
You-Lin Wang ◽  
Noel Keenlyside ◽  
Jin-Yi Yu
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Kuroshio Current ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ◽  
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract Interbasin interactions have been increasingly emphasized in recent years due to their roles in shaping climate trends and the global warming hiatus in the northern hemisphere. The profound influence from the North Atlantic on the Tropical Pacific has been a primary focus. In this study, we conducted observational analyses and numerical modeling experiments to show that the North Atlantic has also strongly influenced the Extratropical North Pacific. A rapid and synchronous change in the atmospheric and oceanic circulations was observed in the North Pacific during the late 1990s. The change was driven by the transbasin influence from the Atlantic Ocean. During the positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) since the 1990s, the anomalously warm North Atlantic triggers a series of zonally symmetric and asymmetric transbasin teleconnections involving the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Walker and Hadley circulations, and Rossby wave propagation that lead to a decrease in wind stress curls over the Pacific subtropics, resulting in an abrupt weakening in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (NPSG) and the Kuroshio Current.

scholarly journals Distribution Patterns and Phylogeny of Marine Stramenopiles in the North Pacific Ocean

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 3387-3399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Chi Lin ◽  
Tracy Campbell ◽  
Chih-Ching Chung ◽  
Gwo-Ching Gong ◽  
Kuo-Ping Chiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Heterotrophic Nanoflagellates ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ◽  
Content Type ◽  
California Current System ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

ABSTRACTMarine stramenopiles (MASTs) are a diverse suite of eukaryotic microbes found in marine environments. Several MAST lineages are thought to contain heterotrophic nanoflagellates. However, MASTs remain uncultured and data on distributions and trophic modes are limited. We investigated MASTs in provinces on the west and east sides of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, specifically the East China Sea (ECS) and the California Current system (CALC). For each province, DNA was sampled from three zones: coastal, mesotrophic transitional, and more oligotrophic euphotic waters. Along with diatoms, chrysophytes, and other stramenopiles, sequences were recovered from nine MAST lineages in the six ECS and four CALC 18S rRNA gene clone libraries. All but one of these libraries were from surface samples. MAST clusters 1, 3, 7, 8, and 11 were identified in both provinces, with MAST cluster 3 (MAST-3) being found the most frequently. Additionally, MAST-2 was detected in the ECS and MAST-4, -9, and -12 were detected in the CALC. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that some subclades within these lineages differ along latitudinal gradients. MAST-1A, -1B, and -1C and MAST-4 size and abundance estimates obtained using fluorescencein situhybridization on 79 spring and summer ECS samples showed a negative correlation between size of MAST-1B and MAST-4 cells and temperature. MAST-1A was rarely detected, but MAST-1B and -1C and MAST-4 were abundant in summer and MAST-1C and MAST-4 were more so at the coast, with maximum abundances of 543 and 1,896 cells ml−1, respectively. MAST-4 andSynechococcusabundances were correlated, and experimental work showed that MAST-4 ingestsSynechococcus. Together with previous studies, this study helps refine hypotheses on distribution and trophic modes of MAST lineages.

Large scale circulation of the North Pacific Ocean

1989 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Roemmich ◽  
Tracy McCallister
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Large Scale Circulation ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

scholarly journals Species distribution modeling of deep sea sponges in the North Pacific Ocean.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Modeling ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Presence Data ◽  
The North Pacific

Knowledge of deep-sea species and their ecosystems is limited due to the inaccessibility of the areas and the prohibitive cost of conducting large-scale field studies. My graduate research has used predictive modeling methods to map hexactinellid sponge habitat extent in the North Pacific, as well as climate-induced changes in oceanic dissolved oxygen levels and how this will impact sponges. Results from a MaxEnt model based on sponge presence data from the eastern Pacific, in conjunction with bathymetric terrain derivatives, closely mapped existing sponge habitats, and suggested a depth threshold around 3000 meters below which sponges are not found. Early results suggest that oxygen is another important predictor of sponge habitat, including this and a variety of other environmental predictors (e.g. based on ocean chemistry, physics and biology) and different model scales would improve model accuracy. The long-term goal of this research is to apply climate prediction data to the predictive modeling in order to assess the sensitivity of deep-sea sponge habitat to global climate changes.

scholarly journals Species distribution modeling of deep sea sponges in the North Pacific Ocean.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Modeling ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Presence Data ◽  
The North Pacific

Knowledge of deep-sea species and their ecosystems is limited due to the inaccessibility of the areas and the prohibitive cost of conducting large-scale field studies. My graduate research has used predictive modeling methods to map hexactinellid sponge habitat extent in the North Pacific, as well as climate-induced changes in oceanic dissolved oxygen levels and how this will impact sponges. Results from a MaxEnt model based on sponge presence data from the eastern Pacific, in conjunction with bathymetric terrain derivatives, closely mapped existing sponge habitats, and suggested a depth threshold around 3000 meters below which sponges are not found. Early results suggest that oxygen is another important predictor of sponge habitat, including this and a variety of other environmental predictors (e.g. based on ocean chemistry, physics and biology) and different model scales would improve model accuracy. The long-term goal of this research is to apply climate prediction data to the predictive modeling in order to assess the sensitivity of deep-sea sponge habitat to global climate changes.

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