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Intermediate water masses, a major supplier of oxygen for the eastern tropical Pacific ocean

Abstract.

"It is well known that Intermediate Water Masses (IWM) are sinking in high latitudes and ventilate the lower thermocline (500–1500 m depth). We here highlight how the IWM oxygen content and the IWM pathway along the Equatorial Intermediate Current System (EICS) towards the eastern tropical Pacific ocean are essential for the supply of oxygen to the lower thermocline and the Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs). [...]"

Source: Ocean Science
Authors: Olaf Duteil et al.
DOI: 10.5194/os-2020-17

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Distribution of iron in the Western Indian Ocean and the Eastern tropical South pacific: An inter-basin comparison

Abstract.

"The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) are distinctly different regimes, yet they share several important features. These include a strong upwelling system, a large oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) with active denitrification, a spreading center with extensive hydrothermal activity, and a vast oligotrophic upper water column. Here, we show that the distribution and geochemistry of iron shows remarkable similarities as well. [...]"

Source: Chemical Geology
Authors: James W. Moffett and Christopher R. German
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2019.119334

Read the full article here.


Seasonal variability of the southern tip of the Oxygen Minimum Zone in the eastern South Pacific (30°‐38°S): A modeling study

Abstract.

"We investigate the seasonal variability of the southern tip (30°–38°S) of the eastern South Pacific oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) based on a high horizontal resolution (1/12°) regional coupled physical‐biogeochemical model simulation. The simulation is validated by available in situ observations and the OMZ seasonal variability is documented. The model OMZ, bounded by the contour of 45 μM, occupies a large volume (4.5x104 km3) during the beginning of austral winter and a minimum (3.5x104 km3) at the end of spring, just 1 and 2 months after the southward transport of the Peru‐Chile Undercurrent (PCUC) is maximum and minimum, respectively.  [...]"

Source: JGR Oceans
Authors: Matias Pizarro‐Koch et al.
DOI: 10.1029/2019JC015201

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Diapycnal dissolved organic matter supply into the upper Peruvian oxycline

Abstract.

"The eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) hosts the Peruvian upwelling system, which represents one of the most productive areas in the world ocean. High primary production followed by rapid heterotrophic utilization of organic matter supports the formation of one of the most intense oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world ocean, where dissolved oxygen (O2) concentrations reach less than 1 µmol kg−1. [...]"

Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Alexandra N. Loginova et al.
DOI: 10.5194/bg-16-2033-2019

Read the full article here.

 


Multidecadal Changes in Marine Subsurface Oxygenation Off Central Peru During the Last ca. 170 Years

Abstract.

"Subsurface water masses with permanent oxygen deficiency (oxygen minimum zones, OMZ) are typically associated with upwelling regions and exhibit a high sensitivity to climate variability. Over the last decade, several studies have reported a global ocean deoxygenation trend since 1960 and a consequent OMZ expansion. However, some proxy records suggest an oxygenation trend for the OMZ over the margins of the Tropical North East Pacific since ca. 1850. [...]"

Source: Frontiers in Marine Science
Authors: Jorge Cardich et al.
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00270

Read the full article here.


Investigating the effect of El Niño on nitrous oxide distribution in the eastern tropical South Pacific

Abstract.

"The open ocean is a major source of nitrous oxide (N2O), an atmospheric trace gas attributable to global warming and ozone depletion. Intense sea-to-air N2O fluxes occur in major oceanic upwelling regions such as the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP). The ETSP is influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation that leads to inter-annual variations in physical, chemical, and biological properties in the water column. In October 2015, a strong El Niño event was developing in the ETSP; we conduct field observations to investigate (1) the N2Oproduction pathways and associated biogeochemical properties and (2) the effects of El Niño on water column N2O distributions and fluxes using data from previous non-El Niño years. [...]"

Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Qixing Ji et al.
DOI: 10.5194/bg-16-2079-2019

Read the full article here.


Nitrogen cycling driven by organic matter export in the South Pacific oxygen minimum zone

Abstract.

"Oxygen minimum zones are expanding globally, and at present account for around 20–40% of oceanic nitrogen loss. Heterotrophic denitrification and anammox—anaerobic ammonium oxidation with nitrite—are responsible for most nitrogen loss in these low-oxygen waters. Anammox is particularly significant in the eastern tropical South Pacific, one of the largest oxygen minimum zones globally. "

Source: Nature Geoscience (2013)
Authors: Tim Kalvelage et al.
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1739

Read the full article here.


Hydroxylamine as a Potential Indicator of Nitrification in the Open Ocean

Abstract.

"Hydroxylamine (NH2OH), a short‐lived intermediate in the nitrogen cycle, is a potential precursor of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the ocean. However, measurements of NH2OH in the ocean are sparse. Here we present a data set of depth profiles of NH2OH from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the eastern tropical South Pacific and compare it to N2O, nitrate, and nitrite profiles under varying oxygen conditions. The presence of NH2OH in surface waters points toward surface nitrification in the upper 100 m. [...]"

Source: Geophysical Research Letters
Authors: Frederike Korth et al.
DOI: 10.1029/2018GL080466

Read the full article here.


Pacific Decadal Oscillation and recent oxygen decline in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Abstract.

"The impact of the positive and negative phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the extension of the poorly oxygenated regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean was assessed using a coupled ocean circulation–biogeochemical model. We show that during a “typical” PDO-positive phase the volume of the suboxic regions expands by 7 % over 50 years due to a slowdown of the large-scale circulation related to the decrease in the intensity of the trade winds. Changes in oxygen levels are mostly controlled by advective processes between 10∘ N and 10∘ S, whereas diffusive processes are dominant poleward of 10∘: in a “typical” PDO-positive phase the sluggish equatorial current system provides less oxygen to the eastern equatorial part of the basin while the oxygen transport by diffusive processes significantly decreases south of 10∘ S. [...]"

Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Olaf Duteil, Andreas Oschlies, and Claus W. Böning
DOI: 10.5194/bg-15-7111-2018

Read the full article here.


Forcings and Evolution of the 2017 Coastal El Niño Off Northern Peru and Ecuador

Abstract.

"El Niño events, in particular the eastern Pacific type, have a tremendous impact on the marine ecosystem and climate conditions in the eastern South Pacific. During such events, the accumulation of anomalously warm waters along the coast favors intense rainfall. The upwelling of nutrient-replete waters is stopped and the marine ecosystem is strongly impacted. These events are generally associated with positive surface temperature anomalies in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. [...]"

Source: Frontiers in Marine Science
Authors: Vincent Echevin et al.
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00367

Read the full article here.


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