Dataset Information

Three-stage vertical distribution of seawater conductivity.

ABSTRACT: Seawater conductivity is an important indicator of ocean electromagnetic properties and directly impacts the electromagnetic attenuation characteristics and phase distribution features of the ocean. Few studies have considered how the combined effects of salinity, temperature and pressure affect the vertical conductivity distribution and its formation mechanisms. Here, we analyse the vertical distributions of seawater conductivity from the sea surface to a maximum depth of 7062?m at five different locations. Electric conductivity profiles show similar vertical structures at all locations. Electric conductivity decreases with increasing depth first and then slowly increases from approximately 2000 m to the seabed. We observe an exponential relationship between the conductivity minimum and the water depth. At all five measurement locations, seawater conductivity measurements show a stable three-stage vertical distribution on logarithmic scales, with the middle stage satisfying a power law relationship. We analyse the vertical distribution of temperature in the second stage and investigate the relationship between temperature and conductivity. The results show that temperature also exhibits a power-law relationship with depth and a high linear correlation exists between temperature and conductivity. Our findings suggest that the vertical structure of conductivity is largely temperature dependent.

SUBMITTER: Zheng Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6028440 | biostudies-other | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Three-stage vertical distribution of seawater conductivity.

Zheng Zeyu Z Fu Yang Y Liu Kaizhou K Xiao Rui R Wang Xiaohui X Shi Haibo H

Scientific reports 20180702 1

Seawater conductivity is an important indicator of ocean electromagnetic properties and directly impacts the electromagnetic attenuation characteristics and phase distribution features of the ocean. Few studies have considered how the combined effects of salinity, temperature and pressure affect the vertical conductivity distribution and its formation mechanisms. Here, we analyse the vertical distributions of seawater conductivity from the sea surface to a maximum depth of 7062 m at five differe ...[more]

PMID: 29967324

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Project description:Our knowledge about the microorganisms living in the high Arctic Ocean is still rudimentary compared to other oceans mostly because of logistical challenges imposed by its inhospitable climate and the presence of a multi-year ice cap. We have used 18S rRNA gene libraries to study the diversity of microbial eukaryotes in the upper part of the water column (0-170?m depth), the sea ice (0-1.5?m depth) and the overlying snow from samples collected in the vicinity of the North Pole (N88°35', E015°59) at the very end of the long polar night. We detected very diverse eukaryotes belonging to Alveolata, Fungi, Amoebozoa, Viridiplantae, Metazoa, Rhizaria, Heterokonta, and Telonemia. Different alveolates (dinoflagellates and Marine Alveolate Groups I and II species) were the most abundant and diverse in gene libraries from water and sea ice, representing 80% of the total number of clones and operational taxonomic units. Only contaminants and/or species from continental ecosystems were detected in snow, suggesting wind- and animal- or human-mediated cosmopolitan dispersal of some taxa. By contrast, sea ice and seawater samples harbored a larger and more similar inter-sample protist diversity as compared with snow. The North Pole was found to harbor distinctive eukaryotic communities along the vertical gradient with an unparalleled diversity of core dinoflagellates, largely dominant in libraries from the water column, as compared to other oceanic locations. In contrast, phototrophic organisms typical of Arctic sea ice and plankton, such as diatoms and prasinophytes, were very rare in our samples. This was most likely due to a decrease of their populations after several months of polar night darkness and to the presence of rich populations of diverse grazers. Whereas strict phototrophs were scarce, we identified a variety of likely mixotrophic taxa, which supports the idea that mixotrophy may be important for the survival of diverse protists through the long polar night.

Dataset Information

Three-stage vertical distribution of seawater conductivity.

Publications

Three-stage vertical distribution of seawater conductivity.

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