Mass mortality of short-tailed shearwaters in the south-eastern Bering Sea during summer 1997

During summer 1997, hundreds of thousands of emaciated short-tailed shearwaters ( Puffinus tenuirostris ) died in the south-eastern Bering Sea. Using strip transect methodology, we documented the distribution and abundance of short-tailed shearwaters during cruises conducted prior to, during, and after the die-off, as well as the distributions and abundances of floating carcasses. The distributions and abundances of short-tailed shearwaters in 1997 were similar to those found during the 1970s and early 1980s. In August–September 1997, we observed 163 floating shearwater carcasses, most of which were between St Paul Island and Nunivak Island. We estimated ≈ 190 000 carcasses were afloat in the study area, about 11% of the surveyed population. Between spring (June) and autumn (August/September), mean net body mass of shearwaters decreased by 19%, mean pectoral muscle mass decreased by 14%, and mean percentage body lipid content decreased by 46%, from 15.6% in spring to 8.4% in autumn. Compared with spring, short-tailed shearwater diets broadened in autumn 1997, to include, in addition to adult euphausiids Thysanoessa raschii, juveniles of T. inermis, T. raschii and T. spinifera, crab megalops, fish and squid. We discuss how the ecosystem anomalies in the south-eastern Bering Sea during spring and summer 1997 relate to the mortality event and suggest possible implications of long-term climate change for populations of apex predators in the south-eastern Bering Sea.     

不同氮营养盐对赫氏颗石藻和三角褐指藻中DMSP含量的影响

二甲基巯基丙酸内盐(dimethylsulfoniopropionate,DMSP)是地球上重要的有机硫化合物之一,在全球硫循环和气候调节等方面发挥着重要作用。浮游植物是海洋环境中DMSP的主要生产者,而氮营养盐是影响浮游植物产生DMSP的重要因素之一。本研究以赫氏颗石藻(Emiliania huxleyi)(DMSP高产量藻)与三角褐指藻(Phaeodactylum tricornutum)(DMSP中等产量藻)为对象,通过室内培养实验,对比分析了在不同氮营养盐浓度及不同氮营养盐类型条件下,2种藻培养液中颗粒态DMSP (DMSPp)的含量及其与藻密度、单细胞DMSPp含量的关系。研究发现,不同氮营养盐浓度或氮营养盐类型对赫氏颗石藻单细胞DMSPp含量影响较小(P>0.05),培养液中的DMSPp浓度主要受藻细胞密度影响;而不同氮营养盐浓度或氮营养盐类型对三角褐指藻单细胞的DMSPp含量影响显著(P<0.05),培养液中的DMSPp浓度主要受藻的单细胞DMSPp含量影响。例如,对于三角褐指藻来说,低NO₃^-浓度(0μmol/L)...     

On the temporal variability of the physical environment over the south-eastern Bering Sea

During 1997 and 1998, unusual physical conditions occurred in the Bering Sea: strong May storms and calm conditions in July; record high sea surface temperature; a shallow wind mixed layer; a fresher-than-normal water column; and abnormal cross-shelf currents. Accompanying these conditions were changes in the dominant phytoplankton, a die-off of seabirds, increased sightings of large whales and diminished returns of salmon. Changes to the physical environment during 1997 and 1998 are placed in context of historical meteorological and oceanographic data sets. Although 1997 had the warmest sea surface temperature ever observed on the south-east Bering Sea shelf, the heat content of the water column was cooler than average. In contrast, during 1998, the sea surface temperature was cooler than in 1997 but the water column had significantly higher heat content. During recent years, the water column has freshened over the middle shelf because of increased sea ice and reduction of on-shelf transport of the saline, high-nutrient water from the slope. The timing of the spring bloom is directly related to the presence of ice. When ice is advected over the south-east shelf during March/April an early, sharp phytoplankton bloom occurs. The absence of ice during this critical time is associated with a May/June bloom.     

Anomalous conditions in the south-eastern Bering Sea 1997: linkages among climate, weather, ocean, and Biology

In 1997, the Bering Sea ecosystem, a productive, high-latitude marginal sea, demonstrated that it responds on very short time scales to atmospheric anomalies. That year, a combination of atmospheric mechanisms produced notable summer weather anomalies over the eastern Bering Sea. Calm winds, clear skies, and warm air temperatures resulted in a larger-than-normal transfer of heat to surface waters and the establishment of a shallow mixed layer. In spring, significant new production occurred below the shallow pycnocline over the Middle Shelf, depleting the subpycnocline nutrient reservoir that normally exists during summer. Following the depletion of nitrate and silicate from the system, a sustained (≥ 4 months) bloom of coccolithophores ( Emiliania huxleyi ) was observed – a phenomenon not previously documented in this region. Summer Middle Shelf Domain copepod concentrations were higher for some species in 1997 than in the early 1980s. Warmer surface water and lack of wind mixing also changed the basic distribution of hydrographic regimes on the south-eastern shelf and altered the strength and position of fronts or transition zones where apex predators seek elevated food concentrations. The Inner Front was well inshore of its normal position, and adult euphausiids (the primary prey of short-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus tenuirostris ) were unavailable at, and shoreward of, the front in autumn. High shearwater mortality rates followed the period of low euphausiid availability. Some, but not all, of these anomalous conditions re-occurred in 1998. These observations are another demonstration that the structure and function of marine ecosystems are intimately tied to forcing from the atmosphere. Alteration of climatological forcing functions, expressed as weather, can be expected to have large impacts on this ecosystem and its natural resources.     

Anomalous conditions in the south-eastern Bering Sea, 1997: nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton

Anomalies in the regional weather over the south-eastern Bering Sea during spring and summer of 1997 resulted in significant differences in nutrient availability, phytoplankton species composition, and zooplankton abundance over the continental shelf as compared with measurements in the 1980s. Calm winds and the reduction of cloud cover in spring and summer produced a very shallow mixed layer in which nitrate and silicate were depleted after an April diatom bloom. High submarine light levels allowed subsequent phytoplankton growth below the pycnocline and eventual depletion of nitrate from the water column to depths of 70 m or more. Thus, total new production during 1997 may have exceeded that of previous years when nitrate was not depleted below the pycnocline. A bloom of the coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi , was observed in early July in the warm, nutrient-depleted waters over the middle and inner shelf. Emiliania huxleyi concentrations reached 4.5 × 10⁶ cells L^–1 by September, and the bloom persisted through the autumn. There was evidence for increased abundance of some species of copepods in 1997 as compared with data from the middle domain in June 1981. The abundance of adult and juvenile euphausiids in 1997 was statistically similar to values measured in 1980 and 1981. However, near-surface swarms were rarely observed on the inner shelf in August–September 1997. Lack of euphausiid availability in the upper water column may partially explain the August–September mass mortality of planktivorous short-tailed shearwaters ( Puffinus tenuirostris ) observed on the inner shelf.