Seasonal hydrological and hydrochemical surveys in the Voevoda Bay (Amur Bay, Japan Sea)

Hydrological and hydrochemical surveys were conducted in the Voevoda Bay in May, August, and October, 2011 and February, 2012, in total 140 stations. Free water exchange of the bay with the Amur Bay is observed, with exception of its inner bights Kruglaya and Melkovodnaya. The water exchange is maintained by anticyclonic circulation with the inflow along the southern coast and outflow along the northern coast of the Voyevoda Bay. However, the opposite cyclonic circulation is observed in the Melkovodanaya Bight because of its coastal line patterns and fresh water discharge by the river. Dissolved oxygen content and partial pressure of CO2 in the bay waters are determined mostly by intensive processes of production and destruction of organic matter. There are three main groups of primary producers there, as diatom algae, sea grass Zostera marina , and periphyton. Specific chemical regime is formed in the Melkovodnaya Bight, in particular in winter when primary production depends on the ice cover and is driven by variations of photosynthetically active radiation passed through the ice. Seasonal variability of production-destruction processes intensity is discussed on the data of chemical parameters changes

Role of downwelling/upwelling in formation/destruction of hypoxia in the bottom waters of the Amur Bay (Japan Sea)

Downwelling/upwelling influence on hypoxia at the bottom of the Amur Bay is determined on the data of oceanographic surveys conducted aboard RV Impulse in August 2012 and RV Malachite in August 2013 coupled with the data of monitoring oceanographic station in the bay. The hypoxia develops in the period of downwelling circulation driven by southern and southeastern winds and relaxes in conditions of upwelling induced by northern and northwestern winds

Production patterns in the estuary of the Razdolnaya River in period of freezing

Light conditions and nutrients supply, as factors of primary production, are considered for the Razdolnaya River estuary in period of freezing (January-March). Water samples were collected at the water surface and at the bottom for measuring of salinity and concentrations of chlorophyll (Chl), phosphate, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, and silicate. Profiles of water temperature, conductivity, Chl fluorescence, and turbidity were measured in situ by CTD-probe RBR XR-620; besides, vertical attenuation of PAR was measured at each station. The internal estuary (salinity 5 FTU) and high concentration of humine substances (up to 2 mgC/l) in the river waters. The ice cover lowered light intensity in the river water, too. In the zone close to the river bar with salinity 1-25 ‰, Chl concentration was 0.4-1.7 mg/m3 irrespective of salinity. DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen) and DISi (dissolved inorganic silicon) had conservative behaviour in this zone, the DISi : DIN ratio was ≈ 0.7-1.1.These features indicate an absence of significant production or destruction of organic matter in the internal estuary. However, intensive removal of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) (up to 80 %) was observed in this zone, that’s why the extraordinary high DIN : DIP ratio was observed under salinity 5-20 ‰ (up to 200 : 1, though the usual DIN : DIP ratio in the river water is close to Redfild ratio: DIN : DIP = (21-27) : 1). In the external estuary (salinity15-32 ‰), the water became more transparent ( kd = 0.5-0.3 m-1; zeu ≈ 9-15 m) and both chlorophyll concentration and dissolved oxygen content became higher (Chl up to 20 mg/m3, DO up to 500 mM/kg) as the result of high primary production, whereas nutrients concentrations became lower: DIP were completely removed and DIN and DISi retained 10-25 % of their initial values in the river water. The primary production value was evaluated by two ways: on the data of light intensity and on the data of nutrients removal. The light conditions in the internal estuary in February-March corresponded to the value 20-80 mgC/m2d which declines in 6-13 times and 50-100 times (close to zero) under the ice and under the ice with snow, respectively. In the external estuary, the light conditions in March corresponded to the value 300-600 mgC/m2d in the areas without ice and to the value lower in 6-13 times under the ice. The nutrients removal corresponded to the primary production value ≈ 200-400 mgC/m2d in the external estuary, irrespective of ice cover, that is close to the previous estimation by light conditions. So, the primary production in the Razdolnaya River estuary changes in winter in the range from 0 to 500 mgC/m2d, increasing seaward, the ice and snow are the factors of its limitation by light

Seasonal Hypoxia of Amursky Bay in the Japan Sea: Formation and Destruction

Based on detailed hydrological and hydrochemical surveys carried out in each of the four seasons of 2008, Amursky Bay in the north west quadrant of the Japan Sea was found to experience seasonal hypoxia. The primary process of hypoxia formation is a microbiological degradation of the ¡§excess¡¨ amount of diatoms under rather low photosynthetic active radiation in bottom layer and weak water dynamics. The microbiological decay of dead diatoms under light deficient conditions intensively consumes dissolved oxygen and produces phosphates, ammonium, silicates, and dissolved inorganic carbon. Existence of a phytoplankton ¡§excess¡¨ is caused by phytoplankton bloom resulting from nutrient pulses into Amursky Bay. There are two main sources of these nutrients: the waste waters of Vladivostok city and discharge from Razdolnaya River. The river delivers more than two times the amount of nutrients than the waste waters of Vladivostok. It is suggested that the phytoplankton ¡§excess¡¨ might be caused by an enhanced supply of nutrients delivered into the surface layer resulting from the increased discharge of the river on a short time scale. Our data suggest that hypoxia is seasonal, with a peak at the end of summer. The upwelling of the Japan Sea water in the beginning of the fall season and its advection across the shelf is the primary process by which the hypoxia is destroyed. During the winter, strong vertical mixing due to termohaline convection makes the water column uniform and brings more oxygen into the water along with high primary production under the ice. Thus, during the winter season, the ecosystem of Amursky Bay recovers completely