On the circulation of the North Atlantic shadow zone

Regions isolated from the wind-driven circulation are found in the eastern margins of the world's tropical oceans. The weak and stagnant circulation of these so-called “shadow zones”, in combination with the intense respiration of organic matter provided by the overlying highly productive waters, promotes the existence of large oceanic volumes with very low dissolved oxygen. These volumes are known as oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The last decades of observations have revealed that OMZs are in general expanding, and thus potentially threatening the surrounding rich marine ecosystems. However, it is not clear whether this change is based on natural variability or it has an anthropogenic origin. Furthermore, under a global warming scenario, the future evolution of the OMZs is uncertain due to the complex interaction between the physical and biochemical processes that interplay in the OMZs dynamics. This dissertation seeks to unravel the key elements of the circulation in the North Atlantic shadow zone, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the physical components that rule the dynamics of the North Atlantic OMZ (naOMZ) -this being the less intense OMZ of the world ocean but the one that has experienced the largest expansion. A comprehensive description of the North Atlantic shadow zone circulation is presented from novel (CANOA08 cruise) and historic observations, including numerical outputs from the assimilative ECCO2 circulation model. The main outcome of our work is that two markedly distinct regimes of circulation exist in the thermocline layers of the naOMZ, above and below ςϴ=26.8 kg m-3. In the upper layer, within the upper Central Water (uCW), the circulation is governed by the cyclonic regime of the subtropical cell. This stratum is characterized by relatively high oxygenation, with a predominance of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW). The lower layer, within the lower Central Water (lCW), presents a drastic decrease in the oxygen content due to its sluggish circulation; in contrast with the uCW, a mean anticyclonic circulation leads to a marked increase of North Atlantic Central Water (NACW). This result implies an equatorward transfer of mass from the subtropical gyre to the shadow zone, providing a previously unaccounted supply of oxygen from the well-ventilated subtropical thermocline. In fact, at the core of the naOMZ, the contribution of NACW is 50%. Such a mixture of SACW and NACW, with very low oxygen levels, is defined as the regional water mass of the naOMZ, the Cape Verde SACW (SACWcv). A broad band of eastward flows is located between 10ºN and 20ºN, just south of the westward flowing North Equatorial Current. These flows, here referred as the Cape Verde Current system, emerge as the major contributor in the water mass supply to the naOMZ. Lagrangian simulation reveals that while in the uCW, most of the water supply occurs south of 10ºN, in the lCW, more than two thirds of the total water supply takes place north of 10ºN, through the Cape Verde Current system with a high contribution of water directly recirculated from the subtropical gyre. The accurate numerical reproduction of the water mass composition within the naOMZ thermocline, as directly deduced from particle-track Lagrangian simulations, supports the goodness of the ECCO2 velocity field. The uCW and lCW strata not only exhibit opposite circulation patterns, they also present opposite large-scale vertical motions with predominant upwelling in the uCW as part of the subtropical cell regime while the lCW presents a broad downwelling pattern. We propose the existence of an inverse subtropical cell within the lCW dynamically coupled to the uCW regime. The major role these cells play in the circulation of the North Atlantic shadow zone, together with their substantial natural interannual and decadal variability, makes them major players on the oxygen anomalies observed during the last decades in the world OMZsEn los márgenes orientales de los océanos tropicales existen regiones aisladas de la circulación inducidad por el viento. La débil circulación de estas llamadas "zonas de sombra", en combinación con la intensa respiración de la materia orgánica que se produce en las productivas aguas superficiales, da lugar a la formación de Zonas de Mínimo Oxígeno (OMZs). Las observaciones durantes las últimas décadas muestran que las OMZs están en general expandiéndose, y por lo tanto representan una potencial amenaza por el rico ecosistema marino. Sin embargo, no está claro si este proceso se debe a variabilidad natural o tiene un origen antropogénico. Es más, en condiciones de cambio climático, la futura evolución de las OMZs no está clara debido a la compleja interacción entre los procesos físicos y bioquímicos que interactuán en la dinámica de las OMZs. Esta tesis busca desentrañar los principales elementos de la circulación de la zona de sombra del Atlántico Norte, con el fin de conseguir un mejor entendimiento de los componentes físicos que gobiernan la dinámica de las OMZ del Atlántico Norte (naOMZ) – la cual es la que presenta una menor extensión pero sin embargo es la que ha crecido más en comparación con el resto de las OMZs. Se presenta por tanto una completa descripción de la zona de sombra del Atlántico Norte utilizando observaciones tanto inéditas (campaña CANOA08) como históricas, junto con la salida del modelo asimilativo ECCO2.El principal aporte de este trabajo es la distinción de dos marcados regímenes de circulación dentro de la termoclina de la naOMZ, por encima y por debajo de σθ=26.8 kg m-3. En la capa superior, dentro de las Aguas Centrales superiores (uCW), la circulación está dominada por el régimen ciclónico de la célula subtropical. Esta capa se caracteriza por una relativamente alta oxigenación con una predominacia de Aguas Centrales del Atlántico Sur (SACW). La capa inferior, dentro de la aguas centrales inferiores (lCW), presenta una drástica reducción en el contenido de oxígeno debido a la débil circulación; en contraste con la ACs, un circulación anticlónica da lugar a un marcado aumento de Agua Central del Atlántico Norte (NACW). Este resultado implica una transferencia de masa hacia el sur desde el giro subtropical hacia la zona de sombra, representando un aporte de oxígeno desde la bien oxígenada termoclina subtropical el cual no se ha sido tenido en cuenta anteriormente. De hecho, en el núcleo de la naOMZ, la contribución de NACW es del 50%.Una ancha banda de corrientes que fluyen hacia el este se encuentra entre los 10ºN y los 20ºN, justo al sur la Corriente Norequatorial. Estas corrientes, aquí llamadas sistema de Corrientes de Cabo Verde aparecen como el principal contribuyente al aporte de agua a la naOMZ. Simulaciones lagrangianas revelan que mientras que en la uCW, la mayor parte del aporte de agua ocurre al norte de 10ºN, en la lCW, más de dos tercios ocurre al norte de 10ºN a través del sistema de Corrientes de Cabo Verde con una gran contribución de agua directamente recirculada desde el giro subtropical. La precisa reproducción de la composición de masas de agua, directamente deducida de las trayectorias numéricas lagrangianas, valida el campo de velocidades de ECCO2.La capas uCW y la lCW no sólo exhíben patrones de circulación opuestos, también presentan movimientos verticales a gran escala opuestos con predominancia de afloramiento en la uCW como parte de la célula subtropical mientras que la lCW muestra un patrón general de hundimiento. Proponemos por tanto la existencia de una célula subtropical inversa en la lCW dinámicamente acoplada al régimen de la uCW. El papel principal que desempeñan estas células en la circulación de la zona de sombra del Atlánico Norte, junto con su gran variabilidad interanual e interdecadal, las convierte en las principales candidatas para explicar las anomalías de oxígeno observadas durante las últimas decadas en las OMZs

Water mass pathways to the North Atlantic oxygen minimum zone

23 pages, 14 figures, 1 table, supporting information http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010557The water mass pathways to the North Atlantic Oxygen Minimum Zone (naOMZ) are traditionally sketched within the cyclonic tropical circulation via the poleward branching from the eastward flowing jets that lie south of 10°N. However, our water mass analysis of historic hydrographic observations together with numerical Lagrangian experiments consistently reveal that the potential density level of σθ = 26.8 kg m-3 (σ26.8, approximately 300 m depth) separates two distinct regimes of circulation within the Central Water (CW) stratum of the naOMZ. In the upper CW (above σ26.8), and in agreement with previous studies, the supply of water mainly comes from the south with a predominant contribution of South Atlantic CW. In the lower CW (below σ26.8), where minimal oxygen content is found, the tropical pathway is instead drastically weakened in favor of a subtropical pathway. More than two thirds of the total water supply to this lower layer takes place north of 10°N, mainly via an eastward flow at 14°N and northern recirculations from the northern subtropical gyre. The existence of these northern jets explains the greater contribution of North Atlantic CW observed in the lower CW, making up to 50% of the water mass at the naOMZ core. The equatorward transfer of mass from the well-ventilated northern subtropical gyre emerges as an essential part of the ventilation of the naOMZ. © 2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights ReservedThis research has been funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through projects MOC2 (CTM2008–06438-C02-01) and TIC-MOC (CTM2011–28867). J. Peña- Izquierdo has been supported through a FPI predoctoral grant linked to MOC2. E. van Sebille was supported by the Australian Research Council via grant DE130101336 and P. J. Llanillo was partly funded by CONICYT/FONDECYT de Postdoctorado through project 3150229. The authors acknowledge the NODC and Argo Program for making hydrographic data freely available (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov and http://www.coriolis.eu.org). We also thank the ECCO2/NASA program for providing the numerical assimilative simulation via their web page (http://ecco2.jpl.nasa.gov/products/)Peer Reviewe

Analysis of the industrial quality of three sugarcane cultivars at “santa rosalía de la chontalpa” sugarcane mill

Objective: To evaluate the industrial quality of three sugarcane cultivars in a template cycle at the supply area of “Santa Rosalía de la Chontalpa” sugarcane mill. Design / Methodology / Approach: An experiment was established under a factorial design 3x3 (3 cultivars: CP 72-2086, MEX 79-431 and MEX 69-290; x 3 sampling dates: 330, 390 and 450 DDS, Spanish equivalent for days after sowing) on an Eutric Fluvisol soil. In each plantation, a sample of 10 stems with three replications was collected to determine the industrial quality by polarimetry. Results: The industrial quality of the evaluated cultivars only differed statistically in terms of the percentage of purity, MEX 79-431 was the one that presented the lowest value for this variable. At 450 DDS, the highest value was observed for °Brix (17.28), POL percentage (14.92), purity (86.44%). The values obtained in the present study for the quality of juice in the evaluated cultivars are within the range of the standard values established for Mexico. Limitations / Implications: Polarimetry is still the method used by most of the sugar mills in Mexico, even if other more environmental-friendly methodologies exist. Findings / Conclusions: The trend line that best fit to MEX 69-290 and MEX 79-431, for °Brix, POL and purity, was a linear polynomial and to CP 72-2086, a polynomial quadratic. Fresh stems and reducing sugars showed best fit with an inverse polynomial. °Brix presented strong and positive correlation with POL (R = 0.99**); and strong and negative with reducer sugars (R = -0.95**) and fresh stem humidity (R = -0.91**)

Olatu-kanal baten balioztatze esperimentala eta konputazionala

BiMEP-Biscay Marine Energy Platform- eta Mutriku Wave Energy Plant-eko azpiegituretan itsas energiaren inguruko ikerkuntza egiten da, itsas baldintza errealetan. Bilboko Ingeniaritza Eskolako Fluidoen Mekanikako laborategian dagoen olatu-kanala (12,5 × 0,6 × 0,7 m, luzera × zabalera × sakonera) azpiegitura horietan izaten diren baldintzak erreproduzitzeko gai da, eskala txikiago batean. Olatu-kanal horrek, pistoi motako olatu-sorgailu bat erabiliz, olatu monokromatiko eta pankromatiko mota desberdinekin lan egiteko aukera eskaintzen du. Ultrasoinuak erabiltzen dituzten zenbait zundak ur-gainazalaren desplazamendu bertikala neurtzen dute, eta tankearen amaieran kokatuta dagoen hondartzak, parabola-formadunak, olatuaren energia disipatzen du horren islapena murriztuz. "Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes" (RANS) ekuazioetan oinarritutako zenbakizko modelo bat sortu da Star-CCM+ kode komertziala erabiliz, gainazal askean gertatzen diren fenomenoak simulatzeko. Zenbakizko modelo horren balioztatzea aurkezten da artikulu honetan, sakonera, olatu-altuera, uhin-luzera eta periodo desberdinak bateratuta eta egindako esperimentu sortarekin konparatuta. Emaitza guztiak fluxu potentzialaren teoriatik lortutako emaitza analitikoekin batera aztertu dira. Lan honetan aurkezten diren esperimentuek kanal horren eraginkortasunaren mugak ezartzen dituzte, olatuen sorkuntzari, hedapenari eta suntsipenari dagokienez. Etorkizunean egingo diren ikerkuntza-lanetako parametroak ezartzeko ere baliogarria izan da lan hau: egitura flotagarrien eta olatuen arteko interakzioa, olatu energiaren bihurgailuak eta ainguratze- eta amarradura-sistemak aztertuko dira.; A wave flume of 12.5 × 0.6 × 0.7 m (length × width × height) able to reproduce the ocean conditions of the most representative research facilities in the Basque Country (BiMEP-Biscay Marine Energy Platform and Mutriku Wave Energy Plant) has been installed at the laboratory of Fluid Mechanics of the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao. This new facility has the capacity of producing a wide range of monochromatic and panchromatic waves by a piston-type wavemaker.Several ultrasonic wave probes measure the surface elevation, and the wave energy is dissipated in a passive parabolic beach in order to diminish significantly the reflection along the flume. A numerical model based on Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations has been developed to represent the turbulence and Eulerian Volume of Fluid (VOF) unsteady approach in STAR-CCM+ CFD code to track the evolution of the free surface. This numerical model has been validated with the corresponding experimental campaign covering a wide range of depths, wave heights, wavelengths and periods.The results are analysed together with the analytical solution coming from the potential flow theory. The experiments carried out in the present work establish the operational limits of the wave flume in terms of wave generation, propagation and extinction, defining the operational range of future experimental and computational campaigns where wave interaction with floating structures, wave energy converters and mooring systems will be studied

Dataset on the RETRO-BMC cruise onboard the R/V Hespérides, April 2017, Brazil-Malvinas Confluence

This dataset, gathered during the RETRO-BMC cruise, reports multiple-scale measurements at the Confluence of the Brazil and Malvinas Currents. The cruise was carried out between 8 and 28 April 2017 onboard R/V Hespérides, departing from Ushuaia and arriving to Santos. Along its track, the vessel recorded near-surface temperature and salinity, as well as the horizontal flow from 20 m down to about 800 m. A total of 33 hydrographic stations were completed in a region off the Patagonian Shelf, within 41.2°S-35.9°S and out to 53.0°W. At each station, a multiparametric probe and velocity sensors were deployed inside the frame of a rosette used to collect water samples at selected depths; these samples were later used for several water analyses, including inorganic nutrient concentrations. Microstructure measurements were carried out in 11 of these hydrographic stations. In addition, two high-resolution three-dimensional surveys were conducted with an instrumented undulating vehicle between 40.6°S-39.0°S and 55.6°W-53.8°W. Lastly, eight high-frequency vertical profilers were deployed in the region and five position-transmitting drifters were launched. These data allow the description of the Confluence from the regional scale to the microscale, and provide a view of the variability of the frontal region on time scales from days to weeks

Aplikazio biomimetikoak itsas energien atzemate-gailuetan

The study of nature as a source of inspiration has resulted in the design of different energy harnessing devices from the sea. This article brings together the marine devices based on biomimicry, focusing on those whose behavior favors the energy capture [1]. Finally, as the skin of sharks is formed by tiny spicules that allow breaking the boundary layer of the fluid and, thus, reducing the resistance to advance of the shark [2], the application under study in wave flume energy absorption systems will be detailed, which are laboratory devices that allow wave generation phenomena to be reproduced at reduced scale.; Natura inspirazio-iturri gisa aztertzeak itsasotik datorren energiaz baliatzeko makinak diseinatzea eragin du. Dokumentu honek biomimesian oinarrituriko itsas gailuak aztertzen ditu, haien portaeraren ondorioz energia bereganatzea errazten duten horietan oinarrituz [1]. Azkenik, marrazoen larruazala jariakinaren muga-geruza apurtzea ahalbidetzen duten espikula txikiz osatuta dagoenez, haren mugimenduarekiko erresistentzia murriztuz [2], eta fenomeno horretan oinarrituz, olatuak sortzeko erabiltzen diren olatu-kanaletan (waveflumes) energia xahutzeko sistemetan aztertzen den aplikazioa zehaztuko da

A view of the Brazil-Malvinas confluence, March 2015

The encountering of the subtropical Brazil Current (BC) and the subantarctic Malvinas Current (MC) along the western margin of the Argentine Basin forms the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC), one of the most intense open-ocean fronts in the world ocean and a site for the formation of intermediate water masses. Here, we provide a comprehensive description of the BMC based on physical and biogeochemical data – hydrographic stations, profiling floats and subsurface drifters – gathered in March 2015. We use these data in order to characterize the impinging and outflowing currents and to describe the cross- and along-frontal thermohaline structure. In addition, we compare the in-situ measurements with both climatological data and the Mercator Ocean eddy-resolving reanalysis. The hydrographic sections illustrate the contrasting properties between the two western boundary currents: warm, salty, nutrient- and oxygen-poor oligotrophic subtropical waters carried southward by the BC and the cold, fresh, oxygen- and nutrient-rich subantarctic waters carried northward by the MC. The frontal system is also characterized by the presence of thermohaline intrusions, with the cross-frontal gradients and along-front velocities sharpening as the colliding currents shape the frontal system. We also observe brackish waters spreading on top of the frontal jet as a result of both the confluence dynamics and off-shelf advection favored by north-easterly winds. These low-salinity waters are positively correlated with surface ageostrophic speeds over the frontal jet. The cruise data illustrates the high regional and mesoscale variability as compared with climatological conditions, and further document the submesoscale subsurface complexity, which is not properly captured by available operational models.Fil: Orúe Echevarría, Dorleta. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Pelegrí, Josep L.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Alonso González, Iván J.. Oceomic, Marine Bio And Technology S.L; EspañaFil: Benítez Barrios, Verónica M.. Oceomic, Marine Bio And Technology S.L; EspañaFil: Emelianov, Mikhail. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: García Olivares, Antonio. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Gasser i Rubinat, Marc. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: De La Fuente, Patricia. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Herrero, Carmen. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Isern Fontanet, Jordi. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Masdeu Navarro, Marta. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Peña Izquierdo, Jesús. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Piola, Alberto Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez Garrido, Sergio. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Rosell Fieschi, Miquel. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Salvador, Joaquín. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Saraceno, Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Valla, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; ArgentinaFil: Vallès Casanova, Ignasi. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; EspañaFil: Vidal, Montserrat. Universidad de Barcelona; Españ

FICARAM-15 Cruise Report 20th March – 22nd May 2013 on board BIO Hespérides by the Group FICARAM

54 páginas, 19 figuras, 3 anexosThe FICARAM-15 is the fifteenth repetition of a section conducted in 1994. This section is part of the international program GOSHIP (http://www.go-ship.org/CruisePlans.html) to develop a globally coordinated network of sustained hydrographic sections as part of the global ocean/climate observing system. The objective of the FICARAM-15 cruise is to investigate the temporal evolution of the anthropogenic carbon and evaluate the CO2 absorption capacity of the South Atlantic region, the Equatorial zone, and the subtropical region of Azores-Gibraltar in the North Atlantic. This cruise is supported by the CATARINA project funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2010-17141) and is part of the European Union FP7 project CARBOCHANGE (http://carbochange.b.uib.no/). The objective of FICARAM-15 cruise is framed in the CATARINA project conducted by the tasks I.2.1 (air-sea CO2 exchange) I.3 (ventilation of water masses), I.4.1 (zonal variability of N2O and CH4), I.4.2 (anthropogenic carbon storage), I.4.4 (saturation horizon of calcium carbonate along the section) and I.5.4 (evolution of the acidification rates). Another component of the FICARAM-15 cruise aims to examine the biological and biogeochemical mechanisms that hinder total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) remineralisation in marine systems, taking a multidisciplinary perspective and applying many different approaches. This is the global objective of the Spanish project DOREMI (CTM2012-34294) that joins this FICARAM-15 cruise.During the FICARAM cruise the physical oceanography group was responsible for collecting the following data sets: CTD and XBT data; vessel-mounted ADCP and lowered ADCP; continuous thermosalinograph. Physical oceanographers participated in the cruise financed through Project “Tipping Corners in the Meridional Overturning Circulation” (TIC-MOC), CTM2011-28867. The FICARAM-15 cruise was organized in two phases with a common sampling. LEG 1: From Punta Arenas (Chile) to Recife (Brazil): 62 stations. Chief Scientist: Aida F. Ríos, PI of CATARINA project LEG 2: From Recife (Brazil) to Cartagena (Spain): 46 stations Chief Scientist: Celia Marrasé, PI of DOREMI project This report contains the sampling of all the variables at each station along the FICARAM section, as well as the analysis of the biogeochemical variables and the preliminary results. The principal investigator of the DOREMI project produced another report with the common sampling section, showing the analysis and results of the experiments on dissolved organic matter carried out on board.This cruise is supported by the CATARINA project funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2010-17141) and is part of the European Union FP7 project CARBOCHANGE (http://carbochange.b.uib.no/)Peer reviewe