The effects of thermohaline circulation on wind-driven circulation in the South China Sea

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 42 (2012): 2283–2296, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-11-0227.1.The dynamic influence of thermohaline circulation on wind-driven circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is studied using a simple reduced gravity model, in which the upwelling driven by mixing in the abyssal ocean is treated in terms of an upward pumping distributed at the base of the upper layer. Because of the strong upwelling of deep water, the cyclonic gyre in the northern SCS is weakened, but the anticyclonic gyre in the southern SCS is intensified in summer, while cyclonic gyres in both the southern and northern SCS are weakened in winter. For all seasons, the dynamic influence of thermohaline circulation on wind-driven circulation is larger in the northern SCS than in the southern SCS. Analysis suggests that the upwelling associated with the thermohaline circulation in the deep ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the wind-driven circulation in the upper ocean.G. Wang is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC Grants 41125019, 40725017, and 40976017).D.Chen is supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (2010DFA21012), the State Oceanic Administration (201105018), and the NSFC (91128204).2013-06-0

Differential Expression of Three Cryptosporidium Species-Specific MEDLE Proteins

Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis share highly similar proteomes, with merely ~3% divergence in overall nucleotide sequences. Cryptosporidium-specific MEDLE family is one of the major differences in gene content between the two species. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that MEDLE family may contribute to differences in host range among Cryptosporidium spp. Previous studies have suggested that CpMEDLE-1 encoded by cgd5_4580 and CpMEDLE-2 encoded by cgd5_4590 are potentially involved in the invasion of C. parvum. In this study, we expressed in Escherichia coli, the C. hominis-specific member of the MEDLE protein family, ChMEDLE-1 encoded by chro.50507, and two C. parvum-specific members, CpMEDLE-3 encoded by cgd5_4600 and CpMEDLE-5 encoded by cgd6_5480. Quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence staining and in vitro neutralization assay were conducted to assess their biologic characteristics. The expression of the cgd5_4600 gene was high during 12–48 h of the in vitro culture, while the expression of cgd6_5480 was the highest at 2 h. ChMEDLE-1 and CpMEDLE-3 proteins were mostly located in the anterior and mid-anterior region of sporozoites and merozoites, whereas CpMEDLE-5 was expressed over the entire surface of these invasive stages. Polyclonal antibodies against MEDLE proteins had different neutralization efficiency, reaching approximately 50% for ChMEDLE-1 and 60% for CpMEDLE-3, but only 20% for CpMEDLE-5. The differences in protein and gene expression and neutralizing capacity indicated the MEDLE proteins may have different roles during Cryptosporidium invasion and growth

Mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea observed with altimeter data

Geophysical Research Letters, American Geophysical Union, 30 (21),The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018532A composite time series (1993 –2000) of sea surface height anomaly from several satellites is used to identify eddies in the South China Sea (SCS). The eddy lifetime, radius, strength, and straight-line travel distance are estimated. Altogether 58 anticyclonic eddies and 28 cyclonic eddies are identified for this period. They are grouped into four geographical zones according to known eddy generation mechanisms, and their statistics are discussed accordingly. Our geographical classification is a useful first step in gaining an overview of their generation

Pseudoinverse Determination of the Circulation in Prydz Bay and its Adjacent Open Ocean, Antarctica

An inverse model is used to infer the circulation in Prydz Bay and its adjacent open ocean using hydrographic data obtained by the cruise of the 7th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-7), 1990/91. Barotropic components are found to be strong in the study area, esp. at the Antarctic Divergence, and from a whole view, the velocity is rather small. In the open ocean, the flow is quasizonal, but outside the bay it shows a tendency of pressing onto the shelf from surface to bottom, and a feature of intensification just east of Fram Bank. We suggest here be the most important place to detect the possibility of the Antarctic Bottom Water formation. The meridionial profiles of the distribution indicate a strong (relative to the ambient) core and a slope-trapped part into the bargain. In the southeastern part of the bay, there seems to exist a strong coastal current flowing westward. The computed upwelling centers are mainly situated in the west of the study region, as agrees quite well with the early hydrographic observations and the areas of high krill biomass

A condition for the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

Through pseudoinverse inference of the circulation in Prydz Bay and its adjacent open ocean during January to March 1981, and comparing the results with that of 1991, we find that when the polar easterly hence the east wind drift is strong and extends its influence north of the slope, it is difficult for the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) to upwell onto the shelf, and consequently the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) cannot form in the bay by way of mixing scheme of Foster and Carmack (1976). However, when the East Wind Drift weakens the confines itself over the shelf, the westerly current will press on the slope and revolve anticyclonically so long as it is fairly strong. Such an anti-cyclonical pattern manifests itself mainly in the lower layer, and as a result, it will make the CDW upwell onto the shelf, providing an essential prerequisite for the formation of the AABW. We have analyzed this phenomenon from a dynamical view, and pointed out that the law of heat conduction accounts for its formation, in which the planetary and topographical beta effects play major roles

Characterization of MEDLE-1, a protein in early development of Cryptosporidium parvum

Abstract Background Cryptosporidium spp. are important diarrhea-causing pathogens in humans and animals. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that Cryptosporidium-specific MEDLE family proteins may contribute to host adaptation of Cryptosporidium spp., and a recent study of one member of this family, CpMEDLE-2 encoded by cgd5_4590, has provided evidence supporting this hypothesis. In this study, another member of the protein family, CpMEDLE-1 of Cryptosporidium parvum encoded by cgd5_4580, which is distinct from CpMEDLE-2 and has no signature motif MEDLE, was cloned, expressed and characterized to understand its function. Methods CpMEDLE-1 was expressed in Escherichia coli and polyclonal antibodies against the recombinant CpMEDLE-1 protein were prepared in rabbits. Quantitative PCR was used to analyze the expression profile of cgd5_4580 in C. parvum culture. Immunofluorescence staining was used to locate CpMEDLE-1 expression in life-cycle stages, and in vitro neutralization assay with antibodies was adopted to assess the role of the protein in C. parvum invasion. Results The results indicated that cgd5_4580 had a peak expression at 2 h of C. parvum culture. CpMEDLE-1 was located in the mid-anterior region of sporozoites, probably within the dense granules. The neutralization efficiency of anti-CpMEDLE-1 antibodies was approximately 40%. Conclusions The differences in protein and gene expression profiles between CpMEDLE-1 and CpMEDLE-2 suggest that MEDLE proteins have different subcellular locations, are developmentally regulated, could be potentially involved in the transcriptional regulation of the expression of parasite or host proteins and may exert their functions in different stages of the invasion and development process