Taketoshi Kodama

Large‐scale impact of the island mass effect through nitrogen fixation in the western South Pacific Ocean

We describe a new mechanism for the island mass effect fueled by nitrogen fixation. The nitrogen fixation activities and δ15N of suspended particles in the surface water in the South Pacific were examined. Active nitrogen fixation and abundant Trichodesmium spp. were observed near islands in the western subtropical region, which was attributable to the material supplied by land runoff. High primary production was extensively centered around the islands and was characterized by low δ15N of suspended particles and a reduction in phosphate concentrations at the surface compared with the subtropical gyre and eastern equatorial upwelling. This suggested that Trichodesmium spp. were advected to areas remote from these islands, and consequently, the elevated primary production fueled by nitrogen fixation extended over a large area around them. Because the proposed island mass effect is triggered by a terrigenous nutrient supply, this ecosystem is potentially vulnerable to human activity on small islands.

Southwest intrusion of 134Cs and 137Cs derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident in the Western North Pacific.

Enormous quantities of radionuclides were released into the ocean via both atmospheric deposition and direct release as a result of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident. This study discusses the southward dispersion of FNPP-derived radioactive cesium (Cs) in subsurface waters. The southernmost point where we found the FNPP-derived (134)Cs (1.5-6.8 Bq m(-3)) was 18 °N, 135 °E, in September 2012. The potential density at the subsurface peaks of (134)Cs (100-500 m) and the increased water column inventories of (137)Cs between 0 and 500 m after the winter of 2011-2012 suggested that the main water mass containing FNPP-derived radioactive Cs was the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water (NPSTMW), formed as a result of winter convection. We estimated the amount of (134)Cs in core waters of the western part of the NPSTMW to be 0.99 PBq (decay-corrected on 11 March 2011). This accounts for 9.0% of the (134)Cs released from the FNPP, with our estimation revealing that a considerable amount of FNPP-derived radioactive Cs has been transported to the subtropical region by the formation and circulation of the mode water.

Heterotrophic bacteria as major nitrogen fixers in the euphotic zone of the Indian Ocean

Diazotrophy in the Indian Ocean is poorly understood compared to that in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We first examined the basin-scale community structure of diazotrophs and their nitrogen fixation activity within the euphotic zone during the northeast monsoon period along about 69°E from 17°N to 20°S in the oligotrophic Indian Ocean, where a shallow nitracline (49–59 m) prevailed widely and the sea surface temperature (SST) was above 25°C. Phosphate was detectable at the surface throughout the study area. The dissolved iron concentration and the ratio of iron to nitrate + nitrite at the surface were significantly higher in the Arabian Sea than in the equatorial and southern Indian Ocean. Nitrogen fixation in the Arabian Sea (24.6–47.1 μmolN m−2 d−1) was also significantly greater than that in the equatorial and southern Indian Ocean (6.27–16.6 μmolN m−2 d−1), indicating that iron could control diazotrophy in the Indian Ocean. Phylogenetic analysis of nifH showed that most diazotrophs belonged to the Proteobacteria and that cyanobacterial diazotrophs were absent in the study area except in the Arabian Sea. Furthermore, nitrogen fixation was not associated with light intensity throughout the study area. These results are consistent with nitrogen fixation in the Indian Ocean, being largely performed by heterotrophic bacteria and not by cyanobacteria. The low cyanobacterial diazotrophy was attributed to the shallow nitracline, which is rarely observed in the Pacific and Atlantic oligotrophic oceans. Because the shallower nitracline favored enhanced upward nitrate flux, the competitive advantage of cyanobacterial diazotrophs over nondiazotrophic phytoplankton was not as significant as it is in other oligotrophic oceans.

Macroscale-wide nutrient inversions in the subsurface layer of the Japan Sea during summer

The nutrient concentrations at depths of 0–200 m in the southern area of the Japan Sea were investigated at 97 stations during six cruises between June and October in 2013 and 2014. The nutrient concentrations at the surface were depleted to less than 0.1 µM, except for silicates, which remained at 0.8–5 µM, and increased below the nutricline, at depths of 20–125 m. The vertical profiles of nitrate, silicate, and/or phosphate concentrations between 131°30′E–139°40′E and 35°50′N–40°40′N showed a peak in the subsurface layer at 40, 71, and 6 stations, respectively, and nutrient inversions occurred at macroscale widths. The subsurface nutrient maximum occurred at depths of 20–150 m in waters at temperatures of 15–16°C and potential densities of 25.3–25.5 σθ, on average. The depths of the subsurface nutrient maximum were generally associated with a salinity maximum originating in the bottom water of the shallow Tsushima Strait. The nutrient inversions were disturbed by phytoplankton consumption, as indicated by the presence of the subsurface chlorophyll maximum at the same depth or below the salinity maximum at stations without nutrient inversions. Therefore, it was inferred that remineralization of nutrients near the bottom, from the East China Sea to the Tsushima Strait, and horizontal advection by the Tsushima Warm Current below the euphotic layer induced macroscale subsurface nutrient inversions in the southern Japan Sea.

Long‐term decrease in phosphate concentrations in the surface layer of the southern Japan Sea

To identify possible causes for the long-term trends in nutrient concentrations in the southern Japan Sea (JS), we studied nutrient concentrations that were obtained by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Our evaluation shows that phosphate concentrations declined in the surface layers in summer (0–20 m and 21–50 m depth) and winter (0–20 m, 21–50 m, and 51–100 m depth) over the last 40 years, while no significant linear trend was observed for nitrate concentrations. The declining trend in the phosphate concentration was quantified as 1.8–3.3 nM year−1. The increase in atmospheric nutrient deposition to the JS could not explain the decline in phosphate concentration. In addition, the mixed layer depth during winter did not demonstrate any significant trend, and an increase in phosphate concentrations was not observed in any layers; therefore, the decrease in nutrient supply from deep JS water was not considered a major possible cause for the decline in the phosphate concentration. In contrast, the phosphate concentration in the surface of the southern JS during winter showed a significant positive correlation with the concentration in the 21–50 m depth layer of the saline East China Sea (ECS) water in the preceding summer, and the surface water of the southern JS was almost entirely replaced by water originating from the ECS during May–October. Therefore, it is concluded that the declining trend in the phosphate concentrations in the southern JS is caused by horizontal advection of ECS water. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Comparison of community structures between particle-associated and free-living prokaryotes in tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean surface waters

The subtropical and tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean are less productive than other oceanic regions. Although particle association should be an important strategy for heterotrophic prokaryotes to survive in such environments, we have little information on particle-associated (PA) prokaryotes in these regions. The specific aim of this study was to determine bacterial and archaeal community structures in the PA assemblage in comparison to the free-living (FL) assemblage in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, and an eastern equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean. Community profiles and phylogenetic identities were obtained by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 454-pyrosequencing, and cloning followed by Sanger sequencing of 16Sr RNA gene amplicons. The distribution patterns of some abundant groups in three regions and two lifestyles (PA and FL) are shown in this study. Also, the PA community structures of bacteria differed from the FL ones and exhibited higher diversity than the FL ones, while the archaeal community structures did not show significant differences between PA and FL assemblages. We found that specific phylotypes of Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteria were abundant in PA bacterial assemblages, suggesting that they prefer to attach and consume particulate organic matter. In summary, the surface seawater PA assemblages represent very different bacterial and archaeal community structures between three different oceanic regions, each of which had distinct PA and FL community structures. These results imply that environmental factors determine microbial community structures.

Hadal water biogeochemistry over the Izu–Ogasawara Trench observed with a full-depth CTD-CMS

Full-depth profiles of hydrographic and geochemical properties at the Izu–Ogasawara Trench were observed for the first time using a CTD-CMS (conductivity– temperature–depth profiler with carousel multiple sampling) system. Additionally, comparative samplings were done at the northern Mariana Trench using the same methods. A well-mixed hydrographic structure below 7000 m was observed within the Izu–Ogasawara Trench. Seawater samples collected from this well-mixed hadal layer exhibited constant concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and nitrous oxide as well as constant nitrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of nitrate and nitrous oxide. These results agree well with previous observations of the Izu–Ogasawara hadal waters and deep-sea water surrounding the Izu–Ogasawara Trench. In turn, methane concentrations and isotopic compositions indicated spatial heterogeneity within the well-mixed hadal water mass, strongly suggesting a local methane source within the trench, in addition to the background methane originating from the general deep-sea bottom water. Sedimentary compound releases, associated with sediment resuspensions, are considered to be the most likely mechanism for generating this significant CH4 anomaly.

Appendicularians in the southwestern Sea of Japan during the summer: abundance and role as secondary producers

Appendicularian abundance was investigated at a total of 235 stations over 5 years, from 2011 to 2015, in southwestern Sea of Japan to evaluate potential factors influencing abundance and to understand their effects on the marine ecosystem. Oikopleura longicauda was the dominant appendicularian species, present in 232 samples, and with the highest abundance (mean ± SD: 463 ± 694 individuals m) among the appendicularians. Warm conditions appear to favour O. longicauda based on a generalized linear model, and salinity and chlorophyll a concentration were not significantly related to abundance. The abundance of O. longicauda was correlated significantly with those of Microsetella and Oncaea, which are the grazers of discarded appendicularian houses, as well as that of carnivorous Sagitta. Oikopleura longicauda houses, discarded daily to the water column, were estimated to represent a carbon flux of 7.7 ± 7.8 mgC m d (mean ± SD), depending on their density and water temperature. We estimate that a minimum of approximately 13% of houses were consumed by Oncaea and Microsettela. Therefore, we suggest that secondary production by O. longicauda in the southwestern Sea of Japan increased during summer and leads to enriched production at higher trophic levels in the epipelagic ecosystem during this season.

Basin-scale distribution of NH4+ and NO2− in the Pacific Ocean

We used more than 25,000 nutrient samples to elucidate for the first time basin-scale distributions and seasonal changes of surface ammonium (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2−) concentrations in the Pacific Ocean. The highest NH4+, NO2−, and nitrate (NO3−) concentrations were observed north of 40°N, in the coastal upwelling region off the coast of Mexico, and in the Tasman Sea. NH4+ concentrations were elevated during May–October in the western subarctic North Pacific, May–December in the eastern subarctic North Pacific, and June–September in the subtropical South Pacific. NO2− concentrations were highest in winter in both hemispheres. The seasonal cycle of NH4+ was synchronous with NO2−, NO3−, and satellite chlorophyll a concentrations in the western subtropical South Pacific, whereas it was synchronous with chlorophyll-a but out of phase with NO2− and NO3− in the subarctic regions.

Spatial variations in zooplankton community structure along the Japanese coastline in the Japan Sea: influence of the coastal current

This study evaluates spatial variations in zooplankton community structure and potential controlling factors along 10 the Japanese coast under the influence of the coastal branch of the Tsushima Warm Current (CBTWC). Variations in the density of morphologically-identified zooplankton in the surface layer in May were investigated for a 15-year period. The density of zooplankton (individuals per cubic meter) varied between sampling stations, but there was no consistent west–east trend. Instead, there were different zooplankton community structures in the west and east, with that in Toyama Bay particularly distinct: Corycaeus affinis and Calanus sinicus were dominant in the west and Oithona atlantica was dominant in 15 Toyama Bay. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) was used to characterize the variation in zooplankton community structure, and four axes (RD1–4) provided significant explanation. RD2–4 only explained <4.8% of variation in the zooplankton community and did not show significant spatial difference; however, RD1, which explained 89.9% of variation, did vary spatially. Positive and negative species scores on RD1 represent warmand cold-water species, respectively, and their variation was mainly explained by water column mean temperature, and it is considered to vary spatially with the CBTWC. 20 The CBTWC intrusion to cold Toyama Bay is weak and occasional due to the submarine canyon structure of the bay. Therefore, the varying bathymetric characteristics along the Japanese coast of the Japan Sea generate the spatial variation in zooplankton community structure, and dominance of warm-water species can be considered an indicator of the CBTWC.