Explore the vast range of titles available.

While multiple studies have investigated oxygen decrease in Japan Sea Proper Water (JSPW; > 300 m in depth), oxygen variation in continental slope and shelf waters (< 300 m) must also be investigated in order to assess its socioecological impacts. In this study, historical oxygen data in the waters of three continental shelves and a bank of Japan Sea, off-Awashima area (AW), Wakasa Bay (WB), East of Tsushima Straight (ETS), and Yamato Bank (YB), were collected and analyzed to assess temporal variation of oxygen in each region from 1960 to 2000s. Significant decreasing trends of oxygen were detected in the waters below 150 m depth in WB and YB, and below 300 m in AW, in the summer season. In winter, a decreasing trend of oxygen was detected throughout the water column from 300 m to the sea surface in WB and YB. In ETS, a deoxygenation trend was detected throughout the water column from the bottom to the sea surface in the summer season, while no trend was detected in winter. The results suggested that oxygen decreases in AW, WB, and YB were the consequence of the upward propagation of the deoxygenation signal from JSPW, while that of ETS was caused by horizontal propagation of deoxygenation signal from the East China Sea. Assuming that the observed trend will continue in future, it is predicted that part of the water in Tsushima Strait area will reach the general sublethal threshold of oxygen (134 μmol kg −1 ) by the end of this century.

Chlorophyll a (Chl a) often exhibits a maximum concentration in the subsurface layer rather that at the surface. The depth of the Chl a maximum primarily depends on the balance between light penetration from the surface and the nutrient supply from the deep ocean. However, a global map of subsurface Chl a concentrations based on observations has not been presented yet. In this study, we integrate Chl a concentration data from recent biogeochemical floats and historical ship-based (and other) observations and present global maps of subsurface Chl a concentrations with related variables. The subsurface Chl a maximum was observed globally throughout the oceans: at depths greater than 80 m in the subtropics and tropics (30∘ S to 30∘ N); in the 40–80 m depth range in the tropics, in the Southern Ocean (south of 40∘ S), and at the midlatitudes (30–40∘ N/S) in the North Pacific; and at depths of less than 40 m in the northern subarctic (north of 40∘ N). The observed maxima all lie below the mixed-layer depth for the entire year in the subtropics and tropics and during summer in the midlatitudes and the northern subarctic. The depths of the subsurface Chl a maxima are greater than those of the photosynthetically active layer in the subtropics but shallower in the tropics and midlatitudes. In the subtropics, a seasonal increase in oxygen below the mixed layer implies substantial new biological production, which corresponds to 10 % of the net primary production in that region. During El Niño, subsurface Chl a concentrations are higher in the middle and eastern equatorial Pacific but lower to the west in comparison with La Niña, a pattern which is opposite to that on the surface. The spatiotemporal variability of the Chl a concentrations described here has implications to not only for the biogeochemical cycling in the ocean but also for understanding the thermal structure and dynamics of the ocean via absorption of shortwave radiation.

In recent decades, acidification of the open ocean has shown a consistent increase. However, analysis of long-term data in coastal seawater shows that the pH is highly variable because of coastal processes and anthropogenic carbon inputs. It is therefore important to understand how anthropogenic carbon inputs and other natural or anthropogenic factors influence the temporal trends in pH in coastal seawater. Using water quality data collected at 289 monitoring sites as part of the Water Pollution Control Program, we evaluated the long-term trends of the pHinsitu in Japanese coastal seawater at ambient temperature from 1978 to 2009. We found that the annual maximum pHinsitu, which generally represents the pH of surface waters in winter, had decreased at 75 % of the sites but had increased at the remaining sites. The temporal trend in the annual minimum pHinsitu, which generally represents the pH of subsurface water in summer, also showed a similar distribution, although it was relatively difficult to interpret the trends of annual minimum pHinsitu because the sampling depths differed between the stations. The annual maximum pHinsitu decreased at an average rate of −0.0024 yr−1, with relatively large deviations (0.0042 yr−1) from the average value. Detailed analysis suggested that the decrease in pH was caused partly by warming of winter surface waters in Japanese coastal seawater. The pH, when normalized to 25 ∘C, however, showed decreasing trends, suggesting that dissolved inorganic carbon from anthropogenic sources is increasing in Japanese coastal seawater.

Pacific bluefin tuna ( Thunnus orientalis ; PBFT) is a highly migratory species, with some individuals migrating between the western Pacific Ocean (WPO) and eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). In this study, we used stable isotope analysis to identify PBFT that had recently undergone westward transoceanic migration on the Sea of Japan. A total of 155 PBFT individuals were examined. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17 years, with most individuals being 2–7 years of age. Individuals from each year class were classified as WPO residents or recent EPO migrants using cluster analysis of δ 15 N values. Individuals aged 2, 6, and over 7 years had unimodal distributions of δ 15 N values, while individuals aged 3, 4 and 5 years showed a bimodal distribution with high- and low-δ 15 N groups. Due to the overall higher baseline of δ 15 N values in the EPO, high δ 15 N individuals were considered to represent PBFT that had migrated from the EPO. Though individuals aged 6 and over 7 years showed unimodal distributions in the cluster analysis, discriminant analysis indicated that these PBFT also included some migrants from the EPO. We preliminary estimated the percentages of migrants and residents in the Sea of Japan. Such information can improve stock assessments models for PBFT and contribute to the sustainable stock management of this species.

A strong oxygen-deficient layer is located in the upper layers of the tropical Pacific Ocean and deeper in the North Pacific. Processes related to climate change (upper-ocean warming, reduced ventilation) are expected to change ocean oxygen and nutrient inventories. In most ocean basins, a decrease in oxygen (“deoxygenation”) and an increase in nutrients have been observed in subsurface layers. Deoxygenation trends are not linear and there could be multiple influences on oxygen and nutrient trends and variability. Here oxygen and nutrient time series since 1950 in the Pacific Ocean were investigated at 50 to 300 m depth, as this layer provides critical pelagic habitat for biological communities. In addition to trends related to ocean warming the oxygen and nutrient trends show a strong influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in the tropical and the eastern Pacific, and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) in particular in the North Pacific. In the Oyashio Region the PDO, the NPGO, the North Pacific Index (NPI) and an 18.6-year nodal tidal cycle overlay the long-term trend. In most eastern Pacific regions oxygen increases and nutrients decrease in the 50 to 300 m layer during the negative PDO phase, with opposite trends during the positive PDO phase. The PDO index encapsulates the major mode of sea surface temperature variability in the Pacific, and oxygen and nutrients trends throughout the basin can be described in the context of the PDO phases. El Niño and La Niña years often influence the oxygen and nutrient distribution during the event in the eastern tropical Pacific but do not have a multi-year influence on the trends.

[...]these coastal regions are confronted with mounting stressors originating from both human-induced factors such as nutrient pollution (Dai et al., 2023), natural forces like coastal modifications (Newton et al., 2016), and climate change forced by anthropogenic CO2 emission (Bindoff et al., 2019; IPCC, 2021). [...]coastal zones exhibit intricate dynamics, posing a formidable challenge in comprehending the underlying causes, evaluating the current state, and projecting future oxygen decline trends within these environments. Summary of the studies in this Research Topic Ocean hypoxia is delicately balanced by the changes in circulation, marine production and respiration dynamics, and water temperature, as underscored by (Fu et al., 2018; Pitcher et al., 2021). [...]a comprehensive assessment of the influential factors shaping ocean hypoxia becomes imperative as a prerequisite for any future projections. [...]future models seeking to elucidate DO utilization must incorporate considerations of OM heterogeneity and the temperature sensitivity response governing OM degradation across diverse sources and regions.

Asian mineral dust was sampled at Hokkaido, northern Japan, in spring 2004 and 2006. Iron solubility of the bulk aerosol, the size‐segregated aerosol (0.45 < D < 11 μm), the snow containing a lot of mineral dust, and a simulated Asian dust standard (CJ‐2) were measured by an iron dissolution experiment using a newly developed continuous leaching method. The iron solubility of the bulk aerosol samples was 1.2–2.2%. Within the 1.1 < D < 11 μm size range, iron solubility (0.52–8.2%) was higher in the smaller fractions of the size‐segregated aerosol samples. We considered that the preferential removal of larger mineral dust particles from the air by snow resulted in the low iron solubility of the snow samples. Iron solubility of mineral dust was relatively lower in the 4.7 < D < 11 μm fraction of the size‐segregated aerosol samples (0.52%), in the snow samples (0.20–0.57%), and in the CJ‐2 standard (0.33%), which are dominated by large size particles (D > 4.7 μm). We suggest that an iron solubility of around 0.4% is typical for Asian mineral dust of large particles transported to Hokkaido. In the high‐nutrient low‐chlorophyll region of the western subarctic North Pacific near the Asian continent, where the mineral dust deposition is dominated by large particles, the iron solubility of the mineral dust entering the ocean is around 0.4%.

Volcanic gases erupt from the seafloor in several regions around Japan. Volcanological and geochemical gas seep studies have mainly focused on coastal shallow-water areas that are relatively accessible and important to human society. Shallow-water CO 2 seeps are thought to foreshadow future marine environments that may develop if CO 2 emissions are not drastically reduced. Thus, CO 2 seeps provide important insights for assessing and projecting the impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. This study is the first to investigate two shallow-water CO 2 seeps near Japan from the perspective of ocean acidification. We observed biotic transitions and reduced biodiversity around these CO 2 seeps, as well as high CO 2 concentrations, low pH, and low calcium carbonate saturation—conditions expected to occur by the end of this century unless anthropogenic CO 2 emissions are significantly reduced. These results suggest that, from a marine life conservation perspective, it is essential to mitigate ocean acidification through substantial reductions in anthropogenic CO 2 . Shallow-water CO 2 seeps serve as natural experimental sites that illustrate ocean acidification and its effects on marine ecosystems. Given that the shallow-water CO 2 seeps examined in this study are both located in geoparks, study tours and ecotourism field trips should utilize these sites to enhance awareness of the consequences of ocean acidification and climate change.

A continuous survey examined short-term variations in the zooplankton community and physical ocean environment from the northeastern Izu Islands to Boso Peninsula in Japan. High copepod abundance and small upwellings in the surface layer and salinity minimum layer in the subsurface were observed on the north side of coastal fronts in the westernmost transect, moving southward as the Kuroshio Current left the Boso Peninsula. Thus, the salinity minimum layer might be a key factor forming upwelling and the fronts, leading to large abundance of coastal copepods off the northeastern Izu Islands. A community structure analysis of calanoid copepods revealed an intermediate belt assemblage between coastal and offshore (Kuroshio) assemblages. Copepod abundance was remarkably low and Ctenocalanus vanus dominated (nearly 37%) in the intermediate belt zone, indicating that C. vanus has a relatively high tolerance to adverse environments for calanoid copepods. As the Kuroshio Current left the Boso Peninsula, the coastal assemblage expanded in the same direction, and the intermediate belt assemblage off the northeastern Izu Islands disappeared. The largest population of Calanus sinicus was found along the two western transects off the northeastern Izu Islands (>1000 m depth), which was assumed to be transported from Sagami Bay and advanced southwestward while growing from copepodite stages CIII to CV. Larvae of C. sinicus would be an important food for fish larvae in addition to Paracalanus parvus  s.l., the numerically dominant species in the coastal assemblage, and C. vanus under the adverse conditions for coastal copepods.

An approach was developed to help evaluate and predict the combined effects of ocean acidification and deoxygenation on calcifying organisms along the coast of Japan. The Coastal and Regional Ocean COmmunity (CROCO) modeling system was set up to couple the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to the Pelagic Interaction Scheme for Carbon and Ecosystem Studies (PISCES) biogeochemical model and used to reproduce physical and biochemical processes in the area around Miyako Bay, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Future scenario cases were also set up, which used initial and boundary conditions based on Future Ocean Regional Projection (FORP) simulations. Present day simulations were able to reproduce the general features of observed physical and biochemical parameters, except for some rapid decreases in salinity, pH and aragonite saturation state (Ω arag ). This suggests that more local factors which have not been introduced into the model, such as submarine groundwater discharge, may be involved, or that river inputs may be underestimated. Results of the future projections suggest a significant impact of global warming and ocean acidification on calcifying organisms for the worst case of climate change under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. In particular, it is feared that values of Ω arag would approach the critical level for calcifying organisms (Ω arag < 1.1) throughout the year, under which decreased larval shell lengths and malformation have been observed experimentally for the locally grown Haliotis discus hannai (Ezo Abalone) species. However, these findings may not be true for a different coastal locality, and this study highlights and continues to stress the importance of developing model setups capable of incorporating both regional and local factors affecting ocean acidification and deoxygenation.