Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea

Purpose. The paper is aimed to analyze (i) peculiarities of the oxygen content and distribution in the Black Sea waters and (ii) the ratio of the observed changes in the oxygen distribution, the total primary production level and changes in the cold intermediate layer ventilation. Methods and...

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Main Authors: A.V. Masevich, S.K. Konovalov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Federal State Budget Scientific Institution «Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS» 2022-02-01
Series:Physical Oceanography
Subjects:
Online Access:http://physical-oceanography.ru/repository/2022/1/en_202201_06.pdf
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author A.V. Masevich
S.K. Konovalov
author_facet A.V. Masevich
S.K. Konovalov
author_sort A.V. Masevich
collection DOAJ
description Purpose. The paper is aimed to analyze (i) peculiarities of the oxygen content and distribution in the Black Sea waters and (ii) the ratio of the observed changes in the oxygen distribution, the total primary production level and changes in the cold intermediate layer ventilation. Methods and Results. The expedition data (2015–2019) as well as the data array (1980–2013) from the Oceanographic Data Bank of Marine Hydrophysical Institute, RAS, were used to analyze the oxygen content. The data for the deep part of the Black Sea (exceeding the 200 m depth) were selected. To analyze the primary production values, the shipboard fluorometric measurements of the chlorophyll a concentrations (1980–2001), and also the surface chlorophyll a concentrations derived from the SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua color scanners remote sensing (1998–2019) were utilized. The primary production was calculated using the regression equations in the form y = a + bx that bound up the primary production in the water column with the surface chlorophyll concentration. The calculated data reveal a significant increase in the annual primary production level (to 400 g C/m2·year) in the first half of the 1980s, then it declined on the average to ~ 140 g C/m2·year from 1985 to 1995, and it remains at the level of ~ 100 g C/m2·year from 1998 up to the present time. These variations in the primary production values correspond to the observed changes in the vertical distribution of nitrate and an increase in the temperature of the cold intermediate layer core, resulting in a decrease of the oxygen concentration in the deep oxic layers. Conclusions. An increase in temperature in the upper layers of the sea and a reduction of the winter convective mixing intensity resulted in a decrease in the oxygen supply to all layers of the aerobic zone of the Black Sea. The lowest oxygen content recorded for the whole period of 1980–2019 was revealed in 2010. At the same time, dystrophication process drove the Black Sea system to its natural state, when the oxygen content dynamics depended mainly on the intensity of physical ventilation.
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spelling doaj.art-dcceafa6c4a04a608585a09cbbc868152023-08-09T08:26:16ZengFederal State Budget Scientific Institution «Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS»Physical Oceanography1573-160X2022-02-01291839710.22449/1573-160X-2022-1-83-97Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black SeaA.V. Masevich0S.K. Konovalov1Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS, Sevastopol, Russian FederationMarine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS, Sevastopol, Russian Federation Purpose. The paper is aimed to analyze (i) peculiarities of the oxygen content and distribution in the Black Sea waters and (ii) the ratio of the observed changes in the oxygen distribution, the total primary production level and changes in the cold intermediate layer ventilation. Methods and Results. The expedition data (2015–2019) as well as the data array (1980–2013) from the Oceanographic Data Bank of Marine Hydrophysical Institute, RAS, were used to analyze the oxygen content. The data for the deep part of the Black Sea (exceeding the 200 m depth) were selected. To analyze the primary production values, the shipboard fluorometric measurements of the chlorophyll a concentrations (1980–2001), and also the surface chlorophyll a concentrations derived from the SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua color scanners remote sensing (1998–2019) were utilized. The primary production was calculated using the regression equations in the form y = a + bx that bound up the primary production in the water column with the surface chlorophyll concentration. The calculated data reveal a significant increase in the annual primary production level (to 400 g C/m2·year) in the first half of the 1980s, then it declined on the average to ~ 140 g C/m2·year from 1985 to 1995, and it remains at the level of ~ 100 g C/m2·year from 1998 up to the present time. These variations in the primary production values correspond to the observed changes in the vertical distribution of nitrate and an increase in the temperature of the cold intermediate layer core, resulting in a decrease of the oxygen concentration in the deep oxic layers. Conclusions. An increase in temperature in the upper layers of the sea and a reduction of the winter convective mixing intensity resulted in a decrease in the oxygen supply to all layers of the aerobic zone of the Black Sea. The lowest oxygen content recorded for the whole period of 1980–2019 was revealed in 2010. At the same time, dystrophication process drove the Black Sea system to its natural state, when the oxygen content dynamics depended mainly on the intensity of physical ventilation. http://physical-oceanography.ru/repository/2022/1/en_202201_06.pdfoxygenoxygen concentrationeutrophicationprimary productioncold intermediate layerblack sea
spellingShingle A.V. Masevich
S.K. Konovalov
Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
Physical Oceanography
oxygen
oxygen concentration
eutrophication
primary production
cold intermediate layer
black sea
title Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
title_full Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
title_fullStr Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
title_full_unstemmed Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
title_short Oxygen Dynamics during the Period of Dystrophic Processes in the Black Sea
title_sort oxygen dynamics during the period of dystrophic processes in the black sea
topic oxygen
oxygen concentration
eutrophication
primary production
cold intermediate layer
black sea
url http://physical-oceanography.ru/repository/2022/1/en_202201_06.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT avmasevich oxygendynamicsduringtheperiodofdystrophicprocessesintheblacksea
AT skkonovalov oxygendynamicsduringtheperiodofdystrophicprocessesintheblacksea